Anime Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex

[densuke]

[b]Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex[/b]
52 episode TV series (2002-2004)
Production: Production I.G., Bandai Visual, Bandai USA (latter holds [b]US license[/b])
Adapted from manga by Masamune Shirow

SAC focuses on the activities of Section 9, a sub rosa law-enforcement agency. Many of Section 9's operatives are cyborgs - even the least-modified operatives have extensive data-networking capabilities. This augmentation is very commonplace in the "world" of SAC.

Section 9's tactical leader, a full-body cyborg named Motoko Kusanagi, has long been an icon in the anime world. Her ironic artificial beauty and reserved character contrasts with a total commitment to her unit's objectives and an all-out fighting style. Kusanagi is an effective commander who earns the loyalty of her subordinates.

Section 9 is prepared for detective work, computer hacking and SWAT-type "combat" operations within a wide range of cases ranging from data manipulation to kidnapping and murder. Because governmental corruption falls within the unit's domain, there is always the possibility of internecine conflict and even combat if the stakes are high enough...
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The new series is much closer to [i]echte[/i] cyberpunk than the preceding manga or movie adaptation. The world of SAC is starkly polarized between the wealthy and powerful on one side and the dispossessed and disenfranchised masses on the other. Some people operate in the gap - they often construct eccentric rationales and struggle to acquire the means to achieve their aims.

The writing strives for consistency and accessibility. Large and small plot arcs are set up and paid off in a variety of ways. Although SAC contains violence, fanservice and a few suggestive situations, there is nothing extreme or jarring about the show's wit or spectacle.

SAC is one of the most lavishly produced anime ever made, with a gargantuan budget and a leisurely broadcast schedule. The character designs represent a welcome reversion to the style of the manga (as opposed to the movie's look). A mix of animation styles (which took awhile to fully integrate) create a dense and deep look.

A sensitive score (by Yoko Kanno) supports the scenes and OP/ED songs which include lyrics in Russian and English give a sense of scope. The voice acting cast of the movie was held over, providing continuity and experience.

US DVD release is planned for the end of June 2004. Cartoon Network plans to broadcast the show in the latter half of 2004 (possibly August). Hopefully the series will quickly and broadly be recognized as a milestone in anime.

[Semjaza]

I am surprised no one has posted about this series. This is an excellent write-up.

I tried this out way back and quite honestly I was bored out of my mind. It was hard to be excited about Ghost in the Shell at the time, mostly because I had been picking up the new GitS manga that was largely disappointing. Eventually I stopped myself with bothering because I was purchasing it just for the art.

I don't know. I think I just am not fond of watching things on my computer, especially things I really need to pay attention to. I'm going to be giving it another shot once it hits DVD here in the US because I really don't think I gave it enough of a chance. I love Shirow related material and the original GitS manga is still among my favorites.

[stormy001_m1a2]

One of the best sci fi anime ever to grace my life. I will and always use this series as a yardstick to measure other future sci fi animes in future.

[Balmon]

I hope someone is still around to read this post. I've been killing myself trying to figure out the music at the end of Episode 17 of the StandAlone Complex episodes. The one where Aramaki goes to London to meet up with his ol' British chicky friend.

Can anyone help me out? It's the last song playing while he's in the car with Major discussing the difficulties of transporting wine through British customs.

Thanks a ton.

Balmon

[J-Bird]

I watched the first episode of the new series of Ghost in the Shell called Stand Alone Complex and really liked it. The new episodes seem more understandible and have a lot more action. Within the first ten minutes a guy has his foot blown off by kusanagi. Alog with the change of material in the episodes Kusanagi has gotten a make over. She appears much less robotic and more feminine. Overall I like all of the changes, I find myself much more entertained and less confused. Does anyone besides me like these changes or would you preffer it stays the same as it was.

[Makurayami]

I love the new episodes. I think they are a major improvement. Motoko rocks. And I agree with you, they are a lot more easier to understand then the others.

