The names Shirow Masamune or Oshi Mamoru are synonymous with exceptional talents in their respective fields. Put the two together, and you're bound to have a masterpiece... or so Manga Entertainment would have you believe. GitS was the most hyped (perhaps over-hyped?) anime title in North America since Akira. And guess what? This is one movie that actually lives up to its billing... mostly.

Creative genius Shirow Masamune has produced an incredibly rich, textured society in which he spins an intricate tale of political dealings and covert investigations. His vision of the future is not just plausible -- it's frighteningly so. Much of what he presents is merely an extension of what we have today, extrapolating one possible outcome from today's rapidly developing technologies. Shirow has always paid attention to detail (such as the effects of having cybernetic parts), and GitS is no exception. But the ideas contained in this work are most compelling... If one can merely replace body parts at will, is our own physical entity merely an expendable 'shell'? What is the human consciousness, and is the very concept redundant? These are echoes of Philip K. Dick's short story, Do Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?. And like Ridley Scott's adaptation in Blade Runner before it, the results challenge the mind. Yes, we have seen these ideas before -- but I can't recall seeing these individual elements resolving itself into such a compelling plot. This is not your typical Star Trek episode where someone writes a script around a singularly thought-provoking idea; this is a complete virtual world.

But Shirow's material is only part of the whole -- Oshi Mamoru's contemplative, methodical directing style leaves an indelible mark on your subconcious as he involves all your senses in this vision of the future. Some will undoubtably find this movie boring: Oshi does tend to be a little self-indulgent with his use of long, segue scenes which are punctuated in this instance by Kawai Kenji's moody, ethnically-inspired soundtrack. Mechanical designs by Kawamori Shoji. Screenplay by Ito Kazunori. Does this sound like a who's who of anime? But here, the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts. Flawless cel and computer animation, soundtrack, story, composition and deliberate pacing combine to create a setting which looks and feels remarkably like modern day Hong Kong or Singapore, complete with all the trappings of daily urban living... a world that draws you into its gritty existance. Truly an outstanding piece of work.
- AN, 98.05.16