Re-edited for easier understanding! Commemorating the release of "Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045, The Sustainable War! Interview with Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Otsuka, and Koichi Yamadera

The latest "Ghost in the Shell" series "Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045" (Season 1) has been distributed worldwide on Netflix since April 2020. Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045: Sustainable Warfare" will be released in theaters on November 12, 2021 (Friday).

In advance of its release, we interviewed three voice acting legends who have played the main characters in the film over the years, Atsuko Tanaka (Motoko Kusanagi), Akio Otsuka (Batou), and Koichi Yamadera (Togusa), about the theatrical version and season 1 of "Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045". The film has been reborn as a full CG animation.

Looking back at the "Ghost in the Shell" reborn as a full CG animation

─ ─ First of all, what are your impressions of this theater version and "Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045" (Season 1), on which it is based, and what do you think of the appeal of this work?

Tanaka The attraction is "everything," but I was very happy to be able to play the role with the original cast. And I think the world of "Ghost in the Shell," which follows "S.A.C. (Ghost in the Shell S.A.C.)" and "Second Gig (Ghost in the Shell S.A.C. 2nd GIG)" but with new 3DCG, where Public Security Section 9 again works together to take on cases under Director Kamiyama, is very attractive.

Otsuka: That's right. I noticed that the original members are very important. Also, I think the story is more interesting than anything else. At first, when this work was announced, I heard a lot of opinions that the CG was uncomfortable, but after the distribution started and people started watching it, those opinions almost disappeared. Before that, I remember I sent out a message saying, "Just watch it once, it's really interesting," and I was right. So I guess the appeal of this film is that it is interesting (laughs).

(Laughs.) It's fun for me too. I guess you could call it a mechanical expression, but it has a great affinity with CG such as Tachikoma, and it becomes very three-dimensional. That was very good. During the recording, we added the lines to the motion actors' performances, but when I saw the finished product after the recording, I felt that it was the right choice to use 3DCG! When I saw the finished recording, I felt that it was the right choice to use 3DCG.

Yamadera: Akio-san talks too much (laughs). You have nothing more to say (laughs). Well, I guess we both agree, but first of all, the story and the worldview are very interesting. The character design has changed, and with motion capture and CG, it may be difficult for those who have always liked "Ghost in the Shell" to understand it at first. However, since the story is set in the near future, and although we are not computerized, it is a very realistic story, I think this is a great way to tell it. Also, I think it must have been very difficult for the motion actors. It's not that the voice actors had an easy time (laughs). (Laughs) But it was a bit difficult because we had to make our own performances, rather than copying what the motion actors had done. Anyway, I was really happy to be able to work with these members again.

Atsuko Tanaka

─ Can you give us some of the most impressive episodes or scenes from Season 1?

Tanaka: As far as Motoko is concerned, I would have to say the first opening scene. I really like the bright and liberating scene in the open land of America under the bright sun, where Motoko and her team are released from their work and duties in Japan, and the line "It's wonderful that there is no noise" is really symbolic.

And also, now that it's 3DCG, the scenery and Tachikoma are very realistic. In the latter half of season 1, there is a scene where Togusa goes to Kyoto to look for Takashi, and the scenery such as the village in Kyoto, the fields and mountains with poppies in full bloom, and the hut where the paratroopers are hiding in the mountains are all depicted very realistically thanks to the use of CG. One of the most memorable scenes was the one in which Takashi's cousin Yuzu was killed by a stray bullet. The way the hem of her one-piece dress swayed to show that she had been hit by a bullet was very impressive and striking, in contrast to the scenery.

Otsuka: I was going to say that too, but I was told (laughs). (Laughs.) It's hard to forget the sadness when you realize that you were hit by a bullet there. Also, there is a scene when Batou comes back home and some old people are trying to rob a bank. I wonder how those old people are doing. That's how I felt.

Another thing I didn't like was when Takashi is trying to escape from the school, the math teacher comes out of the classroom. I thought, "There's someone in the back. I thought it must be Kanami. I didn't like that. I feel that such expressions are more violent than in 2D.

Tanaka Maybe it's because they look more realistic.

Otsuka: But I still think it's great that it sticks in your mind like that. It is the accumulation of such things that makes this series so interesting. Even adults who don't usually watch anime can enjoy "Ghost in the Shell," and I feel that it has been further refined.

