Reviews for Koukaku Kidoutai Stand Alone Complex (8.88) 4q194

Though mystery isn't really part of my preference as an otaku, I am proud to say that Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex proves itself more than the movie did for me.

At first I didn't know what the hype was about. A police station. Meet Motoko, your not-so-average cybernetic brain female-preferenced policing citizen in the new age world, wherein the internet and reality have fused, and a technologically evolved society is formed in the process. With technology comes newer evils, as bad guys come up with more bad weapons. And in protection of all who are innocent, Public Peace Section 9 has a job to do themselves.

I will be honest, and say that at first I wanted to see this series to see Motoko naked again. She looks better in the series than she did in the movie, but I didn't get to see anything! Oh well, it's always great to watch her walk around in that ultra-sexy uniform she wears unashamed wherever she goes. To add to that, the animation proves to reflect on real human body movement, as the jumps, kicks, and punches don't revert to a "change of background" and 10 seconds of a single flying fist into an object you don't see yet. I am pleased with that: it gets tiring to watch the background disappear in every average action flick out there.

As for the plot, I disagree that the story is chopped into single plots or main plots. I also believe it is somewhat essential to watch each episode completely to get a full understanding of the underlying concept of this anime. Paying special attention to the last episode, it becomes clear that the sets of Stand Alone episodes or Complex episodes all culminate into a single story arc, which doesn't make complete sense until the end. For example the episode about the Tachikomas, which is a stand alone episode, relates very well to the results Laughing Man case, which is part of the complex episodes. Therefore, the anime even tells the story with the eyecatch at the opening of each episode...fascinating, eh?

The audio in this anime just rocks.

Don't even think of skipping out on the opening theme!!! Inner Universe (by Origa) is not your average j.pop - it's a contemporary Russian new age song that leaves the most addicting feeling surging in your brain. I recall myself immediately burning it to a CD to blast it away in my car; this is definitely one of the best OPs I've heard. Also, quite a bit of the music has a Matrix feel that is very upbeat and exciting, as well as mystifying. I find much respect for the soundtrack and sound effects involved in GitS: SAC.

The seiyuu all fit in....except the ones for the Tachikomas! I'm serious, those voices didn't fit the menacing look of the machines at all, and really disrupted the mood of the series in the long run (though I can understand why the producers wanted to make the voices like that, it doesn't go along well with me, personally). Everyone else is great, doing their roles and not getting boring.

Characters are excellent: but they weren't my style at all.

My biggest peev about this anime is it's lack of interesting dialogue. Even pepped up on sugar and ginseng-influenced iced tea, I couldn't bring myself to concentrate on the long, informational dialogues that flooded this anime. I would eventually in the middle of an action scene realize what I misunderstood, and force myself to go back and assure that I got the main idea. GitS: SAC isn't for idiots. As it turns out, I am an idiot. Proud to say that I am one of them, and also that I couldn't find ultimate enjoyment that I might find in less complicated animes.

Also I think this newly developed universe stays too unexplained to be fully acceptable to me. From all that I was able to extract about computers, internet, and humans able to merge into more complicated beings, I still could see a way for them to make an excuse for Motoko to fly, or raise someone from the dead (even though it is too obvious the universe doesn't become that flexible). In the end this anime remains a little too vague, but it is forgivable with it's catchy story and acceptable explanations.

Good show. Don't miss it.

Unless this show seems like a complete loss, take it up. Whether you are intelligent or not, the action is awesome, the music is outstanding, and the story is exciting to watch. Nothing ever gets too ridiculous, and the conclusion reminds me of Neon Genesis Evangelion with The Big Talk at the very end. To top things off, the opening theme from episode 3 and on is a wonderful CG that at first seems a little sketchy, but looks more appealing everytime it's seen.

Also, it's hot on the p2p network, at the time of this review I was able to get all of this series in a matter of 3-4 days, so collecting is easy enough. Just to gaze when you see Motoko in her drool material outfit.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (aka. GitS:SAC)

Perhaps one of the most anticipated series of 2002, and it doesn't dissappoint. Breath-taking animation and a loyalty to the vision of the author, Production I.G. truly brings paints the world of Shirow Masamune's vision of a near future.

