Review of Ghost In The Shell Stand Alone Complex: Vol. 3

Introduction

The wait hasn`t been as long this time for the next instalment of Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex, but given the quality of this anime, it still felt interminably long. Fortunately there hasn`t been a cliffhanger to resolve this time.

Ghost In The Shell inhabits one of those strange new worlds we often hear tell of. Set in the not too distant future, the divisions between man and machine are blurring. AI is a reality, and life like androids do the menial jobs that humans used to. It isn`t unusual for the average citizen to be enhanced in some way with implants or prosthetics. For some the enhancements are to such a degree that little of the original human remains. Major Motoko Kusanagi of Section 9 is one such person, who since the age of 6 has been equipped with a totally cybernetic body. The only biological component left is her brain. The differences between man and machine becomes ever more meaningless when machines can develop personality. It also opens up a whole new area of criminal activity, when cybernetically enhanced senses can be fooled by an enterprising hacker, or worse their brains themselves can be hacked into, subverting the innocent by reprogramming their `ghosts`. In the light of such terrifying possibilities, a special unit is created to head off the threat of such cyber-crime. Section 9 led by Aramaki is at the forefront of combating the new cyber criminals.

This release from Manga Entertainment comes on 2 discs. Disc 1 contains the four episodes and the bulk of the extras, as well as DD 2.0 and DD 5.1 soundtracks. Disc 2 contains the same episodes, but with DTS soundtracks. Once again, I received the test discs only, so I have to assume that the packaging will follow the same style established by the first two releases, that of an Amaray case inside a cardboard slipcase.

Episode 9: Chat! Chat! Chat!
The Major visits an online chatroom in search of new information regarding the Laughing Man case. There`s quite a healthy debate going on, although most of the participants are the usual net-savvy conspiracy theorists. But an old man makes a few interesting points that capture the Major`s attention. It looks as though Kusanagi may be getting too close to the truth however.

Episode 10: Jungle Cruise
A serial killer is loose in the city, a particularly warped individual who skins his victims alive, then jacks in to their brains so they can experience their deaths from his point of view. The chief suspect is a formal Naval Officer from the American Empire, Marco Amoretti, and the CIA insist on working with Section 9 to apprehend him. It seems though, that Batou is all too familiar with this killer, and his past may interfere with his job.

Episode 11: Portraitz
A particular vicious hack has liberated secret information from the department of health. However it has been traced to a government institute set up to help people suffering from `Cyberbrain Closed Shell Syndrome", a condition similar to autism where sufferers withdraw from the digital world. Togusa goes undercover to find out the truth of what is going on, and finds that the children in the institute are being used to create devilishly fiendish barrier mazes for use by the government. Behind this all is the sinister figure of "The Chief".

Episode 12: Escape From
Batou`s Tachikoma is developing a rather distinct personality, one that becomes manifest when it wakes up and decides to take a walk. Exploring the big city, it meets a little girl called Miki, and ends up helping her look for her dog Locky. Meanwhile, the Major goes diving into a strange cyberbrain.

The episodes are all followed by short humorous Tachikoma animations.

Video

Ghost In The Shell is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic ratio. For the most part, the transfer is excellent, with the image clear and sharp and macro blocking kept to a minimum. Unfortunately this is let down by a horrible glitch in the third episode on this disc at 19:59. In addition, the fourth episode has the occasional moment of pixellation (aside from the deliberate pixellation during the Major`s dive).

It must be said that the character design is greatly simplified in comparison to the detailed and beautiful characterisations of the movie. That`s to be expected when creating these characters for a serialised television show, but the animation is still dynamic and effortlessly realised. However the sheer detail and intricacy of the world design is marvellous. It`s the mix of the animation and design that makes this show look so good. The spectacular imagery is once again noticeable in Chat! Chat! Chat!, the first episode on this disc, with the story taking place in a virtual chatroom alive with design flourishes.

The Ghost In The Shell movie was lauded for its use of CGI. Computer imagery was used to create displays and overlays in the film and certainly contributed to its look. Seven years of advances in animation have made Stand Alone Complex a different animal when it comes to CGI. All 3D objects are realised through the computer, and are flawlessly integrated with the traditional style animation. The displays and overlays are if anything better than in the film. To cap it all off, the title sequence is completely rendered in CGI, with a 3D version of Major Kusanagi in action in a computer-generated world.