Yamadera: I like the conversation between Togusa and Motoko in episode 8 of season 1. Togusa is often the only one who goes on a separate mission, and then joins up with Motoko later. He says, "I want to do it," but Motoko tests him. In that episode, after he passed the test, he said, "Why don't we go back to Section 9 and do some more things? (laugh). After that, Aramaki said to the PM, "The new Section 9 is born. That gave me goosebumps. I know I am talking only about myself, but Togusa gave me a lot of opportunities to play an active role in the film.

Otsuka: It seems like Togusa plays the leading role in this theater version as well, doesn't it?

Yamadera No, that's not true (laughs). In the end, Togusa is the only one who is always said to be a bit green, but he has no backstory, and I think he is the closest to the viewer's perspective or can be seen from an honest point of view. Even though they are separated, he and Tachikoma appear in a pinch, and after a long time, the moment when the Major says, "Togusa! "Togusa! "Ah, we're back together! I was so happy.

Otsuka: For weeks, Yamachan had been in a different group for a while.

Yamadera: This time, I was in a different group for the recording, so I was happy to be able to meet up with everyone. I feel like this kind of thing has happened in the past.

Akio Otsuka

─ ─ It has been about 15 years since you were in charge of postrecording for "Ghost in the Shell" since the previous S.A.C. series, and the method of animation production, such as motion capture, has changed dramatically in this work. Were there any difficulties in the postrecording process?

Tanaka The postrecording itself has not changed much, especially in season 1. However, the motion actors are doing the acting, and the recording video already includes the sound. During postrecording, some people listen to the audio and some don't. For example, the mouth movements and breaths were easy to understand, so I recorded while listening to it as a guide. I was able to easily understand the mouth movements and breaths, for example, so I listened to the recording as a guide. Also, including the fact that it was CG, it had an atmosphere similar to that of dubbing for foreign dramas and movies.

The big change was in Season 2, when the Corona Disaster was in full swing. In Season 1, we all gathered together to record, but after the impact of the Corona disaster became more serious, the recording became more dispersed.

Otsuka: For a long time, I had been working with only pictures and then adding lines, so I was pretty much doing whatever I wanted with my own breathing, but the motion actors did a great job of mimicking my voice (laughs). (Laughs.) I was very grateful for that, but I had to remember all the lines from "Ghost in the Shell," which I don't use every day. It must be a difficult task to memorize them all and speak them fluently, but at the site, you have to check the lines as you go along. Then, you know, the way you say "dah-dah" like a machine gun doesn't quite work, and you end up not saying the same thing. It was quite tricky to fine-tune the lines.

It's not that I blame the motion actors. I don't think I would have been able to do it myself, and I have nothing to complain about it, but the breathing is actually very important in dialogue, and it was difficult to synchronize the breathing. If I got too carried away with it, it would not be like Batou, and I had a hard time with that part.

Yamadera: In my case, I listened to the motion actor's voice during the rehearsals and checked the mouth movements after the lines were said. I learned from the pictures, just as I would in a normal animation. I wish I had been there to observe the motion capture process. It must have been really hard work. We only know the finished images. Animation is a long process involving a lot of people, and a voice actor who only worked for a short time is being interviewed like this (laughs).

(laughs). I was surprised that Mr. Sose (Kaiji), who plays the role of John Smith, is also a motion actor and voice actor. He has done motion acting for a number of roles, and he also does the voice for Smith, so it must have been very difficult for him. We should not just put on the surface of the image that was created after all that hard work. We have to act as if the role is really alive. Even Togusa has become cooler and cooler with CG, and he looks completely different from the first "Ghost in the Shell" series, but when he is voiced, I want the audience to think "Togusa is still Togusa! I want people to think, "Oh my God, he's Togusa! I also want people who have seen Ghost in the Shell before to be able to easily get into the work. In the end, they should be happy that these people were cast.

Otsuka: Yes, yes. I did it with a lot of determination (laughs).

Koichi Yamadera

27 years after the first recording, the relationship is now family!

───It has been 27 years since the first recording of "GHOST IN THE SHELL," and I think it is fair to say that you have been a team for 27 years now.

