It’s very often when a famous manga and anime get a live-action adaption, opinions vary greatly. So when this live-action Ghost in the Shell trailer was out on 13 November, opinions varied greatly, too.
Some fans criticised the trailer for similar plots with previous films, but Mr. Qoo personally doesn’t believe it will be so similar that it looks completely like a remake of previous titles. Plus we can’t really tell if the story is a total rip-off from just a two-minute long teaser. According to the producers, this Ghost in the Shell movie consists of elements from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG, and so this is quite a stand alone plot that is closely related to the original story. We can only hope it will live up to what they said.
But there is one thing that most fans have agreed on – the setting is recreated so nicely in a way that it captures the cyberpunk vibe of the anime entirely. New Port City is a fictional Japanese city in the anime where the main story takes place. Manga and anime creators drew inspiration from Hong Kong to create this strange cyber-looking city. Therefore, it is a relieve that the movie does have scenes shot in Hong Kong.
The pictures below are from the anime and the places here look very Hong Kong-ish. The New Port City here has both deteriorating old buildings and super modern skyscrapers, which together create a high-tech-low-life cyberpunk vibe. The bright colors from neon signs highlight the greyish background, adding a sensation of exoticism.
And these pictures are from the teaser. The scenes shown were actually shot in Hong Kong. With the use of CG, they give us the exact same vibe that the anime does.
Another thing worth paying attention to is the movie’s narrative. It isn’t just about fighting crimes and being heroic. It seems to respect the truth and philosophy brought out by the original story. The live-adaption Major questions her existence in the trailer and is eager to find out what and who she really is. Perhaps we can expect the film to keep this philosophical side of the manga and anime, which is very essential to the plot and characterisation.
So yeah, the vibe and narrative are pretty nice. The rest – we will know once the movie is out. If it becomes a disaster, Mr. Qoo will surely be here moaning about it.
Finally, let’s hope Paramount didn’t forget to include the beautiful Major-fighting-tank scene in the movie. It is just too philosophically symbolic and emotionally devastating.
∇ This is the scene I talked about. (Uploaded by tokyorider2019)
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