When it comes to Ghost in the Shell, I wouldn't necessarily say I am a die hard fan,though I would describe myself as an avid appreciator of the franchise. I own each of the movies, including Solid State Society and the 25th anniversary edition, and each of the comic books, including Human-Error Processor. Now, despite the original Border, Ghost Pain, failing to live up to initial expectations, Ghost Whispers certainly makes up for it. Having introduced the characters and their personalities during Ghost Pain, the second feature is free to crank up the entertainment, which ironically reflects Motoko's character. No longer connected to the 501, she describes herself as been a freelance operative, which for me, was reminiscent of her working position during Shirow Masamune's Drive Slave, where she was instead going by the name 'Chroma'.

Moving on, much like Ghost Pain, this feature does not abide by any previous conceptions that have been made about the characters. During Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig, Motoko, Batou, Ichikawa and Saito each met during the non-nuclear war, the Major's brilliant performance as an on the field tactician, convincing each of the others to work with her again when Section 9 was conceived, a back-story that is essentially torn to ribbons. By contrasting Ghost Whispers with previous installments in the franchise, it is doubtful the film will ever successfully measure up, however, as a stand alone project, it certainly never ceases to entertain.

The team dynamics, alongside the occasional use of humor and the smart-ass comments which Motoko sometimes makes, reflect the feel of Masamune's comics. This commonality makes the feature feel more believable than its predecessor when been analyzed in accordance with the Ghost in the Shell universe. The colors used throughout Ghost Whispers are all very beautiful and exceptionally detailed, the greens, blues and reds especially looking flawless. The sparks which erupt the moment a bullet slams or ricochets off an object are a nice touch in immersing the project with more richly detailed action scenes, that are further emphasized with the gorgeous explosions.

By taking advantage of slow motion techniques on occasion, not only do the developers allow the audience more time to enjoy the fight scenes, but to concentrate on specifics, many details been fundamental in understanding the story. On top of this, the camera work, which at one point is from the point of view of a motorbike tearing along the highway is truly a work of brilliance, and despite this been animated, the techniques employed sometimes makes you forget for a second that you are not instead experiencing a live action occurrence.

Unlike in Ghost Pain, the Logicoma unit has a far larger role, and remains as adorably cute as the Tachikoma's in both Masamune's comic, and the Stand Alone Complex series. Moreover, the scenes where the Logicoma glides around the city like spider-man, are great to behold. On top of this, seeing Paz in a more prominent role than we have previously in other Ghost in the Shell adaptations grants the audience the opportunity to appreciate his character, although the heightened senses in his nostrils never receive a mention.

As with Ghost Pain, the beginning and concluding themes do not offer the viewer the same amount of pleasure as soundtracks from previous creations, though the soundtrack during Ghost Whispers really contributes to the action scenes. The music, reminiscent of disco and retro themes, reflect the soundtracks of eighties science fiction titles, and helps connect the viewer with the kind of world that Masamune was perhaps envisioning when he first created the manga. The action scenes, which include a battle involving a transforming tank, and a couple of high speed chase scenarios, never feel forced or out of place, and despite the level of blood been perhaps minimalistic, the amount of severed limbs we get to appreciate is really quite astronomical.

The story has a similar feel to some of the creations penned by Masamune's hand, although the decision to title the project Ghost Whispers seems a little bewildering. The act of a ghost whispering, although often discussed in other titles, is a rarity in this feature, and eventually when a character openly discusses this particular topic, it feels a little forced, as though it were inserted for the purpose of been inserted. Although fans of the franchise may hypothesize their own ideas from the limited information obtained, it would have been nice to flesh out the notion of a ghost whispering, especially as this is the title of the project.

In conclusion, Ghost Whispers is a really fun ride, and though it may not live up to the movies by Mamoru Oshii, or Stand Alone Complex, the storyline is reminiscent of what audiences would hope to expect from the franchise. In contrast with Ghost Pain, it is a great step forward, and if the following two Borders are able to continue along a similar vein, this should hopefully prove to be a worthwhile edition to add to your Ghost in the Shell collection.

