Package Description: Like all girls her age, Hibari Hanakoganei covets the latest fashion in mechanical pets - a Pata-Pi to call her own! But when a strange White Prince provides one, she becomes the target of an equally mysterious Black Prince who plots to steal the prized pet. It's Pata-Pi Densuke to the rescue, however, transforming into a powerful Diva who bears a striking resemblance to Hibari herself! With astonishing battle agility, Densuke proves to be no ordinary child's toy! Hibari's not the only one with a Pata-Pi of extraordinary powers, and despite an unlikely friendship, she joins forces with others to form the CyberTeam! Together they will solve the riddle of the Black Prince - or will his flock of nefarious cohorts put an end to the dynamic divas of Akihabara?

Package Description: "Imperial Calendar Year 956, Operation Phantom Flame has come to an end, and has been hailed as a complete success. Now, the imperial forces have embarked on a new plan, codenamed Operation Hunter. Their task: to hunt down and destroy any remaining enemy forces. However, the Basroil seems to be spending more time doing mundane administrative duties that fighting in battles. When they arrive at the Lobnas system, they don't expect any excitement, but it turns out that Lobnas is a prison planet. Lafiel, Jinto, and the rest of the Basroil crew are now embroiled in a prison riot, and one of their number is taken hostage! And to make matters worse, the enemy forces are closing in on their location. This will be their toughest battle yet."

Ghost in the Shell, following in the footsteps of Akira, is one of the most critically acclaimed animated movies of the 1990s. Director Mamoru Oshii's bleak cyber-punk anime makes for a good, but flawed DVD. Picture quality is outstanding. The 1.85:1 widescreen transfer does the movie's bold vision justice, and color contrast is excellent. The sound, however, is problematic. The English dialogue track is very good, the voice acting is acceptable, and the sound effects are commanding. Turning on the subtitles while listening to the Japanese audio track, however, reveals flaws. The voice acting on the Japanese track is particularly awkward; the actors simply read their lines without emotion. Also, sound effects are buried on the Japanese track, no matter how loud the volume. The DVD's special features are not as exciting as the case's artwork would have viewers believe. The 30-minute "making of" featurette is dull and offers little insight or substantive information; it's similar in nature to the promos found on cable television, but infinitely less professional and interesting. The theatrical trailer is also a waste of time. "A Guide to Ghost in the Shell" brings up nine areas of background information, such as character bios, crew bios, a plot summary, and some design information. Ghost in the Shell is Grade-A anime and maybe a Grade-B DVD.