GITS or A Trip Down Memory Lane

So, I like baking and shopping and travelling. I like high heels and tailored dresses and shirts, and dancing and singing and playing the piano.

I also once loved high paced, action animés featuring sexy kick-ass military cyborg women.

And I'd forgotten all that, until last Friday, when a link in the Guardian newspaper, about Chinese cinema, took me to the British Film Institute's website. The BFI just so happened to be holding an Animé Weekend. And that Friday evening in Southbank, London, they would be screening Ghost in the Shell: Arise. Parts 1 and 2, of a four part series.

Context: as a moody teenager who liked to stay up late into the night, I discovered a late night Anime channel on Sky. The channel only aired programmes from 10pm til 2am, but the most memorable series they showed was Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Main character, the Major. She was smart, she could kick ass, she was sarky, and she was a cyborg- her brain was her only organic organ, for lack of a better turn of phrase. She solved cyberterrorism crimes with a team she led in a post-World War Whichever Japan. I was hooked. I lost several hours sleep. I stopped watching when the channel disappeared and I forgot about GITS when I left home.

So seeing this film advertised, set as a prequel to the main GITS series, I was hit in the face by nostalgia. Last minute decision time. I left work early, bout the ticket online, bought a.ticket to London, got lost in London, made it with a minute or two to spare before the start. And shock, no trailers.

My review: Batou's voice freaked the hell out of me. Not sure if it should have but other reviewers and critics seem to agree so there you go. The Major was younger, more vulnerable, the snark was still there but less overt than I remember, but just as kick ass. She worked as prequel-Major. Even if I couldn't tell whether her non-fighting movements were clunky due to bad animation or to highlight how much earlier (in terms of technology?) these films were set. Either way, the fight scenes were en pointe, and the Logicoma (cute but handy robots with childlike voices) stole the show and drew laughter from an intent (and slightly intense) audience.

Overall, 3.5/5. Great idea, decent execution. But though it's fun to see the origins, when the later model is so great, you can't help compare and find the young-Major lacking. Had fun though, which was the important thing. And there's another series to put onto MyAnimeList.

Peace,

The Traveller