What the Reviewers Will Not Tell You About Why they Hate "Ghost in the Shell."
If you love the Ghost in the Shell franchise, if you have read the manga, watched the television show and seen the films--particularly the first two films, the original "Ghost in the Shell" and the even better than the original follow up "Ghost in the Shell: Innocence" and if you have been following the recent pre-prequel material in which we begin to learn that being the world's first fully robotic cyborg is not all fun and games, then you will love "Ghost in the Shell" the live action film. It is 110% homage to the source material. On the other hand, if you think the Major is "hot" and if you just love all the "hot" poses and artwork and ads for the animation, you will be left disappointed--and un-aroused---by the live action film. Because the Major as played by Scarlett Johansson is not hot. She is lethal. Do not expect any of the fan boys writing reviews of the film to tell you that they were disappointed by how very un-sexy the major was in this film. Instead, they will complain about her "characterization." But what really has their panties in a twist is the fact that when she dives naked, she does not bounce or jiggle. And why should she? She is Robocop, not Baywatch. This is a great film. I loved it! While it diverges from the GITS cannon, so do many of the sequels. That's what is so fun about film adaptations of comics and manga. You can retell the story over and over changing things as you go along, exploring new aspects on the familiar story. And as you watch, keep in mind that anime is created for one reason---to sell manga. In these days of Disney comic book hero extravaganzas people may think that comics are being written to turn into films, but no, the comics are still what comes first and last. The art of writing fiction that engages the right and left brain at once is a great art, and should never be under-rated. And if you really want to appreciate comic to film adaptations, you MUST read the comics (Witness the way people reacted to the "Watchmen" film.) Otherwise, it's like watching the film "Ulysses" without ever reading the book.
"Hot" Major
Not "Hot" Major
PS The young man sitting next to me at the film who said he had never seen any of the GITS anime said he liked the film a lot. Would be curious to see how many people who do not know the source material like it better than the fan boys (and gals)? There is a reason so much manga/anime/comics is full of ecchi (Japanese for bouncing tits and panty shots). It's because that is what sells product to horny young folks.
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Scarlett Johansson is HOT. Period. 
Maybe not fanboy, ecchi, jiggly hot - but "hot, hot, hot" nevertheless! 
I enjoy the original and I'm going to watch it again tonight to refresh my memory. I'm not a teenage male and I can see it without judging how hot the lead actress is. 
They are the majority on their island nation. In America its different. Asians are the minority here, and so if white people want to abscond with Japanese culture, wear our historic clothing, cook our food, they are in the MAJORITY. If THEY want to play a part that was normally meant for a Japanese they can do it. IF they want to wear our clothing, and even our faces, they can do that, because who fucking cares. They are in the majority after all, and they did it with the Native Americans, and with African Americans, why not Asians? 
