Ghost in the Shell connections/reference s

I couldn't help but notice a few similarities to Production IG's other series, Ghost In the Shell, and just figured i'd share my observations:

-The fireworks display Takizawa sets up with Mikuru was similar in style to the 'Laughing Man' displays in GITS

-There was mention early in the story of a plane crashing and a 12 year old boy and girl being the only survivors, mirroring events that happened previous to the start of GITS.

-Takizawa, like the laughing man, is working for a higher cause to help people who are oblivious to his efforts.

-both involve the event of averting a missle strike against mainland Japan. EotE- 60 missles, GitS - a nuclear warhead.

So, here's a good start to discuss these points and others. I'm not claiming that these points make either anime less enjoyable, it's just Kenji Kamiyama was write/director on both series, so he's only recycling little bits. I can almost see EotE as a spiritual prequel to GitS.