DOUBLE-HEADER: Ghost in the Shell (1995) / Tokyo Godfathers (2003) @Jordan Newby

If you love classic anime films, you won't want miss this double header. We'll be in the Cloud Room on the 2nd floor of Jordan Newby Library.

Ghost in the Shell (1995) directed by Mamoru Oshii

RUNTIME: 90 minutes

SYNOPSIS: In this Japanese animation, cyborg federal agent Maj. Motoko Kusanagi (Mimi Woods) trails "The Puppet Master" (Abe Lasser), who illegally hacks into the computerized minds of cyborg-human hybrids. Her pursuit of a man who can modify the identity of strangers leaves Motoko pondering her own makeup and what life might be like if she had more human traits. With her partner (Richard George), she corners the hacker, but her curiosity about her identity sends the case in an unforeseen direction.

BLURBS:
"This is a work of profound and melancholic beauty; every bit as essential in the 21st century as it was in the 20th." - Robbie Collin, Daily Telegraph

"After almost 20 years, this movie looks as commandingly bizarre and mysterious as ever." - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

"Thirty years ago, Mamoru Oshii’s 'Ghost in the Shell' didn’t just debut as a cyberpunk masterpiece; it cracked open the future, peering into a world where identity, consciousness, and technology fused in unsettling ways. As we stand in 2025, submerged in the age of generative AI and biometric surveillance, Oshii’s vision feels less like fiction and more like prophecy." - Wael Kairy, *RogerEbert.com*

Tokyo Godfather (2003) directed by Satoshi Kon

RUNTIME: 90 minutes

SYNOPSIS: Middle-aged alcoholic Gin (Toru Emori), teenage runaway Miyuki (Aya Okamoto) and former drag queen Hana (Yoshiaki Umegaki) are a trio of homeless people surviving as a makeshift family on the streets of Tokyo. While rummaging in the trash for food on Christmas Eve, they stumble upon an abandoned newborn baby in a trash bin. With only a handful of clues to the baby's identity, the three misfits search the streets of Tokyo for help in returning the baby to its parents.

BLURBS:
"A modern animé classic fit for rediscovery by both adults and kids-not to mention a stirring celebration of inclusivity that remains ahead of its time." - Nick Schager, The Daily Beast

"One of the most moving, enjoyable and wholly unconventional Christmas stories to come along in a long time." - Gary Dowell, Dallas Morning News

"Loosely based on 3 Godfathers, John Ford's maudlin 1948 western, this movie, a sweet fable of decency amid the down and out, also has echoes of Chaplin and Capra." - A.O. Scott, New York Times