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Aug 31, 2026
Arrietty is the most ASMR anime film I think I’ve ever seen.
I’ll get the obvious out of the way: the visuals are outstanding, like always, like every Studio Ghibli film, so I’m not even going to talk about them that much. The main standout point for me this time was the sound design.
It was so immersive compared to the other Studio Ghibli films I’ve watched. Everything sounded incredibly realistic, yet cozy at the same time, as you explore this world—or, I should say, our world—from the perspective of these tiny people.
I call this an ASMR film because, while I was watching it, I had a
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friend in the room who was just listening to the film. He didn’t watch it whatsoever, and he actually fell asleep to it. When he woke up afterward, he said the film was so nice, despite not even watching it. Now, that’s not to say the film isn’t entertaining. It definitely is. It’s just a very easy watch.
It’s narratively light, and the stakes are quite small—like the characters themselves. Even when things get a little more intense, the music remains pretty gentle throughout, perhaps becoming slightly more upbeat when things get tense.
But that’s what makes Arrietty such a charming, easy watch. It might genuinely be the most relaxing Studio Ghibli film I’ve seen. Don't go into this film expecting Princess Mononoke in terms of themes. It's far from that. Instead of that,think of it like Toy Story. You'll get a really charming adventure with little characters that have plenty of heart.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Aug 29, 2026
Modest heroes has amazing visuals and sound throughout each film but falls flat on making conclusions to the interesting premises that they present.
I'd love to see more from the staff that have worked on these stories as there's some really interesting pieces of animation shown throughout. but that's all I'm really going to remember from this film. The stories didn't have enough going on for me to really remember them. In fact, I don't think I am going to remember these stories within a few days. There was no narrative pay off from these stories and I think it's due to how short they are.
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they need more to them to really leave an impact.
Watch this film to turn your brain off and watch some pretty colours. Don't expect much more.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Aug 15, 2026
Ghost in the Shell, the new movie — stupid name — is the conclusion to the Arise series. Now, the previous few installments in the Arise series left me a bit mixed. I found them really boring, hard to understand, and they didn't add a lot to the characters in this new established world. These previous installments made it harder to justify the existence of the Arise series, apart from some new character designs and a younger Motoko. So I was looking forward to maybe a satisfying conclusion to it all in a cinematic format.
The result is a very boring, generic action movie with a
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disjointed narrative that tries its hardest to win over the hearts of fans, but just fails miserably.
I'll start off with some positives. The action does look nice. Everything looks fine in this film, but especially towards the end, where I was particularly checked out, the action just felt like nothing. There's no emotion or immersion going into these action scenes because the narrative hasn't earned it.
And that's pretty much all I have for positives, because I really did not like anything else.
Going back to the narrative, there's so many scenes, like in the previous installments, that are just exposition and jargon, with all these character names that you're still trying to grasp. You're trying to figure out who's who, who's the good guy, who's the bad guy, and where our main cast are going next. That's something you can partly expect with Ghost in the Shell, but in this film, it's so disjointed and messy.
You can understand each scene separately and somewhat follow what the characters are saying, but then it'll cut to the next scene and the same characters you were following are suddenly in a completely different situation. There’s been no explanation in some cases, so you don't even know what's happening anymore. It's so messy and confusing, and I think the film thinks it's trying to be clever, but it's just coming off as really dumb and nonsensical.
There are also many characters that were established in the previous OVAs who get their conclusions, if you want to call it that, towards the end of this film. And I just didn't understand it. I felt nothing towards these new characters, or even some of the established characters from the previous material.
Togusa, for example. There's this whole bit at the start of the film where all the other members of Section 9 are making fun of Togusa for not having any prosthetic body parts. He's still fully human, and it almost feels like that's going to build towards something, like a character arc for him. But right after he shoots someone and goes, "Yeah, I'm not useless," he's basically useless for the rest of the film. He's practically not seen again apart from minor dialogue scenes.
And speaking of the other members of Section 9, they're just so boring. Nothing is going on with them apart from spouting exposition. There's nothing that tells me anything about their characters.
