While wandering various networks, he became sentient and began to contemplate his existence. The Puppet Master explains to Kusanagi that he was created by Section 6. Her partner Batou arrives in time to save her and helps connect her brain to the Puppet Master's. Anxious to face the Puppet Master's ghost, Kusanagi engages the tank without backup, resulting in her body being mostly dismembered as she attempts to pull open the hatch. Kusanagi follows the car carrying the shell to an abandoned building, where it is guarded by a robotic, spider-like tank. Facing the discovered information, Daisuke Aramaki, chief of Section 9, concludes that Section 6 created the Puppet Master for various political purposes, and now seeks to reclaim the body that it currently inhabits. Meanwhile, Section 9 researches "Project 2501", which was mentioned earlier by the Puppet Master, and finds a connection with Daita, whom Section 6 tries to keep from defecting the country. Having suspected foul play, Kusanagi's team is prepared and immediately pursues the agent. After the Puppet Master initiates a brief argument about what constitutes a human, a camouflaged agent accompanying Nakamura starts a diversion and steals the shell. The shell reactivates itself, claims to be a sentient being, and requests political asylum. He claims that the ghost inside is the Puppet Master himself, lured into the shell by Section 6. Unexpectedly, Section 6's department chief Nakamura arrives to reclaim the shell with permit from the foreign minister. As Section 9 examines the shell, they find a human ghost inside it. As it escapes, the shell, a lady on the highway, is hit by a truck. Megatech Body, a shell manufacturer with suspected close ties to the government, is hacked and assembles a shell, which was licensed by the government itself. However, both are only ghost-hacked individuals with no clue about the Puppet Master, so the investigation again comes to a dead end. After a chase, they capture a garbage man and a thug. Believing the perpetrator to be the mysterious Puppet Master, Kusanagi's team follows the traced telephone calls that sent the virus. The Foreign Minister's interpreter is ghost-hacked, presumably to assassinate VIPs in an upcoming meeting. Following a request from Nakamura, chief of Section 6, she successfully assassinates a diplomat of a foreign country to prevent a programmer named Daita from defecting. Major Motoko Kusanagi is an assault-team leader for Public Security Section 9 of "New Port City" in Japan. An often-mentioned term is "ghost," referring to the consciousness inhabiting the body (the "shell"). Another significant achievement is the cyberbrain, a mechanical casing for the human brain that allows access to the Internet and other networks. In 2029, with the advancement of cybernetic technology, the human body can be augmented or even completely replaced with cybernetic parts. Oshii directed Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, released in 2004, which was billed as a separate work and a non-canonical sequel. James Cameron described it as "the first truly adult animation film to reach a level of literary and visual excellence." The film received numerous accolades and was nominated five Annie Award categories (including Best Animated Feature) in 24th Annie Awards, making it the most nominations for a Japanese animated film ever at the awards.Īn updated version of the film, Ghost in the Shell 2.0, was released in 2008, featuring newly added digital effects, additional 3D animation and new audio. It inspired filmmakers such as the Wachowskis, creators of the Matrix films. Since then, it has grown in esteem and is now considered to be one of the best anime and science-fiction films of all time. The film was initially considered a box-office failure before developing a cult following on home video. Upon release, Ghost in the Shell received positive reviews, with critics praising its narrative, visuals, and musical score. The film's visuals were created through a combination of traditional cel animation and CGI animation. The music, composed by Kenji Kawai, includes vocals in classical Japanese. The narrative incorporates philosophical themes that focus on self-identity in a technologically advanced world. The film is set in 2029 Japan and follows Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg public-security agent, who hunts an enigmatic hacker/ghost known as the Puppet Master. It is a Japanese-British international co-production, executive produced by Kodansha, Bandai Visual and Manga Entertainment, with animation provided by Production I.G. It stars the voices of Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Ōtsuka, and Iemasa Kayumi. The film is based on the manga of the same name by Masamune Shirow. Ghost in the Shell is a 1995 adult animated neo-noir cyberpunk thriller film directed by Mamoru Oshii and adapted by frequent Oshii collaborator Kazunori Itō.