DVD Reviews

Ghost In The Shell 2.0 (Blu-Ray)

Ghost in the Shell is possibly my favourite anime of all time so I was very excited to take a look at this release.  I’ll admit, I didn’t know what to expect.  I assumed it was just a blu-ray version of the original film.  Thinking I was going to get to watch an HD quality version of this already beautiful film made me giddy.  What I got however, was a new version of the film with added CG elements and entirely new CG scenes. Not at all what I was expecting.

Set in a re-imagined Hong Kong at a time when cyberspace is expanding into human reality, the story follows top cyberwarrior Major Motoko Kusanagi as she hovers on the border of total immersion in the digital world.

Audio comes in four options. Japanese and English DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1, or Linear PCM Stereo.  While the stereo tracks are very adequate, the DTS tracks are absolutely brilliant. Bass levels are booming, music is beautifully rendered, all the while allowing the dialogue to be clean clear and without distortion. One thing to note is just how well the rear channels are used.  Precise, well thought out, distinct effects make this one of the most enjoyable listens in a long time.

The video for this release is presented with a pretty solid AVC MPEG-4 transfer at 1080p and a 1.78:1 widescreen ratio. The picture is near perfect in the scenes that are entirely CG but doesn’t quite fare as well in the scenes made up of the old school 2d animation. This becomes very striking when switching between the two types of scenes or in scenes where the two animation formats are mixed. This is somewhat expected considering the age of the original film compared to the newly added CG. But this is the best the film has ever looked even when compared to previously released DVDs. There is some banding and shimmering visible at times and the old 2d animation does tend to have some colour bleed, artifacting and some grain but otherwise, the transfer is quite solid. Colours are strong, blacks are very dark and inky and fine detail is very impressive. If you don’t mind the juxtaposition between the two types of animation, this release is the Ghost in the Shell for you.

On top of an already beautiful presentation is a good assortment of extras. The main extra is the original version of Ghost in the Shell. While not 1080p, it is still HD being presented here in 1080i and a very welcome addition in my mind. Next up would be “The Making of Ghost in the Shell – Production Report” which runs almost a half hour in length. The key is to note the “Production Report” as this truly looks like some kind of business report in a similar style as say a Power Point presentation. It features behind-the-scenes, and interviews as well as descriptions of how things were done and how well the end product was received. It looks like it was produced shortly after the film was premiered.  “Creator Biographies” contains write ups for Shirow Masamune and Mamoru Oshii. Apparently nobody else involved in the project was worthy.  There are “Character Bios” for Aramaki, Batou, Ishikawa, Motoko Kusanagi, Nakamury, The Puppet Master and Togusa. Rounding out the extras is a glossary of uncommon and technical scifi terms used in the film as well as the film’s theatrical trailer. Note: The “Commentary by Director Mamoru Oshii and Animation Director Toshihiko Nishikubo with subtitles” that is listed on the packaging is nowhere to be found on the release. “The Making of Ghost in the Shell 2.0” listed on the packaging is not about the 2.0 release but rather the original film (as mentioned above) AND the “Face to face exclusive interview with Director” is not included unless they are referring to interview footage included in the making-of. With this in mind, I wonder if somebody somewhere either included the incorrect extras on the disc or forgot to include the proper extras. The only other explanation is a miscommunication somewhere between the creators of the Blu-ray and the cover art design team.

Ghost in the Shell 2.0 is a highly inferior version when compared to the original Ghost in the Shell but luckily, the original is included here. As far as I know, this release is the only place you can get the original GitS in HD so despite 2.0 being inferior, the extras not being overly fantastic (short of including an entire other film) and the packaging being wrong… I give this release a high must have recommendation for any fan of the Ghost in the Shell franchise. Until the original Ghost in the Shell receives its own Blu-ray (or they release a special/collector’s edition Blu-ray fixing the problems here), this is your best option for owning one of the best animes ever made.

Review By Rob Harding