Innocence (2004/I)

Director:

Mamoru Oshii

Writers:

Masamune Shirow (comic "Koukaku-Kidoutai")
Mamoru Oshii (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 March 2004 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Animation | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller | Fantasy

Tagline:

Sore wa inotchi innosensu ('Innocence is Life')

Plot:

In the year 2032, Batô, a cyborg detective for the anti-terrorist unit Public Security Section 9, investigates the case of a female robot--one created solely for sexual pleasure--who slaughtered her owner.

Plot Keywords:

Cyborg | City | Sequel | Cyberpunk | Battleship

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Akio Ôtsuka	...	Batô (voice)
Atsuko Tanaka	...	Major Motoko Kusanagi (voice)
Kôichi Yamadera	...	Togusa (voice)
Tamio Ôki	...	Section 9 Department Chief Aramaki (voice)
Yutaka Nakano	...	Ishikawa (voice)
Naoto Takenaka	...	Kim (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gou Aoba	...	(voice) (as Go Aoba)
Eisuke Asakura	...	(voice)
Robert Axelrod	...	Koga / Lin (voice: English version)
Richard Cansino	...	Man / Security 1 / Wakabayashi / Yakuza 1 (voice: English version)
Joey D'Auria	...	Kim (voice: English version)
Erik Davies	...	Azuma (voice: English version)
Peter Emshwiller	...	Guard / Terrorist (voice)
Richard Epcar	...	Batou (voice: English version)
Crispin Freeman	...	Togusa (voice: English version)
Yuzuru Fujimoto	...	(voice)
Emiko Fuku	...	(voice)
Masao Harada	...	(voice)
Minoru Hirano	...	(voice)
Hiroaki Hirata	...	Koga (voice)
Katsunosuke Hori	...	(voice)
Sukekiyo Kameyama	...	(voice)
Eriko Kigawa	...	(voice)
Hiroyuki Kinosha	...	(voice) (as Hiroyuki Kinoshita)
Shuji Kishida	...	(voice)
William Knight	...	Aramaki (voice: English version) (as William Frederick Knight)
Steve Kramer	...	Detective / Security 4 / Security 5 (voice: English version)
Sherry Lynn	...	Gynoid / Rescued Girl (voice: English version)
Michael McCarty	...	Ishikawa (voice: English version)
Michael McConnohie	...	Forensics Man / Forensics Staff / Section 9 Member / Security 3 (voice: English version)
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn	...	Motoko Kusanagi (voice: English version)
Kenichi Mochizuki	...	(voice)
Sumi Mutoh	...	On'na no ko (voice)
Ryûji Nakagi	...	(voice)
Yasushi Niko	...	(voice)
Bob Papenbrook	...	Crab Man / Cyborg Dr. / Underwater Cyborg / Yakuza 2 (voice: English version)
Yoshiko Sakakibara	...	Haraway (voice)
Stephanie Sheh	...	Dispatcher / Girl (voice: English version)
Ellyn Stern	...	Haraway (voice: English version)
Terrence Stone	...	Forensics Chief / Pilot / Security 2 / Shop Owner / Yakuza 3 (voice: English version)
Yu Sugimoto	...	(voice)
Fumihiko Tachiki	...	(voice)
Masaki Terasoma	...	Azuma (voice)
Akino Watanabe	...	(voice)
Mr. X	...	Yakuza 4 (voice: English version)
Makoto Yasumura	...	(voice)

Also Known As:

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (USA)
Innocence - Inosensu (Japan) (poster title)
Innocence: Ghost in the Shell (International: English title)
Kôkaku kidôtai 2 (Japan) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images and brief language.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | Cantonese | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES | Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

UK:15 | Denmark:15 | Norway:15 | Ireland:15A | Netherlands:16 | Germany:16 | Spain:18 | Hong Kong:IIB | Italy:T | France:U | Japan:U | Finland:K-11 | Australia:M | Portugal:M/12 | Netherlands:12 (re-rating) | New Zealand:M | South Korea:12 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba) | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Ontario) | Singapore:NC-16 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40831)

Company:

Bandai Visual Company

Trivia:

Director and Writer 'Mamoru Oshî' put a basset hound in the picture because he is a fan of the breed and owns one himself. He makes a reference to his own basset hound, Gabriel, in the scene inside Batô's apartment where the dog figurine plays music.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): During the forensics examination, one of the computer screens misspells "research" as "RESAERCH".

Quotes:

[quote]
Bateau: "The less one forgets, the less one can remember."

Movie Connections:

References First Blood (1982)

Soundtrack:

Follow Me

For those who rather see the characters waxing philosophical for an hour....

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. I went to this movie worried that it would end up like just about every Peter Framptom Album after Frampton Comes Alive; they were all pitiful albums only because Frampton comes alive did not leave much room for improvement. The original Ghost in The Shell is a classic. It was a good action film that had some deep undertones. Well made to say the least, full of memorable characters.

Ghost in the Shell 2 was so different that there could be no comparison. As opposed to an Action film with deep undercurrents, this is a philosophical film that occasionally had some action sequences. The basic plot is very simple: Android created for pleasure killing their owners. Cyborg cops trying to get to the bottom of these strange crimes. The cops, section nine operatives Batou and Togusa spend more time quoting everything from Bazooka Joe to Milton as long as it serves a purpose. This is not Ghost in the Shell. This is a Mamorou Oshii original, with his own ideas and philosophies not being bound by the original manga.

I venture to say that I actually prefer Innocence to the first one, because it struck chords in me the first one did not. Somebody who has a different outlook on everything, however, would disagree. If you have seen the first one, remember how there is more or less a quest for humanity? THis one takes an opposite spin on things. As well as takes a look at how humans feel this need to immortalize their own image.

The animation was enough to prove that traditional and computer animation could work together and create a beautiful picture. However, the underwater and in air scenes seemed to rely too heavily on the computers, which then completely made up the world. The world itself was not the world I remember from Ghost in the Shell. THis was a whole new futuristic world as opposed to a slightly more advanced modern setting. This film also focused a lot on the relationship between Batou and the now 'missing' Kusanagi.

This film seemed to be lost on many. There are many scenes of complete silence, which are intended as 'breathing time' and and other points really to build tension. The film also slows down at a few points so that the audience can absorb the scenery, and gives extra time for the audience to catch the symbolism. The film ended with so many angry groans. It would seen that the film was lost upon those who wanted to see a sequel to Ghost in the Shell with the same themes and ideas. The only similarity to the first film would be that most of the story is superficial, and what the film is really about is the deeper meanings.

This was an excellent film, and though it can be seen as superior, it will never be as well known and recognized as the first film. Though this is not just a sequel: This is a whole new Ghost in the Shell altogether.

**** out of ****