Prequels are usually pointless, telling story lines that we already know and cashing-in on the popularity of previous films. If you look at it from this perspective, which I am, prequels are often lazy attempts to milk that cash cow dry!

Any new GITS (haha, gits) variation, therefore, is always going to be compared to what came before it - supposedly what comes after it. The original films by Mamoru Oshii are standards by which a lot of anime is set, complemented by the two strong 'GITS: Stand Alone Complex' series by Kenji Kamiyama. So, as I've stated I'm going to do this, I will compare the new incarnations to the previous works, because I'm like that.

To start, the look of the animation and character design is very much more aligned with the 'Stand Alone Complex' TV series and this is not necessarily a bad thing. The lead characters have obviously been designed to look younger, with the greatest age difference seeming to come in Major Kusunagi's character, looking more like an obnoxious schoolgirl than anything.

Secondly: the sound. Whether the previous films or TV series, the music has always been strong in 'Ghost in the Shell', but here it is altogether more bizarre. 'Stand Alone Complex' had good music, but was a big step down from Kenji Kawai's original soundtracks. And the 'GITS: Arise' offerings are a further step down. The opening credits are what sounds like the result of a fan staying up all night on their computer with some completely non-descript pieces throughout. With the opening credits, immediately you feel that this is not going to be as good as what came before.

Lastly, the story lines: With both 'Border 1: Ghost Pain' and 'Border 2: Ghost Whispers', the story lines are quite political and quite uninteresting. Neither particularly grabs the attention and can lead to moments of distraction along the way. Perhaps the problem is the duration of these prequels. At around fifty minutes each, they do not offer the ability to delve as deep as the films, nor offer bite-size story lines in a more grand arc, like 'Stand Alone Complex'.

For me, this is probably the key failing. Oshii's films were visual feasts, offering moments of reflection and philosophy in between lavish pieces of animation, getting into the psychology of its characters. The two TV series also developed interesting story lines over their twenty- six episodes. Depth and detail are what made 'Ghost in the Shell' so interesting. 'Arise' just seems to lack this a little.

All-in-all, the 'Arise' series of prequels just doesn't create enough interest, other than being a new take on a well-established franchise. They will always be compared to what came before them: it will always happen. One can only hope the next instalment, 'Ghost Tears' will offer something more. But currently, they feel little more than a couple of 'GITS: SAC' episodes - and not particularly your favourites - that don't do quite enough to stand alone.

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Major Makoto Kusanagi comes to the life on the screen again with excellent writing from Shirow Masamune and top notch animation from Production I.G. This latest installment of the Ghost in the Shell stories is another excellent chapter. The Major may look different from earlier episodes but it is the same voice actress who played the Major in the original film although not in the TV series or later films. The story takes takes place in the past which is why the Major and Aramaki look younger. During a nation wide hacking crisis threatening the lives of millions of Japanese people, the Major and her trusty tachikoma (armored mobile AI) battle against military cyborg units in real space over control of the Net. Cyber brains galore and everyone is infected with viruses. In the midst of the battles allies become enemies and enemies become allies as the Major begins the selection process for the team members of Section Nine (elite government anti hacking unit). I'd like to tell more of the plot but I wouldn't want to reveal the surprise ending that has a great twist and leaves you wanting more only to drool to the idea that the story is not over yet! (keep watching after the credits are done)

I loved it! Great music and lots of action and a brilliant thinking person's mystery whodunit, cyborg robot battles, and car chases oh my! This movie's got it in spades. The direction was well paced and the voice actors were very good. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who loves science fiction, art, animation, and also anyone who just loves a simple mystery story that challenges you to more than just a few simple emotions but also has more food for the brain than any animated films being produced in the United States in recent years!

If this isn't enough to convince you that this movie needs to be watched immediately and also many more times and placed on the shelf of excellence for human achievement then I can sweeten the deal by adding that there's also a hot blonde cyborg character who joins in the Major's fun to spice things up.