[Balmon]

I'm not sure how new you guys are to OB - and I don't mean to do the moderator's job - but since I am a MAJOR fan of GitS and do not know when I will get a chance to watch them - I would ask that you guys make use of the spoiler tags for ANYTHING that happens in the episodes - or I WILL hunt you down :)

Glad you're enjoying the episodes.

Phil

[Semjaza]

I don't know if anyone cares or not... but Best Buy is having a pretty decent sale on anime this week. Should end Saturday.

The one that stood out the most was the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex set. It's the one that comes in a slotted black case with a free audio CD. Normally $40, on sale for $15.19 at my local shop.

Definitely worth that price.

[natetron46]

Yeah, I also saw the sale, there were some good prices it seems. You got an even better deal than me, for some reason my best buy is selling it for $25. Thats a good price break, but its still not what your getting. Anyhow, I will definitely be picking it up this weekend, along with other animes no doubt.

[Solo Tremaine]

[quote name='youta moteuchi']hey, doesn't the series have only 26 episodes?[/quote][COLOR=#503F86]Please put more detail into your posts, youta. Incredibly short posts are against the Rules at OB. I understand you're just asking a question, but you could elaborate at least a little more.[/COLOR]

[Dagger]

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex consists (or will, by the time it's finished) of two twenty-six episode seasons. The second season, 2nd Gig, is still running and hence won't be available in the States for a little while. As far as I know, Bandai plans to release all fifty-two episodes on DVD without any significant lag between seasons.

Although the special edition volume 1 DVD comes with some puzzling errors--the Japanese DTS doesn't distribute sound evenly between the right and left rear speakers, and some of the OST's tracks were merged or erroneously split--I'm still glad I got it. Hopefully Bandai will implement some kind of replacement program, though.

J-Bird: I don't think Motoko ever struck me as being "robotic," heh. I [i]really[/i] loved the original film's character designs, but that's not to say I don't appreciate SAC's high-quality artwork and gorgeous CG.

SAC's dub is also noteworthy. While it features a different cast than the first movie, so far pretty much every character has been consistently well-acted, and none of them sound drastically different than they did in Ghost in the Shell (with the possible exception of Togusa, who is played by Crispin Freeman). The Tachikomas' English VAs are surprisingly great, and I surprised myself by enjoying the Tachikoma-centric omake which appear at the end of every episode.

~Dagger~

[AzureWolf]

[FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]Forgive me God, for I have sinned... I saw yet another lackluster piece of the Ghost in the Shell universe.

I saw the episode that aired last week. I'm trying hard not to remember it, so I can resume a normal life, without having the knowledge that something this pathetic is praised so highly. Still, for the sake of discussion, though, I will revive the nightmare.

First off, the character design is really insulting. It's hard to tell men and women apart, and the generic characters look either bulky or extremely depressed out of their minds. Normally, I would say that the story is what is important, but with art this bad, it's hard to let it go. ESPECIALLY when they try to give you fanservice with that kind of garbage. In the episode I saw, there was a three-girl sleepover FOR NO REASON. So, we got to see them hugging each other in their sleep, followed by nothing else, really.

Luckily, the story by itself is also cheesy. What is this? The 40th time that the same people have had their brains hacked? Don't recycle the same idea forty times over, then it just gets lame. It was an interesting idea the first time, and there were some cool variations, but now it's just so stupid.

The character personalities aren't any better. None of the characters have a refreshing charm about them. Execution of these stereotypes is what really makes it bad. Everyone is beyond generic: the "by-the-book" guy, the "insubordinate" main character who is allowed to get away with things because she gets the job done, and so forth.

