Ghost in the Shell: Arise is an OVA divided into four parts based on the Ghost in the Shell universe 攻殻機動隊. I recently finished watching the third part “Ghost Tears”. In September the fourth part, “Ghost Stands Alone”, will be released and will complete the series. Masamune Shirow has not been involved in the production team and for that reason the style of Arise has changed from the style of the movies and Stand Alone Complex. One of the most significant changes is that instead of having blue tachikomas now there are red logicomas.
Arise begins just at the end of World War IV in year 2027. The plot explores the depth of the formation of Sector 9, the intelligence department of the Japanese ministry of internal affairs. Another novelty is the new characters, many of them related with Rikugun Go Maru Ichi Kikan 陸軍５０１機関, the organization that transformed Kusanagi into a cyborg.
The Arise OVAs are ideal if you still don’t know the Ghost in the Shell universe and want to immerse yourself in it. It is much more “light” than Stand Alone Complex.
Photo by Nihongogo
There’s also an Arise manga drawn by Fujisaku Junichi, one of the key members of Production I.G. Its name is Ghost in the Shell: Arise ~Sleepless Eye~ (攻殻機動隊ARISE～眠らない眼の男). The art is impressive but the story is quite boring because it’s just a connection of several action scenes.
