Koukaku Kidoutai

In the year 2029, Niihama City has become a technologically advanced metropolis. Due to great improvements in cybernetics, its citizens are able to replace their limbs with robotic parts. The world is now more interconnected than ever before, and the city's Public Security Section 9 is responsible for combating corruption, terrorism, and other dangerous threats following this shift toward globalization.

The strong-willed Major Motoko Kusanagi of Section 9 spearheads a case involving a mysterious hacker known only as the "Puppet Master," who leaves a trail of victims stripped of their memories. Like many in this futuristic world, the Puppet Master's body is almost entirely robotic, giving them incredible power.

As Motoko and her subordinates follow the enigmatic criminal's trail, other parties—including Section 6—start to get involved, forcing her to confront the extremely complicated nature of the case. Pondering about various philosophical questions, such as her own life's meaning, Motoko soon realizes that the one who will provide these answers is none other than the Puppet Master themself.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kusanagi, Motoko Main

Tanaka, Atsuko Japanese

Batou Main

Ootsuka, Akio Japanese

Togusa Main

Yamadera, Kouichi Japanese

Project 2501 Main

Kayumi, Iemasa Japanese

Aramaki, Daisuke Supporting

Ooki, Tamio Japanese

Ishikawa Supporting

Nakano, Yutaka Japanese

Garbage Collector B Supporting

Yamaji, Kazuhiro Japanese

Daita, Mizuho Supporting

Miyamoto, Mitsuru Japanese

Tsuan Gen Fang Supporting

Matsuyama, Takashi Japanese

Nakamura Supporting

Genda, Tesshou Japanese

Ishikawa, Mitsuhisa Producer

Watanabe, Shigeru Producer

Iyadomi, Kenichi Producer

Oshii, Mamoru Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Aug 26, 2025

theo1763

Recommended

Ghost in the Shell is one of those anime films that grabs you from the first frame and never lets you go. Watching Major Motoko Kusanagi do her thing is simply endlessly satisfying. She's smart, deadly, and yeah, really hot, and when she shows up on screen, you sense something epic is about to happen. I gave it an 8/10 because the writing is well-tightened, mixes sci-fi with detective work to a perfect blend, and feels realistic and grounded in spite of a cyberpunk world. It's one of those movies where the action is suspenseful, but the ideas stick just as much.

The animation blew me ... away. The cityscapes feel alive, the tech and cybernetic designs are detailed and believable, and the fight sequences are intense and fluid. That tank sequence and the rooftop chase are still some of the most exciting animated action I’ve seen, and they never feel over-the-top; they feel like they could actually happen in this world. Character-wise, Batou is a total badass, and the manner in which his gruff exterior hides true care and intelligence is incredible. Togusa provides a good, human presence to offset the rest of the cyber-enhanced crew, and the Puppet Master is such a fascinating character. His interactions with Motoko are creepy, tense, and leave you questioning what it really means to be alive.

Kenji Kawai's score is incredible. It captures the mood perfectly, creepy and suspenseful, whether the scene is quiet and contemplative or all-out action. The voice work is good, too. The English dub is solid for its time, though a bit shallow compared to the Japanese audio, which is fuller and more nuanced. I loved how the film explores the "ghosts in the machine" idea and asks questions about consciousness, identity, and what it means to be human without ever feeling preachy. It leaves you wondering if we're just our memories, or if there's something more.

Overall, Ghost in the Shell is stylish, intense, and smart. Add to that beautiful animation, heart-pounding action, challenging ideas, and interesting characters, and you have a must-see. I catch myself still thinking about it days later, which is exactly the kind of movie you want from a sci-fi classic. Motoko, Batou, Togusa, and the Puppet Master all left their mark, and the philosophical issues that the film raises remain just as relevant today. I'll be watching this one again, definitely. It's a movie that rewards multiple viewings and reflection long after the credits roll.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Sep 19, 2025

danseaview

Mixed Feelings

Background: Started watching anime early 2010s, Moe was my era.

Pros: The Vibe, pure 90s anime vibe which is nice, slower pacing, more philosophical
Cons: A bit meh. Feels like they had the concept then tried to cobble a movie around it with limited success

The key issue was zero character/world development, it dives straight in with the concept and doesn't really introduce anyone or why you should care. No stakes, minimal characters, just concept.
Pacing is slower, normally a good thing but feels lop-sided. Like they wanted slow cinematic scenes but then have a massive concept to cram into the dialog and action scenes, so they turn out ... rushed or confusing. An cut the character/world establishing scenes.

If I watched it in the 90s would probably be a great movie since the concept would be new. Watching in 2025 the concept is 30 years old and there's no depth beyond a surface level covering of it. There's no character backstories, no real wants or needs driving the story, no real change or consequence. Just "hey check out this cool vibe and concept".

Not bad though so IGN 7/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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May 22, 2025

1stDecame4Danime

Not Recommended

Funny

You have to look at older media through the lens of understanding that before modern internet there was a severe scarcity of porn such that any media depicting high-quality pornographic material wrapped within the veneer of a socially acceptable production would be regarded as a masterpiece. That is what has happened here with Soul(Ghost) in the Body(Shell) just like it did with A Clockwork Orange(A Machine in the Fruit, if you will).

Getting to the actual review: How do we start? Director's masturbational intro cinematics of naked female body bodying (very important). Followed by long directorial vomit of self-indulgent concept art of the city in which ... nothing happens. Oh-yeahh, waste my time harder, director daddy. Then they stumble through pointless stormtrooper action scenes and exposition dialogues of characters telling each other who they are and everything else they've already known about each other for the years they've worked together, interspersed by juvenile philosophical rambling that grapples with such worthwhile ideas as: 'How can one scientifically disprove that a machine isn't alive when one cannot scientifically define the arbitrary definitions of words?' and 'What is a person? I don't know.' By then over half the movie will be over and nothing of consequence will have happened. Then just finish it off with even more drawnout action sequence of stormtrooper bs and... I'm god of the machine now, k bye. The End.

This movie wasted so much potential of having such a well developed world from the manga, too bad the source material is episodic nonstories like this movie and the script writer is an amateur who couldn't cobble together much better.

3/10 (where 5/10 is average)

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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