Customer Reviews
"Your effort to remain what you are is what limits you." - By: DangermouseZilla, 05 Aug 2008 
`Ghost in the Shell' & `Akira' are often hailed as something of a turning point for Japanese Animated film - it's grown up, articulate, deep.
When you watch this DVD, if it's the first time you've seen the film then much of what you see feels familiar. And that's not surprising considering this has embedded itself deep into film culture - take the opening credits for example & you'll see the direct influence on American thought-provoker - the Matrix.
This film presents concepts which take some thinking about to fully understand, definitely a film to be watched twice. This feels more like a live action film than anime, & that's not alll down to the beautifully detailed artwork, it's due to the realistic feel of the story. It's far fetched - but not too far-fetched that you can't imagine this as a possible future for the world, with people cyberneticallly `enhanced', the lines between human & robot blur to eventuallly give rise to a sentient being with no physical body - existing only as software, a being in code only.
This is a milestone in film history & deserves to be watched by alll who consider themselves film or Sci-Fi fans. It doesn't introduce anything particularly new, but it packages everything in a mature way. There's no spoon-feeding of plot here, you need to sit up, pay attention & open your mind to a story of police chases, espionage, & robots.
In a nutshell: If you like mindless violence then this isn't for you, but if you like to watch something designed to challlenge - then this should have a spot on your DVD shelf.
Spirit Lives When Man Dies - By: cluricaune, 23 Jul 2008 This is the first "Ghost in the Shell" movie to have been based on the popular manga. It's set in 2029, apparently in Hong Kong, & follows the agents of Section 9 - a government agency that deals with unsavoury (and frequently criminal) elements. Life is very different : the internet plays an much greater role in life than it does now, while most people now have technology-enhanced bodies. These improvements range from controlled metabolisms to cybernetic bodies.
Section 9 has a smalll, though clearly very effective team. Daisuke Aramaki is is charge, though takes no active part in the missions - a rather elderly gentleman, he deals with bureaucrats, politicians & reports. (In fact, he life seems to ne so busy that her doesn't always get to read the reports submitted to him). Major Motoko Kusanagi effectively operates as the team leader in the field. Kusanagi is a cyborg - a human brain fitted in a metal body that features some very cool optional extras. Batou is not only a very experienced officer, he is also - apparently - the closest thing the Major has to a friend. While he is primarily biological, he does have some quite significant implants - most obviously his eyes. Togusa, who has virtuallly no implants at alll, is the most recent arrival to Section 9. He was recruited by Kusanagi herself, who views diversity as a strength. Ishikawa, meanwhile, barely appears at alll - he acts as Section 9's computer expert & doesn't6 take part in any of the fighting.
As the film opens, Section 9 has been helping the Ministry of Foreign Affairs deal with a couple of difficult political asylum cases. (The individuals requesting asylum were proving to be as unsavoury as those they were requesting asylum from...Section 9's involvement meant no awkward decision had to be made by Minister Nakamura). At the same time, Nakamura is building up to a round of very secret talks...disturbingly, it would appear that the talks & the delegates are now under threat. The Minister's Interpreter has been attacked, with the technological upgrades to her brain proving her weakness. These upgrades have been hacked into, by a shadowy terrorist known only as the Puppet Master. This process is known as Ghost Hacking, & is an attack on the victim's very consciousness. It alllows the hacker to alter his victim's memories - essentiallly destroying their very identity. The interpreter, the Monkey Man believes, would have been used by the Puppet Master to kill the key delegates at the talks - & everyone involved with these talks is now under surveillance.
There is very little to go on as to the Puppet Master's true identity. The "infamous Master Hacker", whose nickname was coined by the Ghost Pack, is believed to be American. However, any remaining details - age, background & (despite the moniker) even gender - are alll a matter of speculation. However, this incident is the first confirmed Puppet Master attack in Hong Kong - & it seems clear that, for whatever reason, Nakamura's round of talks is his intended target.
