The final installment of the Ghost in the Shell ARISE series, "border:4", will officially open on September 6th. The final chapter is also named "border:4GhostStandsAlone", and in this work, all kinds of foreshadowing buried in the previous plot will be revealed, and some characters full of mysteries will also bring infinite reverie to the audience. On the eve of the release of the work, some Japanese media conducted an exclusive interview with Kazuya Kuse, the chief director and character of the work, and Oki Fangding, the composer of the script and series. In the interview, they will review the behind-the-scenes stories of the first three works, as well as "the secret of the birth of the new grass pheasant Motoko", and talk about the state of mind at the end of the work.

■Why do you want to tell a prequel story?

Q: Ghost in the Shell ARISE is finally coming to an end, and the two are also well-known people who have worked together on four series, how do you feel about each other at this moment? Mr. Huang Se has been involved in the production of the "Ghost in the Shell" series for many years, but Mr. Oki Fang Ding is the first time to take over the work, so it can be said that the two are completely opposite cases.

Okikata: In that sense, it's really the other way around.

Kuse: I don't have any experience as a director myself, so there's really no difference between the two of you.

Okikata: Where, where (laughs), if it weren't for Mr. Kuse, I'm afraid that "Ghost in the Shell ARISE" would not have appeared. Because from the beginning, everyone will be confused and don't know what to do.

Q: First of all, I would like to ask a question. Before you started making your work, were you worried about the question of "what should I do?" and couldn't make up your mind?

Okikata: That's right. When I was researching the structure of the story, Mr. Kase once said to me, "You don't have to think about the previous works. "But I'm afraid only Mr. Kase can be so sure. I put too many personal ideas into my own creations, and as a result, I caused problems for everyone and lost the whole direction.

Q: The Ghost in the Shell series has a lot of hardcore fans, so when it comes to creating a new anime, the two of you must feel a lot of pressure from the perspective of the producers. At least that's what I think......

Kate: Maybe I'm the only one who thinks so, but I think if you treat a work with the mentality of a fan, then you can't start at all. I've seen the original paintings by Mr. Masamune Shirou, but after all these years, there are still many things that I can't understand. If you don't look closely at his creative techniques and the annotations on the outside of the comic grid, then you will definitely not be able to understand the work. But I didn't finish reading all of them, so this time I made a new discovery when I revisited the original work. I sighed, "I actually wrote such a plot." "From that perspective, I don't think I'm working as a fan.

Okikata: For me, Ghost in the Shell is a textbook. GHOSTINTHESHELL WAS RELEASED WHEN I WAS 18 YEARS OLD, WHICH WAS THE YEAR I DEBUTED. Not only is it of great quality, but it also looks like a huge wind tunnel was carved out during the SF Ice Age. In both senses, I think it's a textbook. I was a little nervous when I first took over Ghost in the Shell ARISE, but Mr. Kise's relaxed personality gradually infected me and allowed me to work freely.

Q: Mr. Kase has been involved in the production of the series for many years, so when making new works, it is necessary to shift his attention from the past works. It's not an easy thing to do, is it?

Kate: Not at all. Because the form of my participation in this work is different from the previous one. In the past, I waited until all the settings and other things were ready, but this time I started working on it from the point of view, "What kind of work should I make?", and finally I came up with a sense of "I can do whatever I want!" "Feelings.

Okikata: Ahahaha (laughs)!

Kate: So when I was determined, "Whatever I want!" After such thoughts, we are faced with the question of how to do it. Then we decided that it would be easier to tell the story than to tell some sequel, so we decided.

Another point is that in Mr. Shirou's story, there is a setting of zài Suzi's background, so we thought it would be OK to use this content. And if I want to make good use of Motoko's past, I feel like "It's more appropriate to tell the story of a young Suko?" ”

Okikata: After that, we finally decided to tell the story of Suko and her companions.

Q: In the plot of 4 episodes of Tong Guò, the young and weak Suzi slowly became a "powerful Suko", and it should be said that this is also the final ending. So how would Mr. Okikata feel if he looked back on it now?

Okikata: I think it's a blessing to be able to portray all aspects of Suko's appearance. Suzi wants to be more human in this series, and this is the biggest issue I have to face. In short, I want everyone to see a lot of different sides of her. Being weak, isolated, falling in love with a lover, and being deceived (laughs).

Q: Suko has a lover. If it was a previous work, this statement is definitely strange. And in border:3, we witness the Suzi who is in love. It also makes people feel completely different. I seem to see something I shouldn't see.

Okikata: Mr. Kase is also the director of "Border:3". This is simply to show the strength of Mr. Kuse. Tell the story from the bare feet...... Foot! In love!

Kuse: Ms. Maaya Sakamoto, who voiced Suko, also said, "I always feel a little shy......"

Okikata: Ms. Sakamoto is very shy. About Suzi's love, although it will make everyone think, "Is it really good to watch this?" "But I think it's nice to be able to break the mold and make some breakthroughs. This can also make Suko's character image fuller.

