Anime Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex

[Dagger]

[QUOTE=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.[/QUOTE]

It's actually more like the reverse. ^_^;; Innocence is clearly a sequel to Ghost in the Shell, since [spoiler]Motoko plays a minimal role in it and no longer possesses her original body.[/spoiler] Stand Alone Complex may as well take place in a different universe, although I've been told it does have some connections to the first movie. One could think of Stand Alone Complex and Innocence as being "alternate" sequels, since fans might see them as presenting different visions of what would happen after the end of Ghost in the Shell.

I would arrange it like this:
Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex / Ghost in the Shell: Innocence

~Dagger~

[Noside]

Anyone see the latest Adult Swim episode? I guessed correctly on the surprise at the end of that episode. After he survived 6 attempts, that was a good guess I think, heh. The action of that episode was really good, Makoto didn't look invincible like she usually does in the other episodes, but she still kicked ***.


I'm curious about some things.

Does the second movie take place after the first 26 episodes or after the entire series?

Each member has a special talent, but what the hell is Boma's Talent? And what's Paz's(I think that's his name, he seems to squint a lot) talent?

Do all the characters flesh out more or just the major characters? By major I mean Makoto,Togusa, and Bateau.

[AzureWolf]

[FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]After laughing at the opening sequence for five minutes (which borders are false advertising), I pretty much fell asleep five minutes into the show. Believe it or not, it probably had to do with me being sleepy and not the soporific effects of SAC. Anyway...

Before everything went black, I was trying to make note of the animation. I didn't see anything special about it. In fact, every character, when walking, seems to be missing one very important frame, and consequently, they all look like they have a limp. I can't say I'd put SAC on top in terms of animation at all.

If you are referring to the 3D movement, as a gamer, I've seen 100x better animation. While the animation is smooth, it's so obvious from the rest of the animation, so that's two strikes already.

Strike three is just how ugly everyone looks. Couldn't they have made a better looking main character? Really, if you are going to put the main character in that tramp style clothing, at least make it someone who would look good in it.

I'm not finding anything to like in SAC. The characters are hardly interesting, and they are ugly to boot.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[r3vival]

i am in the process of watching SAC on adult swim and as of now I love it. It is incredibly complex and really gets you thinking in some episodes. The music is GREAT. The artwork is incredible. Its definately the kind of show you can watch multiple times over and get something new out of it every time... good stuff

[Dagger]

As of this past weekend, Adult Swim finally caught up with the DVD release (Saturday's episode was fantastic, by the way, and Motoko looked simply stunning).

The first few episodes on the fourth disc, most of which were Tachikoma-centric, kind of bugged me. In a show like this, I can't stomach too many scenes revolving around cute, conniving (not to mention squeaky-sounding) tanks. But the boxing episode, which was shown on AS a week or two ago, renewed my faith in the series. The boxing sequences were just amazing, and I relished seeing Batou react in a more conflicted/angry manner than he usually does. More than anything, though, I'm looking forward to the next few installments in the Laughing Man arc. Although it would be nice to have some more Togusa-centric episodes, I think.

~Dagger~

[Guest Alchemist]

I think this is an excellent anime that escapes the cycle of going for the cheap funnies. It shows how things work into the hostage situation by starting with the political conflicty that orchestrate the plan. The only thing i do not like about it are the Tachkomas they really are a pain. :animecry:

[gundampali23]

This is a Q about not about the series in particular so I thought the other thread isnt in this topic.

Does the :Stand Alone Complex mean there are other series.

[densuke]

[quote name='gundampali23']Does the :Stand Alone Complex mean there are other series.[/quote]The term "stand alone complex" refers to some sort of dysfunction which affects some of the cybernetic humans in the series. I can't be more specific than that because either I don't remember or it was never described clearly.

It's also an odd sort of pun referring to the fact that not every episode in the series advances the main plot points - thus there are "standalone episodes" which do just that as well as "complex" episodes which tell the Laughing Man story in the first series or the story of the refugee crisis in the second series.

[gundampali23]

There are two series?
Can you explain th laughing man to me. I dont mind spoilers.

