Okay, I'm still looking for more information on this, but I just stumbled across something intriguing ... Bandai Visual has just issued a limited edition DVD box of Mamoru Oshii's classic Ghost in the Shell which was not only massively influential in the anime world but was also a prime source of inspiration for the Matrix films. On its own this is nothing surprising, right? Looks like a company positioning an old property to generate some new cash with the sequel due soon, which happens all the time. Here's where things get interesting, though: director Mamoru Oshii has gone back to the original film and given it a thorough re-tweaking including additional scenes, some re-editing and the replacement of old animation and backgrounds with improved CGI to bring the film more in line with current animation standards. Now is Oshii going all Lucas on us and messing with something that wasn't broken or is this going to be a significant upgrade to an already classic title? I'll let you know when my copy arrives ... between this and the Kill Bill box an awful lot of my spending money is on its way to Japan right now ...

And for those who are wondering, yes the Ghost in the Shell sequel (Innocence) will be getting a theatrical release in North America through Go Fish Pictures, the anime arm of Dreamworks that also handled Millenium Actress.