Ghost in the Shell

"2029, a dark, gritty future where the crime levels have skyrocketed in the inner cities, and political unrest is at a boiling point in every major nation. A future where the mega-corporations duke it out on the covert battlefield and governments are constantly fending off terrorism. The net has permeated every level of our everyday lives and technology has run rampant through society, bringing about a new era on the verge of information overload." -The World of G.i.t.S.

     Ghost in the Shell begins with an interesting mix of African-style vocals. The film demonstrates the making of a very special android, Major Motoko Kusanagi. Though she may look young, her actual age is probably around forty. When a mysterious Ghost hacker is found disrupting the minds of cyborgs, Kusanagi is sent to figure out exactly who or what this ghost hacker is. Along the way she begins to question the human mind and spirit. What the purpose of life is, and what makes humans human. I liked the idea of Ghost in the Shell because I often find myself asking the same questions!

 The very first time I saw Ghost in the Shell I have to say I was not impressed. The first time around I wasn't really paying attention because there seemed to be more talking than anything else. Not only was action kind of left out, I found the music was so soothing I found myself falling asleep (in mid-day). So what made me watch the anime again? It was the hype behind Ghost in the Shell. My fellow anime watchers insisted that Ghost in the Shell was something remarkable. So I rented it and wasn't pleased the first time around. I watched it again and paid more attention to voice acting and the plot of the whole story. To be frank, I had to watch it nearly five times before I fully understood everything that was going on. The intertwining plot, the feelings of the characters, and facial expressions is definitely what caught my full attention. For once it wasn't the action, or the art that made me watch the movie...but the plot! This is rare for me. A lot of animes have good plots, but they usually aren't good enough to praise, however, this anime is too well thought out.

The second thing I would like to talk about is the art. There really isn't anything overwhelmingly special about the art in Ghost in the Shell but I thought it was worth mentioning. If you've seen Armitage III, then one can probably agree that the art is similar. Both animes have a real glassy type style, despite the dark cyber-punk feeling. I'm not saying the Ghost in the Shell fits perfectly into the cyber-punk genre, but it could pass in that class. The movements are very fluid and human like, so don't worry about choppy animation. I liked the way the producer made certain expressions coincide with the movement of hair or twitching of the eyes, it gave it all a very human look (especially Kusanagi). Even though Kusanagi is designed to look human, in certain parts of the movie she does look like a glass doll at times. This illustration still lets you know that she ISN'T really human (which is interesting).

Another fascinating component was the music. The music is what unmistakably separates Ghost in the Shell from the cyber-punk genre and all other animes. I found myself rewinding the vocals at the beginning of the movie and middle portion. The voices add this unreal feel about the whole movie, which displays a different impression rather than some form of heavy metal. Most animes like to stick to some heavy form of alternative music, which is average. I commend animes that branch out from the norm and try to use music like rap or jazz. Of course instrumental is my favorite; you just can't beat a good symphonic piece during an emotional scene!

Ghost in the Shell is one of the most interesting animes I have ever seen. I really wouldn't recommend this anime for younger viewers. Language isn't bad, but there is a lot of nudity only because Kusanagi is a cyborg. However, I still think the producers abused their privileges of showing off the female body. Besides that, the plot just isn't for younger viewers. Again, not that it is a "mature" plot; it's just a little harder to follow than your average DBZ or Gundam Wing series. With that in mind, anyone who would like to see a classic anime with good art/music and plot (that sounds pretty good eh? :o) ) I advise you to check out Ghost in the Shell!