Normally, I would watch a show till it completes (or one arc if there's more than 26 episodes), but I've seen the other GitS series enough to know that there's nothing more here besides trash. "Milestone in anime?!" Bah, more like the Eva of anime - oh wait, Eva is an anime too... I need more similies. But still, all talk, no substance: GitS, like Eva, is praised without having true merit.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Guest Laughingman15]

Stand Alone Complex is one of the best series I've ever seen. The storyline is very good and the animation was done so well in the opening it almost looks lifelike. I have been following the episodes up to twelve on the dvd an I'm so excited about the fourth volume. I can't wait till Ghost In The Shell:Stand Alone Complex season two comes out. :D

[Dagger]

[quote name='AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]Forgive me God, for I have sinned... I saw yet another lackluster piece of the Ghost in the Shell universe.[/color][/size'][/font][/quote]

Was this a stand-alone episode or a complex episode? I sort of know which one you're talking about, because I fondly remember getting a brief glimpse of Motoko's harem, but beyond that I'm drawing a blank.

That aside, I doubt I could convince you to reconsider anything Ghost in the Shell related; I just don't have that much faith in my powers of persuasion. But after watching volume 3 earlier today, I do feel compelled to defend the series. I actually think the two movies are much easier targets, though I personally enjoyed them. SAC is a lot more accessible in a whole number of respects.

[QUOTE][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]First off, the character design is really insulting. It's hard to tell men and women apart, and the generic characters look either bulky or extremely depressed out of their minds. Normally, I would say that the story is what is important, but with art this bad, it's hard to let it go. ESPECIALLY when they try to give you fanservice with that kind of garbage. In the episode I saw, there was a three-girl sleepover FOR NO REASON. So, we got to see them hugging each other in their sleep, followed by nothing else, really.[/color][/size][/font][/quote]

Are you annoyed by the fanservice, or by the fact that it didn't lead anywhere? ;) Also, now I'm curious... which set of character designs did you like more--or dislike less, heh--those found in the movies (I guess in this case one ought to use the first movie as a main reference) or those found in SAC?

I really like the consistent, clean shading and the fact that there's a lot of visual depth. Artwork is a highly subjective topic, of course, but it is worth noting that SAC's actual animation is superior to that of virtually every other anime series out there. It certainly puts every other 52-episode show to shame.

[QUOTE][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]Luckily, the story by itself is also cheesy. What is this? The 40th time that the same people have had their brains hacked? Don't recycle the same idea forty times over, then it just gets lame. It was an interesting idea the first time, and there were some cool variations, but now it's just so stupid.[/color][/size][/font][/quote]

Even if this was a Laughing Man episode, it's still too early for the viewer to comprehend the over-arching meta-story; moreover, your enjoyment of the plot would have been severely hampered by being tossed right into the middle of it. As for the stand-alone segments, some are simply much better than others. My mileage has varied, although if I get bored with a stand-alone episode's plot, I'm always quite happy to lose myself in the insanely great production values. The excellent acting (in both languages) does help.

[QUOTE][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]The character personalities aren't any better. None of the characters have a refreshing charm about them. Execution of these stereotypes is what really makes it bad. Everyone is beyond generic: the "by-the-book" guy, the "insubordinate" main character who is allowed to get away with things because she gets the job done, and so forth.[/color][/size][/font][/quote]

Due to the nature of the show, the characters are gradually and subtly given depth. For example, in episode 10 both Batou and Togusa (he's the "by-the-book" guy, ne?) have to face some extremely wrenching situations. The way they react to these dilemmas reveals a lot about them with a minimal amount of dialogue and exposition. SAC's style of storytelling is rather elegant, in my opinion--though plot is placed above the characters' emotions, it is thanks mainly to the plot that their personalities get fleshed out.

And let's be fair; if I watched a single episode of Naruto, I'd probably come away thinking, "Hoo, boy! There's the useless chick, the annoying outcast protagonist, the cool rival... Gee, where have I seen this before?" A randomly chosen episode will rarely reflect well on an anime when taken by itself.

