Real Drive - Ghost Hound - Ghost in the Shell live-action?

[melonpan]

With all the recent exciting news coming from <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/company.php?id=337">Production I.G</a> - it would seem as if Christmas has come a month too early.  Several <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=2993">Masamune Shirow</a> themed developments have surfaced over the past month, detailed below:

On November 5th, Production I.G <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2007-11-05/production-i.g-announces-a-new-tv-animation-series">announced</a> a new production titled <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=8941">"Real Drive"</a> to premiere on Japanese television in April 2008.  Directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi (<a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6536">Le Chevalier D'Eon</a>, <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=1134">Hunter X Hunter</a>, <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=1840">Getbackers</a>) and screenplay done by Junichi Fujisaku (<a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=5088">Blood+</a>, <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=910">Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex</a>, <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=3972">Otogi Zoshi</a>), this will certainly be a series not to be missed!  The story follows the same basic concept as Shirow's other works, but with the rest of the story having significant plot twists.  People connected together by their consciousness find that security problems arise and eventually they all become enveloped in a protective "bubble shell".  Trapped in their own secured world, they succumb to their desires and so the expert "cyber diver" Masamichi Haru investigates what exactly 'reality' could be.

Subsequently, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Production_I.G.">Production I.G</a> have posted several interesting interviews, messages and other articles of interest over at their website.  A <a href="http://www.productionig.com/contents/works_sp/60_/s06_/index.html">message</a> from the famed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_shell">Ghost in the Shell</a> creator <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masamune_Shirow">Masamune Shirow</a> has been posted, where he talks about his recent project <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=7817">"Ghost Hound"</a> (the 20th anniversary anime from Production I.G) and how it is the fruition of an original concept he had back in 1987 but had no way to get the idea across through any sort of medium; he explains how the story has been "slightly changed" from the original theme but is ultimately the same - following the story of children and how they venture into the world of adults.  This, along with an <a href="http://www.productionig.com/contents/works_sp/44_/s08_/index.html">ever increasing collection</a> of interviews related to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Chevalier_D%27Eon">"Le Chevalier d'Eon"</a> anime, brings the total number of interviews to nineteen.  Furthermore, the recent addition of a <a href="http://www.productionig.com/contents/works_sp/60_/s08_/000765.html">full-length interview</a> with the CEO of Production I.G - <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=467">Mitsuhisa Ishikawa</a>, provides some extremely interesting information; he hints that there might be a "Ghost in the Shell" live-action movie on the way by listing in his explanation of how he has worked with Masamune Shirow that "I.G is also acting as an agent for the live-action rights of the original <em>Ghost in the Shell</em> comic".

 

[Martin]

Good stuff all round. I'm really enjoying Ghost Hound at the moment actually - it reminds me a bit of my old fave Lain with a Twin peaks vibe to it. It's certainly one of the most interesting new shows and has a lot of potential.

 

[Outlawstar]

Good stuff all round. I'm really enjoying Ghost Hound at the moment actually - it reminds me a bit of my old fave Lain with a Twin peaks vibe to it. It's certainly one of the most interesting new shows and has a lot of potential.

Agreed, all sounds good, though to be honoust Im not too sure about a live action GITS.
Ghost hound reminds you of lain?Nice, must check it out.

 

[McIcy]

Yeah a live action film always worries me when its about a brilliant series with a large fan base as it rarely lives up to the quality of the animated movies

 

[Gemma1412]

Agree with all above, but then i'm not too keen on live action.

 

[pazza]

Glad to see I am not the only one with concerns about a live action version of GITS...the majority of generic comic to film adaptations are very poor, so I don't expect this to be any good, especially with it's futuristic setting, so excellent scenery and special effects are required. In other words, a very big budget...

Mind you, would be interesting to see who plays the Major...requires some significant assets lol!

 

[Ginji]

Ghost Hound and Real Drive both sound interesting. Looking at the description of Real Drive on the IG website it seems to take the concepts of the GITS/GITS:SAC series and advance them to the next level.

