This is one of the most intelligent animations that I have ever seen. It is amazing that it is still relevant and futuristic 20 years later. The level of detail in the animation is exceptional. I will have to watch it a few times to appreciate all of the cinematography. The depth of the blurring between human thought, genetics, Cyber enhancement, computers, networking, AI, and the germ of being is still relevant today.

It is the year 2029. Technology has advanced so far that cyborgs are commonplace. In addition, human brains can direct to the internet directly. Major Motoko Kasunagi is an officer in Section 9, an elite, secretive police division that deals with special operations, including counter terrorism and cyber crime. She is currently on the trail of the Puppet Master, a cyber criminal who hacks into the brains of cyborgs in order to obtain information and to commit other crimes.Entertaining movie. Intriguing plot with decent development. Good action scenes and great CGI. Covers some interesting themes too, including the theme that always comes in cyborg/robot movies, sentience and what it means to be human.Not brilliant though. Many scenes feel like your average action- thriller at times, with the conventional car chases and the like. The whole sentience theme is nothing new (see Blade Runner, for example) and feels underdeveloped here.Moreover, the ending is quite open-ended and anticlimactic. I was hoping for something more profound, or, at least, conclusive.Good, but not great.

It's a masterpiece of film, cyberpunk and animation. Stylish, dirty, deep, shallow, melancholy or chaotic it's always engrossing and beautiful. It captures a living complex world so lovingly, with characters and relationships that hide so many details the deeper you delve. Truly a classic piece of futurist art.

I saw the trailer for the Scarlett Johansson live action movie, that looked like a Blade Runner style movie, it looked fantastic, and then I found out it was a remake, this is the original Japanese anime movie, based on the popular manga comics. Basically in the year 2029, in Japan, advancement in cybernetic technology have allowed the human body to be "augmented" or even completely replaced with cybernetic parts, a significant achievement is the cyberbrain, a mechanical casing for the human brain, with access to the Internet and other networks, the consciousness is referred to as a "ghost", and the body is referred to as the "shell". Major Motoko Kusanagi (Mimi Woods) is an assault- team leader for the Public Security Section 9 of "New Port City", she successful assassinates a diplomat of a foreign country, following a request from Chief Nakamura (Simon Prescott) of Section 6, to prevent programmer Daita from defecting. The Foreign Minister's interpreter is ghost-hacked, the perpetrator is believed to be the mysterious Puppet Master (Abe Lasser), Kusanagi's team trace telephone calls to investigate the virus, but they end capturing a garbage man and a thug who were ghost-hacked and have no clue about the Puppet Master. The investigation is at a dead end, but "shell" manufacturer Megatech Body, with suspected close ties to the government, is hacked, and a cybernetic body is assembled, the body escapes, but is hit by a truck. Section 9 examine the body, they find a human "ghost" inside its computer brain, it may be the Puppet Master himself, the body reactivates and requests political asylum, it argues what constitutes being human, then a camouflaged agent creates a diversion that allows the body, with Nakamura, to escape. Kusanagi's team suspected foul play, they prepare and immediately pursue the agent, "Project 2501", mentioned by the Puppet Master, is investigated by Section 6, a connection with Daita is found, Chief of Section 9, Daisuke Aramaki (William Frederick), concludes that Section 6 created the Puppet Master itself, and are trying desperately to reclaim the body. Kusanagi follows the vehicle carrying the body to an abandoned building, she is anxious to face the Puppet Master's ghost, she is nearly killed engaging with the walking tank protecting the body, her partner Batou (Richard Epcar) is in time to save her, and connect her brain to the Puppet Master's. The Puppet Master explains to Kusanagi that he was created by Section 6, wandered various networks, became sentient, and contemplated his existence, deciding the essence of humanity is reproduction and mortality, he wants to exist within a physical brain that will eventually die, he downloaded himself into a cybernetic body to escape Section 6's network. The Puppet Master sees that he and Kusangi have a lot in common, he believes she also questions her humanity, he proposes merging their ghosts, Kusanagi would gain all of his capabilities in return, she agrees. Snipers from Section 6 approach the building, intending to cover up Project 2501 by destroying the Puppet Master's and Kusanagi's brains, the shell of the Puppet Master is destroyed, but Kusanagi's head and her brain is saved in time being shielded by Batou, Section 9 closes in and the snipers retreat. "Kusanagi" wakes up in a new cyborg body in Batou's safe house, she tells him that the entity within her body is neither Kusanagi nor the Puppet Master, it is a combination of both, she promises Batou they will meet again, before leaving the house, and wondering where to go. Also starring Christopher Joyce as Togusa, Michael Sorich as Ishikawa and Bryan Cranston as Dr. Willis. The breakthrough movie based on manga was Akira, this follows with a an equally hypnotic experience, if you really concentrate, you can just about understand what is going on, the traditional hand-drawn animation is magnificent, especially surprising with the amount of nudity, gory violence and exciting action sequences, and accompanied by great music by Kenji Kawai, a most worthwhile animated science fiction. Very good!