Order to watch Arise? Which version is best? Few other questions about GiTS anime, please help if you have the time

Sep 4, 2015 10:01 AM

Offline

Nov 2014

Hey everyone, I have 3 basic questions I wish for opinions on. Just skip to MY VIEWING ORDER if you know the answer to the question and don't wish to read this lol.
They revolve around:
~SAC 2 seasons and recap movies(*order and whether to watch recaps
~Where *Solid State Society ends up in the viewing order;
~Watch ARISE before/ after series/movies/solid state etc.
(And if I should watch the *TV version of arise or the OVA version when they are all out)
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MY VIEWING ORDER looks like this, chronological mainly(as well as release date). I will put the questionable content in parenthesis.
-First 2 movies, both SAC Series(and recaps in release date order?), (Solid State Society?), and then (Arise?)

QUESTIONS:(Provide just the order/ your opinion on it if you wish-THanks!)
--------------------------------
1)*Watch Arise before SAC and Solid State Society. *MOST IMPORTANT*
~Arise before all GiTS media, even the first movies etc.
~After first 2 movies
~After all Ghost in the Shell media
~Before SSS-Solid State(After SAC Series/movies)
----->There are many opinions on this online but none that give a really good explanation for someone like myself watching everything for the first time and not re-watching, as I have no experience of whether to watch this before that etc.<-----

2)*Watch SAC series and movies in one of four ways-
~SAC Season 1, then Laughing Man, Season 2, Individual Eleven
~SAC Season 1, Season 2, Laughing Man, Individual Eleven
~*SAC Season 1, Season 2, Laughing Man*
~*SAC Season 1, Laughing Man, Season 2*
---------->I did some research and found watch orders with no Individual Eleven movie because there was minimal new/important material, your opinion?<-----------

3)*When do I watch Solid State? The other questions kind of answer this so no options needed, opinions welcome of course.

4)Lastly which is better, Arise TV or OVA(Will wait for whichever) This question is kind of answered with the others so I won't make options.

----------------------------------------
END OF IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

LITTLE BIT OF EXPLAINATION:Too Long Don't Read if you wish

I am most concerned about the proper order to watch Arise in, if that is all the time you can provide for your own opinion. Again I would greatly appreciate opinions as well. I watched some SAC and the first movie, but I am only a year into watching anime as a main hobby at home, but have a decent number of completed(around 200 I believe) so I know the value and respect your thoughts. Thank you in advance- I will post this in a few GiTS anime forums in case this is inactive so please don't delete, I merely wish for some help with this.

----------------THANKS---------
Thanks greatly appreciated. Opinions of why are very welcome. I generally prefer to watch in viewing order, unless a prequel is made specifically for watching before the series in question(Arise?). As well as watching the prettier/ more recent stuff last were applicable. (Sometimes I watch the new prequel of a series last after the other series are over if its not a big story flaw)

Sep 6, 2015 7:13 AM

TopgunUK

Offline

Oct 2009

495

I would say watch the two Oshii-directed movies Ghost in the Shell 1995 and Innocence (keep in mind that these movies are their own thing and don't directly lead into Stand Alone Complex as they're separate continuities). Then SAC season 1 followed by SAC season 2 and then Solid State Society, you can ignore the SAC recap movies entirely they won't offer anything other than a badly rushed version of the story you already watched properly.

Same goes for GitS 2.0, this can be skipped entirely as it's just a pretty much frame for frame remake of the original movie but with a few scenes which were redone/ruined in tacky looking, already dated 3DCG which is blown out of the water by the original, timeless big budget movie traditional animation.

As for Arise it is not really a prequel to SAC or the Oshii movies as these 3 continuities are all separate entities adapting the original Manga differently. You should watch Arise last because frankly, it's the worst the franchise has to offer on top of being the latest in production order and as I just mentioned it doesn't actually fit with SAC or the Oshii movies as a prequel.

With Arise the best way to view is probably the OVAs first and then just the last two episodes of the TV airing which were entirely new content, the rest of the TV episodes were just the OVAs slightly condensed.

TopgunUKSep 6, 2015 7:20 AM

Oct 6, 2015 5:46 PM

StevePen387

Offline

Nov 2014

Thanks a bunch man! Took me a while to see this because I am new to finding my own topics lol just realized you could find them easily. You are the only one that actually gave me a clear and complex response with reasoning other than opinion and I really do appreciate it. I still was waiting to know for sure about the franchise before I started it, and now I can start the movie again knowing the correct order for myself. I feel you, newest stuff should be watched last whenever possible.

Thanks!

Steve

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Order to watch Arise? Which version is best? Few other questions about GiTS anime, please help if you have the time

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