The series revolves around a paramilitary anti-terrorist/covert-operation group called Section 9. Their jobs include anything from neutralizing hostage situations, anti-terrorist actions, detective work, and also covert surveilance. Most of them are former soldiers turned cyborgs - with the exception of Togusa, who is almost completely human and had been a detective. Section 9 finds themselves amist the struggle between humanity and machines, and the war of ambitions, jealousy, and justice. Masamune's world is in constant conflict between the concept of man and machine, democracy and dictatorship, and even freedom of speech and governmental censorship. The series is both an intellectual challenge and an adreneline rush.

Animation
Incredible. There has been some astouding feats of animation, but Production I.G. really pulled no punches in delivering a beautifully put together anime. It could be considered the best integration of CG into digital animation to date. Over five thousand CG objects were intergrated seamlessly into the animation. It all results in some of the most fluid and eye-popping animation to date.

Sound
Yoko Kanno once again brings her talented musical touch to GitS:SAC. She's done masterpieces with past AOSTs, such as "Cowboy Bebop" - and she does it again. The OST for this series may not be the level of masterpiece that Cowboy Bebop was - but it's almost there. The music tends to be techno, which is befitting of the series - opening song "Inner Universe", a Russian Techno/Trance piece sung by Shanti Snyder, and "Run Rabbit Funk" in conjuncture with Tim Jensen, are the most famous songs on the official OST.

Story
Due to the complexity of GitS:SAC, rewatching the series after finishing it would be adviseable, if not out-right necessary. The main arc of the series is rather complicated, but each of the episodes, with the exception of 25 and 26, can be watched by themselves - although most do have references to the main arc. The plot only thickens as the series moves on, as Section 9 delves deeper and deeper into a dangerous conflict - and one that will ultimately challenge the of Section 9 to their limits.

Character
This is perheps the weakest aspect of GitS:SAC - the lack of character development. The main character, Kusanagi Motoko (aka. Major) is obviously given the most depth, followed by fellow Togusa and Bateau (which actually means "boat" in French). A little background on Aramaki Daisuke helps to develop the Section chief. Although those characters may have been fleshed out a bit more than others, the development was far too minimal. As for the other three member of Section 9, namely Saito, Boma, and Ishikawa, they are barely developed and remain fixed in their utilitarian roles. They are given little screen time, nor much in the way of background or history.

Value
The Japanese DVD set does have some decent bonus features, such as "the making of GitS:SAC". However, until the English dubbing is done and the quality of that work is assessed, the Value of the U.S. DVD release will need to be delayed. For now, the DVDs are of excellent audio-visual quality, but nothing special of of yet when it comes to feature bonuses.

The intellectual aspect and the level of complexity of GitS:SAC may turn off some people who are not looking for a mental excercise while watching anime. A good part of the series are driven by dialogue, and one episode in particular is almost ninety percent dialogue. For those dependent on the subtitles for comprehension, this can also be tedious, and can sometimes feel more like reading a novel and not watching an anime. Hopefully the English dubbing will alleviate some these issues, if they do a decent job of it - which history indicates as unlikely. We'll have to see.

Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex is not meant as continuation of the famous movie. It is an alternate story (quotation from the director) where Motoko (aka Major) never met the PuppetMaster.
From what I have heard, some people took that title for GitS sequel. Those are wrong, and their bashing is undeserved. Others (like me) took it because of the connection with a movie they liked or loved, and those are to be disappointed, for the connection is scarce, relying mainly on characters and settings. There are though those, who come across this title without prior knowledge of GitS the movie. And some of them will enjoy it, provided they are in for action, shootouts, and some cyberpunk police story with psychological dialogue and riddles. GitS SAC offers little more.

However the name Ghost in the Shell bears a heavy burden. It can be compared with writing a sequel to Neuromancer. And if I am to be frank, SAC fails to reach that level, and does it with a really wide gap.

What is lacking? Before answering, I will first compare the series to its predecessor, Ghost in the Shell from 1995.

Animation in the movie awed me, here it often distracted me or caused me to sneer. While the movie had few songs, those that it had, had tremendous effect. Even though years ed before I first heard Ama maeba I still can sing it off my memory, and still I feel all the emotions it evoked back then. The series' soundtrack tries hard, yet every now and then there is this song or SFX that ruins the thing almost completely. It is mainly related to Tachikomas, I it that. Still, all that could be bore, if not for story and characters. Those two shine with potential all the while being so thoroughly messed up, one wants to weep.

