ANIMATION REVIEW

Ghost in the shell (1995) directed by Mamoru Oshii, based on the manga by Masamune Shirow.

I'm a kid when I see this cartooned VIDEO cover sat in the new releases (r.i.p blockbuster), surrounded by live action adult (boring) movies. The cover art is intimidatingly cool, and a thumbnail on the back has this naked lady suspended in space tethered by a dozen cables, what IS this? "Mom can we get this out?" ha fat chance

Fast forward a few cycles - I'm packing coin and the liberties they come with, when I spy again that cover. Now a few levels upped in my own drawing, I could see more the art was cooler than I'd remembered "COOL I'LL TAKE THIS TA BYE". Twas a weekly hire by then, I watched the shit out of it.

Its starts off with some crummy CGI radar footage, that I suppose wasn't really meant to impress, and it didn't. Transition to a purple black sky, the camera pans downways not sidewards, revealing a scifi cityscape with neon pink haze. A low crackle of radio chatter, the city never sleeps. The camera comes to rest on our protagonist, Major Kusanagi perched on a rooftop like batman. She gets (we gets) a slow zoom on her super cool head, she wears dark sunglasses, we're not allowed to see how cool she is just yet.

The transistor chatter settles on a channel, the Major perks up, we know to listen its important. I don't I'm too busy trying to memorize and analyze her face. More radar now + confusing dialogue, the radar shows us it's coming from a room some floors below the Major. Good, the pictures back on the Major, now in profile, and looking slick. The city backdrop, the scope is absurd, like every building is an imperial star destroyer stood up. Stupid big, overcooked even, but its scifi! probs one of the best things about them. She removes the glasses, her eyes... *gasp* are scary! icy, glassy, aloofy. She talks all detached. I'm a teenager so in my mind detached is the pinnacle of cool, I'm on board.

The Major tears some cables from the back of her neck, kinda not very attractive, but novelty is a drug, and this anime seemed to promise more of it. Next the Major drops her coat and shes wearing some kind of flesh coloured skinsuit. She looks practically naked save for some thigh high boots and holster straps, hahaha for a cartoon this staggered me. Some exposition with a couple secondary characters happens but who cares, all eyes on the Major. She looks down on the city, the wind blows muting the din of the city below. Again like batman: Our heroine sees unseen from above.

Next it gets mad awesome. The Major sails off the edge of the building, twisting 180° into a reverse swan dive, that falls towards the camera, ending with a full upside down head shot, with those scarey stunning eyes fixed hard to task. Then some yawn sequence with: guys in suits, a swat team, and more guys in suits.. The Major puts a bullet in a blokes head, the bullet explodes POP super animated gore = holycrap. Now one of the money shots, the thermoptic camouflage. It all looks impossibly cool, the distortion, and those freakin anime eyes. To much awesome to take in, I study/stare super hard I must know! I must have it! and then she stealthes out of sight smirking the whole time.

other pro parts:
the opening credits
the chase scene and fight
orchestral intermissions between acts
tank scene boss fight

film summary:
Lots of boring bits, and even more confusing ones. It's not entertaining really. It jumps between stunning, outstanding, and dull. I never recommend people see it, but I always insist it's incredible.

blog summary:
Lots of boring bits, and even more confusing ones. It's not entertaining really. It jumps between stunning, outstanding, and dull. I never recommend people see it, but I always insist it's incredible.