One of the most charming and appealing aspects of the franchise--the easy-going yet paradoxically delicate relationship between Motoko and Batou--is, like the characters' predilections and quirks, something that slowly unfolds and is never stated outright. Far from insulting the viewer's intelligence, this lets him interpret the characters' actions himself. In terms of both storyline and characterization, SAC can be genuinely profound--but it rarely spoon-feeds you its depth. If you're determined to see it in the worst light possible, you definitely will; that's true of any anime.

[QUOTE][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]Normally, I would watch a show till it completes (or one arc if there's more than 26 episodes), but I've seen the other GitS series enough to know that there's nothing more here besides trash. "Milestone in anime?!" Bah, more like the Eva of anime - oh wait, Eva is an anime too... I need more similies. But still, all talk, no substance: GitS, like Eva, is praised without having true merit.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

But in a certain respect, isn't this worse than going into a show with neutral expectations and then just totally dropping it out of disgust? There are plenty of people who dislike and even hate the movies, but are quite fond of SAC. In every regard except artwork and animation, I think SAC is vastly superior to both films. Perhaps you could try watching only the complex episodes, if the stand-alone stories bother you to no end. Or maybe you could try watching a stand-alone episode that seems to receive an incredible amount of praise (so you don't accidentally land on a lackluster one again).

I initially watched SAC almost solely for its dub, music and lavish visuals. However, with each DVD it seemed to get better and better. Most recently, episode 10 and episode 11 sent a torrent of shivers down my spine (the former is a stand-alone episode, while the second deals with the Laughing Man). There were some moments that utterly enthralled me--I sort of hate to use the phrase "poetic beauty," but that was the sensation I experienced when I saw Batou's flashback [spoiler]to the aftermath of the village massacre.[/spoiler] It was absolutely horrific, and at the same time horrifyingly lovely.

The final frame of episode 11 nearly made me explode. It was so fitting, unexpected and just plain [i]good[/i] that I almost couldn't take it. It's been a while since an anime made me feel like that--satisfied in both an intellectual and an intuitive sense.

[spoiler]After the bit with Togusa's amusing sketch, I was expecting a light-hearted final scene. But then the camera returned to the locked-up children, and panned over Aoi's abandoned baseball mitt. I saw letters, and thought perhaps it would be the Laughing Man's catchphrase. Instead, the scrawled words read "You know what I'd like to be? I mean if I had my goddam choice, I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all." Only [i]then[/i] did I have enough sense to look up the Laughing Man's catchphrase, "I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes," and realize that it is also taken directly from Catcher in the Rye. Suddenly a bunch of other stuff (such as the focus on children) instantly fell into place.[/spoiler]

It's not something I can describe with words, haha. But there are a lot of hidden connections to be made from episode to episode--i.e., it's hinted that the [spoiler] high-voiced adult in the chatroom episode is actually one of the children in episode 11's social welfare facility.[/spoiler] It's impossible to notice the layers of complexity (ooh, a pun!) with just one episode to go by.

For whatever it's worth, I think it's a mistake to say that SAC has no substance. I also think I'd better stop typing now, heh--looking back, this post is really overkill. :sweat:

~Dagger~

[lupin_is_4ever]

Hi. Well, I've heard a lot about GitS:SAC...so I decided to check it out. I saw it...um...either last night or the night before...anyway, it was the episode about The Laughing Man again. It looked alright to me, I dig the opening song though. I was about to turn it off when I heard a very VERY familiar voice speaking...it was Richard Epcar! The VA of Jigen!!! *Sic!* I thought. So I sat through the whole episode and it seemed pretty cool to me, especially the fanservice! So I'm guessing that the character that I'm reffering to is Baitou or something, huh? Sorry, I'm not up on GitS yet...

Lucy.

[Ayokano]

I haven't seen the first Ghost in the Shell movie, or the other, so this is comming from a person who just jumped in the universe.