Tanaka It has been 27 years since the first recording of "Ghost in the Shell," but even before that there were individual auditions and auditions for all three of us together, so we have been working together for a long time, so we are more than family to me. I have been working with Mr. Otsuka and Mr. Yamadera since I was almost a rookie, and it has been a dream come true for the past 27 years. I, Atsuko Tanaka, think of myself as a female gorilla (laughs) with the two of you protecting me, and a major with the two of you supporting me. Of course, when I act, I act as a captain.

Yamadera You are pulling me along, A-chan.

Otsuka On the contrary, it would be a dream come true if I could meet such a wonderful woman on a regular basis every week.

Tanaka Thank you, senpai (laughs). (laughs). I feel like we are more than family in this way.

Otsuka: It's really strange, but for me, both Atsuko Tanaka and Koichi Yamadera fought together in the same era, and although we often call them comrades-in-arms, I feel like they are more than that, they are like brothers. So when we were not invited to join this cast, we all felt a sense of sadness, but it was a tremendous joy to be able to get together one more time.

Tanaka: In this work, too, at the stage when the character designs were being finalized, I thought that we were not the cast. We didn't do it, did we? We said something like that every time we saw each other.

Yamadera That's right. It would have been a shock if we had been wrong, so we would have said, "Maybe it's not us," even though we thought it was impossible. There are a lot of young people here.

(Laughs). Otsuka: We were able to get together at a time when I was thinking like that. It was really wonderful already. It was like we were all back in the town where we used to spend our school days together. The pictures were CG, and of course the recording was different, but when everyone started talking, it just came right back to life. It was like the old town I used to live in. I was even moved by this.

Yamadera: Yes, it was a strange feeling. I thought that we hadn't worked together for a while, but when we get together, we feel as if time has returned. But, although Acchan says so, I think the fact that Atsuko Tanaka is still there as Motoko is the core of the group. Just by listening to A-chan's performance, I could hear Togusa's voice saying, "Major! I can't help but feel like Togusa when I hear A-chan's performance. I admire the Major because he is a person I admire. But actually, Togusa says terrible things from the very beginning. She says something like, "Does such a big princess need an escort? Or something like that (laughs). (Laughs) Although Togusa has always said that behind his back, he loves Motoko, and she has pulled him up by his bootstraps. I can easily feel that feeling when I work with this cast.

We are not all sticky in general, but as they say, "STAND ALONE COMPLEX (S.A.C.)." We do many things individually, but when we get together, you get the feeling that "Oh, we are a team of Ghost in the Shell. I think this is especially true when the work is good. We recognize each other's strengths, but I feel that we are allowed to grow by the work.

Tanaka When Mr. Kamiyama and Mr. Aramaki were guests on the radio (PERIMETRON HUB) of the creative team "PERIMETRON" led by Mr. Hiroki Tsuneda, they mentioned that the condition for making "Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045" was to use the original cast. I really cried when I heard him say that the original cast was a condition for making "Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045" (laugh).

───This "Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045" was also talked about for the major changes in the character design.

Tanaka: I did not change my acting in response to the changes in character design. I thought it would be more realistic to keep the same voice even if the prosthetic body was changed. I thought it would be more meaningful for the audience if we kept the same voices.

Yamadera: I feel exactly the same way. Basically, I didn't prepare for my roles very much. I just play what is written in the script. I am influenced by the movements and facial expressions in the pictures, but I don't change my voice or the way I speak according to the design. If anything, it is my own deterioration over time (laughs).

─ ─ Everyone has played the characters of "Ghost in the Shell" for a very long time, and I am sure you have deep feelings for them. Can you tell us about your thoughts and impressions of the characters you play, and if there are any similarities or dissimilarities between you and them?

Yamadera: As I mentioned earlier, I played Togusa without thinking too much. The work "Ghost in the Shell" itself depicts a complex world that is difficult to understand, so I would ask the director what he meant by that, but when it came to Togusa's actions and words, I just thought about why he did what he did and why he said what he said. I have never wondered why he does what he does or says what he says. I have never wondered why Togusa does or says what he does or says. So, I think I can play the role easily. It was the same in this series.

Otsuka: Batou is a big man with artificial eyes, and he used to be a ranger, so I thought a thicker sound would be better, so I made him a little thicker than usual. What Batou means to me is that I want to be just like him. He looks very rough, but he is very sensitive. Batou is often angry at the weak, but not so much for his own sake. I think that kindness or gentleness is the essence of Batou, and I want to be like him.

