PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Ghost in the Shell: Special Edition (Kôkaku kidôtai) (1995)

Ghost in the Shell: Special Edition (Kôkaku kidôtai) (1995)

If you create a user account, you can add your own review of this DVD

Released 17-Jun-2005

Cover Art

This review is sponsored by
BUY IT

Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Anime Menu Animation & Audio
Featurette-Production Report
Featurette-Digital Works
Theatrical Trailer
Trailer-Ghost In The Shell 2,Ghost In The Shell:Stand Alone Complex
Rating Rated M
Year Of Production 1995
Running Time 79:12 (Case: 82)
RSDL / Flipper RSDL (43:52) Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Mamoru Oshî
Studio
Distributor

Madman Entertainment
Starring Atsuko Tanaka
Akio Ôtsuka
Tamio Ôki
Iemasa Kayumi
Kôichi Yamadera
Tesshô Genda
Case Slip Case
RPI $34.95 Music Brian Eno
Kenji Kawai


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX (448Kb/s)
Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 EX (448Kb/s)
Japanese dts 5.1 (768Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    Ghost in the Shell amazed adult audiences in 1996 with its uniquely futuristic view of mankind and its seamless combination of traditional cell animation and digital imaging. Director Mamoru Oshii based the film on the manga by Masamune Shirow, an acclaimed artist responsible for works such as Appleseed and New Dominion Tank Police.

    In 2029 the lines separating man and machine are being blurred by the application of sophisticated implants designed to enhance human functions and allow direct interaction via the internet. A cybernetic government agent, Motoko Kusanagi (Atsuko Tanaka), and her partner Bateau (Akio Otsuka) are investigating a potentially catastrophic virus called The Puppet Master who possesses the ability to hack into people's minds and have them unknowingly carry out his will. As Motoko and her colleagues from Section 9 get closer to discovering the Puppet Master's secret they uncover a complicated political conspiracy involving the minister of foreign affairs. Even more amazing for Motoko is her realisation that the Puppet Master appears to have had his sights on her for quite some time.

    Ghost in the Shell is a visually stunning thriller that questions how we humans validate our existence and the lengths we will got to in order to attain perfection. Despite it being nearly ten years old, it is still arguably the greatest animated film to come out of Japan.

    If there's one film that was screaming out for a decent remastering, it was Ghost in the Shell. The original Region 4 release of August 2000 was relatively acceptable at the time, but by today's standards it is seriously lacking in the visual department. Not only was it an NTSC conversion, but the video bitrate was not nearly broad enough to render complex animation such as this. I revisited the original release on many occasions while compiling this review and was reminded time and again what an improvement this Special Edition really is. On a large display the original transfer is pixelated and lacking in detail. The Special Edition transfer is a vast improvement, but still not quite as sharp as recent anime productions such as Animatrix. I've assembled a table below, summarising the specifications of the two Region 4 releases. If this doesn't convince you to upgrade, nothing will.

 

Ghost In The Shell

Ghost In The Shell: Special Edition

Release Date

14 August 2000 17 June 2005
RPI $27.95 $34.95
Average Bitrate 4.37 Mb/s 9.47 Mb/s
Audio English Dolby Digital 5.0 (448Kb/s)
Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 (448Kb/s)
English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX (448Kb/s)
Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 EX (448Kb/s)
Japanese dts 5.1 (768Kb/s)
Disc Format DVD5 (Single Layered) DVD9 (RSDL: 43:52)
Extras Menu Audio
Theatrical Trailer (1:34)
Featurette-Production Report (28:49)
Trailers & DVD-ROM Extras
Menu Animation & Audio
Featurette-Production Report (26:42)
Featurette-Digital Works (29:33)
Theatrical Trailer (3:00)
Trailers-Ghost In The Shell 2; Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Chapters 15 15
Packaging Brackley Slip Case
English Subtitles Fat white font Thin yellow font
Runtime 82:46 (NTSC->PAL Conversion) 79:12 (PAL)

    Further comparison regarding these transfers can be found below in the video and audio sections of my review.

Don't wish to see plot synopses in the future? Change your configuration.

Transfer Quality

Video

    This video transfer is a massive improvement on the original Region 4 release of August 2000. Judging by the placement of certain film artefacts the source appears to be the same, but whereas the original transfer was an NTSC conversion this is a native PAL transfer. Consequently, we have increased resolution, significantly less ghosting and more fluid movement in the animation.

    This transfer is presented in the film's original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, 16x9 enhanced.

    The image isn't quite as sharp as other recent animated productions such as The Animatrix, but it is still very good by my standards. There is a great deal of depth in the darker areas of the animation with no low level noise evident in the transfer.

    Colouring is vibrant and consistently rendered without any bleeding or oversaturation.