Even if the film wanted to give them a chance, it's mostly focused on Motoko, who's the most boring interpretation of this character thus far. I'm sorry, but I could tell there was some potential with this version of Motoko in the previous OVAs by making her younger and more brash and reckless at times. I could see the potential there, but the end result in this film is so voidless. There's just nothing going on with her or the other characters.
To cap it all off, there's the ending of this film, which has some of the most meaningless fan service I think I've ever witnessed. There are two scenes, one referencing the 1995 film and another referencing Stand Alone Complex, and both just make no sense. I don't know why they're in this film. I felt nothing watching them as a fan. I actually felt annoyed.
There's even one shot of Motoko with a more mature design, which looked way better than the design she had in the OVAs and this film. I understand that they're trying to go for a younger Motoko, but I never liked the younger Motoko design.
In fact, the character designs in general are something I haven't really gotten into in my previous reviews. They don't look very appealing. I think they're trying to go for a manga-inspired mix of designs with the movie designs, and I just don't think it really works. I know this a nit picking stupid complaint. but the way Motoko's bangs are so short in proportion to the rest of her hair, it aesthetically bugs the shit out of me. I can't help it.
Another complaint I've always had with the OVAs is the music. It's so uninspired. When it should feel cinematic, it just never does in this film. It's hard to even view this as a film. It just feels like another expanded TV episode because it hasn't had the full production value you'd expect from a movie.
Now, if you're a fan of the Arise series, for some reason, you might like this film. It might be meaningful to you. And if you're a Ghost in the Shell fan, I'd only watch this film and the Arise series if you want to be a completionist.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend the Arise series. I think it's a mixed bag. There are moments of potential, and there are some really nice action sequences, don't get me wrong. But there's so much more in the franchise that's on offer compared to the Arise series that I just can't recommend it fully in good faith.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Aug 14, 2026
You're Under Arrest, the OVA series, was a blast. This is a really laid-back, chill, comedy anime, just about two cute girls as police officers, and they're just doing little crimes like saving cats or just stopping drivers that are speeding.
It's so fun, so charming. One of the most aesthetically pleasing 90s anime I've seen. It's beautifully animated. The characters are well-detailed, but one of the most detailed and eye-catching things in this anime are the vehicles. And now, I'm not a big vehicle person, not massively into cars or anything like that, but this anime almost made me want to. They're so well-polished and
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rendered, and they always catch your eye when they're in movement. That combined with the really expressive animation of the characters, and this anime, regardless if you may not even really like the light-hearted aspects of it, is just such a visual spectacle. And I could recommend it alone just on that.
I had a really fun time with this anime. It doesn't take itself seriously. It's very short as well. Doesn't overstay its welcome in this series of OVAs. I'm not sure what the TV show will be like after this, but this OVA has definitely sold me on the idea and concept of this show. So I definitely want to check it out at some point. Maybe that TV show will go more into a variety of different crimes and cases that the police may get into, or maybe it will lean more into the slice-of-life aspects of these characters. This anime is just fun from start to finish. I recommend it if you want a really charming 90s anime that you can finish in one day.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Aug 14, 2026
What happened here? Ghost in the Shell Border 4 was the most disappointing entry in the Arise series thus far. I must stress that this review might not be entirely fair, as 20 minutes into this OVA, I was starting to fall asleep and I actually genuinely had to take a break, because I had to nap. I'm not sure if that's because of the heatwave I'm suffering from in the UK right now, or from just genuinely how boring this episode was. I can't really tell. And maybe that's not unfair for me writing a review on this. And maybe I need to rewatch
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it. But even looking back on what I've just watched, I don't know what this final OVA was trying to tell.
There's elements in here that were set up from previous episodes, and I think it's trying to seem climatic or conclusive. I don't really know. It just ended up leading to nothing. There's an interesting setup at the start of this OVA with these cyber virus outbreaks. And the team, led by Motoko, are trying to figure out what's going on. But that narrative decision of trying to have the team figure out what's going on just leads to characters jumping from location to location, action sequences happening whenever, exposition and jargon just thrown at the audience.
