Saturday, December 12, 2009

Ghost in the Shell 2.0

Ghost in the Shell 2.0 is a recent blu-ray exclusive release that I picked up and wanted to share with everyone. Fans of the original version of the film were perplexed by the idea that Production I.G. would go back and tinker and change the original well beloved masterpiece. It was almost like Geroge Lucas remastering the original Star Wars by adding in new CG overtop of classic and memorable scenes, a sacrilege in the eyes of many!

The new version in 2.0 will hold some interest for those who are curious to see the results of the mixing of new CG animation with the old 2-D. As a product on its own it's quite stylish! Particularly how much effort was made to have the film match the orange tinted style employed in the sequel 'Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence.' As a result both films have a more consistant atmosphere.



The blu-ray release also includes the original version of the film, though sadly it's not in HD. It has all the old extras along with some new ones that I haven't been through yet. But all in all, while many significant CG compositions have been added and in some cases even replaced many scenes entirely, a lot of the old traditional 2-D is still there, untouched, and in full HD quality and it looks great making the linework and background artwork and colours really stand out on an already excellently animated film! I enthusiastically recommend it to hardcore fans of the first film and those anime fans who've yet to see this film.

We also carry a few GITS related artbooks from the film and the TV series and manga by its original creator at our store!