Ghost in the Shell: Oshii Mamoru’s classic anime ostensibly tells the story of a manhunt for a cyber-terrorist but as all competent science-fiction, it deals with much more; in this case the concept of soul and therefore, humanity. However, one can’t shake the feeling that this film is the introduction to a universe, which it effectively is (at least in the audiovisual media). Also, it gets exposition-heavy at times, which hinders the overall pace of the film. The animation is gorgeous: the city where the action is located has all the earmarks of the genre, a mix of the new and the traditional, and looks spectacular. The characters are well-designed, very distinctive and recognizable. The animation in the action sequences is particularly fluid. Voice acting is solid. Composer Kawai Kenji’s musical score is quite unusual for the genre, mixing traditional-sounding instruments with eerie vocals.