by Sean Gooden

One of the most beautiful animated films of 2004 was “Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence.” This was the sequel to an avant-garde storyline combining the action of a cop drama and the suspense over a hi-tech thriller. In the original cult classic “Ghost in the Shell,” Major Motoko Kusanagi is tracking down a hacker known as the Puppet Master. The major is a female cyborg and part of a team of technically altered detectives sworn to serve and protect. The Major is made of cutting age technology and she can pipe herself into the mainframe of the city. Through the struggle of apprehending the villain, the Major is murdered.

In the sequel Major Kusanagi’s partner, Bato, has to investigate the murder of clients who hire pleasure cyborgs which are modeled after kidnapped children. Bato finds the creator through the help of the spirit of Major Kusanagi. The Major then becomes the ghost in the machine of the civilization’s network of technology and information.

Both films are cinematic feats for their time. Director Mamoru Oshi created a world of wonder with attention to detail with backgrounds and character design. Innocence is an exquisite example of the marriage between pen and ink animation and computer generated imagery. The artistic value of Ghost in the Shell 2 is priceless, but it is not as accessible to the common movie-goer. Both films are full of philosophical messages, but Innocence is not as focused as the original.

Overall the Ghost in the Shell franchise is a unique story, but it is another example of what happens when a film is pieced together by serial fragments. Though exquisite the art of the sequel could not carry the plot, and the characters were more beautiful than profound. I would buy both films for posterity, but they cannot compete with the likes of Tezuka or Miyazaki.