Summarizing, I am not in the least impressed. Had it not proudly present the connection between itself and one of my most favorite movies, I would likely rate it higher, but seeing Ghost in the Shell in the title I could not help but expect. GitS SAC did not deliver.



Animation and Art[/b]
What earns the credits here are constantly well done - and what matters even more - fitting cyberpunk settings backgrounds, fight sequences and shootouts.

Other than that, I really have no praises for animation. If not for those three things I would actually bash the thing, because GitS SAC is the very first anime in which I saw so badly done mix between CGI and drawings. I can tell precisely where what was used, the 'stitches' are so out of place I feel like I could almost touch them. It makes me itch to redo them myself, because even my amateurish work must be better. ;-P

Characters are distinguishable easily, weapons and vehicles are done well, as are all CGI here, and I must say that outfits are good, and not always the same. With one notable exception.
You see, Major Katsuragi wears swimsuit. Nearly all the time. Sometimes she puts jacket on it, and she wears boots, but it is swimsuit all the same. Now I understand she is one hot babe, and boys would be drooling over, but police officer, on duty and such clothing? I subconsciously expected someone to react to her questioning with "On what lane can I find You when You work, babe, and how much would a ride cost?". That outfit is lame and made me sneer at fan-service.

There are breathtaking moments, when I really can see animation was done with care. Characters moves are natural in those moments, their bodies are normal, and I do not immediately think about mannequins or dolls. But those are only moments.

Only 5. Sorry, when I compare it to *original* GITS then it sucks. Beside, if there is such huge number of dialogues then I should be able to observe well how and when their mouths move. And it was not so.



Sound[/b]
When I got special episode, I learned few things, also the fact that Yoko Kanno made the music here. I think it is her worst soundtrack, rather than 'the best' as many here hail it.

Chorus parts were well done, Spotter (really good music fitting the cyberpunk settings, panning shots on many things and crowd sequences) and of course, opening and ending. Usually that would be enough for me, but when I hear music done by composer I respect and like, I have high expectations. Much higher than usual.

After hearing Cowboy Bebop OST I was astounded. After hearing Wolf's Rain I was speechless. After hearing GitS SAC I felt almost nothing.

Friend argues with me here strongly... so I shall be opened for any info about other soundtracks. Mayhaps the rating will change...


Story[/b]
Among other things that GitS had, and GitS SAC does not story is by far the most prominent. The movie had really freaky stuff included, with brain-hacking and identity problems, so characteristic for cyberpunk literature and movies.

GitS SAC features it also. Unfortunately, here someone forgot the word: measure. Results are not appealing, they rather are appalling.
Main story should occur IMO faster than it did, and deep does not always means boring.

Massive amounts of subs sometimes take almost half of the screen, so deeply involved in philosophical conversation our heroes are. Had I walked in straight into middle of a philosophy lecture, and heard this, I would not be surprised at all. Yet hearing conversations between police officer and his boss being full of such jargon and topics makes me certain, that every member of Section Nine reads classical philosophy, and has quite a large library on it at his own disposal.

Also the other quarrel I have with the anime is that for a 26 episode series, there was a lot of boredom. Almost 10 episodes ed before the main story got introduced, and even then there were fillers. Talk about bad pacing. They could use this time to develop characters, or introduce some side-stories that would later get in handy, yet they did none of it. Which saddens me.

Many reviewers said that story is a mix of stand-alone episodes and real story and that is mild way of putting it. Summarizing, those who have seen Cowboy Bebop or Witch Hunter Robin will find a few similarities. Yet while CB filler episodes had style, GitS SAC just told another story in hackneyed 'case of the day' style, not wasting time for developing characters.



Characters[/b]
Section Nine has, nomen omen, nine . Out of those, we will know Major and Batou the most, then Aramaki (the Chief section) and Togusa. Forget the rest of the guys, because all I can tell You after watching is that Mr. A was a sniper, Mr. B was a hacker etc.

Few things really annoyed me, to quite an extent. This partially bounds with the story, yet is mostly displayed by characters.

The movie, aside from raising identity and 'being human' questions also had mystery, action and wonderful settings. The world was gloomy, full of modern technology, simple and creepy at the same time. Fortunately GitS SAC continues this tradition, by occasionally showing us fantastic landscapes and fabulous inventions or technologies. Sometimes though, we are taken way abroad. First, and foremost, Tachikomas come to mind. Only a tad behind are the cyborgs. And third (and again not so distant to other two) place is occupied by Major.

