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[Dice//]

Not having cloaking material out of ...well... a cloak is pure fan service. It's not necessary from a design perspective that it need be done in the nude.

Quoting you and sort of generalizing 'out there'.

I actually thought it was clever. When she didn't have the skin-colored body suit she went nude. Made some sense (ok, her eyes and her hair go invisible too somehow...but *wave it off*).

Problem is that the movie indeed sexualizes it; and a TON of shots of the Puppet Master take careful care to fit in a nipple shot or this shot (NSFW screens!). Despite the 'hard machine parts' under Mokoto's LITERAL breast plate, they still jiggle nicely.

All that said, I think the shot of Mokoto ripping the tank hatch (full nude and all) one of the greatest animated things I've ever seen --- it's so different and so cool, nudity and all.

It's definitely nuanced, but I'm not fully convinced in all of the 'artistic nudity' in this film as solely for the art of it all.

 

[s_mirage]

Really? Well okay then. But i still find it clever that somebody who is a robot needs to undress to be invisible.

To be honest, I do think it makes sense for a cloaking suit to be skin tight, I'm just not convinced that the apparent nudity was for little other than aesthetic purposes, and I really don't see any need for the suit to require nudity in the live action version.

 

[SixMachine]

A lot of the plot in GITS is very Japan-centric and would actually be pertinent to some of the issues the country see to day. The Article 9 is still in effect (an extremely important topic in the current affairs of Japan) and America (well what is left of it) is trying to make a treaty with Japan. Japan came out of the World Wars much better than other Superpowers and have technology to help with nuclear deterrence (nuclear deterrence is a theme within a lot of Japanese fiction). Also the SDF in GITS got into some conflicts beyond their border during the wars, which has to do with those refugees from Asia within the 2nd season, so there is an imperialistic side of it too.

On another note, the reason why people want an asian actress is because whitewashing asian actors is really common in Hollywood. It's really racy of me to say this but it's kind of disappointing that in a lot of places, GAF included, that a lot of people praise roles given to minorities, such as giving a black character a role with the Idris Elba discussion for Marvel and in the running for James Bond, or support James Boyega in Star Wars, but when it comes to asians there is indifference. It's just in general, Hollywood, and people in general just don't care about asian actors unless they are in Asia. It's kind of sad the only Asian American superstar is Bruce Lee so many years after his death and is the only person people really can name. Usually when people name other superstars like Jackie Chan they had their start in Asia.

 

[jstripes]

[QUOTE="God's Beard!";180689164]Why does it matter what ethnicity an actor is to play a cyborg with a 100% artificially constructed appearance?[/QUOTE]

This is the thing.

Major Kusanagi's body is 100% synthetic, and custom-made for her. She could choose any appearance she liked.

Now, the rest of Section 9. They don't have any excuse for whitewashing them, aside from maybe being maybe half-Japanese.

 

["God's Beard!"]

Part of the problem is that it's taking an Asian-origin property and putting white actors as the lead --- as usual. Problem is when there is also significantly fewer A-listing Asian actors/actresses while whites dominate the market (and being a Hollywood star is a damn fine job, pays extremely well, and means a lot of press --- something that'd be great for minorities whom typically get the short end of the stick).

This isn't a story about the Tokugawa dynasty or Meiji-era political assassinations. The fact that it's from Japan or set in Japan has effectively zero relevance to the plot. In this case it makes a lot more sense to get a reliable actor with experience in the type of role you're casting than to prioritize ethnicity just to set an example.

 

[genjiZERO]

This is the thing.

Major Kusanagi's body is 100% synthetic, and custom-made for her. She could choose any appearance she liked.

Now, the rest of Section 9. They don't have any excuse for whitewashing them, aside from maybe being maybe half-Japanese.

Canonically (to SAC anyway) she looks like she did as a child.

 

[Kinyou]

I think this could work, the problem is that in for example the "making of a cyborg" scene they do a slow, extended pan of her boobs. If the point is to show the detachment between the body and the mind, then don't draw attention to her body in that way. You're making the audience feel the opposite thing of what you're trying to convey that the character is feeling. If you want to show her nude in that way it should be as untitillating as possible and you don't do that by showing close ups of her boobs. The cinematography shouldn't be drawing attention to the nudity, it should be as blasé about it as the character.

The Terminator does the same thing. You start of with a scene where Arnold is nude. It's only there to show off his amazing body, that's it. There's a plot justification but I bet they thought that up afterwards. Then there's the scene where he does "surgery" on himself, and that shows how detached from his body he is (just like the tank scene in GitS).

