11 years ago a ground breaking Manga film was released: Ghost in the shell. It’s flawless blend of computer animated and hand drawn graphics left viewers spellbound. It was inevitable that there would be a sequel. It took 10 years to get it out, but there was one, following on from the first movie. Though the second film (Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence) was just as, if not more, visually stunning, many people were let down by the story.
But the second movie left people confused, as a few years before it was released, the Ghost in the Shell TV series was being shown on TV in Japan, and later got DVD releases across the world.
This is what confused people though, as after the 1st film, it splits off into 2 different timelines. You can either watch the first film then watch Innocence, or you can watch the film then the series. The series (called Stand Alone Complex) had nothing to do with the second film apart from its characters.
The first series (each series called Gigs) contains 633 minutes worth of action over 26 parts and 7 discs. It follows Major Motoko Kusinagi, Bato, Togusa, Chief Aramaki and all the other characters from the 1st film tackling various missions. The first episode sees the team infiltrating a robotic Geisha house, where some top ranking politicians are being held captive.
Each episode is extremely slick and stylish mixing, fast paced action with incredibly in depth conspiracy and political sub plots. Each episode shines new lights on each characters pasts that weren’t in the films, and with there being 26 episodes, sometimes the focus is on just one member. One of the episodes has Bato chasing down an old army “buddy” who’s gone crazy, and teaches us about his past in the Peace Corp and the horrors he witnessed before joining Section 9.
There are new characters as well in the form of the multiped tanks the Tachikomas (the one the Major ripped herself apart when she was trying to open it in the 1st film) these ones are smaller and talk in creepy children’s voices. Over the series we learn a lot about them, and their journey of obtaining their own “ghosts” through constant data-linking.
Most of the episodes don’t have much to do with each other, apart from one story that begins in episode 4 and carries on in various episodes until the last one. This story is the case of “The Laughing Man”; a cyber-brain hacking criminal mastermind that bought the government to its knees 6 years back and has apparently re-surfaced now. (How I wish they’d release the laughing man saga on its own DVD)
This is one of the most in-depth and twisted conspiracy stories you could ever hope to see. You never know who the laughing man is, and even when you find out who takes responsibility, he wasn’t the one who put the chain of events into action. I haven’t seen the 2nd Gig yet, but im guessing the real culprit will be revealed as you see him walking off in the end.
This is a must see series. Its edge of your seat stuff complete with giant walking tanks controlled by a dead guy’s brain, women with guns for forearms, Section 9 HQ being blown apart and the revelation that the Major possibly used to be a man. Throw in some massive mini guns, robotic suicide and the constant discussion of what makes a human a human? Is it their Ghosts? Because if so, the Tachikomas achieve their own humanity by acquiring Ghosts.
It is beautifully constructed and will suit fans of Manga, Mecha, Action, Conspiracies, Sci-Fi and romance. There are so many twists in it that it will leave your head spinning.
If you watch it, put on the subtitles, as they give you more information in the Laughing Man case then they do in the regular dialogue.
You must see this. 10 out of 10.
