Ghost in the Shell / Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (1995-2004) 4K UHD

[Batman1084]

Originally Posted by Vangeli

Perfect timing! Just received this lovely, newly released boxset in the mail. #allthedipping

That is still a gorgeous packaging... absolutely gorgeous. I think it is safe to say that you will be happy you got that boxset and, unless you're very particular to these things, could use it to hold your 4k disc if you get it.

That cover perfectly embodies the movie. Damn!

[Vangeli]

I prefer the original 2.0 box with the same artwork but not all holographic-foily.

I wish they'd release new Steelbooks for these movies, but with the original white poster for the first movie and the white poster with the geisha and hound for Innocence.



Maybe even a special four-disc/two-movie combo Steelbook variant with that "2.0" rooftop boxart, which could include both movies in 4K + 2D.

I'd buy all three Steelbooks if they did that.

[Batman1084]

Originally Posted by Vangeli

I prefer the original 2.0 box with the same artwork but not all holographic-foily.

I wish they'd release new Steelbooks for these movies, but with the original white poster for the first movie and the white poster with the geisha and hound for Innocence.



Maybe even a special four-disc/two-movie combo Steelbook variant with that "2.0" rooftop boxart, which could include both movies in 4K + 2D.

I'd buy all three Steelbooks if they did that.

I really love the artwork from the release you just got because it just looks... lonely and pretty bleak. Nothing looks organic which I just feel speaks strongly to themes in the movie.

[JEArgumedo]

Pre-ordered them. Also, just a head's up about the first film's production. All the cels were scanned in digitally (likely at 2K) and then printed to film back in 1994. It was one of the first films to do this. The reason why they did it this way was because they used digital compositing techniques to do camera movements weren't possible with regular cel animation shot on film. They may have gone back to scan the original cels judging by how the 2.0 version looks but they'll probably be working from the 35mm negative. Also the CGI cyber brain stuff was done in SD intentionally (like whenever you see a fullscreen map, it's SD). I think they know how badly this film needs a restoration and I think Bandai is going to go all out on it.

As for Innocence, it was done in 2K digitally. It was at the time, one of the most expensive animated films, and I think it still holds up very well. Can't wait to see this one with an HDR pass. I'm really excited to see two of my favorite films hit the format...

Now bring on Akira which already has been scanned at 4K.

[TheSweetieMan]

This is a huge surprise--and quite possibly, my favorite UHD announcement so far in 2018.

I will be importing both of these for sure.

[OutOfBoose]

Gits '95 is part of the sci-fi/cyberpunk triad of my favorites: Blade Runner - The Matrix - Ghost in the Shell. Top stuff.

Good to know we're ALREADY getting all three on UHD. Holy shit. Certainly didn't expect them to arrive so soon.

[Brandon B]

Innocence was my first bluray. Bought it in Japan before I even had a bluray player. Probably have to buy the UHD too. Hopefully for less than what I paid back then. But probably not.

[qw0aszx]

Originally Posted by JEArgumedo

Pre-ordered them. Also, just a head's up about the first film's production. All the cels were scanned in digitally (likely at 2K) and then printed to film back in 1994.

Well, then I think there’s not too much hope for going back to the original negatives and rebuilt the whole film in 4K again.

Originally Posted by JEArgumedo

Now bring on Akira which already has been scanned at 4K.

Wow, I never knew Akira already had an 4K restoration, do you have any article or website link about this?

[kristoffer]

I am also hoping for a real remaster of GITS without DNR. I guess I will buy this film for a 4th time...

[OutOfBoose]

2.0 felt like DNR'ed original blu-ray + ugly new CGI.

Anyway, I'll be happy even if the only improvement on UHD for 95 will be un****ed blacks. So much detail is being lost on the blu in certain scenes. I did the comparison in another thread. Proper highlights and shadows - my minimal request.

[JEArgumedo]

Originally Posted by qw0aszx

Wow, I never knew Akira already had an 4K restoration, do you have any article or website link about this?

This was the article I was going by, they screened it in 4K a few years back, which actually after doing a little more digging I'm not totally sure anymore.

http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-new...-and-kawaguchi

They definitely did a new master from the original neg, but saving it to HDCAM SR gives me a little pause. It can save 4K imagery in the DPX format but I'm not 100% sure that's what they did.

Originally Posted by qw0aszx

Well, then I think there’s not too much hope for going back to the original negatives and rebuilt the whole film in 4K again.

