The Running Man

I have some questions on the "Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex Laughing Man" DVD release:

Is this a "movie-version" of the entire first season or just some episodes of the first season?

and

If I watch this first, does it spoil the whole first season?

visitor Q

From what I understand, it only contains the episodes that specifically drive the Laughing Man narrative from the first season. The other filler episodes are dropped.

I'm interested in getting this myself, but after the subtitling job that Panorama did with the Hong Kong release, I'm very wary of the US release. The subtitles were among the the worst I've ever seen. And I'm still waiting to find out if the US release was a direct port of the HK release or if the subtitles were redone.

There's also a release in the works for the Second Gig as well focusing in on the Individual Eleven story. Not sure when this is coming out though ..


... oh and to answer your spoiler question, yes, it will detract from the main story. You probably should watch the season first.

The Running Man

Thanks for the reply.

I wouldn't worry about the subtitles on the US disc since all anime based companies have the subs retranslated from the ground up.

I also have a question about the first season. I believe there is a box set for the first season out correct? Does that set include the DTS discs?

Has there been a release date set for the second season?

Knives

It's condensed version of the first season into a 2.5 hour movie.

It's a summary of what happens.

Anime makes movies like that a lot where they put the whole season on one movie.

Ian Whitcombe

All the subtitles for Bandai Ent. DVDs are done by ZRO Limit Productions. There is absolutely no chance of the Panorama DVDs containing the same subs.

visitor Q

Yes, there is a box set for Season 1, but I do not think they are DTS. Apparently there's very little information provided on most etailer sites but I did find something over at Best Prices and they state only DD5.1 and stereo - unfortunately. This doesn't surprise me as this was one of the bigger differences in selling points between the individual LE and standard releases.

Btw, don't use those guys to buy the set - wait for the bi-annual Deepdiscount 20% off sale and you can probably get it for under $40. "Best Prices" my arse ..


.. and thanks all for the info on the subs. I may take a bite on that release.

The Running Man

But visitor Q says it's only deals with certain parts of the first season, not a summary of the first season.

GenPion

I haven't even seen the whole first season, though I want to, and I'd suggest not buying it. It sounds like it ruins aspects of the season. It would be wiser to get the complete set. If I'm not mistaken it's on sale for $48.99 on RightStuf right now. I might buy it there myself.

TRC

It's a summary of The Laughing Man arc, the continuous storyarc that runs throughout the first season. Not everything in the first season is connected to the Laughing Man so this movie doesn't cover the entire season just the parts that deal directly with the Laughing Man story.

GHackmann

The Season 1 box set is just a repackaging of all the standard edition releases in a cardboard box. And when I say "repackaging", I mean it literally: my box came with each of the 7 DVD cases individually shrinkwrapped and with the UPC stickers still on the top spine. It looked like someone had just taken the individual SKUs off of a store shelf and stuffed them into a box.

theguyoverthere

True, but you can't argue with the price (I got my S1 for $50, or $7.14 per volume...)

Knives

Like I said, It's a summary of the first season.

The Laughing Man is the major event that links everything together. The movie focuses on the main event.

minguy

I have seen SAC first gig and currently own the Laughing Man DVD.

Watch the series first. The stand alone episodes may not be directly related to the Laughing Man arc but they add a lot of depth to the characters. I think the compilation is an interesting experiment but not really necessary if you've seen the series. You wouldn't miss anything by skipping it. I would deter anyone from watching it on its own because you really miss out on some of the more enjoyable aspects of the series (like the Tachikoma).

The subs on the DVD are fine. This release is similar to the Solid State Society DVD with the same menu design (if I recall correctly). A/V quality seems comparable to SSS as well.

DVD Talk review: http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=31102


I will also purchase the Individual Eleven DVD when it comes out (sometime next year, I'm sure). It is supposed to have more drastic changes than Laughing Man so perhaps it will have a little more merit.