Ghost in the Shell

Summary:

Ghost in the Shell is a futuristic police thriller dealing with the exploits of Motoko Kusanagi, a member of a covert operations division of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission known as Section 9. The unit specializes in fighting technology-related crimes. She may be named after one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan and Shirow makes reference to them at the end of the second manga.[citation needed] Although supposedly equal to all other members, Kusanagi fills the leadership role in the team, and is usually referred to as "the Major" due to her past rank in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. She is capable of superhuman feats, and bionically specialized for her job — her body is almost completely mechanized; only her brain and a segment of her spinal cord remain organic.

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence


the 2004 sequel to the anime film Ghost in the Shell. Released in Japan on March 6, 2004, with a U.S. release on September 17, 2004.
Much of the storyline is taken from the original Ghost in the Shell manga, from a chapter called Robot Rondo, albeit heavily modified from the original tale. The story of Innocence begins in 2032, when cities are inhabited by the dwindling races of humans, purely mechanical androids, and cyborgs like Batou who still have a ghost (the in-universe term for the human spirit), but are vulnerable to ghost hacking.


Motoko Kusanagi

Leader of Section 9, star of the Ghost in the Shell.
Motoko Kusanagi (aka The Major) is a cyborg employed as the squad leader of the elite Section 9 anti-terrorism/cybercrimes division. Afflicted with disease as a child, Kusanagi's consciousness was transferred to a cyberbrain and fully prosthetic body at a young age.

Opting to keep her female chassis, Kusanagi skillfully maneuvers her body and is capable of ridiculous feats of acrobatic insanity. She is a very effective leader and is able to use her wits and cybernetic body in bringing criminals to justice. However, despite the number of cyborgs in Section 9, Kusanagi hand-picks Togusa, who has undergone only minimal brain modification, to balance the roster, an interesting expression of her belief that homogeneity is a weakness and that versatility is a strength. Kusanagi is often contemplative and brooding, whilst her counterpart Batou is more extroverted and lively. She usually wields an M-23 submachine gun that, while fictional, bears a striking resemblance to a P-90 - though with the magazine mounted vertically on the underside instead of horizontally as is the case with the P-90.

Since she has a full cybernetic body, she is not certain her ghost, or her soul, retains any humanity. In fact, she speculates on the possibility that she's entirely synthetic, with artificially generated memories designed to fool her into thinking she was once human.

Batou

recruited from the Rangers, the second best melee fighter in Section 9 and is the second in command under Major Motoko Kusanagi. Shirow has admitted that Batou is visually based on action-movie actor Steven Seagal.[citation needed] In the movie adaptations of Shirow's manga, Batou is a direct representation of Mamoru Oshii's opinions, views, and feelings that are presented throughout the story. He also cares for a cloned basset hound named Gabriel, and Oshii himself possesses a female basset hound named Gabriel.

Batou keeps his life away from work mostly unknown. He also gave his favorite Tachikoma an unapproved, non-synthetic oil until the Major caught him. In the first Stand Alone Complex series, the Laughing Man hacked into his eyes so that Batou could not see him.

According with Tachikomatic Days of episode 21 (Season 1), he has a can of beer after his bath and he takes out his eyes before going to sleep.

Also, he often uses up his paycheck buying muscle training equipment for the upper body, which others find useless, considering his extensive number of cyborg parts (mainly torso and arms). In the first season of Stand Alone Complex, it is inferred that he uses it to remind himself of who he is, despite his cyberization, much like the watch the Major wears.

Chief Aramaki

Daisuke Aramaki is chief of Public Security Section 9.
Aramaki is a strict chief, and is referred to by others in Section 9 as the "old ape" (most likely because in the original manga he was drawn with a face that appeared to be half monkey, half man).[citation needed] Even so, he is fiercely loyal to the members of Section 9, and often puts his own career on the line to ensure the survival of the rest of his team.

Togusa

is the second most prominently featured male character in the Ghost in the Shell manga and anime series. In Stand Alone Complex, as well as the original Ghost in the Shell movie, it is stated that he is the only member of Section 9 who has not undergone cybernetic replacement in some manner as he had been referred to as a natural (though he does have a cyberbrain

Ishikawa

is the information warfare/technology specialist in Public Security Section 9. It has not been stated in the series thus far as to the degree that he has been cybernetically augmented, though character dialogue (and his long recovery time from an injury) suggests that he is one of the least augmented members of Section 9. His appearance is characterized by a large beard and perpetually unkept hair, and he is the oldest of Section 9's field operatives. Ishikawa is especially well-known for his frequent, long-winded and often rather complicated expository speeches to the other characters, in order to inform them (and the show's audience) of new story developments.

