Ghost In The Shell: 10 Things You Need To Know

Gratuitous nudity, you say...

Has there ever been a better time for a Ghost In The Shell film to get made? Masmune Shirow's classic manga (which got adapted into Mamarou Oshii's classic anime) focuses on the members of the futuristic crime fighting division Public Security Section 9, who deal with cyberterrorism in a future not so divorced from our own. This is, after all, a time where Sony looked to be genuinely rocked by an international incident when North Korean hackers made off with a load of internal emails and unreleased films. The age of Edward Snowden and widespread NSA spying on the world's communications. The era of video games in virtual reality that don't totally suck. The news that not only such a timely film was going to be made, but it was going to star Scarlett Johansson in the lead role €“ as was announced just the other day €“ was met with widespread excitement. And then a little confusion. What exactly is this Ghost In The Shell anyway? Get ready to unpack thirty years of history, taking in video games, comic books, movies, TV shows, gratuitous nudity, and sassy robot tanks. Want to get ready for 2016's big blockbuster? Here are ten things you need to know about Ghost In The Shell.
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Contributor

Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/