Best movies like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The year is 2030 and six years have passed since a criminal known only as "The Laughing Man" swept through top medical nanotechnology firms committing acts of cyber-terrorism, kidnapping, and espionage leaving no known suspects. New information is revealed, as Section 9 enters the hunt for a suspect capable of unfathomable actions in this compilation of Stand Alone Complex content.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 160 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, serious, futuristic, suspenseful, rough, stylized, deep, cyber, inspirational
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Best tv shows and movies like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man (2005):
Similar in 86%
Mardock Scramble: The Third Exhaust (2012)
Plot Summary:
Third film of the Mardock Scramble series. Rune Balot goes to a casino connected to the October corporation to try to wrap up her case once and for all.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 826
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 66 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, serious, suspenseful, stylized, cyber, bleak, humorous, cyberpunk anime
Similar in 85%
Loups=Garous (2010)
Plot Summary:
Virtual reality. Murder. Werewolves. And teen girls! In a future where nothing is as it seems, can old legends come true? In the near future, humans will communicate almost exclusively through monitors, making real interaction a rarefied and weak occurrence for those living in a near totalitarian society. In this new world of communication, children are only allowed to interact personally on school grounds. So when a serial killer starts slaughtering junior high children the communication routes go under further surveillance. And despite all the safeguards put in place to avoid physical interaction, the killer's latest victim turns out to have been in contact with three young girls: Tsuzki Mio, a certified prodigy; Matsuno Hatsuki, a quiet but opinionated classmate; and Kouno Ayumi, her best friend. And as the girls get caught up in trying to quell curiosity under such terrorist scrutiny, Hatsuki learns that there is much more than meets the eye of their monitored communications.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 218
Genere: Animation, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: anime, atmospheric, stylized, bleak, serious, futuristic, suspenseful, contemplative
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Similar in 87%
Eden of the East the Movie II: Paradise Lost (2010)
Plot Summary:
Accused of terrorism and feeling the heat, Saki's high-tech crew is in the crosshairs. Meanwhile, the shroud of mystery covering Takizawa is lifted as he and his fellow Selecao make their final moves. Every game must come to an end. For those playing Mr. Outside's twisted game of conspiracy thrills, the end comes now.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Animation, Action, Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, serious, suspenseful, stylized, political, rough, bleak, realistic
Similar in 87%
Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Pyrophoric Cult (2015)
Plot Summary:
Motoko and her squad are finally getting closer to Fire-Starter's broker, but things get tense when they're instructed to take a backseat role on a sting op. Part five of the OVA series, containing the materials developed for Alternative Architecture's final two episodes.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 788
Genere: Animation, Action, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 46 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, captivating, futuristic, deep, inspirational, complex, cyberpunk anime
Similar in 88%
Un-Go (2011)
Plot Summary:
Un-Go is set in a war-torn Tokyo, in a near-future Japan. In response to Japan sending their military abroad as peacekeeping forces, terrorists launched multiple attacks on Japan, killing many people and destroying much of its cityscapes. Some time after the war receded to a period of uneasy peace, the Japanese Parliament passed the "Information Privacy and Protection Act", which gives the Japanese government control over the Internet. Detective Shinjuurou Yuuki and his strange partner Inga make a living in solving crimes and exposing human souls, all influenced in some way by the dystopian backdrop.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 325
Genere: Animation, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, rough, futuristic, suspenseful, stylized, cyber, seinen, bleak, serious
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Similar in 79%
WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3 (2001)
Plot Summary:
Set in the year 2000 (between the events of Patlabor and Patlabor 2), when the level of Labor accidents begin to escalate around Tokyo Bay, police detectives Kusumi and Hata are assigned to investigate. What they discover leads to a series of government cover-ups, conspiracy concerning a new biological weapon entitled WXIII-Wasted Thirteen and a tragic, personal connection to Hata. The only hope to stop this threat is to cooperate with the military and lead WXIII into a showdown with the Labors of Special Vehicle Division 2.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Animation, Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: anime, serious, suspenseful, stylized, manga, mecha, neo noir, psychotronic, detective, super sentai
Similar in 88%
Ghost In The Shell: The New Movie (2015)
Plot Summary:
