Ghost in the Shell (2017) Review Roundup

The problem with this remake lies in a fundamental difference between what this Japanese anime does and what big budgeted Hollywood pictures need to do.- Sandy Schaefer, Screen Rant

 
A flimsy copy of a copy, one that recreates some of the anime's set-pieces nearly shot for shot, but then pares away nearly everything else that made the original a classic.- David Sims, The Atlantic

It's unfortunate, if predictable, that Hollywood found it necessary to almost entirely eliminate deep think in favor of deep action. Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, C

 

Through its treatment of its franchise's history, the movie succeeds in some ways -- and crucially fails in others.- Kwame Opam, The Verge

A hot mess of a philosophical cyber-thriller....Some cool visuals, though.- Matthew Lickona, San Diego Reader, 1/5

An inert, insulting appropriation of what is one of the 20th century's most influential works of pop art.- Barry Hertz, Globe and Mail, 1.5/4

Ghost in the Shell boasts cool visuals and a compelling central performance from Scarlett Johansson, but the end result lacks the magic of the movie's classic source material.- Rotten Tomatoes, 41%

Things aren't looking too good right now. As this month draws to a close, the live-action Ghost in the Shell remake has received largely negative reviews; after the embargo was broken yesterday. This is just a small sample of the negative reviews that the film has gotten, but even the positive reviews have been drawing similar conclusions. The constants that I've noticed the most are praising the action and special effects but criticizing the liberties taken with the story and characterization of the original 1995 film and the original manga. At best, people have simply panned the reversion of Mamoru Oshii's classic vision of the future as dull and uninvolving compared to the original anime. At worst, it takes every problem that people were concerned about and makes them far worse than one could ever imagine.

While many were wondering if the controversy about the production would have an impact on the film; it seems the skepticism myself and others had was justified. With just a meager $1.8 million dollars earned from previews last night, the film is on track to open below the continued runs of Beauty and the Beast and Power Rangers (I loved the latter, plan on seeing the former this weekend) as well as a new release of Dreamworks' own The Boss Baby (while no masterpiece itself, it's pretty damning that more people are interested in seeing Alec Baldwin as an infant in a position of power than Scarlett Johansson in a $110 million effects-driven tentpole action film).

So, as I get ready to watch the 1995 movie again as well as rewatch The Matrix for the umpteenth time since I was 11 (the Wachowskis openly admitted to the original film heavily influencing the series, and I think it's a much better live-action remake in light of this news); I will do a post on the box office on Monday afternoon. I'm also starting school again on Tuesday, but I will have a lighter course load than Winter Term to help catch up here (I thankfully passed all my classes despite some of the setbacks I faced). One last thing: I have had no luck in having my primary computer fixed yet, so I'm writing this on my old one. While the functionality is a bit more limited than I'd like, I will try to eke out some of the recaps I wanted to do in April. That will be all for now. See you, space cowboy.

Yo-Kai Watch 2 Six months later: No Flowers Have Bloomed, Where do we go from here?

As more reviews trickle in for the live-action Ghost in the Shell now that the embargo has broken (Rotten Tomatoes sits at 56% and dropping as of this writing, in stark contrast to the original's 95%); I will most likely do my review roundup tomorrow. Today, however, I will do something that I have been meaning to for a while.

With E3 being this summer, Nintendo has much planned for their new console; the Switch, with plenty of content to support the console. Many games from both first-party and third-party developers will help give more reasons to pick one up, given how the console is on track to outsell the 14 million units the Wii U sold in its lifetime before the year is out (given how demand has outstripped supply by a considerable margin in my area, I personally plan to look into it for Christmas or my 26th birthday; then work on getting more for my PS4 and getting further in Breath of the Wild).

That said, (sighs), I can now officially be the bearer of bad news towards the success of Yo-Kai Watch outside its native Japan. When Akihiro Hino was promoting the international release of the sequels, he expected that the series would "bloom like a flower" in America by this year. So far, with six months having passed since their release: it hasn't. As of this writing, Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls have only sold 160,000 copies here; in stark contrast to the upwards of 3 million they sold in Japan, and critical reception has been significantly more mixed than it has been in Japan (though those who have played the games have said they were an improvement over the original Yo-Kai Watch). Bringing up the 14 million copies that Pokémon Sun and Moon have sold so far is just overkill at this point.

