After rewatching both the 1995 and Innocense back to back after recently finishing the Arise series, you come to appreciate the relationships between the characters more and the emotional impacts of it. For Batou, Motoko isn't just a friend, she was more akin to his significant other and you understand his grief even more in Innocense. I've seen it in real life, a man loses his wife, shuns out the world, stoicism/nihilism, and lives for nothing other than his work and dog. And him questioning the meaning of life and existentialism, like how Motoko did.

Batou is looking for answers to why Motoko left him, where she had gone and is she happy. And at the end when she says that she will forever be by his side gives him some closure and acceptance. In his own way, he had found some solace in continuing to live on. In some ways, I envy Batou because unlike in the real world you don't get closure directly from the dearly departed.

just a random tidbit: the parade scene is a stylized version of "Bajiajiang" or Eight Generals, 8 deities in charge of punishing sinners and demons. A folk religion in southern China and Taiwan, considered fringe (as opposed to main stream confusion beliefs). So the parade ties into the movie's theme of guardian angel, punishing "ghosts" and has the added benefit of being creepy as hell.

Not something I watch casually, it’s always an event. The cgi used to bother me a little bit, now I feel that it gives it a weight and a depth that enhances the experience.

Funnily enough, despite my complete adoration of the original, Innocence still sits as my most favourite film of all time. Just the world building and the sheer brutality and realism of the story stand out from so many of its competitors.

It's also enjoyable to have a crime plot in which the characters essentially know that Locus Solus are at fault but have nothing more than circumstantial evidence, and it's their task to find a more damning piece to this puzzle. Whilst also keeping a couple of smaller twists and turns to keep the viewer on edge.

Good review. Innocence is underrated as hell - my favorite both of Oshii's work and of the larger GitS franchise.

It wasn't until my most recent time watching the film that I realized the significance of the final shot: Batou holding his dog is being juxtaposed with Togusa's daughter holding the doll (or even Togusa holding his daughter holding the doll). Is the dog Batou's companion, or merely a projection of himself, like the doll? Are children the same way, as Haraway suggested? Now there's a provocative final image.

''maybe we shouldn't try to recreate ghost in the shell, it's optimal as it is'' (15:00)
Hollywood: WE NEED MONEY

yeah, i actually felt the same way. it felt very slow-paced but at the same time if you stopped paying attention for a second you'd get lost. it felt very strange to watch, really creepy at times, but enjoyable. It was something very different from the kind of films i ususally watch and i honestly expected something quite different, but I was not disappointed by the movie at all. change is good :)

I really enjoyed your analysis, it helped me put the missing pieces back into the puzzle.

Also, the soundtrack of the PSX game is a delicious '90 acid techno that makes this universe perfect.

Great perspective on a confusingly subtle Oshii world.

This movie is one of my favorites. I've seen it multiple times and each time I discover something new about it. Your analysis of the films structure helps make it make more sense than before. I never picked up on the grief angle, but I did get the "lonely" bit. It makes much more sense that he's grieving the loss of the Major. I always felt is was something more complex but it was pretty basic. Can't believe I missed that.

I watched innocence expecting a simple sequel. I did not expect the journey I went on watching this movie lol. I love it

How the hell am I just finding this video now??? You've perfectly encapsulated the core essence of Innocence. Excellently made video. GitS 2 is probably my favourite movie of all time.

You really said everything perfectly. The Kim’s mansion scenes is pretty terrifying for me. The plot building to that point is so good that I had to rewind twice for Kim’s mansion scenes. I didn’t notice about the grief theme, the darkness surrounding Batou after Major left

This is still the best anime 18 years on. So I am comfortable to say that this is the best anime of all time in this particular genre of it. Thanks for this video. It continues to be underrated in 2022 and I wish for people to talk more about it. It is simply amazing.

"It's as if by magic it's still good."
Netflix trailer for Ghost in the shell 2024 releases
".... never mind."

Rewatching this in theaters ive come to appreciate it on another level. Besides the incredible, dense, and profound writing,  the cinematography is incredible,theres a whole story in those "camera" angles. Specifically those uncomfortable, unflattering, slightly off center shots with the characters looking right at the "camera".

I had never noticed that almost every scene in the movie takes place at night. I love the themes in Oshii's work, they're so subtle but yet overpowering. They pervade the entirety of the movie but still remain elusive when you try and pin them down.  Great analysis!

ICYMI: June 2024, Ghost in the Shell 2 in theaters for 20th anniversary: https://gkids.com/films/ghost-in-the-shell-2-innocence/

Great video. Innocence is a run-away favorite of mine, glad to see some high-quality content about it.

I think the reason Innocence gets such a hard time compared to the original (even though I think Innocence is the superior film) is due to the sheer quantity and density of exposition in the film. Oshii is extremely bold in directly referencing his influences here, which in my mind is canon in the cyberpunk genre, but unlike the original this buries much of the plot in dense slow-rolling scenes which themselves are almost impossible to understand without taking the time to understand the references. Oshii seems to revel in this exposition, and layers it onto every scene using every cinematic trick he can, everything seems to stem from this obsession with placing the themes in context, while leaving the physical story as bare-bones as possible.

An example of this is when Batu picks up the one abnormal book in the murdered Locus Solus employees house; we are presented with Hans Bellmers doll; a key visual reference, the eroticism of Bellmers work translated into film via Oshiis own dolls (during the title sequence he outright copies at least 2 Bellmer sculptures). This book is then opened and we are presented with Korean text; telling us the next destination yet never explicitly stating it. Breadcrumbs, breadcrumbs all over the god-damn carpet! For some this is frustrating, unlike the original which is very clear in its direction; but for me I can't get enough.

I could go on for hours about Innocence, many words could be written about each scene, but I'll just surmise why I loved Innocence as a sequel and why I think it's a phenomenal film:

If GitS is a cinematic exploration of how our environment, far from being merely created by us, necessarily must change us: then perhaps it's fair to say that Innocence is a film about how our culture, rather than merely mirroring us, should act as a catalyst for propelling our view of the world forward. In that sense, just as the major transcended physical space so has the series and Oshii's exploration of the GitS universe.

Nicely made analysis. I always liked Innocence more than the first movie. It has so much details and philosophy packed in. Everytime I watch it I grasp something new that makes me contemplate.

Btw they should do another GITS again with Oshii or Kamiyama. Arise was just unimaginative franchise milking.