The years is 2030 and six years have passed since a criminal known only as the Laughing Man swept through top medical nanotechnology firms committing acts of cyber-terrorism, kidnapping, extortion, and corporate espionage leaving no known suspects. New information is revealed to Japan's top homeland security force, drawing Major Kusanasi and Section 9 into the hunt for a suspect capable of hacking the eyes of every operative, obscuring all details of his appearance and leaving behind a trail of copycats and hacked cyborg citizens. Who is the Laughing Man? What are his motives? And how do you catch a criminal that you cannot see? Join the beautiful cyborg Motoko Kusanagi in a world of high technology and deadly conspiracies as she searches for the answers to these questions and more!
C**L
Still Ahead of Its Time in Concept and Execution . . . a Must-See
Ghost in the Shell was always a fantastic anime movie when I was growing up, but its concepts and core philosophies seemed a bit beyond its own narrative. Now having seen the series, I know that's because it was indeed beyond itself: The concepts of Ghost in the Shell needed an entire show to explore the universe that it created (like Star Trek). Taking the time to understand the technology being presented, the moral and political implications that come with that technology, and asking us what's left of individuality and humanity once the majority of existence is synthetic, is so very worth it.***PROS***STORYStand Alone Complex is about Public Security Section 9. We observe their sleuthing skills in tracking down cyber-terrorists and their unique combat prowess when facing a variety of challenges that cyber-enhanced humanoids present. Some episodes stand alone, focusing on one case that usually deals us a moral/ethical dilemma or zeroing in on background information regarding the Section 9 characters that we follow. There is also an overarching theme the haunts the entire first season: the hunt for the cyber terrorist known as the "laughing man." The stories are intelligent and rewarding. The replay value is high; a better understanding awaits with every viewing.ANIMATIONNo stills, three-frame choppy motions, or cheaply blocked fight sequences here. This is the good stuff. There's true cinematography at work. The battle animations are fluid and the choreography is sinister. But for fans of nonstop anime action (and I'm one of them): You won't find it here. If a battle can be handled in one quick move, than that's how it goes down. There's no excess, no wasteful flair. The action is always to the point.CHARACTERSEach member of Section 9 is an adult character. Keep an eye on all of them. Backstories are rare, but when they're provided, they reveal just enough information for you to draw your own conclusions. Viewers might emerge with their own takes on each character, so I won't bore you with mine. The Tachikomas are tanks-turned-helpers and their A.I.'s showcase a "cute girl" attitude that takes a while to get used to. I'm not sure if I'll ever truly embrace their grating cheerfulness, but it doesn't detract from the show in excess, and their roles are always interesting.MUSICThis is in my top 10 for best anime music. At times it's tech-infused and pumping, but avoids stomping over the sounds, themes and conversations; at other times it lifts with orchestral choirs. The opening title music is the best. Hands down, the best.***CONS***The Tachikomas worked my nerves a tad. Some of the themes presented are not explored fully (and you'll want them to be).This is a series that deserves to be seven seasons long. I believe our interests in technology are pushing innovations inward, not outward. We are not developing a warp engine for space flight. Our consumer-driven economies are demanding smarter phones and better internet. We'll have internet access in our brains, sex mannequins, and A.I. tanks before we pursue space flight, renewable energy, and the eventual evolution past currency. This show is the perfect platform for telling stories in that not-far-off setting, and it tells them very well. More Ghost in the Shell, rather than an eighth season of Bleach (no offense).I'm an animator and writer, so I'm constantly pouring through stacks of anime for inspiration. If you found this review helpful, or our tastes seem to align, follow along. I'll try to steer straight.
J**K
Great for the collection
Quality DVD set.
C**R
Review
Great series 👏
W**T
The best thing to buy for Ghost in the Shell
The first season is the one I love the most from all I've seen in the Ghost in the Shell series. The animation and English voice acting are excellent (one of the times everyone I know recommends dubs over subs), the story is fantastic, nearly the whole series is perfect. This is what got me to watch other stuff in GITS, including some of the less good movies (2nd movie is not worth while, btw), the good-but-not-as-good Season Two (2nd GIG is okay but the first season is far better), the prequel movies, etc. If you want to know what Ghost in the Shell is all about, watch THIS season. This is where it's at.My single complaint is a certain disturbing episode that's really hard to watch. For those who are sensitive to torture, I recommend skipping episode 10: "SA: A Perfect Day for a Jungle Cruise – JUNGLE CRUISE". It's disturbing because of the actions of the criminal they're chasing in this episode. Even though it develops Batou's character a (tiny) bit and has a minor tie-in to the larger plot (the American government/CIA now owes Section 9 a favor; also you may recognize one of the agents later on in the second season), that's it. You can skip this episode unless you're not hurt by that sort of story.I'm really pleased this is on DVD and I hope the entire GITS universe becomes easy to access. 2nd GIG I had to buy on Steam and watch from my computer, and some of the movies have been tough to track down. But of all the GITS universe, this is the series that should be most widely-available!Oh and... you should watch the Tachikoma skits at the end of each episode. They're excellent in season 1 (not so in season 2), very silly and often a good tie-in with the episode.
D**8
IT's Trully over the top & a must watch to anime lovers
Just WOW this show really kicks ass in many ways that even the human mind finds it hard to at times .god this is one of the best mix of Sci-fi , police action , spices of drama & art visuals to boost itthe cast are really strong and each have a very distinct rolethe main star " The Major " is a really one hell of a women she is smart , strong , cunning , agile ... .. and she is cute when she gets angry .the chief really amazes me blows my mind on how smart he is , and how he's decisions are critical and precise like a bullet , I raise my hat to this character he is really solid to the core .batu now I call this man the bulldozer he really likes to get into the heart of the action , funny thing is his looks reminded me of vashyron when I played RoF years back ( which I loved )as well as all of the other members of section 9 look amazing and are worth the effort and time to the showart style is just really good for its futuristic cyber punk feel it represents , with nice CGI for time to time when you give it you focusthe crimes that they solve are truly mind glowingly amazing when try to peace it yourself , and the music beats makes you at your edge of your seat most of the time if not the show it self well make you do thatthis set is just worth it I just feel grateful the got into GITS now , now that I saw the first manga movie 2.0 I cant wait to get into 2nd gig in the future and see what more awaits me to see .never thought id see a very good Sci-Fi cop anime since bubble gum crisis .