Set in a futuristic Japan after the end of a brutal world war, science has advanced by leaps and bounds giving humanity the choice to prolong life and reduce suffering with the use of sophisticated cybernetics. With all of humanity linked into one system of minds and personalities known as ghosts, the biggest threat to civilization is the cyber terrorists capable of hijacking people's bodies and memories. When a ghost-infecting virus known as Fire-Starter begins spreading through the system resulting in the assassination of the Japanese Prime Minister, Major Motoko Kusanagi and her elite team of special operatives are called in to track down its source. As they delve deeper and deeper into their investigation, they uncover traces of government corruption and a shadowy broker that bears an all-too-familiar face. The film is a continuation to the plot of the Pyrophoric Cult episode of Arise, and ties up loose ends from that arc.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Animation, Action, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: anime, suspense, futuristic, melancholic, computer animated, deep, adult anime, inspirational, complex, cyberpunk anime
Similar in 87%
Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border 3: Ghost Tears (2014)
Plot Summary:
Posing as lovers on vacation, Motoko and Batou work to try to stop a terrorist organization whose symbol is the Scrasath. Meanwhile, Togusa investigates a murder of a man who possessed a prosthetic leg manufactured by the Mermaid's Leg corporation.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Animation, Action, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, stylized, deep, adult anime, inspirational, futuristic
Similar in 77%
Appleseed (1988)
Plot Summary:
In the futuristic city of Olympus, built on the ashes of the third world war, a police officer and her cyborg partner fight terrorism.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Animation, Action, Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 71 min
Plot tags: anime, futuristic, mecha, manga, cyber, adult anime, adult animation, serious, suspenseful, stylized
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Similar in 89%
Heat Guy J (2002)
Plot Summary:
Heat Guy J is a 26 episode science fiction anime series created by Escaflowne director Kazuki Akane and Satelight. Heat Guy J was licensed and distributed in the U.S. in 2003 by Pioneer. It was re-released by Funimation Entertainment in the fall of 2009. The first 13 episodes of the show also was broadcast on the cable channel MTV2. A one volume manga was created based on the series, and was licensed and distributed by TOKYOPOP. The show was picked up for a UK DVD release by Manga Entertainment starting in March 2006. It was packaged in double DVD sets to make up for the long delayed release of the series.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 293
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Crime, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: anime, neo noir, suspenseful, exciting, rough, serious, cyber, stylized, cyberpunk anime
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Similar in 81%
Vexille (2007)
Plot Summary:
2067: Isolation: Japan seals herself off from the eyes of the world in the face of unilateral international policy setting strict limits on the use of robotic technology. The island nation exists only behind a veil of seclusion. No soul shall enter. No soul shall leave. 2077: Revelation: The veil is breached. Japan is infiltrated by agents of the organization S.W.O.R.D., a fighting force operating outside of the protection of the United States and her allies. Their mission: Determine if the Japanese are developing banned robotic bio-technology, forbidden due to its threat to humankind. In the battle between machine and man, humanity stands to suffer most.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Animation, Action, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, serious, suspenseful, stylized, manga, sincere, mind bending, mecha, adult animation
Similar in 82%
Mardock Scramble: The First Compression (2010)
Plot Summary:
Rune Ballot is a down-and-out teen prostitute in Mardock City. One day, she's picked up by an ambitious casino manager named Shell who gives her everything she could want. Renewed by a false innocence, a false past, and now the false life Shell has given her, Ballot feels grateful. However, she can't help but be curious about why he's done so much for her, so she does some research about his past on a computer. This turns out to be a mistake which will change her life greatly. When Shell finds out what she's done, he attempts to burn her to death by blowing up her car.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 69 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, rough, suspenseful, bleak, futuristic, captivating, tense, psychological, cyber
Similar in 88%
Oldman Z (1991)
Plot Summary:
An old man is being treated specially by the Department of Health under the so-called Project Z, a special nursing bed with a 6th generation computer on board. When the pain and loneliness of the old man reaches his ex-private nurse, she decides to rescue him from the government's experiment. Thus begins a wild chase through the busy streets of Tokyo as the 6th generation computer begins to have the personality of the old man's ex-wife and as the government's secret project unfolds.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: anime, manga, cyber, cult classic, mecha, exciting, rough, serious, suspenseful, stylized
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Similar in 79%
Patlabor: The Movie (1989)
Plot Summary:
