Ghost in the Shell Arise - Border 1: Ghost Pain

OK but kind of dull. At least they talk about man/machine and not about the darn refugees.

A beautifully animated addition to the GITS series. The plot is fairly basic in comparison to other entries within the GITS universe, but it is thrilling and well-paced enough not to be boring. I must say that I am disappointed in the lack of philosophical complexity here that has usually been a major component of everything GITS thus far. That coupled with the rather weak characterization in the very short 60 minute OVA make this film a tad bit lackluster. Nonetheless it was well done overall.

I wasn't overly invested. This is 60% monologues about boring beaurecratic conspiracy stuff. Near the end motoko explains the mystery and I thought it might've been ass pulling but I give the benefit of the doubt that I might've missed details. A major player of this film didn't have much going on, and when Motoko went after him in climax I didn't emote at all. You can really tell which scenes had more budget than others, like when the major has a suddenly ultra flat no detail face.

A lot of people complain that this is just a setup for future films but I disagree. There is a self contained story that introduces all the characters and a bunch of new ideas and that is a good thing. I was pleased with this movie and I felt that it did both the TV & movie franchises proud.

It's got some really nice animation and it fits into the central GitS series like a charm. Yet the plot in this particular episode is a little too set-uppy for me, and I am much more interested in seeing how the story progresses. Not bad though. Not bad at all.

The animation is incredible, and the action scenes are great. The plot is fairly basic in this installment; mostly its a setup for the later segments.