It's the worst aspects of the Ghost in the Shell franchise thrown at you. And it's almost like it expects you to appreciate it. There's all these, like, Wizard of Oz references throughout this OVA, as if it's trying to be smart. But it just feels like a pale imitation of the original 1995 film. And speaking of, there's plenty of references to that original film as well. Motoko falls off a building. There's a scene with a boat at the end. There's a scene where she injures herself trying to rip the lid off of a tank. And it's just... Solid State Society tried a similar thing with references to the original film, and I feel like every time this franchise has tried to reference itself, it just comes off really cheap and really boring, and just never leads to saying much. And by the end of this OVA, I just didn't know what the point of it all was. It wasn't like the previous OVA which felt like it was taking advantage of its differences by having a younger lead, having a different visual style, and music choice as well. Which I've got to say, for this OVA, was back to its generic beeps and boops. And it was so grating to listen to.
I really did not have a good time with this OVA. There's not much more of the Arise franchise now. I'm being hopeful that it improves from whatever this was.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Aug 13, 2026
Ghost in the Shell Arise: Border 3 was a compelling watch. This OVA focusing more on Motoko's relationship that she has with this character called Akira. And there's less action in this OVA. It's much more subdued, and it's a lot more focused on this relationship and this whole mystery with a prosthetic company and guerrilla warfare scandal. And I actually feel this OVA played more into the strengths of why Arise has made such different changes to its previous iterations of Ghost in the Shell.
I think making Motoko younger was definitely one of the most noticeable changes in Arise. And I think this OVA
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is the first one that actually plays to the strengths of having a younger Motoko, as we get to explore this more emotional side of her through this relationship that she has with this character called Akira. And it leads to moments where she can be quite brash and irrational at times. And I feel like those aspects wouldn't have worked with the older interpretations of Motoko. And it led to a very engaging perspective on Motoko and the way she views herself and relationships, which is one of the most compelling things to me in the original Ghost in the Shell film and Stand Alone Complex, is how Motoko portrays herself physically and how she interacts with others. And I think this OVA explored it beautifully with this sense of grief and guilt that Motoko has when trying to indulge in intimacy. I thought it was really well executed. I'm really glad that Arise delved more into that aspect of Motoko's character, because I feel other previous interpretations haven't really explored that part.
There were a few action scenes in this OVA, and they were okay. A lot of the other strengths of this OVA was Togusa, he had a bit more of a spotlight in this one, leading his own investigation as a subplot. And it ended up being a nice foil narratively to what Togusa represents against the members of this emerging Section 9. Visually strong, narratively strong, even the music was better this time around. A lot more subdued like the narrative, and atmospheric. It wasn't as distracting as the previous OVA. So far, these OVAs have been getting better and better. Can't wait to see where it goes next.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 13, 2026
Ghost in the Shell Arise Border 2 felt like a major improvement over Border 1. This OVA featured even better action than the first, and it's action-packed from start to finish. It's all very exciting to watch, and I think a lot of that is also due to the better narrative. The story is more straightforward and easier to follow, but it still requires you to pay attention, which is what I love about Ghost in the Shell. It treats the viewer maturely.
Honestly, I kind of wish Arise had started with this OVA instead of the previous one. It felt like everything I wanted from
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the first OVA and more. You get to see more of Batou, Ishikawa, and the other members of the soon-to-be-formed Section 9, along with some nice character moments here and there. It had a lot of what I felt was missing from the first OVA, and it made for a much more satisfying experience overall.
I didn't really notice it before but the music in this OVA was very...beeps and boops. Very electronic. I didn't notice a lot of the time but when it felt more 'electronic' in certain scenes, it stuck out like a sore thumb to me. only a small complaint to this otherwise very entertaining entry.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 12, 2026
Ghost in the Shell Arise Border 1 was an interesting new look into this new and alternative franchise. Right off the bat, I gotta say, visually, I thought this first OVA was stunning. The action was really nice throughout, especially one particular fight scene at the end, which is probably one of the best fight scenes I've seen in Ghost in the Shell franchise so far. It feels really raw and almost disgusting to look at, the way the robotic bodies are torn apart and the characters' faces pull these really off-model and distorted expressions. It really makes you feel the intensity of that fight.