A mysterious suicide and a series of unmanned robot run-aways sparks off a Police investigation into the suspicious software on-board thousands of industrial robots around Tokyo.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Animation, Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: anime, mecha, manga, futuristic, stylized, adult animation, contemplative, exciting, serious, neo noir
Similar in 75%
Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border 4: Ghost Stands Alone (2014)
Plot Summary:
The upcoming installment's story takes place amidst signs of postwar reconstruction in the winter of 2028. Tensions are rising in New Port City as demonstrations are held concerning the interests of foreign cartels. This leads to a shooting incident involving riot police. It all started with a cyberbrain infection released by the terrorist "Fire Starter." An independent offensive unit led by Makoto Kusanagi entrusts the suppression of the situation to their ghosts and aims for their own justice. Below the surface of the incident, lies the "tin girl" Emma and the "scarecrow man" Burinda Junior. As Kusanagi deals with the incident, she draws near to what those two ghosts were seeking.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Action, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 59 min
Plot tags: anime, stylized, philosophical, atmospheric, humorous, suspenseful, deep, exciting, rough, serious
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Similar in 80%
Patlabor 2: The Movie (1993)
Plot Summary:
A Japanese police unit who use giant anthropomorphic robots (called Labors) is caught up in a political struggle between the civilian authorities and the military when a terrorist act is blamed on an Air Force jet. With the aid of a government agent, the team gets close to a terrorist leader to stop things from going out of control when after the military is impelled to impose martial law.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: anime, mecha, contemplative, manga, exciting, atmospheric, rough, bleak, serious, futuristic
Similar in 88%
Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG - Individual Eleven (2006)
Plot Summary:
The year is 2030. Six months passed since the Laughing Man Incident was solved. About 3 million refugees are living in Japan, invited to fill the labor shortage. However, the emergent presence of the invited-refugees intensified their confrontation with the "Individualists", who called for national isolation, which then led to the increased incidences of terrorist attacks. Under these circumstances, a terrorist group called the Individual Eleven carries out a suicide attack. But there was a greater scheme behind their action. When Section 9 learns this, they attempt to nail down the mastermind of the incident. Meanwhile, Kuze, a surviving member of the Individual Eleven, becomes a charismatic leader of the invited-refugees and intensifies the confrontation against the government. And Motoko starts feeling a strange sense of fate connecting her with Kuze.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 162 min
Plot tags: anime, serious, exciting, suspenseful, cyber, tense, captivating, stylized, cyberpunk anime
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Ghost in the Shell Arise: Border 2 - Ghost Whisper (2013)
Plot Summary:
Freed of her responsibilities with the 501 Organization, Motoko Kusanagi must now learn how to take orders from Aramaki. Someone hacks the Logicomas, and Batou enlists the help of former army intelligence officer Ishikawa and former air artillery expert Borma. Kusanagi also seeks to enlist ace sniper Saito and undercover cop Paz into the new Public Security Section 9.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Animation, Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 57 min
Plot tags: anime, psychological, exciting, serious, stylized, rough, suspenseful, deep, cyber, inspirational
Similar in 80%
Armitage III: Dual Matrix (2001)
Plot Summary:
Naomi Armitage and Ross Sylibus have changed their names and live with their daughter Yoko as a happy and normal family on Mars — until an android riot breaks out at an anti-matter plant on Earth.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: anime, stylized, serious, suspenseful, cyber, adult anime, surprise ending, computer animated, futuristic, ecchi
Similar in 77%
Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008)
Plot Summary:
In the year 2029, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster'. Ghost in the Shell 2.0 is a reproduced version of its original 1995 counterpart. Among a numerous enhancements, for the film's 2.0 release, were a number of scenes were overhauled with 3D animation, visual improvements, and soundtrack rerecorded in 6.1 surround sound.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Animation, Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, atmospheric, rough, suspenseful, stylized, philosophical, serious, futuristic, cyber
Similar in 76%
Black Magic M-66 (1987)
Plot Summary:
A freelance reporter stumbles on a desperate military operation. An army chopper has crashed and its cargo has been activated. Now there are two killer androids running loose in the wilderness and have the daughter of their inventor as their target. Can the army stop them or can the reporter reach the little girl before the droids do?.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Animation, Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 48 min
Plot tags: anime, mecha, suspenseful, exciting, rough, serious, futuristic, manga, stylized, psychotronic
Similar in 77%
Sin: The Movie (2000)
Plot Summary:
It is the near future, and the city of Freeport teeters on the verge of total collapse. The twin tides of rampant crime and ruinous graft face only one barrier: the elite strike force HARDCORPS. Led by Colonel John Blade, HARDCORPS is the last force for justice in the darkening city.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 477
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan, USA
Duration: 58 min
Plot tags: anime, rough, serious, stylized, suspenseful, futuristic
Similar in 78%
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society (2006)
Plot Summary:
The story takes place in the year 2034, two years after the events in Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG. Female cyborg Major Motoko Kusanagi has left Public Security Section 9, an elite counter-terrorist and anti-crime unit specializing in cyber-warfare, which has expanded to a team of 20 field operatives with Togusa acting as the field lead.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: anime, suspenseful, atmospheric, serious, futuristic, stylized, cyber, deep, inspirational, complex
Similar in 87%
Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance (2009)
Plot Summary:
Under constant attack by monstrous creatures called Angels that seek to eradicate humankind, U.N. Special Agency NERV introduces two new EVA pilots to help defend the city of Tokyo-3: the mysterious Makinami Mari Illustrous and the intense Asuka Langley Shikinami. Meanwhile, Gendo Ikari and SEELE proceed with a secret project that involves both Rei and Shinji. The film was retitled "Evangelion: 2.22" for its DVD/Blu-Ray release.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: mecha, anime, atmospheric, enigmatic, intense, exciting, suspenseful, serious, bloody, stylized
Similar in 76%
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)
Plot Summary:
Groundbreaking director Mamoru Oshii continues to push the boundaries of art and anime with this universally acclaimed cyber thriller following cyborg detective Batou as he tries to unravel the reasons for a murderous robot revolt in the year 2032. A quest for a killer that becomes a mind bending search for the meaning of life.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: futuristic, anime, philosophical, cyber, atmospheric, enigmatic, surreal, psychological, bleak, serious
Similar in 78%
Appleseed Ex Machina (2007)
Plot Summary:
As members of ESWAT, the elite forces serving Olympus, Deunan and Briaereos they are deployed everywhere trouble strikes. Olympus finds itself under a stealth attack - cyborg terrorism, deadly nanotech zealots, and rioting citizens are just some of the threats that Deunan must contend with as she fights to save Olympus!.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Family, Sci-Fi, Thriller, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: computer animated, mecha, anime, stylized, suspenseful, adult animation, futuristic, manga, sincere, mind bending
Similar in 78%
Appleseed XIII (2011)
Plot Summary:
Appleseed XIII is a 2011 Japanese CGI anime adaptation of Masamune Shirow's science fiction manga series Appleseed. Composed of 13 episodes, the series retold the exploits of ES.W.A.T. member Deunan and her cyborg partner Briareos. The series was produced by Jinni's Animation Studios in association with Production I.G and under the direction of Takayuki Hamana with Junichi Fujisaku as script supervisor. All 13 episodes were compiled into two feature-length films. The first feature film titled Appleseed XIII: Tartaros was announced by Shochiku and released on June 13, 2011. The second film, Appleseed XIII: Ouranos was released on October 24, 2011. A North American release of the TV series will be out in June 2013.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 367
Genere: Animation, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, exciting, futuristic, suspenseful, tense, captivating, cyber, serious, stylized, computer animated
Similar in 88%
Appleseed (2004)
Plot Summary:
In a utopian society created at the end of the third world war, a female warrior who has been plucked from the badlands begins to see cracks in this new facade. And what does this community have planned for the rest of humankind?.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: anime, computer animated, mecha, stylized, futuristic, adult animation, cyber, apocalyptic, manga, sincere
Similar in 77%
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002)
Plot Summary:
In the future when technological enhancements and robotics are a way of life, Major Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9 take care of the jobs that are too difficult for the police. Section 9 employs hackers, sharpshooters, detectives and cyborgs all in an effort to thwart cyber criminals and their plans to attack the innocent.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Animation, Action, Crime, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, serious, cyber, futuristic, suspenseful, rough, stylized, philosophical, adult animation, psychological
Similar in 80%
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
Plot Summary:
In the year 2029, the barriers of our world have been broken down by the net and by cybernetics, but this brings new vulnerability to humans in the form of brain-hacking. When a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster' begins involving them in politics, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop the Puppetmaster.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 153000
Genere: Animation, Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan, UK
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: anime, futuristic, mind bending, philosophical, surreal, atmospheric, exciting, adult animation, manga, cerebral