Q: In order to show the immaturity and youth of Suzi, did the two of them study how to make the plot more exciting and what kind of side they should show to the audience in the early stages of writing the script?

Okinaka: What we focused on in "border:1" was to make Suko look cute. And the inevitability of Suzi gathering companions also needs to be explained.,If it's still the almighty Suzi.,I'm afraid there's no point in gathering companions, right?

Kuse: Speaking of the "powerful Suko", then we think that she is omnipotent, so there is no need to gather her companions, and it is good to act alone.

Okikata: In that case, you won't be able to gather your companions, and you won't be able to tell a story that goes back in time. In this way, the plot will be inconsistent. At the point in time of the original work, she already had a companion, so in the time before the original work, Suzi should not be omnipotent. In "border:1", we show a cute, innocent, and innocent Suko. And her juvenile personality or neutral-like traits are also expressed.

Q: I would like to ask you a question about the character design. Compared with the previous "Ghost in the Shell" character design, the character design this time gives people a more refreshing feeling. It also changed the way we think about characters. So when discussing the characters, how did you determine the style today?

Kuse: I didn't think too much about it. It's just that we're worried about "what should I do when Suzi becomes younger", so we made a lot of attempts, but we couldn't express the young Suko. Although he has become a child at age, his temperament is still the same. Just when I was worried about it, it happened that many women changed their hairstyles to Qi bangs at that time, and some female stars followed suit. Then we tried to get Suzi to have a bangs, and it got the current effect (laughs).

Okikata: After I read the initial character design, I felt that there was something wrong. If the bangs are shortened, it will be easier to see the expression, and I think this is also a setting that directly expresses the inner changes of Suzi. Unlike the previous setting, which was hidden and mysterious, this time Suzi has become completely "simple and easy to understand".

Kuse: If the bangs are too long, then in the end, it won't change the impression of Motoko in people's minds. Because we can only show the audience her childish side, we have to study how to make her look girly. It's hard to decide. Let's cut off her bangs and use this setting to start the work. As a result, the impression of Suzi at the scene of the production of zuò has changed from the very beginning, causing some commotion.

Okinaka: Mr. Kise painted on the premise that "Motoko can move", so Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, President of Production I.G., also shouted, "Hurry up and animate Motoko and make Motoko move." "If the characters can move, then the beauty of the characters is also clear at a glance.

Kuse: Is that so? I really don't understand what you're nagging about in places I don't know (laughs).

The final installment of the Ghost in the Shell ARISE series, "border:4", will officially open on September 6th. The final chapter is also named "border:4GhostStandsAlone", and in this work, all kinds of foreshadowing buried in the previous plot will be revealed, and some characters full of mysteries will also bring infinite reverie to the audience. On the eve of the release of the work, some Japanese media conducted an exclusive interview with Kazuya Kuse, the chief director and character of the work, and Oki Fangding, the composer of the script and series. In the interview, they will review the behind-the-scenes stories of the first three works, as well as "the secret of the birth of the new grass pheasant Motoko", and talk about the state of mind at the end of the work.

■In other words, this is a story between Snow White Suko and the dwarfs without a prince

Q: This time, you are going through 4 episodes of "Ghost in the Shell ARISE", not to deliberately emphasize a certain theme, but to show various aspects in different episodes.

Okikata: The structure of this time, from the perspective of the people who make up the series, is like a series of short stories strung together. I'm afraid some people will complain: "What the hell are you making up!" "But there is still a thread in the work, which is how the Ghost in the Shell team members come together. But because each episode is different, you can choose a different director to direct, which ultimately makes for a great format.

Kuse: This time I also wanted to make a theme that I wanted to make as a director.

Punch: Spring, summer, autumn and winter, the seasons also give people different feelings.

Kuse: So, the theme of Ghost in the Shell ARISE is the four seasons (laughs)!?

Q: What is the theme of the upcoming "border:4"?

Okinaka: The concept of "border:4" is a "tribute", so many plots will reflect this aspect of the story, and I think fans of the work should find a lot of excitement.

Huang Se: In this work, there will be similar plots from the previous "Ghost in the Shell", but they are a little different. Basically, Suzi has to play as a loser, which is one of our tenets. Whether it is fighting around in optical camouflage or letting the audience see wonderful action scenes, the ultimate goal is to reflect a weak prime.

Okikata: In the last work, Suzi is already a little closer to a complete body, so in the last episode, we can also imagine the image of a complete voxo, which evokes everyone's memories of some famous scenes in the previous series.

Q: In other words, for fans of previous works, the effect of this performance will make them scream.

Okikata: It's also a delicious place, but on the other hand, if you solidify the audience on the previous fans, then the work will lose its vitality. To do this, we also have to make new audiences happy, so that old concepts are mixed with new things. In this way, fans who start watching the work from where they start will have a common language with each other.

Q: The world of Ghost in the Shell was born 25 years ago, and the mentality of portraying this work back then is hardly the same dimension as it is today. Now, thanks to the relationship between the Internet and smartphones, the things in the works have become reality little by little. So do you think that reality will one day transcend their works?

