There are few films as generation-defining as “Ghost in the Shell,” a pillar in the cyberpunk genre, and one of the most influential anime movies of all time. There is a reason the Wachowski sisters were heavily inspired by “Ghost in the Shell” when working on “The Matrix.”
Based on Masamune Shirow’s manga of the same name, “Ghost in the Shell” is set in Japan in the mid-21st century, at a time when most people have some sort of cybernetic implants and a cyberbrain that allows the public to interact with various networks using their brain. The story follows he members of Public Security Sector 9, a counter-cyberterrorist organization that solves and prevents crime involving cybernetics.
The original 1995 movie remains a true classic. This is one of the best movies about AI ever made, a film with immaculate production design and animation, and one that explores themes still relevant 30 years later. Though the first film has a relatively simple premise, the world that Shirow created is incredibly vast and dense, enough to be the home of countless different stories exploring different aspects of post-human evolution.
This can make getting into the “Ghost in the Shell” franchise for the first time a daunting task, with TV shows and movies released across more than 30 years.
The best way to experience the “Ghost in the Shell” franchise is to split it into two timelines — one for the movies, one for the TV shows.
The movie timeline is as follows:
- “Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Border 1: Ghost Pain” (2013)
- “Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Border 2: Ghost Whispers” (2013)
- “Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Border 3: Ghost Tears” (2013)
- “Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Border 4: Ghost Stands Alone” (2013)
- “Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Border 5: Pyrophoric Cult” (2015)
- “Ghost in the Shell: Arise – The New Movie” (2015)
- “Ghost in the Shell” (1995)
- “Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence” (2004)
Then, for the TV timeline:
- “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” (2002)
- “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society” (2006)
- “Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045” (2020)
Why this is the correct order to watch Ghost in the Shell?
“Ghost in the Shell,” despite being a rather celebrated and successful franchise, has not exactly been released in a traditional franchise-building order. Instead, it’s more like new sporadic projects set in the same universe were greenlit, and a connection between them was left up to interpretation. Watching them in release order makes sense if you want to see the animation change more gradually, rather than go back and forth between old-looking animation and weird CG titles of recent years. And other than the second movie coming out in between seasons of the “Stand Alone Complex” TV show, this approach is still a rather linear order. But it is not the best way.
The “Arise” movie series takes place before the events of the 1995 original movie, so it’s best to watch those first, then end with the complex, revolutionary “Ghost in the Shell” and then the sequel, which builds upon the original’s ending. Because those have more of a linear story, it’s best to consider the movies as part of the same timeline, then take the TV show as its own separate thing.
“Stand Alone Complex,” you see, is the best thing to happen to the franchise outside of the 1995 film, a phenomenal expansion of the universe of the film with memorable side characters and vast lore. Because the TV show takes a more episodic approach, watching it separately from the movies keeps the tonal integrity of both. Even “SAC_2045” is a not-so-good-looking but still worthy successor.
Ghost in the Shell: Arise (2013-2015)
Chronologically, the first title in the franchise is the “Ghost in the Shell: Arise” movie series that comprises six feature films released between 2013 and 2015. These are a reimagining of the Masamune Shirow manga of the same name rather than a proper continuation of the Mamuro Oshii movie, with brand-new character designs and an entirely new cast (except for one actor).
These movies, “Ghost Pain,” “Ghost Whispers,” “Ghost Tears,” “Ghost Stands Alone,” “Pyrophoric Cult,” and “The New Movie,” are technically prequels to the original “Ghost in the Shell,” at least to the degree that it shows the Major getting her group together while the original 1995 movie already shows them established.
The “Arise” movies are available to stream as a re-edited TV anime called “Arise: Alternative Architecture,” which ties up the story. Though unnecessary to understand the other parts of the franchise, “Arise” is nevertheless a cool little addition to the franchise that is true to its cyberpunk roots.
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
“Ghost in the Shell” is largely considered to be one of the greatest anime movies of all time, a seminal work of sci-fi animation and the cyberpunk genre, alongside Katsuhiro Otomo’s “Akira.” It is not a secret that this was the movie that largely inspired the Wachowski Sisters’ generation-defining film “The Matrix” a few years later, as that movie is packed with references to Oshii’s work in “Ghost in the Shell.
