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10 GHOST IN THE SHELL STAND ALONE COMPLEX: SOLID STATE SOCIETY (2006)
It’s not “anime”, it’s… an intelligent summer sci-fi blockbuster, in tone like Minority Report if not in themes
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Avoid the other Ghost In The Shell sequel movie, Innocence , as it’s a mess of obscure philosophy and silly quote battles. The Stand Alone Complex movie on the other hand, just like the TV series, is exciting and accessible. There are a couple of elements that don’t flow with the end of the original movie, like Kusanagi’s cyborg body and her departure from Section 9, but they don’t negatively impact your ability to follow the story, which despite Oshii’s absence is still well-planned and well-executed.
9 GHOST IN THE SHELL (1995)
It’s not “anime”, it’s… Blade Runner – hard sci-fi, complete with questions about the nature of identity in an increasingly networked world
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We’re not going to pretend that Ghost In The Shell can be fully appreciated on a single viewing – in true Mamoru Oshii style, it’s heavy on philosophy. But it can’t have been that much of a mind-bender, since it was one of the first anime movies (and possibly the first hard sci-fi anime movie) to find an appreciative audience among both anime fans and more general sci-fi aficionados. Set in a distant, cyberpunk future where cyborg bodies occupied by human consciousnesses (the titular ghosts in the shell) are commonplace and the ease of network access enables human beings themselves to be hacked into, it’s an intelligent SF thriller with themes that still resonate today.
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