Pretty much all of the movies that I’ll talk about from Production I.G are for teens to adults. Kids wouldn’t get much from these movies even if they did watch them, really. Despite that fact, they are all also some of the most beautiful and well-written anime movies ever made. (Yes, Okiurasan and Kitakubosan have the same first name *gasp*).
Mamoru Oshii
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
Kōkaku Kidōtai (攻殻機動隊)
Both of Oshii’s main GitS movies are extremely stylish and enjoyable, but there is a LOT of really uncalled for nudity in this one. The GitS movies revolve around the concept that there are very human-like robots and cyborgs that inhabit the earth and that they have souls, called Ghosts, that inhabit their outer robot shells. These Ghosts can not only communicate with each other telepathically, but can switch shells, go on the equivalent of the internet, and be hacked, thus changing the reality that they experience. This movie follows a team of the once-organic female Major Kusanagi and the male Batou cyborg/robots as they track down a Ghost hacker called the “Puppet Master”. Good times are had by all, the visuals have aged very well and still look better than a lot of what’s currently out there. A must-see for anime movie fans.
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)
Inosensu (イノセンス)
This time it’s Batou’s turn to be the main protagonist. His job in this excellent movie is to uncover the Truth behind a bot-making corporation called LOCUS SOLUS whose sexbots have been going crazy. This one has much less nudity than the first, incidentally. BEAUTIFUL animation, and haunting music combine with the intriguing story to make this a superb anime experience. Try and catch the Blu-ray version if you can, you’ll be floored! I cannot recommend this movie enough.
Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008)
Gōsuto In Za Sheru/Kōkaku Kidōtai 2.0 (GHOST IN THE SHELL／攻殻機動隊 2.0)
Not the second Ghost in the Shell movie, but rather a complete remake of the original 1995 one with 2008 sensibilities, music, and graphics. Just as great as the original, but some people may have issues with the incorporation of CG animation for a couple scenes which contrasts with the rest of the film’s hand-drawn style. Maintains scene-for-scene everything in the original movie, but just makes it all look and sound better. Is is not suggested to watch this one before watching the original, as it will cheapen it, but it remains a very welcome revisiting of a classic anime story in modern styles. I strongly suggest getting the Blu-ray version of this movie so as to enhance the effect even more. Again, watch out for female anatomy everywhere, but suggested for anyone deemed old enough to view such things.
Hiroyuki Okiura
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999)
Jinrō (人狼)
This is a tear-jerker that follows a man in the “army” who watches a terrorist girl blow herself up, and then has to go through mental reconditioning and re-training to get himself ready to go back into battle. Of course, all sorts of things get in the way of this. This movie as a very 80′s feel (even though it was made in 1999) in both the animation and the music departments, not that that’s a bad thing. It’s an overall good movie that is probably better to watch with someone else instead of by yourself so that you don’t feel quite as silly for sniffling.
Hiroyuki Kitakubo
Blood: The Last Vampire (2000)
Rasuto buraddo (らすと ぶらっど) (lit. “Last Blood”)
Written by the same writer (Kenji Kamiyama) as Ghost in the Shell, this anime movie is a short one at only 48 minutes. What’s exceptional about this movie is that it was able to establish a story and a lore that spawned a spin-off series (Blood+) in that short amount of time. The story follows Saya, the last “proper” vampire, that hunts big batty dudes called Chiroptera for an organization called the “Red Shield”. The animation is quite good throughout, and the story is interesting and leaves you wanting more (hence the aforementioned series). Kind of gory and not for children, like most Production I.G. works, but a great, if short, escape for the rest of us.