Prior to seeing Tachikomas in anything else than the opening I really were curious. Tanks, really well drawn, battle tanks, with camouflage. Agile, fast, armed. That is what I got from the opening.

Hell, nothing prepared me for a shock they were. And they were cutesy packed tenth fold and thrown straight into my face. Honestly, few moments were enough to make my jaw drop, and the further it went, the worse it was. After few episodes I wanted to kill the guy who helped them made it into this anime. They spoiled everything when they got screen time.

Take the episode with terrorists base infiltration. Police tank, who excitedly screams about oil from Batou-san, like a kid who cannot wait for his tomorrow's birthday rarely is a good partner in a DISCRETE and SILENT infiltration attempt. After the incident repeated I began to wonder whether terrorists are already dead, or perhaps simply deaf. In fact every scene with Tachikoma was a miss for me. Whether they were meant as comedic relief, bucket of cutesy drank in one sip, or anything else - short of annoyance - they failed.

Next thing that annoyed me, was Major's abilities. Numerous and vast they were as stars in the sky. She excels in everything, knows everything, is faster, more skillful, smarter, etc. than everybody. And as always in such situations there is no opponent that can match her. I know the main hero (or, in this case, heroine) often is expected to fare 'better' than Your average Joe, yet I never liked Superman. Nor Superwoman, for that matter. The reason is, I cannot help but know that such hero will win, no matter what happens.

Third and first nominations explained, that leaves us with cyborgs. Now I do not want to shun cyborgs away in CYBERpunk. I understand that cyborgization is a necessary element here, and I concurr with all my might. Questions like "what makes human being human", "who am I" and "when does human turn into machine" are deep in cyberpunk, because of cyborgization. Yet the fact that cyborgs are so amazingly effective in everything they do makes one wonder what people like Togusa do in Section Nine. He is merely human. Compared to people with artificial limbs or nerves, he is weaker, slower, almost inapt. And he is a field agent. Something here does not click. On one hand I can see that cyborgs will be terribly effective. On the other I can see that if they were, the police and government would be using them too, now would they not? And if we take Batou or Major, we can see they would. And here is the place where I ask again, what does Togusa do in Section Nine?

And it is proven very true in whole series. Togusa is a good cop, well developed character, family man who immediately earns Your trust and sympathy, and compared to Batou or Major he is weak. Smart, intelligent, dependable, he does good job as a detective, noone should doubt that, but there are moments in Section Nine member's life when he is bound to get into troubles and that is were Togusa fails. Because he does not has any battle enhancements. He cannot bend metal with his hand, he cannot jump down thirteen floors, he cannot jump over a 5 meter high fence etc.

I shall reiterate last paragraph, Togusa IMO should fare better, because the gap between cyborgs and normal humans kinda is portrayed like a gap between Kenshin and Kaoru in Rurouni Kenshin. Or like Alter and normal human in S.CRY.ED. If You ask me, that is taking it too far, again.

Characters are a peculiar aspect, because on one hand they deliver a lot, and on other, they fail also greatly. To provide fan-service Major is weakened (in a way). Yet since she should not be, she is equipped in every possible ability she needs to fare well. Since Batou was not much worse, he still is, and every fight scene with those two is sure to be enjoyable. There is chemistry between the two, which also calls out for more, and in a way delivers, with terrific and well executed scene on the landing lot (parking lot?) and Batou's great reaction to events that take place there.

Yet aside Togusa, Batou, Motoko (Major) there is only one character here. Aramaki, called also Monkey due to his haircut and old age, who is Section's Chief is a great character, skilled politician and he really plays the game well. All episodes were he played bigger role are among the better ones, and he is shown as a man with principles, hard yet merciful. After Togusa he is my second favorite character here. I would work my ass for such boss, no questions asked. He totally won me over when after the Laughing Man's case was introduced, he told Major to tell Togusa to bring flowers for the guy who led them to this case. Aramaki is a real gentleman, he can hide iron under his silk gloves, and that is an irable feat.

Sadly, there are 26 episodes here, and what we get in of characters development is much less. Changes we can see are scarce, and the rest of Section Nine could practically not exist. For a police story that is bad. Every police series I have seen up to date, that focus on particular police office or section, featured all the characters there. Here that rule is broken, and I missed it. I wanted to know more about others, than merely what their specialties are.