Isn't it also convenient that the Puppet Master happened to possess yet another nude female torso, eh? All that stuff adds up and makes me question their intent. It makes it seem pervy, and that makes me like the movie less (I still love it though).

Though those are two different scenes. The birth will obviously focus a lot on the body, after all are we watching how it is being made. The detachment between body and mind is still shown by how the Major reacts to it. The shots imo also aren't gratuitous in a way that I'd find them out of place if it was a male cyborg being build.
About the Pupper master I've actually heard some interpretations that dive deep into the role of genders, and that it's deliberately meant to be a contrast between the deep male voice and the clearly female body. Implying that a true machine will have no concept of gender.

I'd argue it not necessarily showing that, or if it is, it's not doing it very well. There's really too little character exploration in the movie to establish that as fact, and if we consider that thermoptic camo would likely be of a standard design, there would be nothing unique about the Major's use of it.

With the exception of the opening titles, the nudity seems to serve no real purpose other than to be there. When you consider that the film was part British funded, and came out a time when anime was primarily known in the west for tits and violence (GITS has both), it's not too much of a stretch to suggest that the nudity was not as meaningful as some make it out to be. It's not sexual but that doesn't mean that it didn't grab the attention of my teenage self, and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone.

I guess that's simply subjective. The story telling of the movie is already rather minimal, so a that there isn't excessive character exploration into that aspect seems fitting. It's rather the little things, like Batou caring more about covering up the Major than the Major herself. And now if nudity really was just there to please some British investors I'm surprised that there wouldn't be more of it.

 

[Skinpop]

Problem is that the movie indeed sexualizes it; and a TON of shots of the Puppet Master take careful care to

what is the problem exactly? I like how it gives rise to conflicting feelings. The juxtaposition of sexy breasts, and a deconstructed cyborg body with mechanical parts showing is very effective imo. Not covering anything up gives more impact and makes it feel more raw. just because something is sexualized or even objectified doesn't make it a "problem".

 

[Staccat0]

This is the thing.

Major Kusanagi's body is 100% synthetic, and custom-made for her. She could choose any appearance she liked.

Now, the rest of Section 9. They don't have any excuse for whitewashing them, aside from maybe being maybe half-Japanese.

so obviously she'd choose white right? It's either that or have a non-white lead and could never let that happen.

 

[Aaron]

Canonically (to SAC anyway) she looks like she did as a child.

That was a synthetic child body though. We've never seen the Major in a flesh and blood body, if she ever had one. Unless that was covered in Arise, which I never watched.

Half the GITS cast doesn't look Japanese. It would be nice if they cast Japanese for the ones that do, but that probably won't happen.

 

[Skinpop]

This movie is going to be horrible.

There's no anime to real-life adaption that has been anything other than total trash.

Glad they aren't casting Asian actors, because should Asian actors be associated with this kind of garbage, we'll never get a chance at anything decent.

usagi drop

 

[Finaika]

This movie is going to be horrible.

There's no anime to real-life adaption that has been anything other than total trash.

Glad they aren't casting Asian actors, because should Asian actors be associated with this kind of garbage, we'll never get a chance at anything decent.

Samurai X

 

[Stinkles]

She can work, but I really would have preferred an Asian actress.

There's nothing inherently Asian about the story outside of anime tropes. If you want another Casshern with not enough anything spent on anything then fair enough.

 

[unholyrevenger72]

Not having cloaking material out of ...well... a cloak is pure fan service. It's not necessary from a design perspective that it need be done in the nude.

The logic is the Cloaking technology requires more than just a thin layer of fabric to become invisible, so it can't just be a proverbial invisibility cloak, thus the integration into her state of the art cyborg body's dermis.

 

[unholyrevenger72]

That was a synthetic child body though. We've never seen the Major in a flesh and blood body, if she ever had one. Unless that was covered in Arise, which I never watched.

Half the GITS cast doesn't look Japanese. It would be nice if they cast Japanese for the ones that do, but that probably won't happen.

They should have just gotten the Pacific Rim Cast back together they fill out section 9 perfectly

Batou- Perlman
Togusa- Hunnam
Ishikawa- Day
Saito- Martini
Paz- Collins
Borma- Henke
Aramaki- Idris Elba

 

[freeofgreed]

Was hoping the thread got bumbed because they got a new director/lead actress.

Same

Eh after Japan reverse-white washing Attack on Titan I don't feel bad about Hollywood white washing a movie of their own

Not that I have any problem with white washing mangas or anime anyways, I don't think most manga have an artstyle that conveys most characters would HAVE to be played by an asian actor.

