Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is the rare sequel that not only continues a legacy but elevates it. In the 2004 follow-up to his landmark 1995 film, Mamoru Oshii returns to the grimy, cyberpunk world of Ghost in the Shell, deepening the philosophical themes that made the original a global touchstone while expanding its meticulously crafted visual world. Intricate cityscapes, rendered through a combination of hand-drawn techniques and early digital animation processes, underpin the film’s prescient meditation on technology and identity.

Set in 2032, the film depicts a technologically driven society in which the boundary between human and machine is increasingly ambiguous. When a series of violent incidents involving prototype androids comes to light, the case is assigned to Public Security Section 9, a government unit specialising in counter–cyber terrorism and high-level crime. The investigation is led by Batou, a cybernetic agent, alongside his human partner Togusa. As they move through an interconnected web of criminal groups, hackers, officials, and corporate bigwigs, the enquiry develops into a meditation on identity, consciousness, and the ethical obligations of creators toward their creations—questions that resonate strongly in the present day.

The screening will be followed by a talk between anime archivist and curator Hiroko Myokam and M+ Curator of Moving Image Ulanda Blair. Together they will discuss the futuristic worlds of Ghost in the Shell and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, drawing on the original background art by Shuichi Kusamori featured in the M+ special exhibition Myths and Monsters: The Art of Fantasy in Asia. The talk will be held in English.

Mamoru Oshii (b. 1951, Japan) is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional novelist and manga artist best known for influential anime such as Angel’s Egg (1985), Patlabor 2: The Movie (1993), Ghost in the Shell (1995), and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. Working across both animation and live action, his films are marked by philosophical enquiry and a bold, often meditative visual sensibility.