Value[/b]
Lack of measure sentenced this to mediocrity, even without famous title burden. There are simply too many 'too's, in practically every aspect.

Main story was introduced too late, there were too many fillers; too few characters were interesting, too few were developed, the gap between what Major could do and what others could was too wide, the amount of philosophy and deep thoughts in everyday's dialogues was too huge, Tachikomas were too unbearable; the blending was all too apparent, the CGI all too evident...

Let me add my own 'too':
I stay away from this title, You should too.

I assume that you know the "Ghost in the Shell" movie. Fewer of you might have read the manga, which is somewhat different from the movie and describes a more believable and rich world.

"GitS - Standalone Complex" is much closer to the manga, in fact it really IS like the manga. Here we get to see all those lovable and fun (yes, FUN!) parts the rather dark movie didn't show.

The stories are just what you'd expect from the GitS universe: political fights, military hardware going rampage, assasination and terrorists, just everything the mysterious "Section 9" has to fight on a daily basis. This means lots of action with terrifying future weapons and lots of cynical comments from the main characters. The most astonishing thing for me is how real everything appears, it might all just happen in a few decades.

The animation is superb, especially the CG. Most of the mechs (mainly legged tanks) and other vehicles are cartoon-shaded CG-objects which, IMHO, blend almost perfectly with the environment. I must say I haven't seen such sophisticated and wide usage of CG in an tv-series yet. And everything else is just of the same quality, the gap between movies and tv-production gets pretty thin in this anime.

And before I forget, the soundtrack is another asset that adds to the overall quality. An interesting and varied choice of music and frightening realistic sound effects are just as outstanding as everything else in this series.

Yet, the overall clean and realistic style of the stories might not be suited for every viewer, you really have to like political-anime and semi-realistic military hardware to fully enjoy it.

Guess what? I did!


PS: After having it seen completely I feel the urge to point out that this is probably the most intense series I have seen so far. The final episodes put tears in my eyes.

SIMILAR TO: Ghost In The Shell (movie)This series is an audio-video delight. The soundtrack, sfx and ambience, together with the intelligent and beautiful visuals, are superb.

Visuals:
Focusing on the visuals, the aspect that hits you as the most striking at times is the lighting - everything is lit so well and provides such a vivid tone for a scene - it really has an effect on the mood that is trying to be conveyed. Much of the the series consists of scenes where the characters are still and communicating via neurological cyber links, and here we sometimes see subtle alterations to the lighting as time progresses - it all adds to the atmosphere. The design of the world is extremely intelligent - since the anime is set in the future, there are many gadgets, gizmos, and general utilities that have been expertly designed and developed by the animation team. But it's the fact that it seems so effortless that really makes you appreciate it. There are many complex bits of artwork in the series, with integrated 2D/3D parts, and it all blends together very well. The characters are animated well, and the style of the whole series is very well crafted throughout. It makes good use of 3D visuals, not going overboard but still providing a suitably futuristic feel. The only possible flaw is the ever so slight lack of detail on the 3D objects.

Sound:
The sound has been as carefully put together as the visuals. Every sound effect is instantly believable as being something futuristic. The ambiance is probably the most impressive - subtle things like the humming of machinery or vehicle traffic sounds in the background, add an infinite degree of intricacy to the audio. The character voices are excellent - being suitably different when the characters are communicating verbally or neurologically. The music for the series is wonderful (I've already got the cd in my collection), and compliments the general tone of the anime.

Story:
The story is noticeably flawed, but yet awesome at the same time. It's often too complicated and political, but yet highly intelligent and well devised when you think about it. This can make it dull at times, despite being clever. (Still, the last half-dozen episodes keep you glued to your seat despite the somewhat complex nature.) This anime has tried to incorporate the best of two worlds - action and drama. But often, instead of mixing the two properly, it keeps them separate - having a period of time being devoted solely to some wild action, and then having a very lengthy period of time where there is a lack of action, and instead, more of a monologue of plot advancement.

GITS is set in the distant future, where the majority of humans have a cyber or robotic part to their bodies. Most have an element of their brain being part machine. With this aspect in place, we have a stage set for complex hackers and cyber criminals to try and play around where they shouldn't. GITS focuses on an elite team of law enforcement - known as Section 9, who handle the more difficult, and rarer type of crimes.

