Synopsis:
Major Motoko Kusanagi is a cyborg agent on the trail of a super-hacker known as the Puppet Master. The Puppet Master is so skilled that he has the ability to hack into the minds of his victims and use them to do his bidding. As Motoko progresses with the case, she finds out that the Puppet Master is especially interested in her. She soon becomes entangled in a web of mystery and deception. Could it be possible that the very government she serves is behind what seems to be a political conspiracy?

Review:
Ghost in the Shell is one of those titles that enjoy a lot of positive hype and popularity, but is not really all that. I had to watch it twice because I fell asleep the first time.

The opening sequence shows Major Motoko Kusanagi being cybernetically enhanced, something I found quite interesting to watch. The first part of GITS is explosive, and is guaranteed to get the adrenaline flowing. Even though things start to lag after Motoko's initial assault, GITS is generally packed with lot of great (and super violent) action sequences. It also poses a lot of valid questions regarding humanity and existence.

My main problem problem with GITS is it's too busy trying its darnedest to be profound, at the expense of boring the audience. Some will unavoidably get lost amidst the complex jargons and philosophical concepts that abound. It doesn't help that characterization is on the vague side too. The art and animation are definitely sophisticated. I liked the way they merged cel animation with computer graphics to give the visuals a realistic and yet ultra-slick look and feel. On a side note, GITS setting looks a lot like Hong Kong. The quality of the English dubbing on my laser disc was rather poor, as the voices were too soft to be heard clearly. The characters seem like they are always whispering or murmuring to each other. I had to switch to the Japanese dialogue and turn the English captions on so I could get wind of what they were saying.

GITS has its good points, but it's horrendously over-rated by most people.

Miscellanies:
Major Motoko Kusanagi looks a hundred times better in the manga.

Related Reviews:
Ghost in the Shell 2 Innocence
Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 1st Gig
Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig

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Ghost in the Shell (DVD)
Ghost in the Shell (DVD Special Edition)
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Ghost in the Shell (DVD Special Edition)
Ghost in the Shell (Soundtracks)

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