Madman Entertainment has just announced the two final films in their REEL ANIME 2013 program – Ghost in the Shell: Arise and The Garden of Words.
For those that aren’t aware, REEL ANIME 2013 is a theatrical festival that showcases the freshest anime feature films this side of Japan. Based in Australia, the film festival will screen annually for the first time across both Australia and New Zealand, and there will be REEL ANIME SPECIALS – one day screenings outside the main festival.
Official synopsis for Ghost in the Shell: Arise:
In GHOST IN THE SHELL: ARISE, Motoko Kusanagi – cyborg and hacker extraordinaire from the military’s 501st Secret Unit – finds herself wrapped up in the investigation of a devastating bombing.
In the first of four all-new OVA (original video animation) instalments from the renowned Production I.G. – caretakers of the GHOST IN THE SHELL legacy – GHOST IN THE SHELL: ARISE marks a long-awaited return to the beloved GITS universe, and offers a thrilling new prequel story arc involving Motoko Kusanagi and her future Section 9 colleagues.
Upon its release in 1995, Mamoru Oshii and Production I.G.’s GHOST IN THE SHELL made a huge impact, not only with anime aficionados, but also with those in cyberpunk and cinephile circles. Along with the 2004 sequel, GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE and the GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX TV series, GITS has spawned a legion of fans worldwide, and remains one of the world’s most respected and enduring science fiction anime staples.
Official synopsis for The Garden of Words:
Between the raindrops, between the calm in the storm – what will blossom between these two in THE GARDEN OF WORDS?
When young student Takao decides to skip school in favour of sketching shoe designs in a rainy garden, he has no idea how much his life will change when he encounters Yukino. Older, but perhaps not much wiser, Yukino seems adrift in the world. Despite the difference in their ages, they strike up an unusual and unexpected relationship, which continues to blossom, without planning, and always in the same garden on a rainy day.
But the rainy season is coming to a close, and there are so many things still left unsaid and undone between them. Will there be time left for Takao to put his feelings into actions and words?
The latest work from acclaimed filmmaker, Makoto Shinkai (5 CENTIMETERS PER SECOND, CHILDREN WHO CHASE LOST VOICES), THE GARDEN OF WORDS is an emotional, calming and beautifully measured work that examines a chance encounter between two lonely people, showcasing all the superlative hallmarks that the remarkable filmmaker has come to be well regarded for across the globe.
These two films will be screened as a double-bill and is bound to be a highlight in an already impressive line-up of anime films. They join Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, 009 Re:Cyborg and A Letter to Momo.
Here’s a trailer for A Letter to Momo, the anime film that we probably want to see the most.
REEL ANIME 2013 will screen in selected cinema locations across Australia during October. Venues and sessions to be confirmed closer to the event.
For more information on the festival, visit www.reelanime.com.