[Lostcause]

oops, srry posted the wrong crap, follow the one bellow me

Also, the laughing man. Wow, what a guy, or guys for that matter. Throughout the series you will see that the laughing man's identity changes alot. He/she was a person who happened to hack through every system that viewed him/her on a specific day. He/she held a man at gunpoint then ran away. No information could be found of the man/woman, due to the fact that his/her hacks were so good. He/she left no traces, and no evidence was found on him/ her. Many people to the credit for his/her work. It is a very mindboggiling story line. But one that i found very entertaining... if ya need some more info, just ask.. I would love to help

[densuke]

[QUOTE=gundampali23]There are two series?
Can you explain th laughing man to me. I dont mind spoilers.[/QUOTE]a) Yes, GITS SAC is comprised of two 26 episode seasons for a total of 52 episodes.

b) Not very well. It's something to do with cybernetics, nanotech, industrial espionage, high-level governmental corruption and a vendetta. Sorry.

If you really want to see the series I recommend you stay away from any spoilers, as the mood of the show depends a lot on the characters not knowing what's going on...

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86]I fail to see why this couldn't have been asked in the Stand Alone Complex thread to begin with. If you have a question about any of the series individually, then the thing to to is ask the questions in [i]those[/i] threads and not create a new one. gundampali, please do not create unnecessary topics.[/COLOR]

[gundampali23]

Isnt the laughing man a combo of the cheifs war buddy and his son.

[Delta]

[COLOR=#7C0201][SIZE=1]No. [SPOILER]You're talking about a Stand Alone episode (18: Lost Heritage) where the conscience of Aramaki's war buddy, Tsujisaki, was downloaded into his son Yuu's brain and somehow guided the younger Tsujisaki through planning and execution stages of the visiting Korean PM's assassination.[/SPOILER]

[quote name='wikipedia][size=1']The subtitle "Stand Alone Complex" refers to the phenomena of emergent behavior catalyzed by parallelization of the human psyche through the cyberbrain networks on a societal level. There is no original, there is no leader. What ties together the diseparate and unrelated individuals into the event called the "laughing man" case is the systematic motive encoded into the basic informational flow itself. This concept of an ever normalized ego into the fabric of society recall the writings of Philip K. Dick, among others.[/size][/quote]Remember the numerous allusions to "Catcher in the Rye" in the series? ("I thought what I'd do was pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes") Turns out that many assassins in the past carried this book around. John Lennon's assassin, I think, was one of them.

[SPOILER]There was an episode that showed Togusa scratching out the Laughing Man logo into a mirror right after the part which revelead that he, too, was reading [i]Catcher in the Rye[/i].[/SPOILER]

The way I see it, they patterned the numerous Laughing Man incidents after this Catcher in the Rye trivia. Cyberterrorism that was supposedly committed by [b]a[/b] Laughing Man was actually done by several individuals who aligned themselves to a single view. [SPOILER]Can't remember which episode but it was the one about a big conference and the Major's in her khaki uniform. (Google reveals: Episode 4: MEME) Remember the people who dashed into the building claiming that they were the real Laughing Man? MEME, they say, is like the genetic equivalent of information that can replicate and spread. This is probably the thing that was in those individual's brains and triggered their unusual actions in that episode. As one site put it, "the Laughing Man's call to arms".[/SPOILER]
[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Gnostica]

I love the song in the beginning, I think that is one of the greatest songs I've ever heard. I love the sound they have for that song and most of all I love their voices. I have heard another of their songs but I think that this song is the greatest. Maybe one day when I get my song ready I will share it with you guys. It isnt that great but I hope to improve on it.

[Dagger]

I recently received the first volume of 2nd Gig in the mail. I'm only halfway through it, but so far I'm pretty pleased. The new opening sequence is great, and although the first episode was essentially a talker, the second one ended up being just excellent. I loved how Gino's [spoiler]fantasies were smoothly interwoven with what was actually happening.[/spoiler] It helped that he was masterfully played by one of my favorite English voice actors.

The [spoiler]new prime minister[/spoiler] also seems like an interesting character. All in all, good stuff.

~Dagger~

[densuke]

SAC is an alternate world - it does not belong in any chronology involving the first movie or the manga.

Episode 50 was particularly satisfying in terms of visuals and animation. One sequence in particular was simply amazing.

[Delta]

[COLOR=#656648][SIZE=1][quote name='Dagger]I loved how Gino's [spoiler']fantasies were smoothly interwoven with what was actually happening.[/spoiler][/quote]^ Agreed.