Okikata: Now that prosthetics have been invented and are being used extensively. But it's still too expensive. It's a lot cheaper than before, but what would happen if the time came when ordinary individuals could buy it? Although mechanized prosthetic hands and limbs have already been born, we still can't imagine what it would be like at that time.

Kuse: The practice of directly replacing the body has not yet been realized. Now we are thinking of supplementing the missing areas, such as prosthetic hands and prostheses, which are for people who lack hands and feet. And if this technology can be directly connected to the physical body, then things become interesting.

Okikata: Originally, a war was set up as a plot requirement, but because it was a war, almost all of the people who were able to move towards the "new world" were soldiers, and ordinary citizens were abandoned by the new technology. However, with the method used to get the old man to obtain a new prosthetic body in "Border:3", I think it finally connects the real world with the world of Ghost in the Shell.

Q: The setting of the traffic control system in "border:2" also gives us a more realistic feeling because of the recent emergence of the automatic braking function of the car.

Okikata: So, that's what I discussed with Mr. Kuse. Once the work is more authentic, how can we reflect the SF place?

Kate: It's hard to feel like SF, and that's a problem. In this day and age, even if we add some elements that may become a reality in the future, it is still difficult to make Ghost in the Shell seem like a futuristic story.

Q: What do you think you should do to reflect a sense of SF and the future?

Okikata: There are still some areas that people have not yet set foot in, so although the online world has entered the lives of ordinary people, there should be something higher waiting for us to discover. That's what I want to try when I find time.

Kate: If I had the chance, I would definitely do it.

Q: What exactly does Ghost in the Shell look like to you?

Huang Se: Oh, I think it's probably a kind of bad relationship with this work. I've been involved since I was working as an original artist (laughs).

Okikata: Ahahaha (laughs), I still think it's a textbook. It was also an honor for me to be able to add a page to this textbook and introduce it to the next generation, "Come and read it." And I hope to be able to pass the baton to those who come after me.

Q: So why do you think "Ghost in the Shell" is loved by everyone?

Kuse: I'd like to ask you about this question. I'm not very good at imagining how people look at this work. Therefore, I want to hear the opinions of others.

Chong Fang: Tong Guò participated in the production of this work, and I came up with the idea that the work is a mysterious formula, and the ratio of all the ingredients in the formula is perfect. The way the character acts, the main reason for the incident...... The form of a qiē has a very high degree of completion. And never goes out of style. It is precisely because of this kind of work that I feel that it occupies a special position. Ghost in the Shell is a clever blend of entertainment and tech-first. Around the time the original author decided to use both cyberpunk and transhuman combat, the work was already soaring (laughs).

Q: And this was created 25 years ago...... It's amazing.

Okikata: Because it's a work about the police, it's very easy to integrate the beginning and the end. It can tell a personal story, it can also reflect social issues, and at the same time tell about the future of technology, and of course, action scenes are also essential. The main line of the police has indeed brought a lot of creative power.

Q: Ai Chino, who voiced Emma, once said that she had rarely participated in this kind of work full of various uncles before. So I'm very happy.

Okikata: It's really an uncle all over the ground (laughs). In terms of the structure of the work, this is the story of Snow White. There are vegetarians and dwarfs...... Suko is also a Snow White who can knock the prince down.

Kuse: Suko doesn't need a prince.

Okinaka: No. On the other hand, if a prince appears next to this outrageous Suzi, then it may be surprisingly interesting. Even if it's a cliché, it doesn't have to be less fun. Just like the Bond Girl in "007", we can also let a "Suzi Boy" appear every time, but basically Suzi doesn't need any princes, so she will decisively give up the option of falling in love. I think it's okay to dig into the plot of this aspect as well. It was a work that made me feel very emotional, so I learned something again.

Such a work is useless if it is not well made. Because of people like Mr. Kuse, I can feel a sense of security, "I will take responsibility, and you can create as you please". If you use baseball, for example, where the coach allows me to do it, all I need to do is give it my all.

Kate: (a little shy) I hope you can go and see "border:4", then I'll be happy. Please check it out.

Q: Thank you for your time today!

【Personnel】

Original: Shirou Masamune

Director: Kazuya Kuse

Script: Chong Fang Ding

MUSIC: CORNELIUS (KEIGO KOYAMADA)

Animation production zuò: Production I.G

【Voice Actor List】

Motoko Kusanagi: Maaya Sakamoto

Bart: Kenichiro Matsuda

Tagusa: Aragaki Tarusuke

Ishikawa: Tantomi Yuki

Saito: Chinese Saurer

Paz: Ueda Tsukasa

Poma: Kazuya Nakai

Daisuke Aramaki: Juku-ichi-suke

LOGICOMA: Miyuki Sawajo

Kuruz: Mayumi Asano

Leyson: Takaki Hoshino

Ibaki: Takaki Hoshino

Take: Nojima Athlete

Mamato: Atsushi Miyauchi

Emma: Ai Chino