How is that in anyway comparable? It's not like SnK was a foreign work that they took and replaced with Japanese people. The SnK films were a Japanese adaptation of a Japanese manga. Plus it's not exactly like Japan is brimming with foreign actors.

Also what does the artstyle have to do with the characters ethnicity? Most anime have the characters being explicitly Japanese and that's exactly how most Japanese people view them as. Just because you think they look "white" doesn't mean everybody else does.

 

[MMarston]

Samurai X

Its Ruruoni Kenshin you baka gaijin

Spoiler

dw I call it Samurai X too

 

[thelastword]

Should have got someone more Japanese. Like Emma Stone.

Emma Stone, lol. I think ScarJo will play that role well. It's not always about ethnicity, it's also about who would play the role well and carry it. ScarJo has a presence onscreen as a female action star, so it makes sense that she got it. I can't think of any other person who would fit the role better tbh....

 

[Krauser Kat]

Japanese white washed themselves and the entire world in the GitS universe. Getting someone who could do the part in English justice is more important than race.

I also dont think you could sell the GitS universe in this day. Japan has been in decline for almost 2 decades now especially with birthrates. Sticking to the original nationalities is not as important to the story as the portrayal of the androids and the themes of souls and machines.

 

[munchie64]

This movie is going to be horrible.

There's no anime to real-life adaption that has been anything other than total trash.

Glad they aren't casting Asian actors, because should Asian actors be associated with this kind of garbage, we'll never get a chance at anything decent.

Battle Angel Alita

Is what I wish I could say.

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

This movie is going to be horrible.

There's no anime to real-life adaption that has been anything other than total trash.

Glad they aren't casting Asian actors, because should Asian actors be associated with this kind of garbage, we'll never get a chance at anything decent.

Higurashi was decent.
but at the very least I wish they attempted to get the cast or costumes to look like the characters.

 

[psylah]

I want to see scarlet johansson try to rip the top off of a tank.(nsfw)

 

[Lord Fagan]

Bye.

 

[Übermatik]

Bye.

?

 

[True Savior]

This is the thing.

Major Kusanagi's body is 100% synthetic, and custom-made for her. She could choose any appearance she liked.

Now, the rest of Section 9. They don't have any excuse for whitewashing them, aside from maybe being maybe half-Japanese.

She's a doll. A model that look like similar ones...in a japanese setting. Naturally she has to have japanese features. You could say Shirow doesn't draw her like a japanese (but he does , as the contrast with every other female shows) , next you say Aramaki has to be played by a monkey.

Problem is that the movie indeed sexualizes it; and a TON of shots of the Puppet Master take careful care to fit in a nipple shot or this shot (NSFW screens!). Despite the 'hard machine parts' under Mokoto's LITERAL breast plate, they still jiggle nicely.

All that said, I think the shot of Mokoto ripping the tank hatch (full nude and all) one of the greatest animated things I've ever seen --- it's so different and so cool, nudity and all.
.

Her sexualization is actually very important to show her detachment between her body and her brain stimulus. And Shirow has a whole explanation how fucking good is her body to fuck and how sex is big in a world where cyborgs exist.

Sex is the biggest thing in our culture. It's strange how some people have an hard time accepting stories that actually incorporate it. I'm not expecting lesbian orgies like the manga , but her sexual nature is fascinating to explore.

And Oshii is very restrained in this issue. I see absolutely nothing in those shots. Those are naked dolls that are supposed to look like ourselves. It would be awkard if they weren't going to be naked.

 

[Mr. Pointy]

Pilou Asbæk to play Batou. Also, plot is based around The Laughing Man.

 

[nictron]

Pilou Asbæk to play Batou. Also, plot is based around The Laughing Man.

Produced by Avi Arad? On top of everything else in question, I'm not getting the hype vibes I should be.

It looks like they are taking from at least the manga and SAC. The Laughing Man vs Hanka Robotics. Weird.

 

[Zeouterlimits]

Pilou Asbæk, hmm, I expected someone a bit bigger, but maybe he will be.

More concerned about the director, but eh, whatever, let's see how it goes.

 

[Mr. Pointy]

If the studio went with a more independent director, that could bring something interesting to the movie in terms of style, I think I'd still be interested in White People GITS. But Rupert Sanders is such a director-for-hire that I just can't raise a slight amount of interest.

The director should have been Michael Mann. It's so obvious.

This. Rupert Sanders can do the sequels when it becomes a successful franchise and he can just copy Michael Mann's style.

 

[Krev]

The director should have been Michael Mann. It's so obvious.

 

[Dali]

Quoting you and sort of generalizing 'out there'.