Saito

Among the members of Section 9, he is regarded as one of the least cyberized. He can handle any automatic firearm with deadly accuracy and precision, but his primary role is as the unit's tactical sniper. His left eye was replaced with the "Hawkeye", a prosthetic eye that interfaces with satellites to allow for shots of incredible accuracy. He is also valued for his ability to think like enemy snipers[3]; on two separate occasions his ability at determining sniping locations impacted Section 9's actions.

Ghost in the shell 1995 IMDB, trailer
Innocence 2004 IMDB, trailer
AbsolutAanime Ghost in the shell, Innocence

Gatchaman New movie

Gatchaman is scheduled to be completed in 2010 by Imagi Animation Studios. Kevin Munroe (TMNT) was originally scheduled to write and direct with Lynne Southerland (co-director of Mulan 2) as producer, however, they were taken off the project. The film script is to be written by Paul Dini.Soundtrack by Paul Oakenfold.

Gatchaman first look

IMDB

Imagi Official Website



According to some information taken from an interview with Kevin Munroe back on July 19, 2006, and statements coming from Imagi Animation Studios' Founder and Co-CEO Francis Kao, the movie will contain the following plotlines:

* The movie will focus on Ken, Joe, Jun, Jinpei and Ryu, especially on how they eventually formed the Science Ninja Team before they were dispatched to hunt down the Galactor terrorist group.

* The movie will focus on the Gatchaman universe, rather than the Battle of the Planets, Eagle Riders or G-Force: Guardians of Space universes (i.e., it will be a direct adaptation of the original Japanese series rather than an adaptation of the aforementioned localized versions).

* The movie could possibly have a PG-13 rating since it will have a slight dark tone and will focus on some potentially violent themes, so as to keep the same tone and style of the original Japanese version of the show.

Battle Of the Planets

Battle of the Planets (1978) is the American dub of the 1972 television anime known as Kagaku ninja tai Gatchaman. Of the 105 original Gatchaman episodes, 85 were used in the Battle of the Planets adaptation, produced by Sandy Frank Entertainment. The adaptation is generally faithful to the plot and character development of the original Gatchaman series, but significant additions and reductions were made in order to increase appeal to the North American juvenile television market of the late 1970s.[1]

As of February 2007, Sandy Frank's 30-year license to Battle of the Planets is expired. It is not clear how this will affect the future of the series.

Summary

Battle of the Planets casts five young people as G-Force, consisting of Mark, Jason, Princess, Keyop, and Tiny. The question has been raised whether or not the characters were cyborgs due to their super-human agility and demonstrations of power such as the whirlwind pyramid. G-Force protects Earth from planet Spectra and other attacks from 'beyond space'. Their main ship is the Phoenix, which can deploy four smaller vehicles, each operated by one team member. A regularly featured plot device was the transformation of the Phoenix into a flaming bird-shaped craft able to handle virtually any exceptional situation by functioning as something like a giant blowtorch (called the "Fiery Phoenix"). The Phoenix’s primary weapon was a large supply of rockets. It also occasionally flaunted a powerful solar-powered energy blaster, although the team had the misfortune of choosing very cloudy days to use it.

Mark

Mark is often referred to as 'Commander', and is, obviously, Commander of the G-Force team. He has been known to get 'feelings' about trouble coming, leaving one to suspect he has some unrealised mental gifts ("Invasion of Space Centre", "The Fierce Flowers, Pt. 2"). He has amazing mimicry abilities, and at one time passed himself off as Zoltar ("Prisoner in Space"). At some time in his past he attended the Space Academy, possibly during his training for the team, and he now rents a shack on a small airfield ("The Sky is Falling"). When not fighting invaders he is a test pilot ("Ace from Outer Space"). He believes his father is missing, until the episode "The Sky is Falling". In that episode we also found out that Colonel Cronus (not his real name) had given Mark to Chief Anderson for safe keeping when Mark was 4 years old. This gives one of the shows few time frames, indicating that Mark is 18 years old as of this episode. He and Princess have a special fondness for each other, and in one episode he decides not to pursue a relationship with a woman he is attracted to because of "my affection for Princess" ("Defector to Spectra", "Magnetic Attraction"). There is a possibility that he may have a stepmother and half brother (see the description of "Colonel Cronus"). Favourite weapon is a Sonic Boomerang. His plane is called a Summit Jet.

