For Ghost in the Shell Story Information, visit the Ghost in the Shell Summary Page.
Ghost in the Shell- the Akira of the nineties? Not ruddy likely.
That's not to say that Ghost in the Shell is bad- far from it- but rather that the two films have absolutely nothing to do with each other.
Ghost in the Shell is a rather good film, and it can certainly stand up by itself.
When I saw Ghost in the Shell last year, I didn't hate it- I was just completely unimpressed. The film simply didn't hold my interest.
When I saw it again for Eyes Unclouded, I wondered why I didn't like it before- it has so much going for it, even when it isn't subbed.
Ghost in the Shell is a beautiful film, with one of the best looking cityscapes I've ever seen. The character design is entirely without fault- everyone looks as they should do. The animation is fluid. One scene of particular note is the market place. That is a particularly impressive part of the film. The entire film is a visual delight- a feast for the eyes, as it were.
The violence in Ghost in the Shell is handled deftly. Rather than an all out there approach to violence, there's nothing particularly graphic. The image of an exploding head is handled in a manner that is not dwelled upon, or repeated.
Oshii's choice to just move on from the violence was wise. Violence is rarely good when it is drawn out.
At 82 minutes, Ghost in the Shell is a very compact movie. It's the sort of film where you come to the realisation at 20 minutes that nothing's really happened and the film is a quarter over.
However, the film does actually manage to get much in the way of substance in the time that it does have, and you don't end up feeling robbed of anything.
I have always felt that the cover used for Ghost in the Shell is a rather inaccurate representation of the film. Motoko's skin is not patchwork like that, and we should not be lead to believe that she spends the film naked with a pistol and that her arms are coming off.
But if that's what sells it...
Ghost in the Shell's story is well told, with no questionable plot points, and all told it's a fine film.
I wouldn't buy it, but I will certainly go back to it one day.
Ohayo, Leon-chan! � 2001, Alexander Doenau and the Doenau Anime Corporation.
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I kind of ran out of things to write