Like the earlier posters I'm not enthusiastic about a live action Ghost In the Shell. I'm not sure it would work. How, for example, would the the Tachikomas be realised? For most of the time they would have to be computer animated, and their childish voices might make comes across as an attempt at doing cute robots. (Just had a vision of a huge set piece number with tap-dancing tachikomas in Ghost in the Shell: The Musical)

 

[trumpster]

For once I am sceptical about a live action production. Usually it isn't something that worries me, I always like to see an attempt but GITS is something that was made for anime that can display things that are difficult with live action.

Even though I've enjoyed the live action productions I've seen, of particular note is Initial D's live action movie, There could certainly be some problems with it's conception, the Tachikomas in particular as rightly stated. (Though perhaps without the disturbing mental images. )

It all hinges on a lot, including the storyline and how it involves the characters, preferably most of them. I'd hate to see Saito omitted, among others like Ishikawa and Togusa. I'd also be interested in how they use and visualise the net, the images of 2nd gig were particuarly impressive and probably the biggest improvement over the first series.

 

[Outlawstar]

For once I am sceptical about a live action production. Usually it isn't something that worries me, I always like to see an attempt but GITS is something that was made for anime that can display things that are difficult with live action.

Even though I've enjoyed the live action productions I've seen, of particular note is Initial D's live action movie, There could certainly be some problems with it's conception, the Tachikomas in particular as rightly stated. (Though perhaps without the disturbing mental images. )

It all hinges on a lot, including the storyline and how it involves the characters, preferably most of them. I'd hate to see Saito omitted, among others like Ishikawa and Togusa. I'd also be interested in how they use and visualise the net, the images of 2nd gig were particuarly impressive and probably the biggest improvement over the first series.

Agreed, Id just find it hard to take any of the characters seriously in real life, I mean the character designs are just so iconic.

 

[trumpster]

Agreed, Id just find it hard to take any of the characters seriously in real life, I mean the character designs are just so iconic.

Tis one of my successful arguements for why Anime is useful as an entertainment media, people say they can relate better to live action and actors but the problem with them is they all look like someone else, it's very hard to get a whole cast that matches and can act it well.

Anime characters, bar some style similarities (especially in the cases of Ghibli's heroines) are unique and shouldn't remind you of other people, though the voice actors sometimes shatter that veil. I've been hearing Togusa (English) on many series I've been watching lately.

 

[D1tchd1gger]

...though the voice actors sometimes shatter that veil. I've been hearing Togusa (English) on many series I've been watching lately.

I know what you mean. Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (the actress who plays the Major) is on 4 of the 5 series I'm currently watching on Anime Central:

Helba (.Hack//SIGN)
Julia (Cowboy Bebop)
Lady Jagura (Wolfs Rain)
and of course, Major Motoko Kusanagi (GitS:SAC)

She also played Jo Carol Brane in the Black Jack film I recently got from the Manga Force collection.

 

[Outlawstar]

Agreed, Id just find it hard to take any of the characters seriously in real life, I mean the character designs are just so iconic.

Tis one of my successful arguements for why Anime is useful as an entertainment media, people say they can relate better to live action and actors but the problem with them is they all look like someone else, it's very hard to get a whole cast that matches and can act it well.

Anime characters, bar some style similarities (especially in the cases of Ghibli's heroines) are unique and shouldn't remind you of other people, though the voice actors sometimes shatter that veil. I've been hearing Togusa (English) on many series I've been watching lately.

Yeah I noticed that aswell, I think hes Maniwa in Paranoia Agent, Oh and hes also that weird prince at the end of Howls moving castle.

 

[trumpster]

Though the subject is no longer related to the original topic I'll just drop one final note. Though Togusa is the one I've heard the most, most of the voices from GITS seem to hang in the same crowds. I've even heard the voice of Saito lurking in the midst, even in shows with others from GITS. Planetes was fun for me, with frequent visits from several of GITS cast, mixed in with the episode guests. :lol:

The most distinctive voices I remember and enjoy hearing are the chubby tech boy from Lain, also Tsukasa from .Hack//Sign. And the other is Heero from Fruits basket, also Alphonse from Fullmetal Alchemist. (English versions) listed in the order I heard them.

I usually watch anime in English cause I don't worry about original versions and stuff like that, only a couple of Anime sound better to me in Japanese, unfortunately one of them is .Hack//Sign despite having one of my favourite voices. I like Sora to at least sound reasonably mature and sinister even though it's obvious, in both versions, that's he's only 12.