I actually thought it was clever. When she didn't have the skin-colored body suit she went nude. Made some sense (ok, her eyes and her hair go invisible too somehow...but *wave it off*).

Problem is that the movie indeed sexualizes it; and a TON of shots of the Puppet Master take careful care to fit in a nipple shot or this shot (NSFW screens!). Despite the 'hard machine parts' under Mokoto's LITERAL breast plate, they still jiggle nicely.

All that said, I think the shot of Mokoto ripping the tank hatch (full nude and all) one of the greatest animated things I've ever seen --- it's so different and so cool, nudity and all.

It's definitely nuanced, but I'm not fully convinced in all of the 'artistic nudity' in this film as solely for the art of it all.

I think it's about as sexualized as a crime drama showing the tits of a life less corpse. I think it kind of reinforces the fact that without their "ghosts" they are just lumps of metal. It actually de-sexualizes them. Makoto is so disconnected from her body she sees it as nothing more than a vehicle. Being embarrassed because she is naked is a foreign concept to her as she can actually switch bodies as one would change clothes. At the end of the manga she wasn't even a woman anymore.

 

[glaurung]

Pilou Asbæk, hmm, I expected someone a bit bigger, but maybe he will be.

More concerned about the director, but eh, whatever, let's see how it goes.

Pilou is going to be big soon. He will be playing a major character in Game of Thrones season six as well as Pontius in Ben Hur.

 

[Joni]

I would have preferred Terry Crews as he is a fan and he has the look.
Pilou Asbæk seems a bit small for Batou.

 

[Rydeen]

They didn't cast based Ron Perlman as Batou.

You had one fucking job, movie-people.

 

[twinturbo2]

They didn't cast based Ron Perlman as Batou.

You had one fucking job, movie-people.

Wait, who did they cast instead? I never heard of this guy...

 

[The Elite]

They didn't cast based Ron Perlman as Batou.

You had one fucking job, movie-people.

I am sure he was available. I really think he would have worked well with ScarJo as well.

They had one fucking job.

 

[RS4-]

That is a whole lotta mayo.

 

[Dali]

Ron Perlman? Seriously? Maybe like when gits was fairly new but now? Batou doesn't seem that old. He's like a buff military dude who looks early forties at most. Because they both have rectangle heads and white hair Perlman is a good fit? I would think someone like Bautista would be a better fit.

 

[Mechazawa]

Because they both have rectangle heads and white hair Perlman is a good fit?

...uh, because his composure, charisma and voice is basically Batou come to life. He would have been the RDJ of GitS in terms of nailing not only the look but also the"feel".

But yeah, Ron Perlman would have been a genius choice a decade or two ago, but the man's old and Batou is a special agent for a secret division. Perlman's body don't rate for that kind of role in 2015.

 

[Lime]

Thought that Missy Elliot did a nice GITS costume in her new video

 

[ezekial45]

Bit of an update. Micheal Pitt will be playing the main villain of the movie ---

Spoiler

The Laughing Man

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/ghost-in-the-shell-michael-pitt-scarlett-johansson-1201697737/

 

[injurai]

Thought that Missy Elliot did a nice GITS costume in her new video

Oh wow, love this.

 

[Mr. Pointy]

Not a bad choice for TLM.

 

[Epcott]

Bit of an update. Micheal Pitt will be playing the main villain of the movie ---

Spoiler

The Laughing Man

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/ghost-in-the-shell-michael-pitt-scarlett-johansson-1201697737/

He was awesome in Hannibal. Omg... I hate anime live action movies (except All You Need is Kill). I don't know what to make of this :-o

 

[Fat4all]

Really liked Pitt in Boardwalk Empire, hope this movie doesn't end up sucking.

 

[Blader]

Bit of an update. Micheal Pitt will be playing the main villain of the movie ---

Spoiler

The Laughing Man

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/ghost-in-the-shell-michael-pitt-scarlett-johansson-1201697737/

That's a great choice.

 

[The Lamonster]

Thought that Missy Elliot did a nice GITS costume in her new video

Missy is awesome.

 

[Mr. X]

Guess the setting will be America?

I had curiosity but it's all gone now. They'll point top this film as why to avoid anime but it's 100% they choice they made to make it more "appealing".

 

[SketchTheArtist]

They didn't cast based Ron Perlman as Batou.

You had one fucking job, movie-people.

15 years ago, I would've agreed with you but he'd need to be pretty active on screen. In Hellboy, he had heavy make-up which made it easy to hide the cuts to the shots starring stuntmen.

 

[Opto]

All the white people