Still, even if you think you know “Ghost in the Shell” based on its reputation and legacy, watching it is a whole other experience. For one, this is a slow-burning, meditative tone piece disguised as a detective thriller, with plenty of stunning visuals and action, sure, but mostly a lot of rumination on the true nature of humanity and what it means to be alive. This is a spectacular piece of science fiction, and a film with a lot of timely commentary on AI and technology’s existential impact on humanity.
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)
Nearly a decade after the release of the first film, Mamoru Oshii made “Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence,” a standalone sequel loosely based on the manga like its predecessor. The movie screened in competition at the Cannes Film Festival and marked the first time an anime movie competed for the Palme d’Or.
Like its predecessor, “Innocence” contains plenty of allusions to philosophical works and works of literature, particularly Auguste Villiers de l’Isle-Adam’s “Tomorrow’s Eve” (which popularized the term “android”), as well as Isaac Asimov’s “Robot” series. The film has a vastly different tone and feel, changing protagonists rather than continuing Motoko Kusanagi’s story. The story is about cybernetic sex dolls who are murdering their owners, and a despicable kidnapping ring in charge of them. If the first movie was a heavy discussion on the nature of humanity, then “Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence” is a slap in the face, a movie as bleak as David Fincher’s “Se7en” with one of the most disturbing endings in anime. It is also a rather spectacular example of a 2D movie successfully incorporating CGI elements into the animation, before it became a cheap shortcut in filmmaking.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002)
After the 1995 original movie, “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” is arguably the best addition to the franchise. Directed by Kenji Kamiyama (“War of the Rohirrim”) and with Yoko Kanno (“Cowboy Bebop”) composing the score, this 2002 TV anime series expands the themes, sci-fi concepts, and the visuals of the movie with a mostly episodic anime that stands in contrast to its serialization-heavy contemporaries. Still, both seasons feature investigations that build up into season-long arcs about corruption within branches of the government that are thrilling and well-plotted.
The show didnt just look at Oshii’s 1995 anime film or even Shirow’s original manga, but at Shirow’s inspirations, like the 1977 British crime show “The Professionals” (the villain of season 2 is essentially Jean-Luc from that show), which gives it a unique identity that stands out from the rest of the franchise while still feeling cut from the same cloth.
Part of what made “Stand Alone Complex” so great was that it was the first entry in the franchise made after the dot-com bubble and the formation of the modern internet, and that anime used that real-life context to explore the implications of mass communications in society in a way that neither the previous movies or the manga could, with actual data and experience to draw from rather than philosophical ponderings.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society (2006)
“Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society” is a TV film that serves as a continuation of the “Stand Alone Complex” series, set two years after the Major left Section 9. In the film, Togusa and Bato investigate a series of suicides that lead them to a terrorist plot that uses children as vectors for a cybernetic virus and the mysterious hacker named The Puppeteer. The first thing to note is that, despite the episodic nature of the franchise, this movie is very much a proper continuation of season 2 of “Stand Alone Complex,” meaning you shouldn’t try to watch it on its own.
There’s also the fact that “Solid State Society” is much more wordy than the TV series, with more dialogue than action. Still, like its predecessor, the movie offers a detail-oriented futuristic crime story with some clever sci-fi concepts that expand the world of the franchise as well as some fun twists.
Ghost in the Shell 2045_SAC (2020)
The most recent entry in the franchise, “Ghost in the Shell 2045_SAC” brings back the “Stand Alone Complex” team for a Netflix 3D CG animated series (as well as two movies) that takes place 11 years after the events of “Solid State Society” after an economic disaster destroyed paper and electronic currency. In the film, the four biggest global superpowers are engaged in a war to keep their economies going, all while Section 9 turns into a mercenary group before returning to their old roles when they uncover a massive conspiracy.
Where “Stand Alone Complex” used the then-recent internet revolution to draw philosophical questions from, “2045_SAC” doesn’t really do anything with the social media revolution of the past 20 years. Though the franchise has always been about existential questions about humanity and our relationship with technology, this show is much more focused on just plotting, changing the tone to be more of a spy thriller in a post-apocalypse. Sure, there are some interesting thoughts about AI and how it can impact the global economy, but the show doesn’t spend much time exploring these ideas. Plus, the fully 3D animation is a big downgrade from the original series’ incredible blend of traditional and CG animation. There is a lack of weight to the action, a lack of gravitas and elegance to the camera and cinematography. It may look like “Ghost in the Shell” and sound like “Ghost in the Shell,” but it is a rather empty shell.
