Just got back from watching this opening day at the Arc Light watching GHOST IN A SHELL 2: INNOCENCE . It rocked. Absolutely bad ass. It does make me fiend for APPLESEED though, as some of the 3D still doesn’t match with the 2D Animation, but it certainly has improved. GITS has always been thinking mans ANIME with bad ass visuals, and this one certainly follows that principle, and is as good as the first one with much better animation.

This film follows the Section 9 officer Bateau who was the Major’s partner, but the major is still missing from the first film, her “ghost” having left her body, and gone into the internet at large. Bateau is now partnered with the mostly human Togusa, the family man and former detective who the Major personally recruited for Section 9. Chief Aramaki is worried that Bateau is acting like the major before her disappearance, and has Togusa watching him while they work on a case involving a certain model of sex droid that are killing their owners and then self destructing. The question comes out if these “dolls” actually have ghosts. It will take all of Bateau’s skills, and the help of his guardian angel to get out of this one alive.

This film is visually and audibly spectacular, and should not be missed on the big screen with subtitles. It is stunning and I am so happy this came out so quickly in the US.

It seems to take place in a parallel universe to GITS: STAND ALONE COMPLEX, which makes sense Oshii was more of an advisor on that series (and it’s sequel which is now coming out), directly following from the first film.

The more I see of this the more I realize I really need to read the original manga, this really is up there with AKIRA for all time best anime.

Just watched the DVD. Kind of a let down. Sure it looks great, and sounds great, but the subtitles are closed caption, which is totally and utterly annoying. I actually found a site where your concerns will be forwarded to Dreamworks, send your complaints here . Another complaint is the box art is hideous, a frame from the film would have looked so much better than this crap.