IIRC, Ghost In The Shell did some spectacular things
with 'holographic computers' like they used (and maybe
ripped off) for Tom Cruise film Minority Report.

Unfortunately the graphic at IMDb is not very good.

But this is a music and movies forum, so I'll conclude by
saying that the opening music has haunted me ever since
watching the whole 7 disc series: it opens with a
chord of traditional bagpipe picked up by a technobeat
with vocal.

Other Celtic musics are heard during this film
as well. It's these elements of surprise that make
Last Exile a superior product to some of the more
well-known animes.

Also seek out Grave of the Fireflies.

• Last Exile

Not my favorite.

I like Last Exile because I'm fascinated by the Steam Punk
genre and the classic "Grave Of The Fireflies" takes
the animated art to a place i really didn't think was possible.

And I'm not talking about _hentai_ either.

When possible I try to tie these film remarks to the
speaker stuff we usually discuss. Last Exile has some
very good and strange tuneage in it. The score uses bagpipe,
Celtic dances and some techno in the theme.

But I like to try to see the film in it's context of a tv
show.

In the world of Last Exile, 14 and 15 year olds are on their own.
They have independent lives and jobs and are self sufficient.
I think this is an important message in what we have come to see
as a world of infantilization and prolonged childhood: not achieving or wanting adulthood well past 30 these days.

OTOH a lot of anime is just cartoons without much significance.
But that rare find like Grave Of The Fireflies or Last Exile
keeps me looking for more of that quality. Armatige comes to mind\
as being pretty good. Do you know Kaena? I've seen that in the
stores.