Ghost in the Shell | Anime Review | Pinnedupink.com

GHOST IN THE SHELL

Just like any good story based in a cyberpunk setting, Ghost in the Shell loves putting its audience on a pedestal and asking it some hard questions. What makes us human? What is a soul? What is a ghost? Are we just a combination of flesh, bones, and blood, or are we something more? If your heart doesn’t beat, are you still alive? If you’re just conscious without a body, do you exist? These questions intrigue us into the film world and grab us by the hair until we’re forced to go through this mind-bending experience.

Ghost in the Shell is an elusive film. It hides behind a façade of being an intensely entertaining science fiction thriller, yet it harnesses so much more depth to it. The story follows a group of Cyborg police forces that battle against a sly hacker who takes control of people’s digital minds and forces them to do his dirty laundry. However, as I said, it’s an amazing sci-fi thriller, but it has so much more going on here.

On the surface level, it’s a refreshing take on the ‘cops versus criminals’ trope, yet it does it in a manner that leaves you gripping at the armrests of your seat and waiting to be answered on all your questions. The film’s core surrounds the question, “what makes us humans?” Like Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner,” it simply answers with whether it even matters what makes us human if we can’t tell the difference? Indeed, that’s not a clear answer, of course.

What makes this film a marvel is the technical aspects in which the film handles these questions. Many of these themes are handled with care and subtlety that the film’s pacing is never interrupted. Yet, it still manages to ask the questions that are necessary to further its motifs. Yet it is closer to an answer than, honestly, most other sci-fi anime has dared to go. This is a film that uses the Cyberpunk dystopia craze to its fullest potential.

I will be brutally honest here; the film’s characters aren’t fully fleshed out, nor do they have distinct personalities. However, the way this film is structured is merely created as instruments to further incentivize its dark, depressing, and unconcerned themes. However, I would have actually enjoyed diving deeper into these characters within the confines of this film’s world.

There are series that exist that led up to this film; however, those are pretty drastically different interpretations of this particular feature-length. Despite this, the characters are fleshed out enough that you get emotionally attached to them by the end of the film. This is partly thanks to the maturity and strength of character that these characters’ personalities have and the incredible voice acting from some of Japan’s finest talent.

Ghost in the Shell was released around 26 years ago in 1995. The film’s visuals have aged exceptionally well, with some of the best action scenes that I’ve seen in all of anime. Yet, the visuals are still so incredibly detailed, rich, and well animated that they can compete with current anime films without any touch-ups. The world is so atmospheric and packed to the brim with an extensive amount of detail. Every single frame in the series is well thought out and designed.

The standard they set with the amount of polishing and detail present in the look and feel of this film is insane. For example, the main protagonist, Makoto, fights a dangerous criminal while wearing a suit that turns her completely invisible. Her invisibility doesn’t hide her shadow, and you can still see it as she moves, and so does the criminal by the end of their engagement. This is because the suit is more of an optical illusion than an actual invisibility cloak. Tiny details such as this make this film’s visuals and art so praiseworthy, and it is commendable that the designers put so much effort into this aspect.

The artwork is insanely pretty. The cities look realistic despite being futuristic and fictional. The world feels alive, with bustling city streets full of moving pieces. Each character has a distinct look and a distinct vibe to them. They are stylized and fit the world that they’re a part of. It’s beautifully merged. Everything works so well here.

The film sounds just as good as it looks and moves. Fluid and free. The gunfire, bullets being ricocheted off surfaces, the explosions, and even the digitalized beeping and noises of computer keyboards are implemented so crisply it is a heaven for the ears.

The music itself is so fitting into this cyberpunk aesthetic. It’s a gorgeous symphony of synths, orchestras, and rock. ‘Making of a Cyborg' is the song that plays in the film’s opening credits, and that one track alone lets you know what kind of a film this will be.

Ghost in the Shell is a film that hits all the right spots at all the correct times. Aside from not focusing too much on the characters, the film does a tremendous job of pacing its emotional story and the screenplay into a confined time limit. With some of the most high-octane action you will see in anime and some of the best atmosphere and animation to date.

I can’t even begin to speak about how good Ghost in the Shell is; it is incomparable to other sci-fi anime because it breaks all barriers. This film asks ‘what is it to be human?’ and answers in more than one way. All in all, this is a profound piece of fiction, created with a genuine passion put into it.