With the puzzle mobile game spinoff "Wibble Wobble" (a sort of Bejeweled clone known as "Puni Puni" in Japan) launching in Europe and the sequels launching on 3DS there next week, only one question remains: where do we go from here? Since the anime and toys have also underperformed in the West, how will plans to continue the franchise proceed further?

Even with Level-5 and the fandom interested in continuing with plans to localize the third game (the matter will be addressed in a future post, possibly in another recap of the anime); is it even worth the trouble at this point? While the 3DS may hold on a bit longer even as the industry makes way for the ninth generation, it just might be that the whole idea of it being successful here just wasn't meant to be.

I still feel the same way overall: even if Yo-Kai Watch had the template for something I might have enjoyed, Pokémon Sun and Moon actually filled that template in with life and more than just flickering lights and toys. I think a comment on Nintendo Life put it succinctly: "North America is not Japan, and Yo-Kai Watch is not Pokémon."

I have a prior engagement to take care of, I will return tomorrow with the review roundup of Ghost in the Shell. That will be all for now. Bang.

Alternatives to the live-action Ghost in the Shell remake, Daisuke Sato dies at age 52.

Now, the embargo of critical reviews has been lifted for the new Ghost in the Shell, and... early reception is mixed. Rotten Tomatoes currently sits at 71% for the time being, in comparison to the 95% rating the original film has. I'm not going to do a review roundup until more come in; but I am going to offer one more rebuttal to one of the last-ditch attempts to defend the film's casting: some of the comparisons Mamoru Oshii drew were towards Darth Vader and John Wayne as Genghis Khan in the film "The Conqueror." In the former case, James Earl Jones and David Prowse were African-American and Scottish respectively; and the latter, the film became one of the worst ones of all time, and it was filmed near a former site for testing atomic bombs, which contributed to many of the cast, Wayne included developing cancer that would prove fatal. Not exactly a convincing argument when you try to defend an already polarizing adaptation with a film that arguably helped rob the world of the star of "The Searchers" and "Sands of Iwo Jima." I mean, a movie like The Eye Creatures sucked; but I don't think it killed anyone. As someone who has spoken about film before and since starting this blog, I could smell the analogy backfire coming from Melemele Island.

So, rather than contribute further towards this growing dumpster fire; I will instead offer some alternatives coming out in the near future in the neighborhood of live-action anime and manga adaptations.

Full Metal Alchemist

As a fan of the series from the 2003 anime, as well as an increasing fascination with the manga and Brotherhood; I can honestly say I'm very excited for this film given the fantastic-looking special effects (especially on Alphonse's armor), the all-Japanese cast and the fact that original author Hiromu Arakawa's influence is very clear compared to other adaptations of anime and manga, it will definitely be a film to enjoy when it releases this Christmas, with the original release on December 1.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

Based on the fourth arc of the long-running anime and manga series, the film looks to expand on the situations presented by the original story into a new medium. The film will be directed by Takashi Miike, whose unique style of filmmaking will be more than a match for the mindbending scenarios and creative action sequences that the acclaimed and bestselling Shonen Jump series has been well-known for. The film will be released in Japanese theaters this summer.

Gintama

Despite being unfamiliar with the source material, I am well aware of how big the series is in its native Japan. As with the above two films, it will be released this year with Warner Bros. Pictures helping with distribution; and I am also seriously considering starting it with this on the table. The series is available to stream on Crunchyroll, and I might look into it when I'm done with My Hero Academia (binge-watching the first season before the second one starts on April Fool's day. No joke- I love it, and I will give some of it a positive recap when my main computer is fixed).

As if the new film's prospect wasn't depressing enough, I also feel the need to bookend this post with another sad piece of anime news: Daisuke Sato, creator of various manga series such as High School of the Dead has died of heart disease at age 52. I am also contemplating recapping some of the series in his honor around Halloween as a result, and I offer my condolences to his friends, family and co-workers. May he rest in peace. That will be all for now. Bang.

Regarding the leaked opening to the Ghost in the Shell remake.

