Ghost in the Shell is a film I’ve lived with for a long time. The film was released originally in 1995, and SOMETIME in the late 1990’s I saw it for the very first time on VHS. I immediately fell for it’s hyperactive, cyber-sci-fi charms, and amazing action, coupled with a style of animation that felt like nothing I had seen before (outside of AKIRA). When The Matrix came out a few years later, it had already felt like “been there, done that” because of this film.

Ghost in the Shell follows Section 9, a cyber security/police agency as they go about a trying to track down the notorious master criminal/hacker the Puppet Master. The Puppet Master is a hacker who can rewriter your “ghost” giving you a new identity and objectives. Even if you end up fixed, he remains at large, and the person has no idea what happened to them or anything else for that matter. Thrown together to catch the Puppet Master is Major Motoko Kusanagi, and her teammates Batou and Togusa.

The main narrative thrust is the search for the Puppet Master, but the film works on much deeper thematic levels. The Major is a cybernetic/machine lifeform with only a human brain powering her. Her Ghost is trapped in this machine shell, and she is continually trying to come to terms with her humanity or what is left of of it.

The film is really stunning. Everytime I watch this film (maybe once a year now). I am floored from the first moment at how gorgeous this film STILL IS after all these years. The music perfectly interacts with the goings on screen, and the animation perfectly creates this world. The action sequences are top notch, and it really does feel like it has a lot more going on under the hood from a philosophical perspective.

I was surprised to find Ghost in the Shell out in 2020. I know UHD discs has been out a few years, but it seems releases are picking up at quite a fast pass all of a sudden, and now I believe this is the first UHD anime in North America. The result is nothing short of stunning. The transfer is presented in 2160p HD and is vivid, and detailed in ways I’ve never seen GITS look before. Audio is Dolby ATMOS in Japanese and English and sounds clear, crisp, and beyond brilliant. Extras include a commentary, a few making of and featurettes, nothing really new, and a lot of fun. This release is absolutely HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.