That
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was the main enjoyment I got from this first OVA. Initially, it starts with some nice setup and mystery with this new interpretation of Motoko. She's set up as being a suspect in a big crime, and a lot of it is from her perspective as she tries to navigate through this very messy case. But the downside to trying to explore that messy case is that the narrative feels a bit messy as well. Towards the end, when things are starting to become resolved, the scenes become more and more unclear when they should be more clear, and it leads to the resolution feeling quite rushed.
I can forgive it somewhat as it's an opening to this franchise. There's not a whole lot of character development yet. You see a lot of the new, or soon-to-be new, members of Section 9, with Bato and Togusa, and they serve their purpose in the plot, but there's not a lot of interaction between them and Motoko yet.
All that being said, I still think this is a pretty enjoyable OVA. Visually, it's nice, the voice acting's spot on, and I just need a little bit more from this series. As an entry by itself, it's not really doing what something like Stand Alone Complex did. Even the weaker episodes of that show felt like they were doing something more interesting with the world of Ghost in the Shell than this film does. So I cant recommend this OVA as a complete standalone package.
This one is very Motoko-focused. You see bits of the Net here and there, along with Motoko's cyberbrain hacking and whatnot, but it's still pretty barebones. Again, I can forgive it for being an opening to a new franchise and a new series. I just need this series to open up a bit more, and hopefully it does in the next few installments.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Aug 12, 2026
A Place Further Than the Universe really did not do it for me. Now, I guess in some defense, going into this anime, I'd just finished Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex, which is one of the best, most grounded animes I've seen in a while. So then, immediately jumping into A Place Further Than the Universe was the most tonal whiplash I think I've ever experienced in my life.
It's very anime, if that makes sense. The humor, visuals, everything seems very of its time, and this anime didn't even come out that long ago. But none of it really landed with me. I
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think the show relies heavily on the humor in the opening episodes to set up these characters that you'll be going on a journey with, and I didn't vibe with it at all. I think it's targeting a very specific audience of anime fandoms, and I am not a part of it one bit.
But I powered through this season. And even when all the girls get together and they start traveling, it's the same repetitive structure of each episode that's trying to play on your heartstrings, but it just bounced off for me again, like the humor. Same structure in the episodes, it was some setup for some emotional resolution with one of the girls, and then it will play some really mopey music towards the last five minutes of the episode, and it was just rinse and repeat the same thing. I got so bored of it.
I was mostly engaged with the character Shirase. She's the most realistic and grounded one in the series, and the series is mostly revolved around her narratively. But, it wasn't enough for me to fall in love with her character arc and her interactions with the other characters. Maybe it's just this point in my life, maybe I watched this at the wrong time. I think if I actually watched this when I was younger and when the show was airing, I probably would have liked it more. But right now, it just comes off a bit generic. I think even visually, the character designs just didn't hit with me. I think they look very forgettable. And I think I'd describe the show that as a whole, I can't see myself remembering any of this, maybe even in a few weeks from now. I see this show rated so highly on MAL and other platforms constantly as one of the best anime to be made in modern times, and it just didn't hit. Not to say it won't for anyone else, but that's just me.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Aug 7, 2026
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society—God, that’s a long name—was quite disappointing, really.
I’ll start off with the positives. There was some decent action throughout, and the visuals are still pretty solid. Togusa also gets more of a spotlight here, taking on more of a leading role within Section 9. There’s a particularly great and thrilling scene involving him and his daughter, which was probably the moment I was most engaged with the film. It was also a welcome change of pace for Togusa, especially after some of the more contentious scenes he had in the second season. I was just
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happy to find myself enjoying his character again in this film.
Apart from that, though, I didn’t like much else.
The biggest problem for me was that almost every question the film raises either goes unanswered or receives an answer that isn’t particularly satisfying. And knowing that this is essentially the end point of Stand Alone Complex—even though I know there’s a revival series later on—left me feeling especially disappointed.
It also didn’t feel as philosophical as the previous entries. The characters didn’t feel as interesting, and the whole story became increasingly convoluted. Once again, there are massive dumps of exposition that drag the entire experience down. Rather than letting the ideas and themes develop naturally.
There are definitely some good moments here, particularly with Togusa, but overall, Solid State Society felt like a significant step down from what made Stand Alone Complex so compelling in the first place. Maybe a rewatch in the future could me benefit me greatly, but as of now i have no desire to revisit this any time soon.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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