Tanaka I think Atsuko Tanaka and Motoko Kusanagi are complete opposites. Motoko always seems to be calm and collected, cool and perfect. I am the complete opposite, but it is my ideal, so I want to get closer to that ideal, and I find happiness and joy in being able to play the role.

When I did "GHOST IN THE SHELL" 27 years ago, I really started out by groping and just struggled to bridge the gap between myself and Motoko. It was difficult to even imagine a vague setting such as a woman with a brain nucleus age of about 40 and a full-body prosthesis. I have many moments when the weight and meaning of her lines in "GHOST IN THE SHELL" and "S.A.C." resonate in my mind as if it were new. The gap between Motoko and me will never be bridged. ......

Yamadera I wonder. I guess there is an advantage to working on a project for a long time.

─ ─ Once again, please tell us what you want people to see in this film, which is a reconstructed version of Season 1, and what you hope they will look forward to in the future Season 2.

Tanaka In this theatrical version, the series of incidents from Season 1 were edited and made into a single work that is easy to watch, a technique that Director Kamiyama has used in the previous "Laughing Man" and "Eleven Individuals" films. I think this is a technique that Director Kamiyama has used in the previous "Laughing Man Arc" and "11 Individuals Arc". We are sure that you will be able to see it from a different perspective than the one delivered by Netflix, so please look forward to it.

Also, at the end of Season 1, Togusa disappeared on a truck. Tachikoma says, "Bye bye, Togusa-kun," and starts to send her off. How the story will come to a conclusion in Season 2, Togusa-kun will play a very active role and lead the story, so I hope that you will look forward to it.

Otsuka: This theater version is even more upgraded than the pictures we delivered in Season 1. The sense of realism, especially in the battle scenes, is amazing. If you watched the Season 1 movie, you can review it before watching the next Season 2 movie. If you didn't watch the Season 1 movie, or if it is difficult to watch all episodes from 1 to 12, this movie will give you some idea of the story and make it easier to start Season 2. There are some introductory parts to Season 2 here and there, so I think this will tickle their expectations more and more. You should watch it (laughs).

Yamadera Yes. It's exactly the same (laughs). Netflix has the luxury of being able to watch all the episodes at once, but the viewing environment is different, and there are people who watched it on a tiny smartphone and people who watched it on a big screen with good sound. Some may have watched it on a tiny smartphone, others on a big screen with good sound, but I think it will be different in a theater.

Moreover, the film was edited by Michito Fujii, who is not one of the two directors this time, so I think it has a new angle and a structure that is easier to understand. I think you will be able to easily understand what post-humanity is, and I think that is one of the highlights of the show.

As for Season 2, it ended on a sour note, and you may think, "What happened to Togusa? I hope that those who think so will look forward to Season 2, and that those who think so will watch the theater version. There may be something in the movie version that I can't say here, so please watch it (laughs).

<Information

GHOST IN THE SHELL SAC_2045: SUSTAINABLE WAR

Friday, November 12, 2021, in theaters (limited to 2 weeks)

#1

In a near future where people's wills are connected to their "brains," Public Security Section 9 is an offensive organization led by Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg with a prosthetic body who fights against cyber crimes. SHELL" by Masamune Shirow in 1989, the "Ghost in the Shell" series has been developed into various works including animations and Hollywood live-action movies.

The latest in the series, "Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045" is co-directed by Kenji Kamiyama of the "Ghost in the Shell S.A.C." series and Shinji Aramaki of the "APPLESEED" series, and reunites Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Otsuka, Koichi Yamadera and the original cast from the "Ghost in the Shell S.A.C." series. Produced by Production I.G × SOLA DIGITAL ARTS, "Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C." Season 1, all 12 episodes, will be distributed exclusively worldwide on Netflix from April 2020. Since then, the series has continued to attract new fans with its intense sci-fi action and unique worldview that foreshadows the times.

Season 1, which has already been confirmed for Season 2, will be reborn as a feature-length animated film directed by Michito Fujii, who has worked on live-action films such as "Newspaper Reporter," which won six Japan Academy Awards, and "Yakuza and Family: The Family," with new scenes added and full grading of all episodes. The new feature-length theatrical animated film will be produced as a new version.