Since the anime is set in the future, there is a LOT of time spent given to the characters simply communicating with each other about past events - in order to help those watching the anime understand the nature of the GITS world. This often makes the anime feel slow, especially when there has just been an intense action sequence. However, most of the time there are interesting major revelations - sometimes subtle, sometimes pronounced - in the "slow and talky scenes" that give them a good redeeming factor, if you're able to understand the complex nature of them. The complexity of the series is another double-edged sword: often you can get hopelessly lost in the political or mechanical garble that makes up such a large part of the series, but when you rewind the scene and persist with understanding it, there is a great sense of satisfaction when you finally put the pieces together.

GITS SAC's main plot focus is "The Laughing Man Case", which weaves its story throughout the series. But there is enough room to accommodate stand alone plots in several episodes. I found that the story as a whole was ambitious, but thankfully controlled - there is such a huge premise that it was possible to make a mess of the series, but luckily I found it to be very disciplined whilst covering a large scope of plots.

Characters:
This is not really a series about character development. Priority has been given to the plot, and the main characters have only been developed to the point where it was considered necessary. In fact, the Tachikoma tanks were probably given the most development in the series. Overall, even with the lack of character development, the characters are above average because there is no real reason to fault them - I never doubted that a particular character should be presented in a certain way. I was concerned at the end of the series however, when I realised that all of the of Section 9 hadn't really been given much screen time. There had been emphasis in the series that it was about Section 9 as a team, but only about 3 of the were ever really the focus throughout.

Value & Enjoyment:
With the complex plots, some being duller than others, the replay value of the series is tarnished to a certain degree, especially since you have to be in a certain receptive mood to watch it. But overall, I enjoyed it greatly. My advice though, is to persevere - it's a bit unfortunate, but this series requires it. You'll get something out of it in the end if you liked the feel of movie. (I myself originally gave up watching the series after 4 episodes, and then came back to it after a whole year to finish it off after being urged a friend.) I don't doubt that this series would have been more enjoyed if I were able to understand Japanese - having to watch it with subtitles was often difficult at times due to the vast amount of information to take in at once. But like I said before, persevere - if you have half a mind you'll be glad you did.

A long time ago, I followed the crowd and treated anime as "kiddie stuff." I ignored it. Then one day, I discovered Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Since then, I have seen many other great anime. Nothing I have found, however, is even comparable to Stand Alone Complex. GITS:SAC is completely unlike any other anime ever created in many ways.

Animation

Absolutely gorgeous. Extremely detailed, incredibly beautiful backgrounds, and the CGI just makes it even better. The sheer quality of the animation in GITS:SAC rivals and possibly sures that of Bebop and many other animes known for their detailed animation.

Sound

The sound in general is somewhat above par for an anime... except for the opening theme. It alone truly captures the feel of the world described by Stand Alone Complex. It also made itself onto my MP3 player. It is... beautiful... to say the least.

Story

Extremely complex, and extremely engrossing. Once it grabs you, it will not let go. A warning however: GITS:SAC is not easy to understand, at all. I understood the story pretty well on the first viewing, but I know very few others who could understand it without watching it twice. I'd rather not post any spoilers here, so as I will say many times: GO WATCH IT!

Character
I woulld like to split this into two categories.

Character Part 1: Humans
7/10

The Major was extremely fleshed out in Stand Alone Complex, along with Batou and Togusa. All have major roles in many episodes. As adults, there is much less character development--but this is expected in an anime of this sort. I give this a low score due to the fact that a lot of the more minor characters are very flat in this series. This is improved somewhat in 2nd GIG.

Character Part 2: Tachikomas
11/10

The tachikomas are easily the best characters in the series. There is a complete role reversal in GITS:SAC compared to most animes. In other animes, robots tend to be constant, cold, and unchanging, while the humans are the dynamic element. In Stand Alone Complex, the humans experience little character development, while the tachikomas take over that role. The tachikomas are the perfect anime character--curious, extremely intelligent, and almost cute, all at the same time, without being silly and uninteresting. They add a needed humor to the show without taking away the serious aspect of it. In my opinion the tachikomas are what was missing from the original Ghost in the Shell movie, and the main part of what makes the series a more impressive and satisfying experience. Unfortunately the Major has them disbanded later in the series--so until 2nd GIG, they are only seen in isolated scenes and the Tachikoma Specials.

