Story:

Oshii Mamoru (Ghost in the shell, Patlabor) delivers a powerful film set in an alternate post-war Japan of the 1960s. Rapid industrialisation has divided society sharply along the lines of the 'haves' and the 'have nots'. Armed terrorist groups seek to radically change the country by force. A desperate government acts by introducing martial law and a virtual police state. Elite, special armoured units are formed that respond with overwhelming force to the terrorist threat, the latest of which is a group calling themselves "The Sect" (I think this is loosely based on several radical groups that emerged in Japan in the mid 60s).

An officer in one of these armoured units, Fuze Kazuki, is put in a situation where he must choose between killing a young woman armed with a bomb, or be killed himself. He asks her the simple question 'Why?'. His comrades urge him to shoot but he hesitates and the girl detonates the bomb, killing herself...but Fuze escapes relatively unharmed. He then comes into contact with the girls sister, which changes his life forever and reveals conspiracies, ulterior motives and political machinations that go deeper than he could have imagined...

Little Red Riding Hood:

Very rarely have I seen somthing this intelligent and entertaining, anime or not. After seeing the likes of Patlabor I knew that Oshii Mamoru was all about serious polictical thrillers and conspiracy theories (not giant robots), but I did not expect to see somthing of this caliber. It just goes to show that he can do away with the sci fi element and deliver serious drama when needed. Without giving any more away about the plot, its essentially a re-telling of Little Red Riding Hood (its alluded to over and over again). There are a lot of twists and turns but if you keep this in mind you will understand what is happening.

Animation:

The world of Jin Roh is fantastically realised down the tiniest detail. I've not seen anything that comes this close to live action before or since. The animation is traditional cel, but I think the camera movements are computer controlled. The effect is one of intricate, almost photorealistic detail. Without any glaring 'oh, thats obviously cgi' moments. Its all the more impressive considering it was done in 1998.

Conclusion:

I can't really emphasise how original and innovative this film is, from the animation to the background, the narrative and the music - the soundtrack is well worth getting, it all ties together to delivery somthing really unique. See it at all costs!

- Rob Gallagher