Jason

Sometimes called 'Jase' for short by Princess. Jason is second-in-command of the G-Force team, and has shown a longing to be the leader ("Magnetic Attraction"), at times coming head to head with Mark and his decisions. He has a temper and is often referred to as a hot-head ("Rage of the Robotoids"), yet he still cares deeply for his fellow teammates. He has the reputation of being one of the best race car drivers on Earth ("Race Against Disaster"), and has competed in many interplanetary racing events. He also is the most likely of the team to be interested in pretty women, but they have an annoying tendency to somehow be affiliated with Spectra ("Race Against Disaster", "Rage of the Robotoids"). Jason operates the weapons of the Phoenix and his vehicle is called the Space mobile (real imaginative). He is knowledgeable about the defence systems of planets and facilities ("Ghost Ship of Planet Mir", "Prisoners In Space")

Princess

Princess is an orphan, and in "Peril of the Pyramids", she indicates she remembers when it happened. She is smart, capable, and accomplished in a number of sciences. She is more than able to hold her own in a fight. She is able to pilot the Phoenix ("Beast with a Sweet Tooth"), is known to bring along little gadgets that may help them on their missions ("Silent City"), and is often chosen by Mark to accompany him on missions ("Attack of the Space Terrapin", "Secret Island", "Race Against Disaster", "Conway Tape Tap"). She at one time studied meditation in the Himalayas ("Charioteers of Changu"), and has also studied Spectra on her own. In "Prisoners of Space" she had amassed many Spectran voices on tape recorder. Princess has an emotional attachment to Mark, which he acknowledges. Her favourite weapon is a specialized yo-yo and excels at placing small bombs in Spectra bases for optimal effect ("Curse of the Cuttlefish", "Attack of the Space Terrapin", "Perilous Pleasure Cruise"). Her motorcycle is called a Galacticycle.

Keyop

He is the youngest on the team, but that doesn't make him any less dangerous than the others as a fighter. He is agile, quick thinking, and at times, something of a smart-mouth. Several times he is mentioned to be laboratory grown specifically for the team. As is mentioned in the Production Notes (found elsewhere in this page), he has a speech impediment that may have been caused by a mistake in his manufacture. He has a fondness for animals and insects, at times bringing them home with him ("Alien Beetles", "A Whale Joins G-Force", "Seals of Sytron"). He gets into trouble often, and sometimes feels the need to prove himself ("Fearful Sea Anemone"). His favourite weapon is a Bolo. His vehicle is called a Star Buggy (in "The Bat-Ray Bombers" it's called a Widget).

Tiny

Tiny is the pilot of the Phoenix and is often left behind with the ship while the others go out on missions. He is an excellent pilot who can make the Phoenix do just about anything. He has a habit of falling asleep on the job, a habit that one time gets him put on suspension ("The Bat-Ray Bombers"). He is easy going and sometimes a little slow, but very lovable with a big heart. He originally comes from a small fishing village, and is adept at scuba diving ("The Bat-Ray Bombers"). At one time he was in the South Sea where a girl once did a hula just for him ("Big Robot Gold Grab"). He's a sucker for pretty girls ("Super Space Spies"), and in "Raid on Riga" has a girlfriend named Alice. He is always promising to go on a diet, but never seems to follow through, consuming massive quantities of his favourite food, Space burgers. In "The Bat-Ray Bombers", Tommy, who is a friend, knows that Tiny is with G-Force (perhaps meaning Tommy knows he's with the program).

7Zark7

A character not in Gatchaman, Zark was added by Sandy Frank to pad episodes of Battle of the Planets due to the amount of material that was cut. He looks much like R2-D2, possibly to cash in on the Star Wars craze at that time. Over time, he eventually gained the ability to "fly" by flapping his cape (though why he had to fly two feet to the other side of his monitoring station is beyond me). He spent much of his time cleaning the deep-space monitors.

Opening scene

Wikipedia

IMDB

AbsoluteAnime

Gatchonline

Lmg exclusive Ulrich Schnauss Mix

Ulrich Schnauss German producer of ethereal electronic music which calls to mind such diverse influences as Chapterhouse, My Bloody Valentine and LFO. After much unsigned work under some aliases, the CCO label saw fit to release his debut mini-album, "Far Away Trains Passing By". The album became a critical hit and gained more and more listeners through the next couple years as it seeped into the far East and America. Due to strong word-of-mouth and a devoted following, his follow-up album, "A Strangely Isolated Place", was an even bigger hit. He has also started branching out with collaborations and remixes with Longview, Mojave 3, I'm Not A Gun, Justin Robertson, The Zephyrs, and more.

LMG is a NYC based collective that promotes and puts on shows of shoegaze/dream pop variety. here you'll find information about the bands we work with and upcoming events and other stuff we think is cool. you can also visit us at myspace.com/lovelessmusic (also all mp3s are posted for promotional purposes only. if you do not wish your songs to be posted please contact us. we never post full albums unless we have express permission from the artist.)

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