Ghost In The Shell: Arise Trailer For Ghost Whispers Is Now Available
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Sadly, anime isn’t as popular in the United States as it is in its native Japan. While anime has found a cult following among genre fans, it has yet to crossover to mainstream popularity. Sci-fi movies like The Wachowskis’ The Matrix and Christopher Nolan’s Inception have been vastly influenced by the animation genre, specifically Ghost in the Shell and Satoshi Kon’s Paprika, but anime is still seen as a niche genre by most. A new trailer for the second episode of Ghost in the Shell: Arise has arrived, so maybe this one will win over some more fans.
The first episode of Arise, “Ghost Pain,” premiered at the beginning of the summer in Japan. Now the second episode, “Ghost Whispers,” is going to make its way to Japanese movie theaters on November 30th. Unfortunately, the trailer is in Japanese without English subtitles, but you can still enjoy the eye-popping visuals and hyper action the series is known for delivering.
The prequel series is made up of four hour-long episodes. By the end of November, half of the series will be released in Japan, while the rest of the world will get an opportunity to watch episodes one and two with a Blu-ray/DVD release set for December 25th. The new mini-series will also be accompanied by a new manga release called Ghost in the Shell: Arise — Sleepless Eye. If you’re a fan of Ghost in the Shell, Arise seems like something to check out to get your Motoko Kusanagi fix.
A few months ago, Funimation Entertainment released the first eight minutes of Ghost in the Shell: Arise. While the video is in Japanese without English subtitles, it features the introduction to the series with a murder mystery involving the city’s Lieutenant Colonel. The distributor also released the prequel series’ opening title sequence, which is full of good ol’ fashioned anime fan service!
Ghost in the Shell: Arise takes place in the year 2027, two years before the original anime. It centers on a young Motoko Kusanagi, a female cyborg and leader of Section 9′s assault team in the original Ghost in the Shell, and her partner Batou. Section 9 is the police squad on the interactive network. They protect the network from hackers and criminals in the future.
“Ghost Whispers” follows Motoko Kusanagi, who reluctantly now takes orders from Aramaki, the chief of Public Security Section 9, while Batou enlists the help of former army intelligence officer Ishikawa and former air artillery expert Borma to find out who hacked the Logicomas, Logistics Conveyer Machine.
There was a brief moment in American cinema where Japanese Anime could’ve been widely accepted. It was in 1987, with the American release of Akira. Sadly, the film only played well with college students and cinephiles at the time. But thanks to the popularity of Pacific Rim, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, and The Matrix, anime’s influence is spilling over into mainstream entertainment.
Ghost in the Shell: Arise’s episode two “Ghost Whispers” will hit theaters everywhere in Japan on November 30th, while the first two episodes will be released on Blu-ray/DVD on December 25th.
