I saw Ghost in the Shell 2 on Wednesday, and was quite impressed with the animation, slightly less so with the fact that they were quoting philosophy throughout - I mean, ok, it's a philosophical movie but do you have to make it so obvious? I don't really remember the first one, since I watched it late at night at Ode's after overindulging in certain herbal entertainment
Hi Gi! I also saw Howl's Moving Castle, which I found disappointing. I thought the character development was rather uneven and the final 15 minutes felt like it slapped together to meet a deadline. I had to go online to get additional information so that I could figure out what had happened. And what is with the rather trite Hallmark ending?? One of the better pieces I have read about this film suggested that Miyazaki's focus in making movies is less on his audience or commercial success and more on what suits him personally. Certainly at his age and time of life he is entitled, but I am rather saddened that we will probably not see another film with the emotional range and narrative power of Nausicaa or Kiki or Spirited Away.
I highly suggest you go back and watch the first Ghost in the Shell. It is probably the DVD in my anime collection that I have played the most. Some pretty intriguing ideas...