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Final Impressions

THE UGLY
Art, Design and Animation- Of course this would be the first to pop up here on popular demand. There isn't much to say on the environment design since the exposure to the cyberpunk nightlife was limited. The 3D doesn't work: It is plain, and simple as that. Although it facilitates some of the action set-pieces, it is not GITS. Facial movements aren't synchronised, and the plain artstyle takes away the gritty feel of the franchise entirely. Motoko Kusanagi's redesign is probably the worst redesign in history as her now petite high-school figure doesn't even keep up with her movements; her boxing challenge had ... an entirely comedic tone to it, and doesn't do her 'Queen Kong' nickname justice either. She feels like a Barbie Doll in the wrong place. Togusa's redesign is the only good thing as it is satisfying to see his rough and tough persona be on level with Batou. Which brings us to the worst of the series(yes, and that is not animation)

THE BAD
Characters- Let's be honest, characters have been always the weakest front of SAC. 2nd GIG helps this by giving some of the iconic members of Section 9 their own story, but the exposure hasn't been beyond that. Batou is the only Section 9 member(other than Major of course) who gets his screen-time, as in here too. We don't see of Kusanagi much too, since exploring her vulnerability in 2nd GIG. Thereby, the characters are more lifeless than the first season, other than Togusa(Gonna be honest, ironically Tachikomas had more of a personality than the cyborgs here). The other major characters of John Smith and Prime Ministers weren't really appealing either but tolerable. The biggest blunder however was the forced addition of Purin Esaki. I understand the need of appealing to the modern generation viewers but Esaki essentially destroys the no nonsense vibe of GITS, which is in no way a good thing. Pink hair, moe, with a generic shtick of a stalker- she doesn't bring humour to the show, but plain annoyance. Did we really need this? Definitely not. Even the Clown was a better addition to the old team, though unwanted.GITS:SAC was never much of a character driven show and hence it worked so far. However, when you introduce characters that break the immersion and the established tone of the show, you know you've ruined it.

THE GOOD
Story- The reformation of Section 9 and the following introduction to the post-humans felt much in line with GITS. The politics are moderate and the setting of the sustainable war seem very much in line with 1984 by Orwell which was referenced in the storyline directly. All these twelve episodes seem to be building up to the crux of the matter, a glimpse of which we see by the last few episodes. The themes of society, internet ostracisation is moderate and never overbearing. The man machine conflict is yet to be explored, but it is amusing how the show starts with introducing the post-humans as stereotypical evil AI, to gradually breaking them down to something human. The story of Takashi was intriguing and it really leaves you wanting for more by the finale.

THE EHHH
Additional Elements- 2045 has been the most drone heavy instalment in SAC and this gives it an unnecessary Appleseed feel to it. The Think Pol system was quite intriguing, before Motoko turned up with superhero hacking barrier to cancel it out(like really? Come on). Same as characters, some of these elements crack the staunch serious nature of the show in favour of something over-the-top that might appeal to the younger audience. But certainly not the old GITS fans.

Final Rating- 7/10
Conclusion- An unnecessary addition to the sub-continuity that was well rounded up by SSS. It's nostalgic to see the old characters return and the world expanded, but at a heavy price that wasn't worth it.

“The unreal is more powerful than the real. Because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it. Because its only intangible ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies that last. Stone crumbles. Wood rots. People, well, they die. But things as fragile as a thought, a dream, a legend, they can go on and on. If you can change the way people think. The way they see themselves. The way they see the world. You can change the way people live their lives”- Chuck Palahniuk, Choke

Coming from the same mangaka as Monster, expectations from 20th Century Boys were sky high. And boy oh boy it did hit ... the marks well enough. Keeping his distinctive style of webbing up an apparently abstruse mystery, bathing us in captivating rays of bewildering thrill from time to time, he narrates a compelling storyline with quintessential skill. Not to forget how the substantial amount of references were used to good effect from time to time. Stretching from the ever evolving world of music to world events and swooping down occasionally into the world of well known names in Japanese anime/manga entertainment(like Ashita no Joe, Cyborg 009, Planet Mask, Tetsujin 28-go, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures, etc.), the list goes on to show the amount of work that was put in the 249 chapters spanning a time period of roughly 46 years. And the supernatural elements. This is the first time I’ve come across a Japanese anime/manga that neither uses it as a base to crawl upwards, or use it casually or inadvertently just for the cheap entertainment value.

‘I hated shoujo manga, so I only read shounen manga. In real life, there were no perfect boys who always pop up in shoujo manga. In real life, there were no princes riding on white horses.’- Yukiji

Story- Storytelling is reminiscent of Stephen King’s style in ‘IT’ in the first quarter and goes on to encompass several timelines centering around the same set of major characters. Each timeline however has it’s own set of riveting characters that adds to the charm of this sporadic swapping narrative. Beginning with simple childhood fancies of a certain friends circle in the 60s it takes us to the rising fascism with glimpses of a near post-apocalyptic world from time to time. flutters from nostalgia to hype, drops a few doses of simple but enjoyable humour, then goes back to presage a disaster. An aberrant form of delish amusement. This guy has mastered the art of believable ridiculousness and complementing it with keeping us guessing upto the final chapters. There were few arcs that leave you disappointed cause you realise it was all so simple and predictable, and the next moment you are back to wracking your brains to figure it all out. Waves of childhood dreams, ambition, hopes crash against the darker elements of regrets, disappointments and failures.