Disclaimer: Due to the subject matter of this article, the tone will be more serious than usual. Please keep your comments constructive on posting.

Content warning: This article contains discussions of violence, nudity and sexual content and is not recommended for younger audiences. Read at your own risk.

So, the new Power Rangers was admittedly pretty cool for my money. While some of the darker elements and jokes didn't always take, overall I thought it was a good update to the TV series that can appeal to both new and older fans.

On a less positive note, the live-action Ghost in the Shell remake is finally being released on Friday. Yet, despite the film getting the support of the original director Mamoru Oshii, the film still remains one of the most divisive films of the year for a variety of reasons. A large number of fans of the 1995 anime classic are vastly divided on the lead role being given to Scarlett Johansson, while even more such as myself aren't pleased about the liberties being taken with the original story (based on an equally-groundbreaking manga by Masamune Shirow).

In the midst of the many articles online debating the film as well as the overall impact it might have even with the fans of the original works being sharply divided (including one I wrote on the matter last December), Paramount and Dreamworks uploaded the opening scene of the film ahead of the film's release on March 31.

While I still admit the visuals are impressive, overall, I'm still getting the impression of one question: why? The clip just gave off a vibe of not only a shot-for-shot role rehearsal of the opening of the 1995 film as well as the first episode of the TV series "Stand Alone Complex," so what reason do I have to choose the remake over the original film; let alone anyone else?

On top of that, the clip doesn't seem like it has enough to stand out among people like me; or to distinguish itself from the source material. Apart from a few cosmetic changes, the advertising just seems like a play by play of the original's most recognizable moments. Even with Oshii giving his full support to both the cast and crew, it just looks like a bowdlerized version of the patently adult source material being Hollywoodized for the PG-13 crowd. What was once a dark and complex take on what it means to be human in the machine age has become a theme park sideshow on the same rough intellectual level as the live-action "Transformers" films (not helped by Ehren Kruger being one of the writers on the script for the remake) by way of other films such as "Blade Runner" and "The Matrix" series (which heavily-influenced the Wachowskis, ironically).

It took me a few times to notice some of the changes, but some are more noticeable than others in the initial clip. While many of the mercenaries and diplomats were indeed killed in the original source material, it was to be expected that the blood wouldn't fly in a PG-13 action film the way it would in a hard-R anime film. The only element that even came close to capturing the original story's bleak tone was the very end where the Major gunned down a robotic geisha.

On top of that, I expected that the leeway the original story had with depicting nudity and sexual content would be virtually nonexistent given how much the cinematic landscape since the original had changed. In a similar fashion to how Mystique was rendered in the X-men films, the Major, who was naked in many key scenes in the original works has instead been given a series of carefully-placed prosthetic coverups and makeup. Thankfully, the CGI tests to alter Scarlett Johansson's appearance ended up being scrapped due to angered feedback from critics and audiences.


Even though I'm not the biggest fan of director Rupert Sanders' previous film, "Snow White and the Huntsman," it's one thing when you adapt a story like Snow White. If it disappoints someone, the story is ubiquitous enough there will always be more. However, adapting a work like this is quite another. With the original film being highly-influential among other filmmakers both here and in its native Japan, the prospect of the remake finally being released after years in development Hell will be a make-or-break adaptation for anyone else remaking beloved anime and manga (including the Death Note film on Netflix I mentioned in the last post). Despite the claims of the creative team and Oshii, my reasons for not going to the movie are not related directly to the casting. Apart from the reasons I've already discussed, Oshii suggested while praising the remake that "there could only be political motives for not seeing the film."

I'm sorry, Oshii, I love the original film and manga; and that's the nicest thing I can say about the remake. I will also let everyone involved know right now that my reasons for staying home with the original film are anything but political. I had a similar talk with others about the matter when the trailer was leaked late last year; and I still feel the same way: the issue myself and others have with the casting is nowhere near as simple as the people involved are making it out to be. Beyond that, however, is the fact that everything that Paramount and Dreamworks have said have only confirmed what I feared most about the film: much like how the original's characters had an existential crisis about their identities, the remake can't seem to decide whether it wants to be an ambiguous and foreboding update to its namesake or a more idealistic and openly action-oriented film. It doesn't help that the film is admittedly the latest case of a longstanding problem the industry has had with "racebending" roles when adapting stories associated with Japan and other Asian countries,



It also doesn't help when other films have been helping lend greater diversity to a time when it's been in the highest demand in years. In addition to new and future installments in series such as Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe have cast roles, I enjoyed how Power Rangers retained the "colorblind casting" that's been associated with the series since its inception, as well as how new elements were given to Billy and Trini's characters. It also begs this last question: if you're so confident about this film, why aren't you acting like it? You've spoken at length about the remake, so why would you continue to act like you have something to hide?

