Most Anime fans consider 'Akira' about the best of the genre. Unfortunately, this was the first Anime film I saw. As a result, just about everything else I've seen since then suffered by comparison. Until now.
On the recommendation of a friend, I tried out the recent 'Ghost In The Shell' from Manga Video and Pioneer. I must say, I found this film at least as visually stimulating as 'Akira' but with an even better, more accessable, story. Set in a high-tech, information based future society, the story deals with a group of cybernetically enhanced police on the trail of an elusive computer-criminal known as the Puppet Master. As the police close in on their prey, they begin to uncover political intrigue at the highest levels, finally facing the Puppet Master, only to find out a most unexpected secret.
Like many of the adult oriented Anime films, 'Ghost In The Shell' has its share of nudity and violence, along with a sprinkling of explicit language. Unlike many other films of this type, though, it is not done to excess. The action never gets in the way of the unusually intelligent story.
The disc transfer has a letterboxed ratio of about 1.66:1. Generally, the transfer is quite good. Colors are solid and the image is very clear with good detail. I did notice a rather unusual anomaly in several scenes, though. A slight shift, or weave, in the picture. I'm not certain if this is a problem with the transfer or perhaps the film element, but it is never severe enough to cause a problem.
The stereo surround soundtrack is presented with an English version on the digital tracks and the original Japanese version on the analog tracks. The mix contains a number of good directional effects, including directional dialog. Unless you speak Japanese, though, I don't recommend switching to the analog tracks as you'll find that the digital tracks are eq'd about 10dB lower than the analog tracks and the Japanese soundtrack is of noticably higher quality. I was very pleased with this disc until I heard how much better it would sound if I lived a bit farther to the east.
The film runs 85 minutes and contains 15 chapters. The side break occurs at a scene change but in the middle of a music cue. Had they asked me, I would have suggested a break at a spot about 35 minutes in that would have been perfect. But, of course they didn't. No trailer or other extras are included with this CLV edition. Manga has also released a CAV edition that I understand contains a "making of" documentary. List price for the CLV is $34.95 and the CAV goes for $49.95.
'Ghost In The Shell' succeeds both as high quality adult animation and as first rate science fiction. I highly recomment this disc to anyone with even a passing interest in this artform.
This review is copyright, and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the author.