‘So this is what it looks like… when our fantasy became reality…’- Kenji and Otcho

Characters- Each of the major protagonists goes from well defined simple tetrahedrons in the beginning; to a more varied and quirky forms as more edges added to them, consummating the development that drives at a desultory pace. On the antagonists side, an esoteric philosophical doctrine monitored by the sibylline and enigmatic leader. As the story gives out plausible hints to the identity and purpose of the oracular events and the conspiracy plaguing the time, the readers are encouraged to scrutinize the interpersonal relations between the old childhood group of associates at several time periods to come up with their own theories. Revisiting the characters, especially at indispensable times, makes way to see deeper into their psychology. Not to overlook the side characters: Each of them distinctive and individualistic, some of them with a mesmeric backstory supplementing the desire and motivating impulse in relation to the event at hand.

‘People should walk the way they want to. Wouldn’t that be the right kind of world for everyone?’ - Tamura Masao/ #13

Art- Although readers may feel skeptical of the artstyle earlier, you’ve gotta admit- it does it’s job well. It manages to draw out the requisite expressions apart from sending out the menacing or creepy vibe when needed. Quite often, it flips from being hilarious to eldritch in a single page, maintaining the convincing surrealism. Going through the manga incites such a wide variety of emotions- you’ll be smiling one moment, biting your nails the next, praying after a few seconds, hyping the next panel and so on. As far as backgrounds are concerned, they are top notch in trying to maintain a rational view of the future rather than going overboard with the few sci-fi and supernatural elements.

‘Becoming adults means forgetting and moving on to the next thing.’ - Kami-sama

And let’s not forget the laid-back OST accompanying the manga, pretty much intensifies the overall experience, other than the theme song of the manga itself: 20th Century Boy by T.Rex
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6fMWguYVME

‘I’m singing a song. I said, I’m singing a song. And when someone is singing a song… don’t shoot them.’- Kenji

If one does go pedantic on the manga, it is easy to see that the ending was a bit rushed and does fall out of place compared to the rest of epic tale. And dragging on the major entrancing factors to the sequel, the denouement feels a bit incomplete and a low quality bait to read the horrible sequel of 21st Century Boys(Note: Don’t give into the temptation. Nope).

Apart from that, it is such an unputdownable page turner. Talk about harmonized chaos. The characters go a long way from being happy-go-lucky to reach the peak of human determination and keep pushing forward, crawling through the dirt oppressed but never faltering. Old comrades separate, go their own ways, only to come back together as their fates entwine once again. By the end of it, you may eventually add to the chorus of-
‘Guta La La
Suda La La’-
Kenji
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xdY10RhB0s)

Overall rating- 8.7/10

I came across this a few days ago searching for an anime like TTGL when this movie turned up in my recommendation list. And since it was done by MADHOUSE with GAINAX (the same that gave us TTGL),I decided to check it out in the best quality I could find. Expectations were quite high. And boy oh boy, I wasn’t disappointed. On the contrary, this stuff blew me away. Redline is more than an anime. It’s an experience. I knew I was gonna write this review before I even reached halfway into the movie.
Art and Animation (10/10): To find an anime movie of 1.5 hours ... to be 100% hand drawn after Spirited Away was like finding the One Piece. Boasting of 100,000 handmade drawings and having a record of 7 years in development, this stuff right here is the epitome of animation. NOTHING comes close. This is the only anime to surpass Akira in terms of fluid animation. The amount of action and detail on screen at any time is so vast that it has a really high re-watch value. The character designs ( whether humans, aliens or cybernetic beings ) are diverse, unique. The vehicles (whether it’s simple or totally crazy) are fabulous. The art style is punk (relatively extinct these days with the moe style taking over) and the amount of colour, detail and beauty put into this movie is unlike ANYTHING you’ve ever seen. This is undoubtedly the strongest point of the film. It’s a VISUAL MASTERPIECE.
Story (6/10): For a change let’s check out the weakest part of the movie. The plot fits the movie perfectly. Yeah, that’s it. The movie wasn’t designed to have back-story riddled three dimensional complex characters! The story is fast paced. The drama is cheesy with conventional characters. It isn’t to be taken seriously. It serves its sole purpose to entertain quite brilliantly.
Soundtrack (10/10): The brilliant soundtrack in the movie was crafted by James Shimoji. Yet again it fits the theme of the movie PERFECTLY. It’s mainly techno-based with elements of hip hop. This explosive soundtrack increases the spirit and the hype of the movie exponentially.(WARNING: Unless you really want a speeding ticket, DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT PLAY THIS IN YOUR CAR while driving).
Enjoyment (10/10): This film oozes STYLE. The action is fast, fantastic and full of adrenaline. It’s an exhilarating rush of energy that is simply unforgettable. If you are a fan of fast paced, high octane over the top awesomeness that only anime can achieve, this will set the benchmark for you. Feel the Rush. Feel the Adrenaline. Feel the Energy. In the Redline.
(P.S.- This is one of the 3 films that received a full in the enjoyment category)
Overall- 9/10