Ghost in the Shell

[AS_anime_watcher]

I was just wondering if it was just me. I'm pretty sure if I watched it atleast a couple more times I would. The first time I started watching it, it was already in the middle of the season so of course I was a little confused. But when [as] started it from the beginning again, I still wasn't fully get everthing. 

Message Edited by AS_anime_watcher on 03-05-2010 09:32 PM

[Jingai]

 Well, the story is complex because it is really an amalgam of several stories.

In the first season, you have complex episodes, those episodes which form the

complete laughing man affair, and Stand alone episodes, which are self contained.

It can be confusing when Sec. 9 finishes a major arc in the Laughing man case, such

as the arc involving Nanao A, and then have it suddenly shift gears with a series of

stand alone episodes which have nothing to do with the laughing man case.

[anime_fan_800]

.no i was lost the first time through.  but after like the 4th or 5th time through and all the wonderful people on here i get a lot of it now. 

[stardust_whispers]

You are not alone with that. Took me a good while to get it all. I love it.

[AsianTrix]

---

Jingai wrote:

 Well, the story is complex because it is really an amalgam of several stories.

In the first season, you have complex episodes, those episodes which form the

complete laughing man affair, and Stand alone episodes, which are self contained.

It can be confusing when Sec. 9 finishes a major arc in the Laughing man case, such

as the arc involving Nanao A, and then have it suddenly shift gears with a series of

stand alone episodes which have nothing to do with the laughing man case.

---

And all this time I'm thinking its me. Well now that I know how its set up, I could get what I'm about to watch when it mentions if its a stand alone episode or a complex.

[arrancar88]

i think 2nd gig has a more cohesive plot were things tie-in to other episodes, whereas the first season has stand alone and laughing man episodes. the first episode totally confused me and i almost didn't keep watching gits until i saw the first movie which i liked. i would recommend the movies to anyone and encourage others to just be patient with the first season and wait for the good parts.

[HiiragiDaniel]

I first saw the GITS movie when i was 6, so no i didn't understand it the first time i saw it.

[myname]

No I didin't...One of my big problems was I didn't know there were both standalone episodes, and ones with an ongoing plot...so I try to connect all the eps to the laughing man plot...it made my headspin...after like 10 eps I gave up and decided it was too pretensious...>.>...after reading more about the plot I watched oit again and understood it better.

The second series...I thought was far less confuseing, and better structred.

[AS_anime_watcher]

Well I'm glad I asked this question. This should be mentioned in the wiki so when there are new people to the show, they know what to expect.

[Jingai]

 You can always tell which kind of episode you are watching, as it will be indicated on the

left side of the title screen.

  The first season is broken down into Stand Alone Episodes, and Complex Episodes, with the

Complex episodes being those related to the Laughing Man incident, while Stand Alone episodes

are self contained.

  The Second Season is broken down into Individual, Dividual and Dual episodes.

Individual episodes deal with the Individual Eleven group, Dividual episodes are self contained,

similar to Stand alone episodes, and Dual Episodes deal with the Cabinet Intelligence Services

and Gouda. 

  I hope this helps clarify things for everyone.

[westpark]

I understood it mainly because I had seen the old movie.

[FurionTassadar]

I actually started watching during the second season, and a big part of why I'm still here on the boards today is because I loved coming on and discussing the premieres with everyone, specifically figuring out what was going and what everything meant. Even today, Ghost in the Shell remains one of my favorite anime specifically because I can rewatch over and over, and still find new things I missed before that help me understand things better. ^_^

[Wingnut1955]

Yes I did......

[Yolei]

I was already a big Ghost in the Shell fan and had watched the first movie, which has nothing to do with the anime and more to do with the manga, so I sort of had an idea to start at, but I was really engrossed in the show, so I took notice of a LOT when it started happening.

 I also had my mommy to go to if I got confused

It's one of those shows you have to watch from beginning to end >.< but once you get it, it sort of sticks with you.

[ALchemist81]

I would say I still don't fully understand it!  When [as] played it every night, I didn't appreciate it like I do now that it's only on Saturdays.  But I still don't get EVERYTHING about it!

[ALchemist81]

---

Jingai wrote:

 You can always tell which kind of episode you are watching, as it will be indicated on the

left side of the title screen.

  The first season is broken down into Stand Alone Episodes, and Complex Episodes, with the

Complex episodes being those related to the Laughing Man incident, while Stand Alone episodes

are self contained.

  The Second Season is broken down into Individual, Dividual and Dual episodes.

Individual episodes deal with the Individual Eleven group, Dividual episodes are self contained,

similar to Stand alone episodes, and Dual Episodes deal with the Cabinet Intelligence Services

and Gouda. 

  I hope this helps clarify things for everyone.

---

I figured out the first season, but I never knew what the deal was with the Dual episodes thing in the 2nd season.

[XenopusTex]

GitS is immense and has extreme depth.

Take 2nd gig and tonight's second episode.  It explains a great deal about the end plot of 2nd gig.  While I don't know how many posters here have seen all of 2nd gig, so all that I'll say is... remember the boy and girl, and the paper cranes.  IIRC, the white paper crane has already made its appearance.

2nd gig also seems to be a take off on DHS and related homeland security entities with a bit of 1984 thrown in to the mix. 

Let's just say that unlike many of  the other offerings currently on AS, GitS requires actual attention to detail.

[BloodwerK]

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XenopusTex wrote:

Let's just say that unlike many of  the other offerings currently on AS, GitS requires actual attention to detail.

---

i'll go one step further and say "most" of the other offerings currently on as. this block has gone to pot with all the teen shows...

[Jingai]

 Part of the confusion lies in the fact that the Individual and Dual episodes aer dealing

with the same overall storyline, simply approaching it from a different point of view.

[ALchemist81]

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BloodwerK wrote:

---

XenopusTex wrote:

Let's just say that unlike many of  the other offerings currently on AS, GitS requires actual attention to detail.

---

i'll go one step further and say "most" of the other offerings currently on as. this block has gone to pot with all the teen shows...

---

Believe me, in terms of attention to detail requirement, both the original FMA and Brotherhood come close...

[BloodwerK]

---

ALchemist81 wrote:

---

BloodwerK wrote:

---

XenopusTex wrote:

Let's just say that unlike many of  the other offerings currently on AS, GitS requires actual attention to detail.

---

i'll go one step further and say "most" of the other offerings currently on as. this block has gone to pot with all the teen shows...

---

Believe me, in terms of attention to detail requirement, both the original FMA and Brotherhood come close...

---

brotherhood seems to be the one bright spot on the block, in terms of premieres.. even though it's not my cup of tea...

[Adult__Swimmer]

No and I still don't. Extremely difficult to follow for a casual fan.

[TheRavenProject]

Wow.... that makes a lot of sense now. Thanks! I've been more than a casual fan for a while, but never quite understood parts of the series. I do understand a lot of the political stuff such as the tension with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Not to mention Arimaki's general distaste for bureaucratic red tape and egotism. But I kind of like Ghost in the Shell because I don't understand all of it. Makes it so that every time I watch it I understand something new. The philisophical angle is something that I don't understand as well. But now I'm taking Philosophy in college, so It's certainly helping.

[the_tick_rules2]

most of the time.  Except when they talk about philosopsy and crap for like 15 minutes.

[Type_Zero]

I understood some of it the first time. It wasn't until I re-watched the first movie and the series the 2nd time I got all of it.