Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence: Special Edition (Inosensu: Kôkaku kidôtai) (2004)

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General		Extras
Category	Anime	Main Menu Audio & Animation Audio Commentary-Mamoru Oshii (Director) And Toshihiko Nishikubo (An. Dir.) Featurette-Making Of Interviews-Crew-Australian Interview With Mamoru Oshii (Director) Interviews-Crew-Australian Interview With Mitsuhisa Ishikawa (Producer) Interviews-Crew-UK Interview With Mamoru Oshii (Director) Bonus Episode-Ghost In The Shell:Stand Alone Complex-Episode 1 Trailer-Ghost In The Shell Collection Trailer-Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum Collection Trailer-Kyo Kara Maoh! Volume 1, Cowboy Bebop Remix Vol 1 Reversible Cover
Rating
Year Of Production	2004
Running Time	95:45
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (69:30) Dual Disc Set	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Mamoru Oshii
Studio Distributor	Go Fish Pictures Madman Entertainment	Starring	Akio Ôtsuka Atsuko Tanaka Kôichi Yamadera Tamio Ôki Yutaka Nakano Naoto Takenaka
Case	Amaray-Opaque-Dual-Secure Clip
RPI	$34.95	Music	Kenji Kawai

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Japanese Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) English dts 5.1 (768Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired English English Audio Commentary	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    Mamoru Oshii's Innocence is an extension of the themes he explored in 1995's Ghost In The Shell. Like its predecessor, this film questions the existence of a human soul and its relevance in an ever advancing, technology-obsessed society. During the nine years between these films he directed Avalon, an engaging live-action drama filmed in Poland with a locally harvested cast. His return to anime surprised me, as I would have expected a director of his calibre to continue in the live-action realm. Anyhow, those who enjoyed the first film and its TV spinoff Stand Alone Complex will not be disappointed with this expansion of the franchise.

    Innocence is set three years after the first film, with Batou's former partner Major Kusanagi still officially listed as 'missing in action'. Batou and his new partner are dispatched to investigate a series of cold-blooded murders that involve malfunctioning companionship robots called Gynoids. The Gynoids are flipping out and butchering their owners at an increasing rate, but what appears to be a run-of-mill murder case harbours a deeper, more sinister conspiracy. The investigation will lead Batou through Yakuza gangs, dodgy politicians and cunning hackers, ultimately leading to a brief encounter with the one he has been seeking for the last three years. The lines between reality and imagination are blurred once again and as viewers we are left with a lot of pondering to do.

    This sequel has a slightly different pace in comparison to the original film, with a greater emphasis on emotive inspiration and decidedly more prophetic meandering. But have no fear, there is plenty of superb action between the preachy bits - in fact, this film sports some of the most breathtaking digital animation I have seen. In a similar fashion to the original film, Oshii has once again blended hand-drawn and CG animation seamlessly to create a unique visual experience. Fans of anime won't want to miss this.

    On the whole, my first impressions of this film combine awe with a little bewilderment. This response is not unlike my initial reaction to the first film, which I now adore. There is a lot to absorb here and Oshii clearly has some very profound philosophies to portray, but in my opinion this is the kind of experience that requires a certain level of patience that can only be afforded by mature viewers. Immerse yourself, and enjoy.

Video

    The feature has been faithfully transferred to DVD, preserving its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. 16x9 enhancement is included. I'm happy to report that this is a great-looking PAL transfer.

    The digital animation exhibits a superb degree of fine detail at times, but has a very soft appearance at others. I'm almost certain this represents an artistic choice on the part of the director, however it does come across as a little inconsistent nonetheless. Colour rendering appears rich and vibrant, with deep, powerful black levels. There was no low level noise evident in the transfer.

    Compression artefacting is present to a minor degree, unfortunately. I noted examples of MPEG grain present in most expanses of single shaded colour, such as the jacket in the foreground at 9:50. I didn't see a single speck of dirt or film artefact throughout, which leads me to believe this transfer has been sourced from the digital master.

    Three English subtitle streams are included on the disc. The first is for the Hard Of Hearing and a second provides your typical translation. The third translates the Japanese Audio Commentary. All three streams are rendered in a yellow font that is easy to read. The commentary subtitles are much smaller in size.

    Disc one is dual layered, with a layer transition placed during the feature at 69:30. This is a relatively quiet moment between scenes that shouldn't prove too obtrusive. Disc two is in DVD5 format (single layered).

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    There are four soundtracks accompanying this film on DVD, one of which is a Japanese language audio commentary. The default soundtrack is English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s). The film's original Japanese dub is included (Dolby Digital 5.1, 448Kb/s), as well as an English dts option (768Kb/s). I listened to the default and Japanese language soundtracks in their entirety and sampled the dts option periodically. It is interesting to note that this film was screened theatrically with Japanese Dolby Digital EX and dts-es surround sound.

    The cover slick incorrectly lists the dts soundtrack as 6.1. The dts soundtrack is encoded with 5.1 channels of audio and does not contain any discrete surround back information, nor is the dts stream flagged as such.

    The English dialogue is relatively easy to understand despite the numerous vocal effects that have been applied. I'm able to comprehend very little Japanese, however the Japanese dialogue seemed to be slightly more obscured by vocal effects which made it harder to discern overall. The only area where I felt that audio sync was lacking was the English soundtrack. It isn't often an issue for me while watching anime, however I found the lip sync quite poor in the English dubbed soundtrack in this case. Also, I felt that some English dialogue was blurted too quickly, in order to keep up with the mouth movements. One consolation is that the voice characterisations seem to be fairly consistent with the first film, which is a nice bit of continuity.