Though GitS: SAC looks good, I found most of the characters, except the woman with purple hair and the man that seems to have no eyes, boring. Even the ones I mentioned lacked something. Though, maybe I'm just thought this would be because I thought this anime would be set in a time far ahead of our's when seeing the purple haired woman and the man with no eyes. Though, like I said before, the anime is very polished and looks good and up to date.

The episodes I saw, one about a man who [spoiler]asks a friend of his to put his brain in a super powered tank robot so he could kill his parents.The motive to kill them lays with the fact that they oject to turning him into a cyborg because their religion[/spoiler]. The other one was about a man [spoiler]who puts a virus in a old type of robot because he wants his to be the best[/spoiler]. Both had deep meanings that could have gone farther, but most of the show dragged it down. I mean, the show seems like both a crime drama and action, but it doesn't do well with either. The crime part is always "Hey, we need info about this guy/whatever. Give it to us.""Okay, here's all you need." It doesn't grip you at all like shows such as "Law and Order". Then, the action part just seems to lack everything. I hardly got to know any of the charaters.

I the voice department, I can't commit because I lost insterst. The music, if I remember, was good though.

So, I think Ghost in the Shell: SAC was okay, but from someone who just caught a few episodes, I didn't like it so much. The action/crime drama isn't done well, though the story still has redeming qualities, like the music, messages, and the look of the show. But, they still are dragged down by the bad parts of the show.

[AzureWolf]

[QUOTE=Dagger IX1]Are you annoyed by the fanservice, or by the fact that it didn't lead anywhere? ;) Also, now I'm curious... which set of character designs did you like more--or dislike less, heh--those found in the movies (I guess in this case one ought to use the first movie as a main reference) or those found in SAC?

I really like the consistent, clean shading and the fact that there's a lot of visual depth. Artwork is a highly subjective topic, of course, but it is worth noting that SAC's actual animation is superior to that of virtually every other anime series out there. It certainly puts every other 52-episode show to shame.[/QUOTE][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]I personally preferred the movies' artwork over SAC's. In the movies, the proportions made sense, but in the anime, everyone's just bulky and it looks very unnatural - even for anime. Granted, I'm not totally fond of either, but relative to one another, the movies definately have a more... innate(?) style about them.

I'm not going to argue about the animation, since that would be a gripe that comes after good artwork, which, IMO, SAC doesn't have. It's really hard to notice good animation if it's for something ugly. Good example: naked old hairy guy doing a dance flawlessly while a well-dressed, beautiful girl does the same dance only decently.

What's this "visual depth" you are referring to, out of curiosity?[quote name='Dagger IX1']Even if this was a Laughing Man episode, it's still too early for the viewer to comprehend the over-arching meta-story; moreover, your enjoyment of the plot would have been severely hampered by being tossed right into the middle of it. As for the stand-alone segments, some are simply much better than others. My mileage has varied, although if I get bored with a stand-alone episode's plot, I'm always quite happy to lose myself in the insanely great production values. The excellent acting (in both languages) does help.[/quote]I'm not sure what you are trying to say. Are you insulting my capacity to understand generic GitS storylines? You quoted my hacked brain thing, but I don't see what it has to do with what you said. :confused: [QUOTE=Dagger IX1]Due to the nature of the show, the characters are gradually and subtly given depth. For example, in episode 10 both Batou and Togusa (he's the "by-the-book" guy, ne?) have to face some extremely wrenching situations. The way they react to these dilemmas reveals a lot about them with a minimal amount of dialogue and exposition.

And let's be fair; if I watched a single episode of Naruto, I'd probably come away thinking, "Hoo, boy! There's the useless chick, the annoying outcast protagonist, the cool rival... Gee, where have I seen this before?" A randomly chosen episode will rarely reflect well on an anime when taken by itself.[/QUOTE]Although I choose to believe otherwise about your Naruto example, the two scenarios are entirely different. It's not like I saw one episode of GitS and that was it. It's more like, I saw the first movie, then saw the second one, and now am seeing this series. The first movie had the same problems as the second one, and SAC just tries to be worse than all of them. If you want to talk about character personalities, how about main character being absolutely out-of-character since she's not ripping her shirt off every five seconds in SAC?

