Production I.G
Pretty much all of the movies from Production I.G in this guide are for teens to adults only. Kids wouldn’t get much from most of these movies even if they did watch them anyways. Regardless, Production I.G’s anime films are some of the most beautiful and well-written anime movies available. (Yes, Okiurasan, Kitakubosan and Imaishisan all have the same first name *gasp*).
Mamoru Oshii
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
Kōkaku Kidōtai (攻殻機動隊)
Buy on DVD: Right Stuf | Amazon
Buy on Blu-ray: Right Stuf | Amazon
Both of Oshii’s main GitS movies are extremely stylish and enjoyable, but there is a LOT of fairly random 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 and the visuals have aged very well, still better-looking than many modern anime films. 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 as the Major is conspicuously absent. 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 and killing people. Even with the more suggestive plot, this one has much less nudity than its predecessor. Beautiful animation and haunting music combine with the intriguing philosophical story to make Innocence a superb anime experience. Try and catch the Blu-ray version if you can, you’ll be floored! I cannot recommend this movie enough, it currently ranks as my all-time favourite anime film.
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 very obviously clashes 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 an “army” who endures the trauma of watching a young 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 his rehabilitation. This movie has a decidedly 80’s feel in both the animation and the music departments even though it was made in 1999, 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 afterwards.
A Letter to Momo (2012)
Momo e no Tegami (ももへの手紙)
After one of the longer directorial hiatuses in this guide, Okiura returns to the anime movie scene after thirteen years with a movie just about as tonally different from Jin-Roh as possible. A Letter to Momo follows Momo Miyaura as she comes to terms with her father’s sudden death and a move to the country from Tokyo aided by the sudden appearance of three incompetent spirits (of sorts) that almost no one else can see. Light-hearted at its core in spite of its sad premise, A Letter to Momo proves that even though he’s an animator at heart, Okiura can direct both extremely sad and more comedic anime movies with equal skill. A Letter to Momo is a great all-around family movie with impressive animation, interesting characters, and genuine humour. Elitist anime buffs could wish for a more impactful third act for the film, but the rest of us have a good movie to watch while they’re complaining.
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 Blood: The Last Vampire is that it was able to establish a story and lore that spawned multiple spin-offs (like the anime series Blood+) in that short amount of time. The story follows Saya, the last “proper” vampire, who hunts big bat-like 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 certainly for children (like most Production I.G. works) but a great, if short, escape for the rest of us.
Dead Leaves (2004)
Deddo Rībusu (デッド リーブス)
If Madhouse’s Redline is a “flashy action ride”, then Dead Leaves is a “balls-to-the-wall flashy tripped-out action ride on speed”. The movie’s high-contrast comic book-like visuals had me expecting something unique, but I don’t think I could properly have prepared myself for just how unique Dead Leaves turns out to be. The comic book style applies not only to the frequently grotesque characters and outlandish scenery, but also to the cinematography itself with several “panels” often being shown on screen at the same time, sound effects appearing as actual floating words, and unusual framing used to emphasize certain parts of the scenes. The narrative begins with the protagonists, Retro (a TV-headed man) and Pandy (a woman with a mysterious red spot over her right eye) waking up naked and without their memories only to go on a crime spree which gets them sent for life to a prison on the moon called Dead Leaves. Not for the straitlaced or faint of heart, Dead Leaves‘ mere 52 minutes zoom by at break-neck speed in a flurry of explosions, gore, sex and nudity, but if you can stomach the off-the-wall content you’re in for a very enjoyable if lamentably brief anime experience.