Ghost In The Shell Arise: Border
Latrina Cobbett
Ghost in the Shell: Arise, also known in Japan as Mobile Armored Riot Police: Arise (Japanese: 攻殻機動隊 ARISE, Hepburn: Kōkaku Kidōtai Araizu), is an original video animation and television series that serves as a re-imagining of Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell. The series features new character designs and is directed by Kazuchika Kise, screenplay by Tow Ubukata, and music by Cornelius.[2][3]
The series takes place in the year 2027, where many people in developed countries have become cyborgs with prosthetic bodies. Primarily set in the fictional Japanese Newport City, the series follows a younger Motoko Kusanagi before the formation of Public Security Section 9. At the start of Arise she is a member of the federal 501 Organization, a group who employs advanced infiltration tactics and espionage to attack or neutralize enemy threats. The 501 Organization is also the legal owner of Kusanagi's prosthetic body, which is lent to her in exchange for her services to the group. This debt displeases her and causes a disparity between herself and her employer.
Arise features an original Japanese voice cast, with only one actor reprising their role from the Oshii film and Stand Alone Complex anime television series. Maaya Sakamoto replaces Atsuko Tanaka as the voice of Major Motoko Kusanagi, Sakamoto having previously voiced the Major as a child in both the film, and Stand Alone Complex series.[3] Other changes to the cast include Kenichirou Matsuda as Batou, Tarusuke Shingaki as Togusa, Ikyuu Jyuku as Chief Daisuke Aramaki, Tomoyuki Dan as Ishikawa, Takuro Nakakuni as Saito, Yōji Ueda as Paz, and Kazuya Nakai as Borma.[7] Miyuki Sawashiro provides the voice of the series' think tanks now called the Logicoma (ロジコマ, Rojikoma), short for Logistics Conveyer Machine (ロジスティックスコンベイヤーマシン, Rojisutikkusu Konbeiyā Mashin). The Logicoma also feature in anime shorts included on the Blu-ray releases titled Logicoma Beat (ロジコマビート, Rojikoma Bīto).
New characters in the first episode include Kurtz (クルツ, Kurutsu), voiced by Mayumi Asano in Japanese and by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (the previous voice of the Major) in English, the head of the Army 501 Organization (陸軍５０１機関, Rikugun Go Maru Ichi Kikan), the firm who converted Motoko Kusanagi into a full cyborg and who Kusanagi would replace in the organization had she not joined Section 9; Raizo (ライゾー, Raizō), voiced by Takanori Hoshino, a combat cyborg for the 501 Organization that uses electricity as weapons; Ibachi (イバチ), voiced by Yasuhiro Mamiya, a combat cyborg for the 501 Organization skilled in bōjutsu and armed with hidden machine guns; Tsumugi (ツムギ), voiced by Kenji Nojima, a tactical cyborg for the 501 Organization that has a set of twins' cyberbrains in its head who always talk to each other; and Lieutenant Colonel Mamuro (マムロ), voiced by Atsushi Miyauchi, the leader of the 501 Organization who raised Kusanagi but has disappeared, having had something to do with arms dealing.
Each of the films are known as "borders" and have received national theatrical releases one month before the release of their Blu-ray and DVD versions. A recurring part of the films is the mysterious Fire Starter computer virus, as well as looking into the lives of Public Security Section 9's members before its formation.[9]
The opening theme for the first four episodes is called "GHOST IN THE SHELL ARISE" and is performed by both Salyu and Cornelius, it is also used as an ending for the fifth episode, the opening of which is "Anata o tamotsu mono" by Maaya Sakamoto (who also plays the role of Major Kusanagi) and Cornelius; the ending themes are different for each episode.
