Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (season 1):
The first season of the show was good. Not as good as the movie, but good. There was a lot of what I would call philosophical-babble about entities on the net, AI, and "stand alone complexes". I call it babble because it doesn't mean anything, causing you to lose interest and/or your eyes glaze over. And despite several whole-episode conversations about "stand alone complex", I still can't tell you what the fuck that means and it's the title of the goddamn show. Also, Motoko's outfit was ridiculous. It was not sexy, classy, fashionable, or practical. The guy who approved it should be fired, and he quite possibly was since she had a new outfit for season two. Also, the CG intro was crappy and out of place. But despite these flaws, the show was interesting, entertaining, and fun. The underlying story about the Laughing Man was complex yet followable, and the occasional action sequences stylish and understated, much like the 1995 movie.Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG (season 2):
The second season, titled S.A.C 2nd Gig, was a big improvement, and not just because Motoko has a new outfit that is both sexy and practical. The intro is cool and hip, with a much better song. In fact, the music all around was better. The philosophical-babble was drastically cut down, though not completely removed. The story itself was interesting and much easier to follow. But best of all, this season saw more introspective on our Section 9 crew, including Motoko, Saito, and Pazu. Overall, this season was leaps and bounds better than the last one, and I really think it is an example of the best of Japanese serial animation.Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society (TV-movie):
Finally, we have the made-for-TV movie. I really had high hopes for this movie, coming off a superb 2nd season of the series. But to be honest, the movie stunk. I thought the base story was actually strong, but the presentation and some plot choices were really poor. Motoko retired from Section 9? When last we saw them, they were in new Tachikoma ready to kick ass in a scene reminiscent of the first issue of the manga, which has all kinds of implications itself (the beginning of the end?). But now Motoko is out of the force, working on her own because she was "too restricted"? Fuck that. In addition, Batou is acting like an asshole for most of the film. And just to top it all off, the action sequences were boring and uninspired. In the end, it was just a really poorly done film. Any one of the episodes from Season 2 were better than this.So here's my ratings:
- Stand Along Complex (season 1): •••
- Stand Along Complex: 2nd Gig (season 2): •••••
- Stand Along Complex: Solid State Society (TV-movie): ••
I'm holding out for another season in hopes that they explore some of the other characters as well. I particularly like Ishikawa and Togusa, and we know next to nothing about Borma. So here's hoping for season 3.