    The surround channels are constantly active in all three audio options. From dedicated effects such as passing vehicles to simple atmospherics, these soundtracks are as much an experience as the superb visuals. The score is similarly enveloping, in particular the very percussive opening titles. I noted that character vocalisations are generally confined to the front soundstage, however there are several moments where certain digital vocal effects give a broad dispersion of sound that extends to the rear channels.

    As is often the case with anime titles, the choice of soundtrack will be a matter of personal preference. I'm finding myself torn between the English dts and the Japanese language soundtrack for a number of reasons. The English dts soundtrack contains a great deal of depth and superior surround activity, but the poor lip sync is an irritant for me in this case. In the future, I can see myself sticking with the Japanese audio.

    Kenji Kawai's score is comparable to the original film, with grand, melodic choral pieces that evoke all manner of emotion in the viewer. The musical passages are a little more developed in this film, extending to complex, almost frenetic percussive segues between the more emotive, slower scenes.

    The LFE channel is utilised tastefully in the three soundtrack options to augment all manner of effects, most notably vehicles, gunfire and explosions. I was particularly pleased to hear the subwoofer kick in during the deep drums in the soundtrack score. As you would expect, the dts option gave the greatest noticeable output and depth in this regard.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Menu Animation & Audio

Disc One

Audio Commentary- Mamoru Oshii (Director) & Toshihiko Nishikubo (Animation Director)

    This Japanese language commentary is subtitled in English, which means viewers can listen to the soundtrack of their choice and, if they wish, treat the commentary as an informational subtitle stream. The two men cover a lot of ground as they discuss budgetary and time constraints, the animation process and the many difficult choices that were made while developing the story. They often ask each other for opinions on certain scenes and are quite open with their views, even if they are a little contrary at times. This is a very worthwhile and informative commentary for fans of the Ghost In The Shell films.

Trailers (5)

    An assortment of Madman trailers (preceded by anti-piracy propaganda) for The Count Of Monte Cristo Vol. 1 (1:45), Godzilla- Final Wars (0:55), Howl's Moving Castle (0:30), Jasper Morello (1:26) and Millennium Actress (1:05).

Disc Two

Featurette- Making of Innocence (16:02)

    We meet some of the Japanese cast and look at the film's imagery, both CG and hand drawn. Kenji Kawai briefly discusses his musical contribution, followed by some clips of the dialogue being recorded under the supervision of Mamoru Oshii. The short featurette closes with a brief look at Toshio Suzuki and Studio Ghibli's contribution, and finally the film's premiere at Cannes. This featurette is not 16x9 enhanced.

Interview- Mamoru Oshii (Director) (6:34)

    In this Australian exclusive, the Director discusses what drove him to create a sequel, and his thoughts on the film's theme and design. This featurette is 16x9 enhanced.

Interview- Mitsuhisa Ishikawa (Producer) (7:49)

    Touted as another Australian exclusive, Production I.G. President Ishikawa discusses how the company was founded, his thoughts on the Ghost In The Shell franchise and the impact of advancements in animation technology. This featurette is 16x9 enhanced.

Interview- Mamoru Oshii (Director) (23:52)

    In this UK interview, the Director shares his opinion on foreign language dubbing of his films and describes his influences, citing Blade Runner as "unsurpassable". He does come across as a bit of an eccentric, though. For example, when asked why he believes Japanese anime is so popular in the west, he dismisses the phenomenon as "a misunderstanding". A weird perception, don't you think? Given the abstract nature of many anime titles, most of all his own, I would expect him to be elated at the success the genre has enjoyed.

    Although it is presented in 1.78:1, this featurette is not 16x9 enhanced.

Trailers- Ghost In The Shell Trailer Collection (11:02)

    A trailer reel covering both western and Japanese promos for the original film, the Stand Alone Complex series and Innocence. The Japanese trailers are of a very slow pace in comparison to the western ones. These trailers are not 16x9 enhanced.

Bonus Episode- Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Episode 1 (25:15)

    This is the first episode in the Stand Alone Complex TV series, and makes for interesting viewing. The episode is presented with both English and Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) audio, which can be changed on the fly. English subtitles are also optional. The video looks very nice, is presented in an aspect of 1.85:1 and is 16x9 enhanced. Includes a short, but humorous Tachikomatic Days! piece at the end.

Trailers (3)

    More Madman DVD trailers (preceded by anti-piracy propaganda) for Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum Collection (1:25), Kyo Kara Maoh! Vol. 1 (1:50) and Cowboy Bebop Remix Vol. 1 (1:37).

Reversible Cover Slick

    The alternate cover art omits the ratings logos, and the sulky dog. It's easily my preferred.

    Two-Disc (NTSC) Special Editions in both Japan (Region 2) and Region 3 contain Japanese dts-es audio and English subtitles.

    The Region 2 UK (PAL) release is interesting. The 2-disc package contains the same feature on each disc; one with English and Japanese audio in Dolby Digital 5.1, the second with both languages in dts. Unfortunately, some reviews cite a poor placement of the layer transition on both discs, which can omit dialogue on some players. This release is missing our additional interviews and features a different Stand Alone Complex episode, from the second season.

    I'm content with the local release, however if given the choice I would prefer the dts audio to be presented in the film's original dub, like the Region 4 Ghost In The Shell Special Edition.

    The video transfer is great.

    The audio transfer is excellent.

    The extras are worthwhile.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall