Forum - View topicGhost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (all seasons, OAVs, movies).
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DKL
 Posts: 1956 Location: California, USA |
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Though, was it was just me or did they leave Bouma holding the bag somewhere?
(no, not really... even Kenji Kamiyama thought so, it seems)... It's funny that he never got his own back-story; just some vague details here and there (like where he used to work... and no, I can't remember anymore). Also, I need to watch this again... I've forgotten what the story was about. Well, something to do with the problem with the refugees in Japan (that ones from the non-nuclear war or something... or was it the nuclear one? I can't remember... but it was the 4th World War)... Well, I can't remember the step-by-step process in Gohda's plans... yeah, it's been a while. But, all-in-all, I liked this better than the first season... only thing that sort of rubbed me the wrong way was how convenient the ending came about (well, it's not just that... a lot of stuff just happened REALLY quickly in the last episode... while it's not Paradise Kiss disappointing, I still thought it was a little disappointing). |
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11311 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Just finished the last volume of Season One. Uh.. where to start? They sure crammed a lot of material in to the last 4-5 episodes there
 . I think I have a decent grasp of how all of it ties together, but it's kind of late where I am right now, plus I want to rewatch the last episode to make sure I got everything straight, which I'll do tomorrow (err.. today, since it's already past midnight).
Needless to say, though, that was pretty darn good writing. I actually feel kind of stupid now for making that theory from episode 11  . spoiler[ To think that Aoi guy was the "Laughing Man" all this time. And I put that in quotes specifically on his behalf since he didn't even create said title.]
But I will admit, they had me fooled in episode 25 when spoiler[ they started taking out Section 9. And then the Tachikomas sacrificed themselves to save Batou! It was sad in a way to see them go kamikaze like that  . But hey, they're just A.I. anyway, so no big loss. There's probably some loophole way of preserving their memories and loading them into 2nd Gig's Tachikomas, right (if they're even it)?]
I'm real anxious to start 2nd Gig on Monday. I've heard it's a lot darker than Season One, and I thought that was pretty dark already  . Not sure about the whole "rewatching" several times thing. I've got a lot of backlogged anime that I want to catch up on.
In particular, my next subject will be Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and it's anime counterpart, Samurai 7. I've wanted to see SS for a while now and am looking forward to that, and hopefully I'll also be pleased with S7's adaptation. Anyway, I'll get back to this topic a little later today. |
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Deltakiral
 Posts: 3338 Location: Glendora, CA (Avatar Hei from Darker than BLACK) |
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I don' t really get choked up too much (in anime)spoiler[ but damn I really felt bad for the Tachikomas, the line between Robot and friend (like a dog sort of) was really starting to get blurry. I just remember how they say 'this is for you Mr. Batou' and having to stop watching after that scene. ] It was really powerful and very moving probably one of the aspect of SAC I didn't expect to really be all that great yet it totally pushes the show into that upper echleon of anime shows. I am also a big fan of how they animated (through the final episode of season one) spoiler[the Major getting killed. It was shocking and also extremely sad at the same time, you knew they probably weren't killing her off but to see the emotion in Batou face was really well done in my opinion.] Not only that I like how it's actually shot from that angle its quite startingly when that moment happens.
I am a big fan of 2nd Gig I think that it certainly starts off with a bang continuing the flare and drama from last season all while touching home with key issues that affect us (in the US and worldwide) without being super preachy about it either. I am actually really interested in what you think about the second season (refer to me as 2nd Gig) compared to the SAC (First season). Whereas I thought that that SAC had some really great complex episode and also had some very interesting stand alone at times I felt it lax a bit and could of picked up the pace/had more episodes about the Laughing Man. Whereas in 2nd Gig almost every episode sort of ties into the main storyline in one shape or another. Here's a thread on the different types of episodes you'll see in 2nd Gig, seeing as how the Stand alone/complex thing doesn't exist anymore. And there's a new episode marker.