Well, minus going back to the digital intermediate files and recompositing the entire film in 4K (which who knows if they'd even open on today's equipment) it's probably a better idea to go back to the original negative that it ended up printed on. It's just one of those films that's locked in a bit by it's production techniques at the time, but hey, someone has to pioneer the tech, right?

To my knowledge and from what all the behind the scenes videos suggest, to do all the camera moves they wanted to do they could not be done using optical printers and animation tables, and so all the animation cels were scanned in and not printed to film until the very end. Only the CGI of the full screen graphics were rendered and then transferred to SD videotape (Betacam) and then back to film and this was intentional. The rest was rendered at a much higher resolution before being printed to film, so anything that appears alongside the 2D animation was composited in HD/2K.

Also, contrary to popular belief, they did not print the film from the Avid. At the time, Avid was not capable of editing in HD. They used Avid to spit out EDLs (Edit-Decision Lists) and someone would physically cut the film based on the Keylink codes that the EDL spit out. The whole production of this film is pretty interesting as they basically were pioneering stuff alongside Hollywood (The English Patient which came out around the same time used the Avid to the same effect). But anyways, all this to say, there's a lot to the production of this film and if they don't remaster this one carefully, it'll be really disappointing.

[qw0aszx]

Originally Posted by JEArgumedo

which who knows if they'd even open on today's equipment

I remember such problem happened in the restoration process of Serial Experiments Lain. The composition of Lain was done using After Effects 3.1, that old file can not be opened in the AE nowadays. So they went back to install the 5.5 version of AE on an old Mac and using that to save the file as the type could be opened in the current AE version.

[SHOCKWAVE6464]

One of my all time favorites. I'm more than willing to import, but I'll wait it out to see if there is at least 5.1 audio for the Japanese audio track and no letterboxing.

[OutOfBoose]

I'll be really surprised if there's any substantial improvement on the first film, outside HDR/WCG. At best, I'm expecting a new scan of the same source and tweaked highlights/shadows.

I mean, if they didn't do it for 2.0 version, what do we expect here?

[JEArgumedo]

Originally Posted by SHOCKWAVE6464

One of my all time favorites. I'm more than willing to import, but I'll wait it out to see if there is at least 5.1 audio for the Japanese audio track and no letterboxing.

The most recent release on Blu-ray has no letterboxing, presenting the film in it's 1.85:1 ratio, so I doubt they'd go backwards here. You're not getting 5.1 Japanese audio, it's PCM stereo, which is the original mix. Whatever remix Manga did on the Special Edition DVD seems to have not really been embraced by Japan. Manga themselves never used it again either.

[Ben_C]

<Insert “Shut up & take my money” meme here.>

Not sure whether to go full steam ahead and preorder, or hang back and wait for more info/reviews/screencaps...

[Vangeli]

Holy hell Ghost in the Shell now takes up more than half of one of the three(!) drawers I store all of my Blu-rays in.

Sneaking up in there and taking the "most purchased franchise" award from Blade Runner.

[OutOfBoose]

Originally Posted by Ben_C

<Insert “Shut up & take my money” meme here.>

Not sure whether to go full steam ahead and preorder, or hang back and wait for more info/reviews/screencaps...

I've decided not to order for now. I'll wait for more info. But it's certainly my second most-anticipated released of 2018.

[DJJez]

pre order is up and its only $110 (£80)

https://www.amazon.co.jp/GHOST-SHELL...rds=4k%20ghost

[McCrutchy]

Now there is a UHD/BD combo for Innocence, as well as a separate remastered Blu-ray, and yet, there is no separate remastered Blu-ray for the original film, yet:



Surely they won't have remastered Innocence and not remastered Ghost in the Shell...

EDIT: It must be a collaborative release. Innocence is still a Disney Japan release:

http://www.disney.co.jp/studio/news/20180313_01.html

This also helps to explain the differences between encoding, and why Innocence has newly-designed audio mixes, like DTS:X and DTS Headphone:X. Note also that Disney is making the DTS:X track exclusive to the UHD BD disc, while the remastered Blu-ray Discs will have the Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 track, like the Absolute Edition Blu-ray.

I guess that means it's down to Bandai to remaster Ghost in the Shell only, and that Disney Japan took care of remastering Innocence, and then the two companies agreed to put their UHD discs in a box set together.

This is getting a little bit strange...