Review of Ghost in the Shell: Special Edition

Introduction

I almost feel sorry for Manga Video and Palm Pictures. The Region 2 release of Ghost In The Shell has turned into something of a curse for the company. When this movie was first released on DVD, a major fault resulted in a new production run. The first disc failed to encode the signal that would auto switch TV`s to the correct screen mode. People who had to raise a finger and do it with their remote controls complained vociferously and Palm Pictures took this criticism to heart and repaired the fault. Unfortunately, the second release of Ghost In The Shell turned out to be an utter disaster. Both the Japanese and English soundtracks were out of sync with the film by about half a second, making watching the film an absolute nightmare. So come August 2003 and it was time to have another shot at it. The Ghost In The Shell Special Edition was released, named thus more to distinguish it from the previous release, rather than herald any major additional content. Unfortunately it`s not third time lucky for Manga Entertainment, as this release of Ghost In The Shell has a niggling flaw in the sound, though different than before. However, if like me you prefer the original language version, you`ll be more than satisfied with this release.

Adapted from the manga by Shirow Masamune, director Mamoru Oshii`s stunning vision has never looked better. Set in the near future as many of these cyberpunk stories usually are, 2029`s society has seen the melding of man and machine. Cyborgs are commonplace, whether it is simple memory enhancements, to completely robotic bodies with organic brains, the line between man and machine has never been more indistinct. A cybernetic crime fighting team take on the Puppet Master, who has been manipulating society, hacking into people`s "ghosts" and altering their memories so they would commit crimes in his name. Investigating the Puppet Master, Section 9, comes up against a deep-seated conspiracy rooted in the very government. When an AI takes cybernetic form and requests asylum, the boundary between man and machine is blown away, and the one true question remains… What defines a soul?

Video

This film set new standards when it was released in terms of animation, and that still hold up today. I have rarely seen such lush environments and skilfully executed animation. The film still remains visually striking and unique in its style and attention to detail. Hollywood has seen a boom in CG animation rendering traditional cel animation obsolete. But here you see a heart and soul in character design that Hollywood could never hope of matching. Ghost in the Shell takes traditional animation and CG animation and seamlessly blends it to make a visual spectacle that is unsurpassed. Here on DVD in a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, it is shown off to brilliant effect and you can sit through this movie with your mouth open.

Audio

And here we come to the Ghost In The Shell Curse. The English soundtrack on the first release of Ghost In The Shell was a pretty atmospheric DD 5.1 mix, the same with the second release, despite the synchronisation problem. If you take a look at the Special Edition case, you`ll see the same DD 5.1 track listed. Alas, when you play the disc, you`ll find a DD 5.0 track, with the LFE having gone walkabout. Yet another quality control oversight jinxes another Ghost In The Shell release.

A change from the previous discs sees the addition of a DD 2.0 English Stereo track, but my preferred option of the original Japanese soundtrack is still there in the same DD 2.0 Stereo format. Since there is no sound sync fault, I`m personally heaving a big sigh of relief.

The sound is well accomplished. The music by Kenji Kawai is atmospheric and really mirrors the style of the film. I have never been fond of dubbing; you usually get voices that never suit the character. Jackie Chan movies always have the hero sounding like an accountant (no offence to accountants) and Anime tends to give everyone badly accomplished, faux American accents. The original character voices give a far better read of their emotions, despite the fact that I can`t understand the language, and the subtitles are perfectly fine, although this disc has subtitles in several languages and are printed in a bright yellow in contrast to the original release. In an ideal world, the Japanese soundtrack would have been a DD 5.1 track, but I believe now that it`s better not to tempt fate.

Features

The Ghost In The Shell Special Edition is a Special Edition in name only, just to distinguish it from the previous release. The menus have been spruced up and made anamorphic, and the DVD ROM materials have been removed. An Amaray case with a new sleeve design fits inside a cardboard slipcase mirroring the original cover. Inside the case, you`ll find a small Ghost In The Shell posterette.

On the disc you`ll find the same trailer for the film as last time, as well as a nice jacket picture that your player, if it has the facility, displays when the disc is not spinning.

The making of documentary is the same as the last time. It is a 30-minute making of documentary, well accomplished if technical. It really does go into detail regarding the production of the movies and is done with a multipane approach. You get a small pane with interviewee, one with subtitles and one with data regarding the movie and one with visuals. It is an innovative approach, which is a little cluttered and confusing, but is original.

The Database has little text snippets regarding the film that you can navigate through, to learn about the characters in and the creators of Ghost In The Shell. There is also a glossary that explains terms used in the film. This information was in the DVD ROM material last time around.

There is a Sly and Robbie music video that is set to scenes from the film, presented in DD 2.0 Sound and 1.85:1 anamorphic ratio, it can be best described as trance reggae.

Finally there are some 15 minutes of previews for Manga Video titles. As is customary with their adverts, the footage is all accompanied with the kind of nu-metal thrash that rarely has anything to do with the films being advertised, and serves only to make one think fondly of The Cheeky Girls.

None of the extras have selectable subtitles on the disc. (The documentary has in programme subtitles for the Japanese dialogue)

Conclusion

In my opinion, Ghost in the Shell was a little over hyped. While there can be no arguing that the visuals are spectacular and intricately accomplished, the story is a little mundane. This film was made in the mid nineties and by then the cyberpunk ideas espoused in this tale were well established in this genre and beyond. When the point of view switches to that of the heroine, I was immediately reminded of Robocop. This film pays homage to many established ideas, especially the work of William Gibson. Fortunately this film is very well made. Unlike Hollywood, there is no simple good guy bad guy argument, and the story tries to convey the underlying philosophical questions, avoiding the temptation to dissolve into a pure action-fest. It never degenerated into a simple celebration of blood and gore and must be commended for that. It also shies away from a traditional happy ending and leaves the viewer thinking. But while an audience would be cheated by a simple and pat answer to the questions raised, there is no real effort to go deeper than the surface presented by the film and challenge any preconceptions. Ghost In The Shell tantalises with its pretence to philosophy but leaves the audience hanging, rendering the film enjoyable eye-candy but little more.

In my mind there are three types of anime, the TV friendly tripe that we usually get, with Pokemon tacked on, the gratuitous tentacle fests of the demon kind and the thoughtful and thought provoking stories of the likes of Akira. While Ghost in the Shell easily surpasses that film in terms of technical brilliance and sheer visual splendour, it doesn`t reach that film in terms of narrative. Despite its shortcomings however, I still find Ghost In The Shell a treat.

If like me you find the original language versions preferable to dubs, then your wait is over. This release of Ghost In The Shell is perfectly acceptable, although don`t let the aspiration to Special Edition-hood fool you. It`s much the same as any previous release. However, those people waiting for a perfectly synchronised DD 5.1 English dub will be disappointed by yet another quality control snafu. It`s just a DD 5.0 track I`m afraid, and whether there will be another release of this is questionable. Better to bite the bullet and import I`m afraid. The marks are for the Japanese language version.