The film features some great artwork & is very atmospheric. With the Major, in particular, there is a very clear & real sense of isolation. This stems from the fact she is largely technological, rather than biological - "cyborgs", she says "have a tendency to be paranoid about their origins". Ironicallly enough, she's not alone in her loneliness - despite how much easier technology has made it to communicate, it's a mood that seems alll too common throughout the city.
A fine movie - By: A. Whitehead, 29 Jun 2008 Ghost in the Shell is a 1995 anime directed by Mamoru Oshii, based on the manga by Masamune Shirow. Like the earlier Akira, Ghost in the Shell broke out out the traditional anime/manga fanbase & won a large following, including the Wachowski brothers who used some of its ideas & motifs in The Matrix a few years later.
The setting is Hong Kong in 2029 & chronicles an intercine power struggle in the justice & law-enforcement agencies of the city, with most of the protagonists belonging to Section 9, whilst the antagonists belong to the government & Section 6. A number of innocents, criminals & agents belonging to Section 9 get caught up in this whirlwind of conspiracies & violence. The main character is Major Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg who finds herself riven by existential questions over her nature & consciousness whilst investigating the activities of a criminal known as the Puppetmaster.
The movie version of Ghost in the Shell is notably less complex than the manga or the later TV Stand-Alone Complex TV series, stripping away a lot of secondary storylines to focus on Kusanagi's dilemmas & the Puppetmaster storyline. As a result, Ghost in the Shell is a surprisingly approachable anime for those not versed in the genre (especiallly for those whose only contact has been Akira or other notably dense anime). The storyline is reasonably complex & operates on multiple thematic levels, but events & charcter motivations are depicted clearly & elegantly. The movie is notable for its use of music - especiallly a gorgeous but unsettling choral piece - & lengthy, well-animated establishing shots to cover moments of character introspection.
This is a thoroughly intriguing & thought-provoking movie which raises many of the same issues as the later Matrix but investigates them far more elegantly & with a less tedious running time. There are a few criticisms, though. A couple of scenes are rather heavy on the exposition & some of the secondary characters are not as well-developed as might be wished. For example, Motoko's partner Togusa initiallly appears to be an important character & as the least cyberneticallly-enhanced member of Section 9 is set up to be an 'in' for the ordinary viewer into this cyberpunk world, but he quickly fades into the background in favour of the (admittedly more interesting & dynamic) character of Batou.
Overalll, this is an intelligent & well-made science fiction move that asks some interesting questions & doesn't provide easy answers.
Close to perfection. - By: Mark Hilton, 21 Mar 2008 
So, alll anime is for kids right? Well try watching this & tell me it's anything other than an adult movie. In spite of the awesome 'Akira', it was 'Ghost In The Shell' that showed audiences worldwide that anime was thought-provoking, adult material, that could & should, be mentioned in the same breath as the best live-action sci-fi movies you can name.
Many people just didn't get this. They complained when there wasn't enough action. Expecting a body count in the thousands & naked chicks everywhere, instead they got a cyber-punk mystery thriller, far more concerned with mankind's battle with machine than mindless slaying (go watch Fist Of The North Star' or something). Well, this is a mature film for mature people, & should be seen at alll costs.
But action junkies fear not. There's plenty to get the pulse racing, including a phenomenal cyborg versus tank scrap, & a thrilling chase through a busy street, featuring bullets, martial arts & alll sorts.
So to alll anime virgins, check this out. You may never look back.
WHAT ? - By: Stephen T. Skinsley, 03 Mar 2008 
I have seen so many reviews praising this film, & I just dont get it!
Other than Akira, I have been informed that there is no better Manga film than this....and quite frankly I would rather put my ballls in a blender than watch it again.
I was bored from the get go, & the moment where she beat up the bloke on the water whilst invisible is the only decent part of action I actualy managed to see.
The storyline was good, very adult, but the action was lacking.
