The Washington Post 

May 29, 1996, Wednesday, Final Edition 

SECTION: A SECTION; Pg. R15; FAST FORWARD; VIDEO LOG 

LENGTH: 268 words 

HEADLINE: Ghost in the Shell: A Gem in the Video Store 

BYLINE: Michael O'Connell 

BODY: 


When the Japanese film Akira hit the home video market in 1989, American 
audiences were blown away by its state-of-the-art animation and outlandish 
cyberpunk storyline. Since then, the cult of Japanese animation (or anime, 
pronounced ANNIE-may) has grown, creating a significant presence on American 
video shelves. Recently, Akira's producers, Yoshimasa Mizuo and Ken Iyadomi, 
headed up the first East/West anime co-production. The resulting project, Ghost 
in the Shell, is now in video stores. 

Based on the graphic novel by artist Masamune Shirow, this futuristic story 
follows Major Motoko Kusanagi as she tracks down a mysterious hacker/spy called 
the Puppet Master. An officer in Japan's secret service, Kusanagi has had most 
of her body replaced with cybernetic enhancements. The "ghost" in the title 
refers to the human "soul" which was implanted in her synthetic brain. 

Ghost showcases the best elements of anime. The mix of hand-drawn and 
computer-generated animation creates a fantastic yet realistic world of 
intricate detail and stark beauty. Above all else, the film's creators aren't 
afraid to address serious human issues: As Kusanagi discovers the true nature of 
the Puppet Master, she begins to question her own identity. Did a real person 
named Kusanagi ever exist, or was her ghost artificially programmed into a 
cybernetic shell? Between its mean-streets setting and self-doubting androids, 
the video suggests an updated Blade Runner -- high-quality, futuristic 
entertainment for a mature audience. MICHAEL O'CONNELL 

For more information: http://www.manga.com/manga 

GRAPHIC: Photo, Ghost in the Shell: Cyberpunk animation for thinking audiences.