There was a thread related to this some time ago.

Other than Japan, the only other country mentioned by name was Korea (韓国) I assume the reason why the names are changed is to conform to international pressure especially with the state of the world today.

If that were the case, then in my opinion, whoever came up with the names showed some resistance. The names for US and Israel seem to reflect something about the politics today. I think it’s a lot more meaningful if you think of it that way.

It also kind of shows the consequences of anime/manga as it increasingly becomes globalized. I hope international pressure doesn’t continue to restrict creative freedom…

It’s the last episode but based on the post-credits scene, I think we’re getting more GITS from Science SARU

It might be but I don’t know much about bronies

I remember reading about Minky Momo in Patrick W. Galbraith’s book. I thought it was pretty funny:

"In a personal interview, producer Satō Toshihiko recalled his surprise at encountering “male” shōjo fans attracted to Magical Princess Minky Momo and its eponymous heroine:

‘The anime started in spring 1982 and these guys started showing up after about six months. It was completely unexpected, but this guy came to our studio asking for permission to make something for his fan club. I was shocked! He told me that he was the head of this fan club, which was made up of members between eighteen and thirty years of age. He told me that he was attracted to the character Minky Momo. He thought that she was cute. It is still hard for me to understand. Minky Momo is cute, yes, and she is someone that everyone likes. I expected this response from five-year-old girls and their mothers, who might be watching the anime with them, but not adult men.’"

Galbraith, Patrick W. Otaku and the Struggle for Imagination in Japan. Duke University Press, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781478007012.

It’s not up to me to decide what other people think. The responses will vary depending on the consumer.

From the video:

From the video’s description:

AI is also used in some stages.

The AI ​​used is primarily Adobe Firefly, mainly for finishing touches, coloring assistance, and creating intermediate frames for the video.

The AI ​​is not entrusted with the entire production process; it is merely one tool to assist in expression.

From the author’s pinned comment:

※補足

【使用AIツール】

・ChatGPT

・COPAINTER

・Adobe Firefly

・Grok（使用予定）

AIツールは、各サービスの利用規約を確認したうえで、AI事業者ガイドライン、文化庁の「AIと著作権に関する考え方」などを参考にしながら使用しています。

また、Content Credentials / C2PAに対応したツールを活用し、可能な範囲でAI使用の透明化にも努めています。

I am not strongly opinionated on AI (whether “pro” or “anti” as some would put it). Even today, people (anime fans especially) have a really good eye for these things. Just as much as one can tell the difference between 3DCG, cel, digital ink/paint, or flash. In the end, consumers have standards and with the diverse selection of media, AI tends to be the one consumers will filter out of their view.

You should try editing the post. Remove the NSFW tag and add it again.

The fourth one is also unrelated to matrix.org: https://therecord.media/matrix-criminal-encrypted-chat-platform-takedown-police

The dismantled operation is not the same as a legitimate messaging platform hosted at matrix.org.

I am waiting for the final episode to drop and I’m going to binge the entire thing.

The creator made a BTS video which shows how they used AI to produce some scenes.

But as far as Lain transcending into an AI, there was an official Lain chat bot a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9dl_yJwLSA

It was giving the impression that it was AI. Upon reading the comments, it seems to be the case.

Top left Oshino Shinobu

Bottom right Chino(?)

Most anime made in digital are often done in lower resolutions then upscaled. More pixels just becomes more work and at a certain point it becomes very inefficient and expensive. IIRC most anime are done under 1080p then upscaled to 1080p during the compositing stage (or maybe even after compositing?).

The only anime that could be “properly” upscaled to 4k are those that were done traditionally in cel, provided that it’s physically big enough. The same is true for film.

I read the manga (up to the first arc only) and I thought it was pretty funny

iphone brain

SARU cooked. They really added their own flavor to this.

From what I understand, it picks up from the third movie “Rebellion” (the first two movies are series recaps).

The file name is funny

I think it was Season 3 of SNK. Watched the whole thing in a day lol

Serial Experiments Lain.

I was rewatching a couple of episodes and I had forgotten how eerie and creepy this one was.