TL;DRs INCLUDED WHERE NEEDED.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (which I'll just refer to as SAC) is an exemplary cyberpunk tale which reminds us of why we fell in love with the genre in the first place. With its beautiful aesthetics well ahead of its time coupled with the deep messages it offers that always resonate within us, not only has it stood its place as the high point for the GitS franchise, but also for the entire genre. Before I dive into what makes this show so special, I'll provide an FAQ.
Do I need to watch the original movie to understand the plot?
No. Many say that you must watch the original 1995 movie to appreciate the series, but I'd argue the opposite. SAC is a great entry point for newcomers and is an entirely self-contained story. The original's pacing is quite slow and it emphasizes more on the philosophical aspects. While it is by no means bad (in fact, I rate it a solid 10/10), it tends to bore off some viewers. SAC serves to satisfy all your action and philosophical cravings, therefore it is more suited for a wider audience. If you thoroughly enjoy SAC, then I recommend you watch the original 1995 movie. Also, we don't talk about the live-action remake.
TL;DR: No.
I've not seen many philosophy-heavy anime. Can I watch this?
Yes. Although this show does not hold your hand, it's very comprehensible given that you pay more attention to the plot than your average anime.
Sub or dub?
Both are great. Although I prefer watching dub for serious shows so I'm biased towards it.
Will my IQ increase after watching this?
Ehhhhhh... sure?
Quite a few people have already reviewed it so I'll keep it as brief as possible while providing information geared more towards newcomers to the franchise and those who haven't had much exposure to science-fiction as a genre, especially cyberpunk.
It's hard to describe. Some, including me, call it a genre but others call it a culture. This causes a lot of confusion so I'll give you a concrete answer. It is a style and a medium of themes. Cyberpunk stories are usually set in the near-future in large oppressive cities reminiscent of Hong Kong streets. But just because a story is set in a futuristic city doesn't necessarily make it cyberpunk. This is where it acts as a medium of themes. Cyberpunk delivers messages relating to the interactions and relationships between humans, technology, and society.
TL;DR: Stories which involve how humans adapt and react to technology and society.
The opening song is entirely in CGI so love it or hate it, but most agree that the song is absolutely beautiful. Read the comments if you don't believe me. Seriously, go watch it.
It's really hard to believe this show was made in 2002. It happens to look better than most anime today. It captures the cyberpunk aesthetic nicely with its huge sprawling city along with oppressive yet beautiful and vivid lights and skyscrapers. Check out the opening scene for the first episode.
While on the topic of visuals, let's talk about CGI. It's used quite often in this anime but trust me, it's done really well. Unfortunately, CGI has a bad reputation for sticking out like a tornado in a cornfield and just looking ugly in general. That is not the case here. I'll leave it up to you to decide what you think of the CGI, but I guarantee you it will not hinder your enjoyment.
TL;DR: Beautiful cyberpunk aesthetic with a frequent use of well-crafted CGI.
The GitS franchise is known for its unique music, which mixes traditional sounds with modern electronic beats. Take the music of the clip provided in the previous section for example. The philosophy of the shrinking dichotomy between humans and machines is reflected in the soundtrack, with the traditional instruments and vocals representing human nature and the electronic beats representing, well, machines.
The soundtrack never failed to amaze and immerse me in the plot. It's always refreshing to hear music that's not a generic orchestral score.
TL;DR: Music from the clip above. It succeeds in reflecting the central theme of the anime of the blurring lines between man and machine.
Word of advice, don't google the plot-points you don't understand or check the wiki as there are a lot of spoilers. The episodes of SAC are divided into Stand Alone (SA) and Complex (C). SA episodes are self-contained stories whereas C episodes contribute to the main arc following the mysterious Laughing Man. Without spoilers, it's really difficult to highlight the ingenuity of both, the SA stories and the main arc. Antagonists are unique and seldom bland. They have well-defined and developed motives.
My only real complaint with the plot is how repetitive the process watching Section 9 solve crimes becomes. It usually just boils down to hacking to find the criminals' coordinates, confronting them, fighting them, and taking them into custody. Although SAC tries to make the process interesting by making the crimes affect one of the members at a personal level due to their circumstances/past each time, it's always superficial and doesn't really change the characters in the long run, or beyond the episode for that matter.
Where SAC really shines is in its C episodes, which center around the Laughing Man incident. It's an engaging mystery and the show invites the viewers to try and solve the case themselves too, as they know as little about it as Section 9 up until a certain point. But even then, the case isn't completely solved, allowing for further investigation. Of course, it is completely possible to just watch the show without trying to solve the case.
All in all, the main arc is one of the best stories I have experienced, not just in anime, but in storytelling as a whole.
TL;DR: Main story arc is amazing. Stand alone episodes are great but get repetitive near the end.
This is where the anime lacks, but that's okay. The superior second season, 2nd Gig, accomplishes that. SAC serves to convey its philosophical ideas and establish the setting, all while providing an entertaining story-line.
The ratings I give on my profile page are different from the scores I give in my public reviews. My ratings in the former are purely based on MY enjoyment whereas the scores in my public reviews are more critical in nature and a result of considering various factors.
95/100
The only thing stopping this anime from receiving a perfect 100 is its weak character development. Looking past that, this anime provides an entertaining main story arc with fun little stand alone episodes that give life to the cyberpunk world of GitS.
Note: This is my first review. Feel free to object and offer advice on improving.
46.5 out of 47 users liked this review
