To this day, the original Ghost In The Shell movie is rightly lauded as one of the greatest examples of anime outside the family-friendly Ghibli ouevre. It's a visually stunning work of animation with a complex, mature approach to the philosophical subtexts revolving around the nature of consciousness and the insidious effect of technology on society and culture. Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence continues the philosophical probity and ups the ante in the visuals stakes, taking off from where the first film ended with policeman Batou teaming up with Togusa as they investigate malfunctioning, murderous sex-doll robots. Innocence features some truly exceptional imagery, the cityscapes and the cyborgs which inhabit it are brought vividly to life. Yet critics lambasted the film for its alleged pretentiousness and it failed to even make back half of its budget. Certainly, the wealth and breadth of ideas on display are daunting - everything from Buddha and the Old Testament through to Plato and Richard Dawkins gets thrown into the mix in one way or another - but repeated viewings tease out these strands and connect them in a far more coherent manner than many critics would claim. Innocence sank into relative obscurity when it really should have joined the previous installment in the limelight.
