Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

"When machines learn to feel, who decides what is human..."

2004 1h 40m JA

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 1,035

AnimationDramaScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Cyborg detective Batou is assigned to investigate a series of murders committed by gynoids—doll-like cyborgs, which all malfunctioned, killed, then self-destructed afterwards. The brains of the gynoids initialize in order to protect their manufacturer's software, but in one gynoid, which Batou himself neutralized, one file remains: a voice speaking the phrase "Help me."

“When machines learn to feel, who decides what is human...”

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Cast

Atsuko Tanaka
Motoko Kusanagi (voice)
Akio Otsuka
Batou (voice)
Koichi Yamadera
Togusa (voice)
Tamio Ohki
Section 9 Department Chief Aramaki (voice)
Yutaka Nakano
Ishikawa (voice)
Hiroaki Hirata
Koga (voice)
Masaki Terasoma
Azuma (voice)
Sumi Mutoh
Mysterious Woman (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mamoru Oshii
Writers: Mamoru Oshii
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Ghost in the Shell Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mamoru Oshii, shot by Miki Sakuma. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Kenji Kawai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Sachiko Miki shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Atsuko Tanaka and Akio Otsuka and Koichi Yamadera carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "When machines learn to feel, who decides what is human...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0347246 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mamoru Oshii directs. Miki Sakuma behind the camera. Kenji Kawai scores. Sachiko Miki cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 22 years ago.
2Part of the "Ghost in the Shell Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Mamoru Oshii, shot by Miki Sakuma. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Kenji Kawai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Sachiko Miki shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Atsuko Tanaka and Akio Otsuka and Koichi Yamadera carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "When machines learn to feel, who decides what is human...".
8IMDB entry: tt0347246 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 12 themes, including "future", "android", "cyborg", "elite unit".
10Released under 37 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Miki Sakuma
Original score: Kenji Kawai
Editing: Sachiko Miki
Production design: Yohei Taneda
VFX supervisor: Hisashi Ezura
Sound: Randy Thom
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $10,079,829
Original language: JA
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)

Awards

Animation Kobe Theatrical Film Award
Nihon SF Taisho Award

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Ghost in the Shell Collection

Two animated films based on the original manga have been released, both directed by Mamoru Oshii and animated by Production I.G. Ghost in the Shell was released in 1995 and follows the "Puppet Master" storyline from the manga. It was re-released in 2008 as Ghost in the Shell 2.0 with new audio and updated 3D computer graphics in certain scenes. Innocence, otherwise known as Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, was released in 2004, with its story based on a chapter from the first manga.