If you know what the word "anime" is, you probably have heard of, or likely watched, the 1995 film "Ghost in the Shell." But the movie has a sequel that most people haven't seen: "Ghost in the Shell 2 - Innocence." Not to be confused with the similarly named re-edit "Ghost in the Shell 2.0," "Innocence" had an existing pedigree to hold up to, the sequel was given a larger budget, and director Mamoru Oshii returned to challenge himself and rewrite what a sequel could be.Long story short, "Innocence" isn't quite the classic that the original was, but is still an incredible film that out-does the original purely out of technical merit. It's a beautiful and lavish film, utilizing the best CGI technology had to offer, and surprisingly, incorporating it well with the 2D characters. The animation itself is significantly improved over the first film, and arguably over any other animated film, and not shying away from complex camera movement while 2D characters are still in frame. And there are some great set-pieces, from the outdoor parade to the indoor clock maze. If nothing else, I would recommend watching the film simply to SEE it.The story is also an accomplishment, although I struggle to write what that accomplishment was. The world of "Ghost in the Shell" is vast and with many opportunities to branch out, but still tends to rely heavily on Makoto (aka the Major) as its lead. But (SPOILER ALERT) in the first movie, Makoto seemingly disappears, and her old crewmembers Batou and Togusa remain to lead Section 9 against crimes in a futuristic Japan. Batou is undoubtable the lead, and we see a fascianting character in him. But even though director Oshii tried to market this as a stand-alone movie, knowing who Makoto is and what happened to her is crucial, right up to her "appearance" in the final act of the sequel. It's a strange story that is philosophically more ambitious than the original, but still feels insecure enough to shoe-horn a fan-favorite character.
Those philosophical discussions also go a bit overboard here, as most of the mental questions not only don't have answers, but don't even have anything to do with the story. I only still think the film to be fun to watch because of the animation, not necessarily the plot. Aside from the impressive production values in the visuals, the English dub is notably improved over the old dub in the first film, thanks to more modern appreciation and more seasoned actors used to these roles (both from the original film and the television series spawned around this time). That dub was actually not a sure thing: "Innocence" was originally released in a cheap (but watchable) subtitle-only DVD by Go Fish in North America, a short-lived experiment in distribution by Dreamworks. Manga UK and Bandai Entertainment would each make the dub and release the film again years later, but this would quickly go out of print. Only in 2017 would the movie be easily available again, thanks to Funimation (I had instead imported a cheap UK Bluray of the film, which was accidently made to be region-free). I understand that most people will not think as highly of "Innocence" as they would the original "Ghost in the Shell," being a little too self-indulgent to enjoy or to understand. But even with the audio turned clean off, this is a great movie, beautiful in its complexity.