It was given to me by my friend Moke. I may have paid him for it but I don't rightly remember. When I do get stuff from him it will be extras defects or at cost, which is awesome.
Moke works for a company named Great Eastern Entertainment. They licence, design and manufacture anime and video game merchandise. They licence from companies like Capcom, Funimation and Gainax. You can't buy from them directly by they supply to retailers like Hot Topic.
http://www.geanimation.com
http://www.animetruck.com/B003AU7F0U/M/B003AU7F0U.htm
After talking to Moke for a long time about their particular budget limitations and the pressures put on them by the licensors, I begin to understand how this design came together. The fabric is generic but it goes great with my other black shirts. Normally I don't buy anime shirts or apparel because they always seem too fan-ish. This one is subtle and takes a second to identify. The ink is done in 2 color on the front and 3 color on the back, a nice money saving technique, even though it restricts the the design options.
This is a rather complex design with several elements, lets break it down. On the front it starts off with the logo of the series. It says first, in Japanese, "攻殻機動隊" this is the name of the Anime. It started off as a manga -Japanese comic- and was adapted into a movie. Below that, in English, is the same thing "Ghost In The Shell" and the letters "S.A.C." this stands for "Stand Alone Complex", the TV show made about the movie. The last part of the title is "2nd GIG", that indicates that this was from the second season of the series. In huge blue letters on the left it says "Tachikoma". A Tachikoma is the little blue robot on the right, they are AI controlled mobile suits that help special ops teams on assignments and missions. They can be used autonomously or an agent can jump inside and use it like a tank. Equipped with guns, advanced sensors and a cannon, they are a versatile tool that work well solo or in groups, networked together. The back of the shirt features another Tachikoma with one of the characters sitting on top of it. It is printed in one color with really high contrast for a cool effect. There are white and red squares all over the background, it adds some texture and masks the silhouette of the character making it less bold. In the bottom corner it says "攻殻機動隊 Stand Alone Complex" again but this time in a stylized red font.
I really liked this show when they aired it on [Adult Swim] way back in the day. I mean, they still show it but we just get reruns. Since the design of the shirt is so complex, and varying in styles, people don't usually notice that it is an anime shirt unless they know the character specifically. That is one of the main reasons I like it over other anime tees. Wearing this at work or out in public turns out nicely because it is generally "cool" but if someone knows what a Tachikoma is then it becomes a sweet inside reference between two fans.
Just today I wore this to Frank and Sons collectible showcase. Anime is kind of hit and miss there. While fans of anime do go there there are also sports, comic, and collectable card crowds. My experience was petite to say the least. In one of the booths was a tiny model of a Tachikoma. I was like, "I'm wearing one of those!" and then "That's so going on the blog..." and then it did. I got the shirt recently so admittedly the tales are slim pickings.
http://www.frankandsonshow.net/
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