    MPEG artefacting has been greatly reduced in this transfer of the film, thanks to a higher video bitrate. I still noticed some slight MPEG noise in expanses of light colour, but these were rare. A couple of tiny film artefacts are present but as a general rule this transfer is clean. Some slight telecine wobble can be seen at 26:34. I didn't notice any ugly aliasing at all.

    The English subtitles are quite different in comparison to the English soundtrack but the sentiment is virtually the same. The font is yellow and very easy to read.

    This disc is dual layered and RSDL formatted, with the layer transition placed during the feature at 43:52. The layer break was transparent on my system, however it appears to be located in the middle of a scene. People using systems without a significant buffer may find that the pause interrupts ambient noise in the soundtrack.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    There are three soundtracks accompanying this film on DVD. The default soundtrack is English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, encoded at 448Kb/s. The film's original Japanese language soundtrack is also available in both Dolby Digital 5.1 EX (448Kb/s) and dts (768Kb/s) streams, selectable via the setup menu or on the fly.

    The English soundtrack is clear and easy to follow, without any major issues of concern. The original Japanese language soundtrack contains superior characterisations in my opinion, but it is simply a matter of personal preference. I didn't notice any issues regarding audio sync.

    Surround channel usage is mild but effective. At 1:57 a car passes in the rear left channel, followed at 23:10 by a very convincing helicopter. The rear channels are also used to convey gunfire and falling debris during fight scenes. I processed all three soundtracks with my rear center speaker active and didn't note any specific use of the rear center channel. Voices are generally confined to the front centre channel in these soundtracks.

    Of all three soundtracks, the Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 has the lowest level and required a little more volume to make it listenable. The Japanese dts soundtrack is a little crisp when compared to the others as it contains more depth in the soundtrack score and effects such as explosions and gunfire, making it my preferred option.

    The score by Kenji Kawai (Dark Water) is deeply percussive and contains many vocal elements of traditional Japanese music. The film's closing song, One Minute Warning, is by Passengers, comprised of artists Brian Eno and U2.

    The LFE channel is used effectively to augment the drums in the score and also dedicated effects such as explosions and gunfire. Subwoofer usage is appropriate and never overpowering.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

Menu Animation & Audio

    The menu pages are 16x9 enhanced and animated with familiar graphics from the film. Atmospheric whirring, beeps and other electronic noises accompany the menu pages in Dolby Digital 5.1 audio.

Featurette-Production Report (26:42)

    This featurette includes contributions from all manner of crew, including creator Masamune Shirow, Director Mamoru Oshii and composer Kenji Kawai. We're taken through the various stages of the animation production and the tools involved, such as the AVID system. This featurette is identical to the making of that was included on the original Region 4 disc, however the music video after the credits The Promise to the Future by Saeko Higuchi has been removed. This is presented in 1.33:1 and is not 16x9 enhanced.

Featurette-Digital Works (29:33)

    An even more in-depth look at the making of the film, focusing on the fascinating tools used by the animators and the boundaries they are forced to work within. Mamoru Oshii shares his thoughts on the limits of cel animation and matte compositing, followed by some examples of scenes that utilised the digital technology that was cutting edge at the time. This is presented in 1.33:1 and is not 16x9 enhanced.

Theatrical Trailer (3:00)

    A fairly straight forward trailer comprised of memorable scenes from the film, not nearly as cheesy as the trailer on the original disc. The voiceover and characterisations are in English, but are strangely different to those in the actual film - for example, the Puppet Master is a female voice. This trailer is presented in 1.85:1 but is not 16x9 enhanced.

Trailers (2)

        Additional trailers are available for the recently produced sequel Ghost In The Shell 2 (1:11) and Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex (1:19). Neither are 16x9 enhanced.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    The recent Region 1 Special Edition is spread over two discs and includes the following additional features:

    The Region 2 SE only offers the Japanese soundtrack in Dolby Digital 2.0.

    The Japanese Region 2 and Korean Region 3 releases include the same featurettes and many pages of text about the film, but their extras are not English subtitled.

    With such a vast array of audio options (eight soundtracks in total), I would certainly question the video quality of the Region 1 disc. Without doing a direct comparison I'd be hesitant to import this title. Besides, the Region 4 is great.

Summary

    Ghost in the Shell is a landmark animated film. This Special Edition is far superior to the original Region 4 release, making the decision on whether to upgrade an easy one.

    The video transfer is the best we are likely to see.

    The audio transfer is great.

    The extras are informative and worthwhile viewing.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Rob Giles (readen de bio, bork, bork, bork.)
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Review Equipment
DVDDenon DVD-3910, using DVI output
DisplaySanyo PLV-Z2 WXGA projector. Calibrated with Video Essentials/Digital Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 720p.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials/Digital Video Essentials.
AmplificationDenon AVR-2802 Dolby EX/DTS ES Discrete
SpeakersOrpheus Aurora lll Mains (bi-wired), Rears, Centre Rear. Orpheus Centaurus .5 Front Centre. Mirage 10 inch sub.

Other Reviews NONE