How “Ghost In The Shell” Has Become One of the Biggest Franchises Ever Posted Oct 22, 2021
When the very first version of Ghost In The Shell appeared over 30 years ago, no one could have realized just how long the title would continue to transfix fans everywhere. Still going strong in a wide number of media, the story that first appeared in Kodansha’s Young Magazine anthology is nothing less than a phenomenon.
The premise is a simple one. It’s set in the fictional Japanese city of Niihama where the crime-fighting division Public Security Section 9 has the task of tracking down everyone from corrupt officials to cyber-criminals.
Head of the unit is Major Motoko Kusanagi, a character who was so badly injured in an accident that she received a full-body prosthesis. So now she is effectively a cyborg with human intelligence, emotions, and reactions.
From its origins, the story was a natural choice to make the transition into animation. The first of these was released in 1995, directed by Mamoru Oshii. Some 20 years later, in 2015, saw the release of the second animated film. Again directed by Oshii, this was called The Ghost In the Shell: The New Movie.
As often happens, the huge popularity of Ghost in the Shell caught the attention of Hollywood and in 2017, a major live-action movie was released. It had an all-star cast that included Juliette Binoche, Chin Han, and Lasarus Ratuere with Scarlett Johansson taking the starring role of Motoko Kusanagi. This proved to be something of a controversial choice with many claiming that the part should have gone to a Japanese actor. Despite this, Johansson was praised for her performance in a film that otherwise received quite mixed reviews.
This genre has proved to be a very fertile area for video slots online. The graphic style lends itself perfectly to the games, as do the characters. So it’s little surprise that the title has also appeared in this guise. You may need to search around for the game, but there are numerous slots review and news sites out there that could make finding it simple. Some will even tell you about new and upcoming titles to look for in the genre, such as Fortune Rangers and Bounty Pop.
It also goes without saying that the franchise has enjoyed great success in more traditional video games. Among the most notable ones was the very first which was released for PlayStation in 1997. This was a third-person shooter in which you take the role of a new recruit to Public Security Section 9 in the fight of the crime. Several other games were released to tie in with the TV series that was also part of the franchise showing the huge extent of its popularity.
Looking to the future, we can probably expect plenty more manga, anime, games and possibly even movie titles in the series. And for true fans of this long-running saga, these won’t be able to come soon enough.