Being a fan of of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai I was a bit skeptical but I think Gonzo did a good job on it. Its different from the movie yet keeps the original feel, sort of in the context of Gankutusou is different then Dumas' novel but yet still keep most of the main themes around. |
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Murasakisuishou
 Posts: 1469 Location: NE Ohio |
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Stand Alone Complex has recently elbowed its way to the top of my favorite anime list (I'm sorry, Fullmetal Alchemist) and I can't see it being demoted anywhere in the near future. When I finished the first season I gushed for nearly a page and a half in my LJ review, because everything about this anime is so cool. The story is cool, the characters are cool, the machinery is cool, the plot twists are cool, and the way they managed to create a future world that the audience can still recognize as a world of everyday people is just beyond cool. I think the fact that I can identify with the world of SAC, despite the cyborgs and advanced technology, is really what made me love this series so much.
And then there was 2nd GIG. Basically, they took season 1 and squared it. More plot, more whacko bad guys, more emotion. I particularly loved the episode with the spoiler[paper cranes], and also the one where spoiler[Togusa goes on trial for shooting the guy who tried to kill his ex girlfriend] although it was nice that Saito and Pazu got their own side stories. I can't wait to see SSS! Oh yeah, call me a heretic, but I actually liked the dub better than the Japanese. I think that Mary McGlynn has more of a sense of....I don't know, presence? than Tanaka Atsuko (although the latter did a fine job as well; I just didn't like her as much). I also loved Richard Epcar and Crispin Freeman playing off each other as Batou and Togusa, respectively, and William Knight's Aramaki was just genius. Probably my favorite thing about this dub, though, was that even the extras sounded convincing; usually (at least, in most of the dubs I've heard) the background voices sound stupid and have almost comically lame lines. Also, this is one of those anime where I want to be able to watch it and focus on the art and the action instead of the text at the bottom of the screen, and I'm glad that the dub is good enough that I can watch in English and not feel like I'm missing anything. That reminds me, I need to get around to purchasing 2nd GIG. |
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Thanatos01s2
 Posts: 231 |
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You know it's a good anime when they make you feel sorry for the AI that spoiler[dies, poor little tachikoma's] different spoiler, Tony you probably don't want to read just yet: spoiler[I have a feelin the'll be back though!!!!!!!!!! ]
Wait until you start 2nd gig, you won't be able to stop watching, it is non-stop ass kickery, The story in this one in my opinion is even better than the "laughing man" arc. spoiler[Kuze is such a badass character] As for Samurai 7 , I really like this anime, I feel it was very well done and it actually fits with Kurosawa's live action seven samurai pretty well. All the same events happen in sequence, but there are robots! Last edited by Thanatos01s2 on Sun Jun 17, 2007 12:06 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Deltakiral
Posts: 3338 Location: Glendora, CA (Avatar Hei from Darker than BLACK) |
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Oh I don't think there anything wrong with your statement nor do I think your a heretic. There are certain dubs that companies put a lot of money into to make sure they have a superior dub, this is one (I think FLCL also has an amazing dub) of those dub. But to that same level there isn't anything wrong with the Japanese VA either, both I find are equally enjoyable its really comes down to what your taste is. I am a dub guy, (I still watch a lot of things sub still) but I did watch several episodes of the GITS:SAC in the original Japanese and they are quite enjoyable. Like you noted also I think that the Batou and Togusa play off each other (smart detective/thug type of cop) was also very interesting. Still the Major owns them all, she totally kick Batou ass without moving, in fact Batou beat himself. 
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Thanatos01s2
Posts: 231 |
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I agree about the dubs, they couldn't be better. They fit each character perfectly, they did a great job, that is why I will not buy the GITS innocence or SSS movies unless they ever release them in an english dub. God I hope SSS is an english dub, amazon has it listed as a japanese dub only.
