GHOST IN THE SHELL: INNOCENCE

Version: 2009 Bandai DVD release; English Manga UK dub

I got the steelbook of this for $11 thanks to a liquidation sale. And it was definitely worth it ten times over. I liked the first one, and this one has most of the original dub cast. I watch a good number of my anime dubbed, although I am not opposed to the original Japanese. Why? Well, sometimes I don't want to read the subtitles and miss part of the action. This DVD has two dub tracks: one is the Manga Entertainment dub produced for the UK release, and the other is a new dub made by Bandai for this release. Now, here's the kicker: they both have the same cast. So what's the difference? Well, in the UK dub, Batou (the main character) has a deep, bass voice. The voice actor (Richard Epcar) explains: "One thing they always do is pull the bass out of my voice. That really bothers me. I mean when you see how big Batou is, he’s a really big guy. It just doesn’t make sense to pull the bottom out of his voice. So that was one thing I kept in there."

I read this before I saw the film, so I picked the UK dub. I figured Epcar put a lot into the dub so I'd give it a try. The film is good. Seeing the first is not mandatory, as the Major is not the focus of the film. Batou is the star. If you are going into this hoping to see the Major kicking ass, well, you may not be satisfied. The tv show (Stand Alone Complex) takes place in an alternate reality. This film takes place in the same universe as the first film. You get a snippet about this before the film begins.

Story-wise, it is solid. There are some ambiguities, but I think they are purposeful. And there's a doggie! Actually, all of Mamoru Oshii's films have a doggie in them. Think of it as a trademark. The action is easy to follow, but you better learn your voices: people can talk without moving their mouths in this world and it can get confusing. Note: the official title of the movie is Innocence. The GitS is added on the release to attract fans of the original.

One problem I have with this film is that it is LOADED with CGI. More so than the first one. It's like a 2D film mated with a computer. I would guess about 1/3 to 1/2 of the film is obvious CGI. Not Lion King CGI, I'm talking Shrek CGI. You know, the obvious kind. I hate when CGI takes over 2D, though, so keep in mind that I'm a little biased. ;)

See this movie!