Generally, when studios do this; it usually implies they know they have a bomb on their hands and they want to minimize the fallout. Granted, maybe the embargo hasn't broken yet; but so far it's the only new release this weekend that has been given this treatment. It took $10 million alone to sign ScarJo, and the film's official budget has been revealed as $120 million before promotion and distribution. I can suggest that the film could be one of the biggest bombs ever short of some miracle. Barring any more boondoggles like a fifth Transformers film, the only thing I see changing about anime adaptations is them going from chintzy low-budget messes to snazzy high-budget messes.

I officially plan on staying home with the original film, and I encourage others to do the same if they're not sure. Go see Logan again, go see Power Rangers, catch up on your backlog, anything besides this film. I'm also hearing good things about Kong Skull Island and the new Beauty and the Beast. That will be all for now, I will try to get more content out as well as get my main computer fixed. See you space cowboy.

Death Note live-action film coming to Netflix August 25.

Hello everyone. I just had my last meeting of the term with my journalism teacher, and I am still trying to find a way to get my computer repaired (this is another post made on a school one).

On my commute here, I have seen the trailer for the live-action film adaptation of Death Note. Originally intended as a theatrical release, Viz now plans to release the film on the online platform on August 25 (after Warner Bros. decided to focus their energy on franchises primarily on Harry Potter, Lego and the DC Extended Universe).

While I'm not sure how the film will live up to its source material's pedigree, I can definitely say the imagery and tone look at least better than the live-action Ghost in the Shell remake, which I am still not going to even if some of the actors have praised the film. The fact that it's not being screened for critics does not bode well.

That will be all for now, I'm planning on going to the new Power Rangers movie this weekend; and also contemplating someone asking me to see the new Beauty and the Beast. See you space cowboy.

Blog Update-St. Patrick's Day 2017

Hello everyone. First off, I can say that Logan was excellent and I'm really enjoying Zelda: Breath of the Wild so far. Second, my term of school is winding down. I just have one more meeting next Wednesday and I will be done.

On a less positive note, I am also having problems with my computer again. The system folder in my laptop mysteriously disappeared earlier this week, and I am also not as close to my 300th post as I thought I was. So, regrettably, I will once again have to put what I had planned on hold and go on hiatus for the most part till it's fixed (I'm typing this on a school computer).

I apologize for the inconvenience, but I will have some posts in the interim to make up for not being able to do the Jirachi movie and other stuff as I hoped. In the meantime, my playlist for today involves the Twitch marathon of Power Rangers to get ready for the new movie next week, re-watching the first couple episodes of Pokemon Sun and Moon on Disney XD this evening (as well as the subs, almost caught up); and Iron Fist on Netflix (in spite of the critical drubbing, I'm willing to give it a chance). I'm also playing in the Kanto X Alola tournament (got my Mega Stones from the last tournament a little big ago).


That will be all for now, I will give you anything else as I get it. Happy St. Patrick's day to any readers I may have in Ireland. See you space cowboy.

Recap: One Million Miracles

Hello everyone. I’ve been trying to rework this recap of Code Geass R2 for a while; and since I already started looking at the show when I started this blog in 2012; I can’t just pull the plug on it like I did with Danganronpa (depending on what else I can see, i might pick those plans up again and I might not.). So, let’s open up “One Million Miracles,” because we need one every day; and not just for the planned remaster of this anime to actually be good like first part was.