Audio

This release comes with a full selection of soundtracks. Disc 1 has soundtracks in DD 2.0 English and Japanese Stereo, as well as DD 5.1 English and Japanese, whereas Disc 2 allows you to watch the show with DTS 5.1 English and Japanese (encoded at 754kbps), as well as a repeat of the DD 2.0 English Stereo track. There are English translated subtitles for both discs. There is one subtitle caption missing in the second episode, leaving one of Aramaki`s commands un-translated. If anything, the surround is even more effective than before, with full use made of the speakers, again the virtual environment of Chat! Chat! Chat! Really works the speakers to the full. The Major`s entry into the chatroom is a thunderous sonic moment. There is plenty of action and sound effects, and the immersive experience is another enjoyable aspect of these discs. I was fully prepared to give this release a ten for sound until I watched the third episode, Portraitz. Annoyingly, the DD 5.1 Japanese track is a fraction out of sync with the animation. This was only in the Japanese surround track; neither the two English tracks nor the Japanese Stereo track were affected. I dipped my metaphorical toe into the English dub; it`s better than most, it flows well but the dialogue still doesn`t seem natural.

Yoko Kanno composes the outstanding music for Ghost In The Shell, and this show is almost worth it for the music alone. The atmospheric Inner Universe accompanies the opening credits, one of the most fitting and inspiring pieces of music that I have heard on any television programme.

Features

The discs` presentation is impressive. Glorious animated menus reflecting the cyberpunk style of the show are set to the show`s music. The transitions between menus are short and never get tedious.

Disc 2 contains just the episodes, and an Interactive Quiz. Answer ten questions about and around Ghost In The Shell, and you unlock a sneak peak of episode 13.

Disc 1 contains the episode synopses and character profiles related to the episodes on these discs. Thankfully, I didn`t see any of the problems with spelling or grammar that affected the last release.

There is an 11-minute interview with Akio Ohtsuka (Batou) who talks about his character and the process of dialogue recording. The other interview on this disc, also 11 minutes long is with Audio Director Wakabayashi Kazuhiru, and he discusses the process of recording the dialogue as well as the sound design of the show. Once again the interviews take place in windowed sections in the middle of the 4:3 ratio screen, rather than using the whole screen itself.

Finally there are 33 minutes of trailers for other releases from Manga Entertainment and a trailer for the Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex videogame.

Conclusion

I`m beginning to get frustrated with the Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex releases. Every release comes with a set of imperfections, implying a lack of quality control on the part of Manga Entertainment. This time around, there is a missing subtitle caption, a couple of visual flaws, and a soundtrack out of sync on my review discs. It`s all the more frustrating as GITS: SAC is one of the best anime series that I have seen. Outstanding characterisation, brilliant animation, stunning music and excellent writing all come together to create an experience that far surpasses the film that inspired the series. It`s a cyberpunk cop show that is never formulaic and keeps pushing the boundaries of the genre.

There is more time for character development here though, and the Major, Batou, Togusa and Aramaki do differ somewhat from their movie counterparts. Major Kusanagi is hardly as soul searching as before, and here is apt to make the occasional quip. The character of Togusa is explored to a greater extent here and he is more at the heart of the show. Being minimally enhanced, he`s the everyman character who guides us in the world of cyborgs. But it`s Batou who is the most different, he`s practically a comedian in his new guise as opposed to the dour man of few words in the movie, and it`s a change that is definitely one for the better. The series is definitely developing these characters well and we learn more of their histories as the episodes progress, Jungle Cruise is a case in point.

The episodes on this third release outdo anything that has come before, four distinct stories that not only add to the background of the characters and the continuing Laughing Man thread, but also through outstanding writing come across as unique and intelligent. It`s a testament to the writers that the first episode is something rarely seen in animation, an episode loaded with exposition. The Major is looking for information on the Laughing Man case, and links up to a virtual chatroom where collections of conspiracy theorists are discussing the subject. The whole episode is basically talking heads sitting around the table, talking for 20 minutes. It serves to fill in the gaps about the show`s big nemesis, but because of the environment, it is a piece of dynamic and vivid animation that always keeps the attention. Jungle Cruise gives some background on Batou, through a pretty unsavoury serial killer case, inspired by a cross between Predator and Strange Days. It hits all the right notes when it comes to grabbing the audience, and succeeds in making us question the actions of one of the main characters in the show. Portraitz is perhaps one of the more conventional episodes on the disc, but it does keep you guessing to the end, and for once the twists are unexpected. I must admit to being absolutely charmed by Escape From. Thus far we have had serial killers, cyber crimes, and action, then all of a sudden we get a touch of Miyazaki. It`s a very emotive story as Batou`s Tachikoma robot decides to go wandering and meets Miki, a little girl looking for her lost dog. The robot starts learning about humanity from the little girl, and the conclusion is surprisingly tender for an action-oriented show.

The four episodes on this disc transcend what has come before in Stand Alone Complex, both in terms of content and presentation. The show just keeps getting better and better, and the tales on this disc are excellent examples of short story telling. It`s a shame that the show is let down by yet another annoyingly imperfect release from Manga Entertainment.