In addition, it's worth noting that your example about actions speaking louder than words isn't unique to SAC, but is also prevalent in both GitS movies. It's a great style, and the GitS people do it well, but the characters are just boring as hell. Seriously, what's interesting about them?[quote name='Dagger IX1]One of the most charming and appealing aspects of the franchise--the easy-going yet paradoxically delicate relationship between Motoko and Batou--is, like the characters' predilections and quirks, something that slowly unfolds and is never stated outright. Far from insulting the viewer's intelligence, this lets him interpret the characters' actions himself. In terms of both storyline and characterization, SAC can be genuinely profound--but it rarely spoon-feeds you its depth. If you're determined to see it in the worst light possible, you definitely will; that's true of any anime.[/QUOTE]However elegant the relationship was in SAC, they are pretty blatant about it in Innocence, which, in my opinion, is a bad thing. Fluidity should be throughout the GitS universe, not restricted to particular parts. If nothing else, they should have used different characters if they are going to behave so differently.[QUOTE']But in a certain respect, isn't this worse than going into a show with neutral expectations and then just totally dropping it out of disgust? There are plenty of people who dislike and even hate the movies, but are quite fond of SAC. In every regard except artwork and animation, I think SAC is vastly superior to both films. Perhaps you could try watching only the complex episodes, if the stand-alone stories bother you to no end. Or maybe you could try watching a stand-alone episode that seems to receive an incredible amount of praise (so you don't accidentally land on a lackluster one again).[/quote]First off, I'm not too fond of using numbers, statistics, or trends when it comes to tastes. Need I remind you about DBZ? Just because there are people who love Z and hate GT doesn't make either show hold true merit.

Anyway, this goes back to me having seen the two movies. The whole "man and the machine" thing is really poorly executed. I don't see how SAC is going in any different a direction: odd happenings --> strange events --> investigation yields more strangeness --> man and machine philosophy exhausted and puts everyone to sleep. This "complex" story is going to be about man and machines, isn't it?[QUOTE=Dagger IX1]INSERT SPOILER HERE

For whatever it's worth, I think it's a mistake to say that SAC has no substance. I also think I'd better stop typing now, heh--looking back, this post is really overkill. :sweat:

~Dagger~[/QUOTE]Oh no they didn't! That really crosses the line. Salinger is SO going to hear about this. My favorite book... defiled by the likes of GitS...

Granted, that does sound like a very well-done and pertinent reference, and since it's pertinent, I'm forced to say that GitS isn't like Eva then, haha. Nonetheless, those types of easter eggs or whatever only augment your enjoyment/appreciation. If you don't have the enjoyment/appreciation in the first place, then something like that is useless.

Again, I'm not just leaving the morning after. I've seen the two movies, and GitS:SAC doesn't seem to aim to salvage my gripes with them.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

EDIT: I'd probably be in the same boat as Ayokano.

[Excel]

[QUOTE=AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]
What's this "visual depth" you are referring to, out of curiosity?I'm not sure what you are trying to say. Are you insulting my capacity to understand generic GitS storylines? You quoted my hacked brain thing, but I don't see what it has to do with what you said. :confused: [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[/QUOTE]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][COLOR=Indigo]Shes only saying you started in the middle of a climax in the story and it would be hard to understand unless someone told you what was going on.