Normally, I would do my “previously on Code Geass R2” introduction, but I don’t need to! The anime does it for me, recapping not only the previous series up to this point; but now this one! Well, it was nice to have 2 episodes without this. Honestly, if you want to accommodate new viewers; this isn’t the way to do it! Plus, you’re treating existing ones like they have the attention span of a guppy! I definitely want this gone in the remaster, since it’s totally ineffective at expanding existing plot points and worthless for the new ones! At least other anime like One Piece and Gurren Lagann aren’t this clumsy about it! Sorry if I’m getting heavy, but there’s more to talk about in this episode.

As per usual, I’m skipping the theme song and putting on music I can actually stand listening to. 

Picking up where we left off, everyone is shocked that Zero wants to follow through with participating in the SAZ. Apart from the usual heavy-handedness, you could have started the episode here! I’m not asking for too much, just a little story cohesion would be nice. Really hope the remaster can help with the pacing problems of this season. 

Zero enters the aircraft carrier, and when Lady Kaguya greets him, he says he’s “relieved to see you’re as lively as ever.” I, however, am not. As I mentioned in the last recap, she’s not my type. More into characters like Yoko Littner and Ryoko Matoi.

This is also juxtaposed with many citizens concerned about the impact the SAZ will have on their lives. This is also one of the reasons why I had to rewrite this recap; since current events in real life made me uncomfortable about what I had in mind before. Some parts will remain later, but other parts I had written here are now gone.

Of course, not pictured is a scene at a swimming pool featuring Shirley adjusting her suit for no real reason amid all the din of concerned citizens. I still mean what I said: the fan service of this arc really needs to go. This has less justification for a swimsuit scene than Star Trek Into Darkness, and I actually like that one!

Nunally will once again be presiding over the ceremony as viceroy; and her speech is in braille as well. Anyone feel like watching the Netflix Daredevil show? Been meaning to catch up on my backlog anyway. Iron Fist is starting soon, looks really cool.

Also, I didn’t think too much about this on prior viewings of this episode; but Nunnally’s maid just seems a bit sketch. By the time I decided to recap it, though, she definitely became quite the piece of work; and one of my main criticisms with this episode. Otherwise, not a whole lot has been going on. The last couple ones were objectively worse, but this is just kind of dull so far.

Immediately after this, however; we cut to Suzaku saying he has to take a leave of absence to work on the SAZ; which means he can’t help work on the garden. Honestly? Is this scene really necessary? Otherwise, I can just add it to my list of ones that don’t add anything to the story, and not just because Rivalz is involved.

The most it adds is some kind of potential clemency for Kallen; but it just as well could have been done anywhere; and leads to some awkward romantic banter that even Edward Cullen would laugh at. 

Then, we got some traitor running at Suzaku with a knife. Seriously? Even if he hadn’t been given the “Iive on” Geass (long story, we’ll talk when the time comes); you seriously think just a random grunt can take on a member of the elite guard with just a knife? A gun, fair enough; but this is just dumb.

Of course, Suzaku flips him overhead with a single grapple. Admittedly, that was nice; but still came out of nowhere and was totally unnecessary, just like most of this anime.

After getting off the phone with Diethard, Lelouch then talks to Rolo about his plan as well as the previously-mentioned voodoo shark that is VV. This could be Simon Gruber using a nursery rhyme as his plan and it would be much more entertaining.

As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives. Every wife had seven sacks, every sack had seven cats...

Then, Nina meets with Prince Schneizel and Kannon in a facility in Dallas after they got back from the EU. After certain events that had me rewrite this recap, that sentence made no sense at all. Hell, I can understand the rationale behind why they made Solgaleo a Psychic/Steel type; but I’ll be damned if I can figure out how the events are unfolding here.

We also get a brief scene of Suzaku potentially signing off on executing the traitor who took a swing at him, which I submit would have made a much more interesting story than the one we’re actually getting.

Nina also recalls an incident during the black rebellion where she went mad and regretted it deeply, which is more than I can say for someone else in this anime that I will get to soon. I really don’t get why the fans are so hard on Nina when there are characters in this episode alone that deserve a lot more hate.

Back with Suzaku, he does decide to just execute the grunt that tried to kill him; with Anya acting as the co-signer as one of the Knights of Round. To be honest, there’s not a whole lot to this episode. I’m almost 10 minutes in and it’s just been a whole bunch of political discussions and signing forms. While other episodes of this anime I’ve covered are technically worse; I still want to keep going even after all this time.