A bomb has gone off in Newport City, killing a major arms dealer who may have ties with the mysterious 501 Organization. Public Security official Daisuke Aramaki, hires Motoko Kusanagi to investigate, but on the case with her are "Sleepless Eye" Batou, who believes Kusanagi is a criminal, Detective Togusa of the Niihama Police who is investigating a series of prostitute murders he believes are related to the incident, and Lieutenant Colonel Kurtz of the 501 Organization who also wishes to keep an eye on Kusanagi. Kusanagi is subjected to memory loss that inhibits her progress in the case, and it is later revealed that she was implanted with false memories, a product of a failed "Ghost Hack" she had performed on the money-laundering conspirator Mamuro, who was infected with a memory virus. Once she realizes that the 501 Organization was involved with the scandal, she leaves the unit, now in legal possession of her own prosthetic body. She is met by Aramaki, who proposes the formation of a new unit within Public Security.[10][11]
A former soldier from the Qhardistani War named Kazuya Soga is being tried for "crimes against humanity" by the Japanese government. To prove his innocence, Soga sends his men to retrieve evidence hidden somewhere in a web of information called "Pandora's Box". This team is led by the former Ranger Batou, who also employs intel officer Ishikawa and Borma as well as the rest of Soga's men. Major Kusanagi is sent to investigate the matter and results in an all-out war between Public Security and Soga's group. Along the way, she is allied with Paz as well a female American Special Forces member named "VV". Saito is also involved, but changes sides depending on who offers more money. After the Kusanagi invades Soga's cyberspace, she discovers that he was affected by a memory-falsification virus that covered up the truth of what happened in the war, in which he indeed killed the refugees who were in fact guerrillas. When he learns the truth, he decides to kill himself, but the virus he tried to upload to Pandora's Box is still being carried through by none other than VV. With the help of Batou, VV is killed before she can complete the transfer and is revealed to be an android when the battle ends. Kusanagi promises Batou that he may be taken out of incarceration, but only if he decides to join her team.[13]
Togusa investigates the death of Detective Naoharu Mizuki, killed by an explosion at a dam while holding a suitcase containing prosthetic legs from the Mermaid's Leg corporation.[14] Togusa questions Dr. Zhinzhee Bekka Arr Thied, head of a Kuzan water company owning the dam, and also a Qhardi, but is told to back off. Meanwhile, Major Kusanagi's team of Batou, Ishikawa, Borma, Paz and Saito is called out to stop a Qhardi separatist organization. When they catch them, Kusanagi is intrigued by their contaminated ghosts. Aramaki says they are dealing with a false memory virus that can infiltrate, hack, and brainwash simultaneously created by a programmer known as "Fire Starter", leader of the Qaurdi separatists in Kuzan. The captured separatists all have Scylla (スクラサス, Sukurasasu) tattoos.[15] Meanwhile, Kusanagi gets closer to her prosthetics specialist boyfriend Akira Hose, but Togusa confronts Kusanagi about him, suggesting a link between Akira, the dam explosion, prosthetics-related crimes and his involvement with her. Kusanagi eventually realizes that Akira is the key, but also a puppet in a complex web involving Japanese weapons manufacturer Harimadara Heavy Industries, weapons smuggling, explosive prosthetics and propagation of the false memory virus. When she finally confronts Akira, he takes his own life, terminating himself as a virus host. Batou later tells Kusanagi that he figured she was the original Scylla and leader of the separatist army, but she replies that she's stopped switching bodies so often since then. Later Kusanagi asks Togusa to join her team, even if he is just a natural, married, and a father.
Before being captured, Hozumi claims that she had successfully packaged the Fire-Starter virus with cyberbrains and could create all the soldiers she wanted. meanwhile an unknown figure uses a translucent sphere to blow up a passenger flight 381 as it flies overhead by exploding an Ariel prosthesis implanted in Tei Musrsaka, an undercover US agent infected with the Fire-Starter virus. When Kusanagi's team go to investigate his apartment because of a link to Fire-Starter, they find US agents are already there. In Aramaki's office Kusanagi meets Jeril, from American Army intelligence who is also hunting the Fire-Starter broker they have code-named Pyromaniac. Kusanagi's team agrees to Aramaki's request to work with them on the condition she can question Hozumi who is also a target of Pyromaniac. Ishikawa finds that Musrsaka was following Galves Garcia, a cyber-drug dealer. As Kusanagi is about to transfer Hozumi from the Army Medical Center to the courthouse, Pyromaniac strikes causing chaos and confusion. Kusanagi traces him to the same building, where they capture a man apparently being used as a proxy. The prisoner escapes, revealing himself to be the Pyromaniac, and acquiring security codes. Kusanagi deduces that Pyromaniac had inside assistance, confirmed when he attacks the convoy transporting Hozumi from a helicopter gunship. Pyromaniac hacks into Kusanagi from outside and they meet in a virtual world that looks like a Kuzan battlefield. He states that he is a vessel for the Ghosts of Galvez, and Emma, and Murasaka. Kusanagi argues that he's just a construct of false memories of the Fire-Starter virus to eliminate threats to its continued existence and she traps then erases him. In the real world, Pyromaniac also dies, and Kurutsu, head of the 501 Organization, retrieves the translucent sphere from him and dumps his body. Meanwhile, Kusanagi's team and the Tachikoma fight off forces controlled by the Fire-Starter virus. In the aftermath, little useful is retrieved from Pyromaniac's cyberbrain and Kusanagi is congratulated by the prime Minister for catching the terrorist who downed flight 381. Elsewhere, Kurutsu quietly states that she has finished refining the virus.
7fc3f7cf58