Anyway I like this series I started watching it since it hit CN, I cant wait to get my hands on the dvds but sadly no money :( . Is a great series and it leaves up to the movie itself which is purely awesome! :laugh: [/COLOR] [/SIZE] [/FONT]

[Dagger]

[QUOTE=AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]What's this "visual depth" you are referring to, out of curiosity?I'm not sure what you are trying to say. Are you insulting my capacity to understand generic GitS storylines? You quoted my hacked brain thing, but I don't see what it has to do with what you said. :confused:
[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

Oh, by "visual depth" I just meant that (to me, at least) the show [i]looks[/i] very layered, with richly detailed background paintings and some of the smoothest, most unobtrusive CG I've ever seen in an anime. The character drawings also have a lot of shadow--which is something I've always liked, for the same reason that I tend to prefer manga that make heavy use of screentone.

The phrase can also be read in a more metaphorical sense, I guess. Even then I feel that it does hold true; there are a lot of fun little details which are never explained in words. For example, in episode 11, [spoiler]the nurse named Marta looks almost exactly like the woman who played a somewhat similar character in the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.[/spoiler] It's a kind of visual pun. The problem with these sorts of references is that most people won't notice them--I didn't think her physical appearance had any importance whatsoever until a film-buff friend of mine pointed it out.

As for your second comment, I definitely didn't intend to sound insulting. I planned on talking about hacking brains, but I guess I rambled too much and forgot. Anyway, I hope I make more sense this time around.

What I meant to say is that while brain-hacking or whatnot occurs fairly frequently in the GitS universe, it is rarely the solution to a mystery or the crux of a particular case. It typically demands investigation, but leads to some larger or more enigmatic problem. Not all of the stand-alone episodes are especially "deep," so as I mentioned before, your mileage might vary.

A few of the Laughing Man episodes can come across as being almost banal when they are judged individually. For example, episode 9 takes place entirely in a chatroom full of Laughing Man fans, and the whole thing is basically one long convoluted dialogue in which they present different Laughing Man-related theories. On its own, it would be dull and painfully slow. In the context of the earlier Laughing Man episodes, it's surprisingly interesting. That's all I was trying to get at by blathering about the over-arching story and so forth.

Anyway, I'm really glad you made your original post--threads filled with nothing but praise are often rather boring. :)

Would anyone care to calculate or guess when Adult Swim will catch up with the SAC DVDs? I have yet to figure out when I ought to switch over, heh.

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

I have recently bought the movie ghost in the shell and absolutely loved. I was planning on getting SAC and the second film when it is released. I was wondering though whether SAC comes before or after the film?

[AzureWolf]

[FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]To answer your chronology question, Meggido, the second movie occurs after SAC. The reason is very apparent near the beginning of the movie, but I'll keep this post spoiler-free. :)

IMO, while I disliked them all, I would say that Innocence (the second movie) had the most substance out of everything GitS I've seen.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Meggido]

Thanks for that response it will be useful when the second film comes out. What I was in fact wanting to know was the chronoligical order between the first film and SAC. This is because of the ending to the first film.(not wanting to give anything away.)

[Hell Raizer]

Im a pretty big fan of the movie, and the series is pretty good too, I like how they dont focus all the the episodes just on Motoko and Botou :cool:

[Delta]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]Yeah, they have episodes about the other Section 9 members too (I, for one, am a very big fan of Togusa and Saito).

I haven't seen [i]Innocence[/i] yet but so far, I liked SAC more than the first movie. How they blended 3d animation into 2d is really impressive (watch the cars!). Story-wise, it's not something you should watch if you don't plan on thinking about it. I must admit, the first time I saw the [spoiler]online discussion board and gifted children[/spoiler] episodes, I was pretty confused.

So yeah, the part of the fun of GITS:SaC comes from the feeling you get when you finally figure out how the episodes are related to one another.

Love and Peace!
[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Meggido]

Well since no one has answered the second part of my question I'm going to try a place everything in a chronological order through what I've read and watching the first movie a few times. Correct me if I'm wrong and tell me if I'm right.

I believe the order is:
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Ghost in the Shell:Innocence
Ghost in the Shell

Now that waht I've come up with from reading from this site and watching the first film. That is because the ending to the first film seemed like a conclusion rather than the beginning to a whole series.