Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(26 episode series)
I'm going to say right up front that this is an excellent series and that you should definitely see it if you're a sci-fi fan and/or a cyberpunk fan. Based on the same manga that the movies are based on, the series takes place in the near future and is set primarily in Japan. Technology is very pervasive, with nearly everyone having accepted some form of "cyberization" that links them to an even more advanced version of the internet.
So why do I prefer the series over the movie? Well, as much as I hate to say it, there's just a lot more going on in the series and the movie tends to drag on a bit. That's not to say that I don't mind some cerebral stimulation and some philosophy, but there just has to be more there for me to be interested in, like some good characters. The movies really only ever focus on two of the many characters who make up Section 9. The series, being a series, is able to explore more of the other characters.
I tend to like series with a large ensemble casts and multi-episode story arcs, and wouldn't you know it, but this series happens to fit the bill. Actually one of the nice things about this series is that it manages to introduce you to everyone and the setting everything is taking place in without really slowing the pace down. A lot of anime tends to do that, the thing is while it’s nice to be introduced to characters before we jump into the story, it tends to make the first few episodes kind of drag. This is also why the "three episode rule" exists, because that's usually about the time introductions are over and the plot starts.
GitS;SAC's solution to this is to actually live up to its name and have plenty of stand alone episodes which are unrelated to the main plot, which we catch up to later on. This way, we get to learn about each of the different members of Section 9 by watching them as they go about their jobs, defending Japan against cyber-terrorism. We even follow the antics of the new Tachikomas, robotic "think tanks" where are controlled by artificial intelligence. Each of these stand alone episodes is usually pretty good in its own right, exploring different themes which touch on the philosophies that tend to go hand in hand with the type of technologies presented in this series. There are times this gets a little tiring, such as with the Tachikomas, and just insulting, as with the episode featuring "Imperial" Americans.
As an aside, I have to note, yet again, that it seems like someone at Production I.G has an anti-American axe to grind. Yes, I know there is supposed to be some kind of backstory which explains the how the American Empire came into being, but that should've been in the show, and it still could've done without presenting the actual Americans who showed up like they were buffoons. If anything, they should have been creepy since they were from the CIA, but I digress.
In any case, another nice thing these little stand alone episodes did was to give us an occasional break when the main plotline started, and actually helped to set the pacing a little better. Movies have something of a disadvantage when it comes to this, because they have a much more limited amount of time to do everything in. So whereas in a movie, things which take place over the course of weeks or months can seem to be happening in a much more rapid-fire pacing, and diversions away from it can negatively affect the story, in a series, we only get a finite amount of time in each installment, but especially in the case of longer series, there are plenty of episodes to stretch things out over. Plus, the main Laughing Man plotline started out essentially as any other story covered in the series up to that point, and it got the same kind of attention as everything else, and other things were still going on. In a way, this adds a kind of realism, because in real life we don’t have a preset plot that takes over everything and we focus all our attention on.
This approach also allows the series to slowly delve into the plot, until we realize just how much there is to the story it's telling. In this case, it involves an expert hacker, the Laughing Man, who has a beef with a micro-machine pharmaceutical company. It isn't until later why this is, or how far this shady deal to give this company an unfair leg-up over a competitor goes. That's actually another aspect I like about this series, which is that while it still goes over more abstract ideas like just what makes us human, what exactly a "ghost" is, why people might choose to isolate themselves in such an interconnected society, and other things like that, with much more real aspects, like parts of the government working against each other in a struggle for power, corrupt politicians and police, government interference in the marketplace, and smaller idea men getting crushed by large corporations.
As it turns out, this is all about a possible cure to a debilitating disease that has emerged thanks to the push to implant the human body with technology. A lesser known scientist seems to have discovered a possible cure using some other kind of naturally derived, biological treatment, but this information is suppressed by a collaboration between government officials and a large technology corporation which is developing a micro-machine based "cure" which actually doesn’t work all that well. This was all done in the name of money, naturally, and this really pissed the Laughing Man off, and he tried to do something about it. What makes this interesting, aside from learning who the Laughing Man is and what he's about, is just how deep this conspiracy goes. It apparently leads to confrontations with the narc squad and even the military. Things actually look pretty bad for Section 9 there for a while.
Unfortunately, that last part is one of where the series lacks. Why? Well, it's just very anti-climactic. Everything has gone to hell and has fallen apart, characters are captured and maybe worse, leaving only one who has no clue as to what is going on. Everything gets real tense, the character decides to take action, and then nothing. It was all a part of a bigger plan, and move along now, nothing to see.
That being said, this is one of the series few weaknesses, the others being the anti-American episode, and some of the cutesy stuff with the Tachikomas that went on a bit longer than it really should have.
When it comes to the characters, Batou and Major Motoko Kusanagi are easily my favorites. They are both complex characters with interesting backgrounds (or in the case of the Major, a mysterious background). They have a sense of humor (especially Batou), and both are easy to empathize and sympathize with. It's also obvious that Batou has romantic feelings for the Major, even if she doesn't really share them. I really normally don’t go for the whole leader/subordinate romance thing, but here my only real problem was that it got milked way too much toward the end of the series, and came off as somewhat forced for the sake of drama.
Togusa is also an interesting character. He's the least cyberized member of Section 9, and the only one with a law enforcement rather than a military background. He's also a family man, and we actually get to meet his family a few times, so anything that happens to him tends to generate a bit more sympathy. He really gets a chance to shine in the series, even more so than in the second movie where he was partnered with Batou. About the only thing there is a plotline that seems to go no where, as at the end of one episode his computer turns itself on, does something, and then shuts back down. This seems like it should lead to something, but it never really seems to.
A lot also tends to get made about the fan service from the Major. All I can say is that while, yes, her outfit is definitely more about that, in this case I can't help but take it in stride. While I really don’t mind fan service at all in most cases, when it comes to a series or movie that's trying to take itself seriously, I usually do start to mind, because I prefer my professionals to appear professional rather than to simply serve as eye candy. This is actually one of my complaints when it comes to other sci-fis, like Star Trek. In this case, though, I guess it just fits her character the same way the rest of Section 9 chooses to present itself. Togusa and Chief Aramaki are really the only ones to dress professionally, with all the others dressing very casually. Plus when it comes down to business, she actually does don a combat outfit that's more or less the same as the rest of them wear, albeit a bit more skin-tight. Plus, as an added bonus, it gave me something to laugh about when the Chief teased her about trying to grab his attention by wearing revealing clothing, when she's actually wearing something that's less revealing than what she normally wears.
Anyway, this is an excellent series, with great artwork, and a wonderful soundtrack to go with an interesting story and characters. I highly recommend that you see this series, even if anime isn't normally your thing. This is a really good sci-fi which just happens to be animated. 9/10.