Value

When you've watched some of the epidoes in Stand Alone Complex 5, 6, 7, or more times, you know that it is worth every penny.

Enjoyment

For those looking for a futuristic, optimistic, and colorful vision of the future with a vast story, great characters, this anime will be good for years to come. Just when you think you've gotten bored of it, you will wait a week and watch the whole darn series again, marveling at how good it is.

I have found flaws in every other anime that I have watched. Even the best ones--Fullmetal alchemist, Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, and others--have their flaws. But the only flaw I can find in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is the lack of character development among the minor characters. That is such a minor flaw that it can be basically ignored when watching the series. And thus for all other anime that I watch, I have used Stand Alone Complex as the benchmark, by which they are judged.

Animation:
This has got to be one of the best combinations of 2D and 3D animation to date ever since Initial D, which started this concept in the first place. Anyone who says this isn't true obviously HASN’T watched the Opening. The visual effects and graphics are stunning to say the least. I think even mind-blowing doesn't do it justice.

Sound:
The music is mostly techno and somewhat of a modern alternative. This fits the series as it is supposed to be futuristic and kind of classy in a modern age kind of way. The sound effects are also superb and give audiences the chance to immerse themselves into the story.

Story:
The storyline is mostly centered on an organization called Section 9 which is supposed to be a special ops unit of some kind like the legendary Delta Force. They're not supposed to exist in the eyes of the public and only a small handful of people know of their existence. The story is mostly based on their exploits and the action taken by this organization. Every episode sees them taking on some mission which affects the government. However, you would be mistaken to think that each episode has no relation to another. In fact, the story builds up to a hidden agenda that isn’t revealed until toward the end of the series. The story is compelling and gripping and will draw you in like a fish on a hook.

Character:
There is little or no character development in this story. The characters are grow-ups and pretty much stay the same as they do from beginning to the end of the show. There is little hint on the history of the characters although it is clear that they each have their own role to play in Section 9. However, this does not mean that the characters are dull and boring. It can be seen in many instances in the series that each have their own ability and personality. And in a world where cybernetic bodies are common, it is pretty interesting to see what each character can do.

Value:
If you’re a person who is willing to pay for a good anime, then you should pay for this one. It is as good as any anime that has ever been released. In fact, it would be pretty worth it as watching it more than once wouldn’t spoil the series at all. Repeated viewing of this series will only make the viewer gain a better understanding of the story and not make it dull instead.

Enjoyment:
Enjoyment for this series is to the max. This anime is right up there with the big boys and if you haven’t already gotten it, you should stop reading this right now and go get the entire DVD collection. There is no other anime which keeps you at the edge of your seat and make you want to jump out of it when one episode finishes so that you can immediately start the next one. This is entertainment to the extreme and anyone who enjoys a good series, whether they’re an anime fan or not, should get this one.

The world 30 years from now is vastly different than the one we inhabit today. Information is law, information is everything and nothing, and one can never be certain whether information is true or not. It is in this environment that exists the Public Peace Section 9, a group of former mercenaries, cops, soldiers, and hackers try to keep the populace safe against itself and those that would harm it.

Animation: 9

This is hard to judge, actually, since GitS: SAC is neither quite a TV series, nor is it an OVA, since it was released on SKY television on a pay-per-view basis. The animation itself is quite spectacular, with a quality mix of cell and cgi animation that we have come to expect from Production IG. All the characters exude facial, body, and clothing details, more so than one could expect from a TV series. The cgi is not always seamless, but I doubt that was the creators intention, and it never takes you outside the experience of watching GitS: SAC, but adds to it in a way I find difficult to describe.

Characters: 9

Many of the characters are the ones you would find in the original movie. Motoko, Togusa, Aramuki, and Batou are the four characters focused upon in GitS: SAC. Secondary characters such as Ishikawa make their presence felt, but the spotlight is upon the first four. There really isn’t much to say, they resemble their characters from the first GitS movie, but they are expanded upon in greater detail in this twenty-six episode series.

Story: 10

The storytelling in GitS: SAC is the backbone of the series. The secret is that they present all the grey area issues of technology and don’t resolve them. In this fictional world the characters don’t try and solve the problems of technology, but resolve them using the problems to their advantage. It’s this subtle yet startling difference which gives GitS: SAC a plot twist that is grossly underused. It is why I gave it a ten, after all.

