Comments on: The Melancholies of Motoko Kusanagi http://hontouni.com/souomou/2008/01/20/the-melancholies-of-motoko-kusanagi you really think so? Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:15:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Zyl http://hontouni.com/souomou/2008/01/20/the-melancholies-of-motoko-kusanagi#comment-21797 Zyl Mon, 21 Jan 2008 09:05:10 +0000 http://hontouni.com/souomou/2008/01/20/the-melancholies-of-motoko-kusanagi#comment-21797 I suppose my expectations were affected by the length (time-wise) of SSS without taking into account that it was a PPV, direct to DVD movie rather than a movie theatre release; as well as being unclear about the genealogy of the various franchises, thanks for clearing that up. Re: pseudo-intellectualism. I actually thought Innocence handled it ok in its own way, by conveying it into the 'man to man' banter btw Togusa and Batou, making it less angsty and more casual, flippant. It was an interesting difference from the Major's own philosophizing in the first movie. Funnily enough, I tend to read Innocence as a love story... mainly as Batou still keenly feeling the loss of the Major and found the movie satisfying because it gave him some closure at the end. I suppose my expectations were affected by the length (time-wise) of SSS without taking into account that it was a PPV, direct to DVD movie rather than a movie theatre release; as well as being unclear about the genealogy of the various franchises, thanks for clearing that up.

Re: pseudo-intellectualism. I actually thought Innocence handled it ok in its own way, by conveying it into the ‘man to man’ banter btw Togusa and Batou, making it less angsty and more casual, flippant. It was an interesting difference from the Major’s own philosophizing in the first movie. Funnily enough, I tend to read Innocence as a love story… mainly as Batou still keenly feeling the loss of the Major and found the movie satisfying because it gave him some closure at the end.

]]> By: Haesslich http://hontouni.com/souomou/2008/01/20/the-melancholies-of-motoko-kusanagi#comment-21792 Haesslich Mon, 21 Jan 2008 01:23:02 +0000 http://hontouni.com/souomou/2008/01/20/the-melancholies-of-motoko-kusanagi#comment-21792 I don't think SAC was meant to be 'grand' or 'high concept' the way the first two films were supposed to be. As I indicated, it's always felt more down to earth in its approach, less pseudo-intellectual (the second film, I feel, suffers from this) and more aimed at the audience as entertainment which takes some of the same ideas but twists them to keep it entertaining rather than pander to the movie critics. SSS is an OVA, and one that got a TV broadcast over the satellite networks from what I recall, as a PPV movie; a direct-to-DVD type of film, rather than something that you'd find in the theatres like the first two movies. It's very more more a film in line with the compilation movies (Individual 11, The Laughing Man) than Innocence. Putting them all in the same category is not doing a favor for either the original theatrical films or Solid State Society, in my opinion. I don’t think SAC was meant to be ‘grand’ or ‘high concept’ the way the first two films were supposed to be. As I indicated, it’s always felt more down to earth in its approach, less pseudo-intellectual (the second film, I feel, suffers from this) and more aimed at the audience as entertainment which takes some of the same ideas but twists them to keep it entertaining rather than pander to the movie critics.

SSS is an OVA, and one that got a TV broadcast over the satellite networks from what I recall, as a PPV movie; a direct-to-DVD type of film, rather than something that you’d find in the theatres like the first two movies. It’s very more more a film in line with the compilation movies (Individual 11, The Laughing Man) than Innocence. Putting them all in the same category is not doing a favor for either the original theatrical films or Solid State Society, in my opinion.

]]> By: Zyl http://hontouni.com/souomou/2008/01/20/the-melancholies-of-motoko-kusanagi#comment-21791 Zyl Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:10:48 +0000 http://hontouni.com/souomou/2008/01/20/the-melancholies-of-motoko-kusanagi#comment-21791 When I said art house in my previous comment, I was referring to the GITS and Innocence movies, and *not* SAC/2nd Gig which are, as you point out, belong to different continuities/time lines. The dark, brooding style of the two movies worked well within their context; I don't think that would have been sustainable in the context of a tv series. As a result, SAC and 2nd Gig did their thing and were successful and enjoyable. But I didn't think that the SAC / 2nd Gig vision translated all that well into the OVA/movie format - it didn't feel quite grand enough for me. When I said art house in my previous comment, I was referring to the GITS and Innocence movies, and *not* SAC/2nd Gig which are, as you point out, belong to different continuities/time lines.

The dark, brooding style of the two movies worked well within their context; I don’t think that would have been sustainable in the context of a tv series. As a result, SAC and 2nd Gig did their thing and were successful and enjoyable. But I didn’t think that the SAC / 2nd Gig vision translated all that well into the OVA/movie format - it didn’t feel quite grand enough for me.

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