For some reason, when Anya questions why Suzaku came to Area 11, she asks if he’s a masochist. What, did EL James ghostwrite this episode? That’s got to be the biggest left-fielder question since Tommy Wiseau! 

Everyone gets a call from Zero, and the maid questions one of their revealing outfits. In the words of my associate, Mr. Enter: “Pointing out your problems doesn’t make them go away!” Also, don’t make light of the excessive fan service, that’s my job.

Also, I still don’t know why Lloyd gets a free pass among the fans even though he’s just as bad as many other characters I’ve seen; if not worse. I would have no objections at all to the remaster writing him out or killing him off.

Anyway, Zero agrees to the term of the SAZ and the mobilization of 1 million people on the condition that he be exiled. Oh, dear, do I have some choice words for that when it happens.

As the maid cites a clause in their laws that allows him to be exiled; Anya remarks how boring this all this. Really not a good sign when even the characters aren’t buying this anymore.

Also, halfway through this episode; we find out her name is Lohmeyer. It would have been nice to learn that sooner, but instead we got unnecessary swimsuit scenes. This whole plot thread will most likely have to be rewritten for the remaster; especially for reasons I’ll get to concerning Miss Lohmeyer. 

Honestly, this scene where they’re lighting candles to canonize Euphemia’s memory would have played a LOT better without the bureaucratic hogwash! This is like the first season on Sominex! 

So, it turns out that the SAZ will be located in the Shizuoka ghetto as one million people have indeed gathered. A third of the way into this anime, and I feel like I could be watching Beyblade instead of this.

Also, it turns out some of the black knights have been planted amongst the crowd for what Zero has planned. I’m supposed to be invested, but I already feel like I’m overloaded a third of the way through this anime.

Chigusa enters the space looking for Ohgi, and I honestly have no idea what’s going on; nor do I care about it.

I will give credit where it is due, though: the animation is still very well-made, as I expect from Sunrise and CLAMP. The story and characterization may be a mess, but at least it’s a pretty mess; much like how the new Ghost in the Shell looks (baby steps, fellas, we’ll get a good live-action remake someday).

So, 15 minutes into this episode; Zero appears before the Viceroy, true to his word. Wish I could say the same about everyone else right now.

Also, if there’s an attack; Miss Lohmeyer says that the insurgents will be executed on sight. (sighs) Really?

Then, some of the people in the crowd use bags that emit smoke in their plan! This is going to get even sillier.

It turns out that all 1 million people have been disguised as Zero, meaning they all must be allowed to leave under their own rules!

Lohmeyer, however; just wants to slaughter the horde en masse! After Suzaku stops her, I would make a joke normally; but I’m just going to let this screen cap speak for itself.

Lady, with all due respect, go fuck yourself.

So, despite Lohmeyer’s xenophobic ranting; Suzaku ultimately agrees to keep his word and allows all 1 million people (honestly, they’re not numbers, Miss Lohmeyer) and Zero to leave on a specially designed ship. Just as well, I’m done with this.

Even with all people have said about Nina’s flaws; at least she admitted she was wrong in this episode and others after this, which is more than I can say for Lohmeyer. Even though Rivalz and Lloyd admittedly annoy me, at least they never took their position as a way to demoralize and kill people they deemed beneath them. The moment anyone insinuates that people don’t deserve to be recognized just because they’re from different backgrounds, I am done with them. I definitely would like it if her character was rewritten or even removed entirely from the remaster. You were the one pointing the gun, Lohmeyer, so point it at the one responsible.

That aside, however; “One Million Miracles” is another example of how R2 had plenty of potential to expand on what was done in R1 that was never realized. Lohmeyer’s xenophobia aside; it was just painfully boring. An episode about this subject matter should have had a lot more to be invested in, I couldn’t even eke out the bare minimum to give a damn about it. Even with all the great animation, it’s just a load of sound and fury signifying nothing; which is par for the course when it comes to this anime.

So, after I post this, I’m going to go get the new Zelda and see Logan this weekend; then it will be time for my 300th post after I finish some work I’ve been meaning to. That’s all for now. See you, space cowboy.