Sound: 8

Music for GitS: SAC was produced by Yoko Kanno, my favorite musician, period, but even I cannot forgive her some of the music in this anime. The most glaring example of this is the ED, Lithium Flower, quite possibly the worst song to grate upon my ears. Be that as it may, there are moments of pure brilliance, and the OSTs that I’m aware of, the first, the second, and Be Human, are worthy of a listen or six.

Enjoyment: 9 / Value: 9

The establishment and endgame of GitS: SAC enthralled me greatly. It is the middle lull though that spoiled the experience, and I can forgive those who gave up on the series before the end, though they missed an excellent ending. The value of GitS: SAC has yet to be determined, though I can see myself watching this excellent anime again and again.

Overall, a terrific anime and an excellent addition to the Ghost in the Shell series. In fact, I think this might even be better than the movies. Extremely entertaining, with tons of action, mystery, and political intrigue mixed with a healthy dose of futuristic technology make this a great anime, and the best sci-fi anime around.

The animation is top-notch in this series: you won't find any anime with better animation. The character models are terrific, the action scenes are very well done, and the sequences in the "net" when the characters are diving into it are all very interesting to watch.

The soundtrack to this series is terrific; the opening and ending songs are perfectly suited to this futuristic and mysterious anime, and the soundtrack during the episodes is also amazing and well selected.

The story is pretty complex, with layers of criminals to be caught and mysteries abound. Every episode contains a piece of information that you will later learn has importance in the underlieing storyline, and all the pieces will connect to bring the episodes together. Each episode is also full of action and mystery, and each episode may involve a different cast of characters (including focusing on different of Section 9 itself). The whole Laughing Man plot is also very well done and the ending, in my opinion, was a perfect way to end the series. I can't wait to watch "2nd GIG".

The characters are all very well done as well; each having depth and personalities to them to bring them to life. Togusa, Motoko, Bauto, and Aramaki are the characters with the most screen time in this story, and by the end we really get to know each of them and to learn their personality quirks. The relationships between the characters are also amazingly well done; from the peer-to-peer relationship of Aramaki and Motoko compared to the relationship of Aramaki with the rest of Section 9 to the relationship between Motoko and Bauto or Bauto and the Tachikoma.

This anime is top-notch, and deserves to be watched by any fan of anime, sci-fi, or just movie enthusiasts in general. It is very rewatchable, and I plan on buying the whole series as soon as I can.

In the end, you hold your breath, your hands are numb, and you can't get control of your own body...

This is what happened to me when I finished seeing this masterpiece...

The animation: I have never seen any more success in integrating CG with the animation. It really deepened the story. It gave depth to the surrounding and ed the role of the characters. I am sure it demanded a lot of work, but the results worthed it. The animation itself was really smooth. Character designs were nice specially for Motoko.

The sound: Masterly written and performed. Never better voice casting. Each character was deepened more and more by the casting. The quality was increasing along the way. The soundtrack was one of the best fitting. It gave some darkness to the anime that was required. So, although you are watching the events take place during the day, the music gives you the numb feeling of darkness crawling towards you.. The opening theme was performed by Origa (olga), and was one of the best Ops I heard. Many other tracks are worth mentioning, such as "Living inside the Shell", "I can't be cool", " Lithium Flower" and "whats it for".

The story: Although hard to catch sometimes, it was one of those that compells you to stay tuned untill the end. I dont deny that in many episodes I was unable to "catch" the idea, but in the end it was clear. The way how each episode was a stand alone in its events but yet contributed to the general story was very well done.

charcters: This was the area that required more work. The development of the characters were somehow very slow. And for me, I expected that at some point, there will be a major turning point in which the characters will develop, but this never happened. And except for maybe Batou and Togusa, you end the series almost as the same as it started (character wise)..

Value: It is simply a masterpiece.. skillfully written and displayed .. It is one of the best .. specially if you are a fan of Action-SciFi anime.
This was one of the shows that I really enjoyed every and each episode.

Enjoyment: If you are watching a show that compells you to start the next episode as soon as you finish the one you are watching, then it will be an enjoyable one. And I think that this is the case in Ghost in the shell Stand Alone Complex.