It has been announced that the 4K remastered versions of the animated feature films "Innocence" and "Ghost in the Shell," based on Masamune Shirow's popular manga "Ghost in the Shell," will be screened at TOHO Cinemas from February 28. "Innocence," which was released in theaters in 2004 and celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, will be released on the big screen for the first time in about 20 years, and this will be the first time that the 4K remastered version will be screened in theaters.
Director Mamoru Oshii, who worked on the animation, commented, "With the release of the 4K remaster of 'Innocence', it's been 20 years since I last watched it all the way through on the big screen... perhaps the first time. I'm pleased with how neatly and beautifully it turned out. At the time, it was not possible to reproduce the fine details of the images that had been hand-drawn and created using CG over years. But this time, by using high-resolution digital scanning, I think the accuracy of the images has improved dramatically. I really felt the power of 4K."
"That reminded me of back then, and I was quite sick then (laughs). After 'Innocence' was completed, I was bedridden for about two months and unable to get up, and this film contains that sick energy. In order to create something beautiful, you have to overcome something. Watching it again, I felt a sense of passion, or perhaps a decadent charm, from this film. I hope everyone will see it in the theater," he said.
"Ghost in the Shell", released in 1995, tells the story of Motoko Kusanagi and other members of Public Security Section 9 (Ghost in the Shell) chasing a hacker known as the Puppet Master, who is on the international wanted list. It was also popular overseas, reaching number one on the weekly Billboard video chart. A 4K remaster was released in September 2021.
"Innocence" is a sequel set in 2032, three years after "Ghost in the Shell," and it also garnered attention as it was the first Japanese anime to be selected for the competition section at the Cannes Film Festival.