I was pretty confused with the second episode myself but as it progressed, the difference between [spoiler]Gino's murderous persona and his mild-mannered side[/spoiler] became clearer. It kind of preempted the ending, yeah? The script reminded me of Texhnolyze's first episode, only [spoiler] instead of having no dialogue at all, most of talking was done by Gino. It felt like a simulation of how it's like to dive into somebody's mind.[/spoiler]

BTW, Motoko looked rather lovely in that episode, don't you think?[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[RedMoon]

i seen all the episodes but i am waiting to see ghost in the shell S.A.C. 2 gig :animeswea

[SinInSpira]

Hey everyone, i gotvolumes 1 and 2 of Ghost in the Shell: Stand alone complex (episodes 1-8) and it's AWESOME...i especially like the oe girl that kicks major but...the theme song is sweet 2...yes, and i have seen it on CN

[Dagger]

I loved the third volume of 2nd Gig. The episode about [spoiler]Motoko's past[/spoiler] was particularly well done (and its artwork was beautiful, too), but everything else on the disc was excellent as well. The [spoiler]mutual decapitation[/spoiler] scene came as a big surprise to me. I think it's a good example of an instance in anime when sparingly used but disturbing violence ends up having far more of an impact than bright red blood & guts spewing everywhere.

I can't claim to have much of a handle on the various forces driving the plot. At least I'm not totally lost, haha. And either way, 2nd Gig really is a cut above the first season.

Just wondering... what episode is the Adult Swim broadcast up to?

~Dagger~

[Magus]

[quote name='Dagger']Just wondering... what episode is the Adult Swim broadcast up to?[/quote]
The last episode that was played was titled Fake Food. Which, now that I think about it with all the fake food in it and then I thought about how [spoiler]Section 1 was being lead to false bait.[/spoiler] I know, I'm slow..... Don't tell nobody though ^_^.

[Delta]

[COLOR=#656446][url=http://www.dannychoo.com/blog_entry/eng/470/Ghost+in+the+Shell+-+Solid+State+Society/][b]GITS: SAC -Solid State Society[/b][/url]
(Linkage to the spoilerific trailer and poster)

Ah, because Production I.G. [i]has[/i] to sate the saga's fans.
Judging from the poster, looks like Gouda and Kuze's coming along for the ride. Then I read from Dagger's article at [url=http://www.theotaku.com/news/view/gits:__solid_state_society_story/1095/]theOtaku[/url] that there will be more Section 9 members this time. Let's see if we can guess 'em all:

[b]Section 9[/b][list]
[*]Chief Aramaki [*]The Major (new haircut!) [*]Batou (new haircut!) [*]Togusa (same old mullet) [*]Paz [*]Saito [*]Bouma (if that's him in the trailer, well, he's still bald)[*]Ishikawa [*]Proto [*]Azuma (Or Yano; [spoiler]can't figure out who died in 2nd Gig. one of them can be sitting beside Togusa in the trailer, though.[/spoiler])
[*]I'm guessing that (spoiler related to 2nd gig) [spoiler]they'll probably add in Kuze's uploaded ghost as a surprise Section 9 member.[/spoiler] It's a long shot, but it's possible. ^^[/list]

The bets are off as to who's gonna be the newest members of Section 9! Are we gonna see newer versions of think tanks? [spoiler]Will we see the long-awaited return of the Tachikomas?[/spoiler] When will Togusa get rid of that mullet? What do you think?[/COLOR]

[Magus]

[spoiler]Seeing Kuze as a member of Section 9 would be a very interesting thing to see. Kuze is that white haired samurai (so to speak) right?[/spoiler]

[quote name='Delta][spoiler']can't figure out who died in 2nd Gig. one of them can be sitting beside Togusa in the trailer, though.)[/spoiler][/quote]
Aww... now you have me searching for spoilers.....

Those rookies that were being tested in that episode where we learned about the majors past could be the newest members or are they Azuma and Yano? I never did know their names.

And from those posters.... it looks like their giving Motoko the look she had when she was in the debate at that round table thing about the laughing man. (that purple and yellow get up.)

[quote name='Delta']When will Togusa get rid of that mullet? [/quote]
LOL. It would be pretty hard to picture him without the mullet now. For me anyways.

[Delta]

[COLOR=#656446]Yeah, Azuma and Yano(-kun) were part of that exercise and one of them showed up in later episodes (I think). And now that you mentioned it, she [i]does[/i] look like her avatar in the online forum!

I am rather intrigued about that particular scene somewhere near the3/4 mark of the trailer where [spoiler]Batou was pointing a gun at a figure in a white coat who turns out to be the Major![/spoiler] Hideo Kuze [spoiler]also wore a similar coat[/spoiler]. I wonder if there's a connection...[/COLOR]