Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, known in Japan as just Innocence (イノセンス, Inosensu), is a 2004 anime/computer-animated cyberpunk film that serves as a sequel to 1995’s Ghost in the Shell. It was co-produced by Production I.G and Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Disney, Toho and the Mitsubishi Corporation, and distributed by Toho. It was released in Japan on March 6, 2004, and was later released in the US on September 17, 2004 by Go Fish Pictures, Innocence had a production budget of approximately $20 million (approximately 2 billion yen). To raise the sum, Production I.G studio’s president, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, asked Studio Ghibli‘s president, Toshio Suzuki, to co-produce.

With a story loosely connected to the manga by Masamune Shirow, the film was written and directed by Ghost in the Shell director Mamoru Oshii. The film was honored best sci-fi film at the 2004 Nihon SF Taisho Awards and was in competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. The soundtrack for the film was released under the name Innocence O.S.T. and a related novel called Ghost in the Shell: Innocence – After the Long Goodbye was released on February 29, 2004. This film makes many allusions and references to other famous works, such as The Future Eve. The foreign DVD release of the film faced many issues ranging from licensing to audio.

Well 2020 has been a friggin’ interesting, exciting and terrifying year of pandemics, duplicitous mainstream media, a bubbling independent media, fractured racial relations, racists unmasking themselves, militarized police departments infiltrated by hate groups and corrupt globalists pulling the strings on the bird of democracy. A new cold war with China, child trafficking and child pedophile rings being swept under the rug by lobbyists, entertainers, bankers and world leaders. Natural resources being plundered at every turn and world maps being redefined and drawn; the food isn’t fit to eat and clean water is a luxury; everyone is suspect and corporations are taking control; reality has been replaced by social media and eventually A.I. will be a real life thing and not just something from the movies. Step by step we are entering a cyber-future – that may or may not work for you but, in all disclosure was never meant to work for you. Cyberpunk is here and the real hack is you mind.

Ghost in the Shell has become one of the quintessential cyberpunk anime of all time with equal parts – William Gibson, AKIRA and Blade Runner, extrapolating those ingredients and delivering on questions and ideas of personal identity, cyberspace, political espionage and yes – memes.

The sequel to the original anime that was based on the manga continues the storyline from the first and not from any of the alternate timelines from the series.

We follow Batou as he is assigned to investigate a crime that leads him down a digital rabbit hole of conspiracy.

The film once again merges the mediums of digital animation and 2d illustrations. Seamless and beautiful in majority of the scenes. The mood is darker and more noir than the original, leaning towards cyber-noir and hard boiled elements that go hand in hand with the existential themes that the franchise is known for. The music is amazing with a score written by Kenji Kawai.

If you love the slow cyberthriller pace of MR.ROBOT or Genocidal Organ then this is your treat to distract yourself during our current times in turmoil, kicking and screaming down a razorblade slope of cocaine and redbull into our cyberpunk present.

It’s the future now, Stay sweet, disconnect, decompress and do what you gotta do. But above all else – Keep your damn finger on that REWIND button.

The Kerberos films are The Red Spectacles, Stray Dog and the critically acclaimed anime Jin-Roh: the wolf brigade. The chronological order of the series runs backwards from Jin-Roh to Red Spectacles; each story happening at a different point in the downfall of the Panzer Police and the beginnings of the so-called era of the Cat.

Co-written with Kazunori Ito, and starring Shigeru Chiba and Mako Hyodo; Machiko Washio as Washio Midori, Hideyuki Tanaka as Sōichirō Toribe and Tessho Genda as Bunmei Muroto.

Now anyone that has seen Mamoru’s other live action films can expect elements of surrealism, thematic metaphors and absurdity. So if you’re walking into this thinking it’s going to be just like Jin-Roh, be advised it’s not. .

The film begins in color as the last group of the Panzer Police is desperately fighting off their enemies after being outlawed. The three leaders of the regime have one last stand off. And before you know it, our lead character Koichi Todome (Shigeru) jumps on a helicopter and says, “Screw that” taking off to safety; promising to return one day.

Then the mood switches from action film to black and white almost 1940s experimental film. Where our protagonist returns to his home with a mysterious suitcase and dressed in an incognito overcoat and black sunglasses. Upon arrival he frequents an outdoor noodle stand which has also been outlawed as “Places were dissidents meet”. He searches for his lost comrades who may or may not be dead or imprisoned. What Koichi is unaware of is – the forces that outlawed the Panzer police already know he has returned and are making moves to exterminate the threat that he imposes.

The city is not what it was and reality is definitely off the wall once the pace (kind of) picks up. This movie isn’t a showstopper and it isn’t very technically amazing. But, it’s an interesting and hella entertaining film that’s a Spy movie, a comedy, an action movie, a psychological thriller and live action anime in one package. It’s definitely interesting to see an anime director switch mediums to live action and notice some cliché anime angles and shots.

Out of the three films in the Kerberos saga, this is my second favorite after Jin-Roh with Stray Dog being my least favorite. Other Mamoru films that I recommend would be Patlabor 2, the original Ghost in the Shell anime film and its sequel Ghost in the Shell 2. Another of his live action films that I dig would be Avalon a very surreal film with somewhat dated visual effects that’s deeper than the Matrix. It really is.

So in the meantime – Tune up, Load’em, Smoke’em, it’s 420 the fakest holiday in a year of fake holidays. But always remember to say true and keep your fingers on that Rewind Button.

Movie Link:   http://dai.ly/xqm8di