Ghost in the Shell Really is Perfect

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]Hello and welcome back to Born to Rant.

[00:00:01]I'm Brandon and today we are diving into an absolute classic in the world of anime and animated films in general. A movie that I had actually never seen before, but whose DNA is all over movies like The Matrix, Xmachina, and even Avatar. That's right. We are diving into 1995's Ghost in the Shell directed by Mamoro Oshi.

[00:00:26]Okay, so I think I should start with the fact that I really did not start getting into anime until six or seven years ago.

[00:00:32]The first things that I watched that immediately stuck out to me were Cowboy Bebop and Akira. So, two of the most iconic pieces of anime ever made. And since then, I've watched a few Miyazaki movies. I actually just watched Princess Monoke for the first time a few weeks ago. And I did consider doing a mini rant on it, but I loved it so much I'm going to wait and eventually do a full video on it. So anyway, I've been thinking about watching Ghost in the Shell for a few years now, but just hadn't quite gotten around to it. And I decided it was finally time to cross it off the list. And I got to admit, I see why this movie is such a big deal and why people love it and have stolen from it so much over the years. Now, watching over 30 years later, the story does feel a little bare bones and simple, but I think a big part of that is I've been watching people recycle and tweak this premise non-stop for pretty much my entire life. And it was difficult to set it aside, but also at the end of the day when the movie ended and the credits rolled, I immediately wanted more. Like it almost felt like an extended pilot to me and we should have had years of adventures with Kusanagi and Puppet Master. But much like my beloved cowboy Bebop, I am very glad it left me wanting more. And I guess if you were to ask me what it was I enjoyed about Ghost in the Shell, I'd say it comes down to the story, the score, and the animation. And like I said, the story of this movie really left me wanting more. I also really like how the story goes about revealing information. Like the opening stuff with the assassination sets a great tone immediately, but it's the chase with the garbage man that really engaged and confused me. Like I was very confused why all of these Section 9 agents were so concerned about this garbage man stalking his ex-wife. And then when the movie explained what happened, I was completely bought into the story. Like the fact that it shows the reality of ghost hacking before ever explaining it. And once it's explained, I was like, "Oh, okay. That makes sense.

[00:02:14]Got it. But I think the biggest standout moment in the movie is the sequence with the dismembered torso being interrogated while Tagusa, Batau, and Kusanagi monitor from outside and Tagosa figuring out that there's a camouflaged agent that snuck in to steal the shell with Nakamura. And it really is when the puppet master starts monologuing that this movie really captures me. Again, a lot of these themes and ideas have been explored endlessly in other movies and TV shows, but it's a topic that I think is always going to be interesting to see stories try and tackle. What does it mean to be a sentient being? And that's a question that only grows more and more relevant to our culture as time goes on.

[00:02:50]And our finale with Kusanagi hooked up to Puppet Master really drives this home. And I love the idea that the puppet master was created to be a spy program and became sentient over time and decided that the criteria for being sentient are to be able to reproduce and have a mortal body. And the ending with Kusanagi and Puppet Master merged into one small child's body is both creepy and interesting. And again, it really left me wanting more. Like, this movie has a really simple story, but it manages to pack a lot of heady ideas into its 82minute runtime. And one thing I want to make sure we talk about is the absolutely excellent score by Kenji Kauai, >> which incorporates a lot of traditional Japanese music, but also uses this very cool Bulgarian choir style to give the main theme a really ethereal and dreamlike feel. And apparently the lyrics are from a traditional Bulgarian wedding song sung to dispel all evil influences. My point is that I am definitely adding the Ghost in the Shell soundtrack on Apple Music and I'm going to be listening to it a lot. Okay. And finally, obviously the big thing to talk about with this movie is the animation style. And the movie used a process called digitally generated animation or DGA, which is a combination of cell animation, computer graphics, and audio that is all entered as digital data. And this gives the movie a really, really interesting look, especially anytime anything digital is being represented.

[00:04:19]But for me, the moments of this movie that really stood out were the quiet moments. Obviously, the title sequence for this movie is beautiful and brilliant and iconic in pretty much every way. But there are other moments that really worked for me as well, like Kusanagi going diving and her following conversation with Batu. But then there's also just lots of quiet little moments between all of the action story where I could live forever. Like this 5-second shot of neon lights going by in a tunnel might actually be my favorite shot in the movie. It just really stood out to me for whatever reason. But even the quiet moments aside, the action in this movie is on another level. It's big and gory and everything I was hoping it would be. But then there's all of these incredible character and gadget designs throughout like these guns or this hand that becomes like a 100 different mini hands for typing was a real standout for me as well. And like the fact that Kusanagi doesn't blink also adds a real level of strangeness to her character.

[00:05:11]And so over 30 years later, what is the legacy of Ghost in the Shell? Well, I think it's widely considered to be one of the most influential anime films ever made. Maybe even just one of the most influential animated movies ever. I think it's right up there with Akira and pretty much anything made by Studio Ghibli. And yes, there was a liveaction version released starring Scarlett Johansson in 2017. And it is widely considered to be one of the worst adaptations of all time. But I have to admit, seeing that it is a full 35 minutes longer than this movie, I am mildly curious to see what they stuffed in there to pad the running time.

[00:05:43]Honestly, I think at this point pretty much everyone is in agreement that liveaction versions of anime just don't work, right? Ghost in the Shell failed, Cowboy Bebop failed. I guess One Piece is doing pretty well, but that seems to be the exception that proves the rule in a lot of ways. Now, I would really like to cover some more anime on this channel. And like I said, my experience is pretty limited. So, if there are any other classic animes out there that you all would like to see me cover, please let me know in the comments. If you want me to do a full video breaking down Ghost in the Shell, let me know that, too. Because I watched this movie twice in 24 hours, and yet I would be absolutely down to watch it again and do an even deeper dive on its history.

[00:06:18]Maybe I'd even read the manga. Who's to say? If you've made it this far into the video, thank you for watching. It truly means the world. And as always, a very special thank you to my supporters over on Patreon and my channel members here on YouTube. You truly keep this channel going. And if you'd like to learn more about joining the Patreon or becoming a channel member, there's a link to the Patreon below. And depending on how you're watching, there should be a little button beneath the video that gives you the option to become a channel member. Born to Rant is a completely independent channel, and I use absolutely no AI in the making of my videos. So, you liking the video or subscribing to the channel would really help me out. And that's going to do it for Born to Rant this week. Okay, thank you. Bye-bye.