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Deltakiral
Posts: 3338 Location: Glendora, CA (Avatar Hei from Darker than BLACK) |
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I bet it will considering that it's not being released by dreamworks, and also Rightstuf has it listed as both. And to be honest I trust Rightstuf more then Amazon, and also there is nothing wrong with Japanese language track you should check it out. |
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Thanatos01s2
Posts: 231 |
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I have checked it out, but man o man how I love the Engligh dub., it is such a perfect fit. I hope it is released with an english dub. I want to see innocence but I refuse to pay money to dreamworks for the way they released it. Buying it only makes them do it to more releases. |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11311 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Don't get me wrong, I do like the dub and feel it's very good (aside from The Major, but that's just my preference). I even switch between English and Japanese from time to time when I don't feel like scanning the subs (because of too much online gaming and its effects on the eyes
, or if I'm eating, as it's hard to look at your food and the screen at the same time, otherwise, you get ketchup all over you -_-). In fact, I have absolutely no qualms with anyone's voice, aside from The Major's of course, but it's not something that drives me up the wall so much that I just have to watch it in Japanese. I can live with it, and I'm thankful ZRO Limit did a great job overall.
I didn't rewatch SAC ep. 26 yet like I said I would, but I dipped into 2nd GIG for the first two eps., and WOW! It's crazy how the art and animation progressed in such a short amount of time  . I especially love how the OP is actually animated now and not CGed. Rise is also so much more upbeat with the animation itself, it just oozes futuristic-science-fiction-cyber-punk coolness all over the place! Can't wait to see the rest.
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Thanatos01s2
Posts: 231 |
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Ah, I love the Major's voice, it fits her personality perfectly.
I think as you stated earlier the only reason you don't like it is because:
I think if I ever heard a voice actress from F-ing Excel Saga in one of my fav. animes, I would feel the same way as you do about the major. |
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Zivil
 Posts: 54 Location: Texarkana, USA |
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Yeah, I noticed the rapid progression, too. The animation quality was especially evident from Ghost in the Shell (the 1995 movie) to SAC, not that the movie was bad, just that SAC was so much more crisp and developed. The improved quality was also noticeable from 2ndGig to SSS.
I really loved that opening... and the music just clicked with it. Or perhaps the animation just clicked with the music. I was certain that I had heard that song before the release of 2G. I understand you have a large backlog of anime to catch up on, Tony, but give it a couple of months after watching 2nd Gig... I think you will probably want to make a run back through the series. |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11311 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Damn, 2nd GIG is addicting. All of this "Individual Eleven" stuff is starting to confuse me, but this is my short assessment, thus far (through ep. 7, or 32 overall, so please don't spoil past it yet).
IE was originally spoiler[ a short essay by (I forgot his name already) with the supposed implication of revolutionary idealism or whatever. People who read this (for whatever reason) end up becoming some kind of crazy cultist or something that's always looking to "expose the truth" to the degree of whatever scenario is currently within their knowledge and immediate, physical reach to actually do something about it, like those guys in the first episode that took the Chinese embassy hostage or the one military pilot that had the heart attack and controlled all those choppers. I'm not sure who or what exactly is causing these, aside from those "men in black." But at this point, I'm going to hypothesize that it's more than likely a group of people (not exactly terrorists) that are controlling things behind the scene. In particular, I want to say it has something to with that Gohda guy, who's a real bastard of a character by the way, but a good antagonist kind of role, nonetheless.] In relation to SAC, after rewatching the last episode and reading a couple of the ending threads, I think I've figured out how the "Laughing Man" case ties into 2nd GIG. spoiler[ As was mentioned about the Stand Alone Complex, our society has "developed" to the point of being able to create a sense of alienation amongst the different peoples of the world. For whatever reason that some people just aren't able to cope with the pressures of life, they become isolated and eventually split apart from the rest of the population, and thus the "Stand Alone" part. Though it's not directly explained in SAC, Aoi mentions that he is not, in fact, the original "Laughing Man," but a mere copycat himself like a few of the people we saw in earlier episodes. The whole nanomachines vs. Murai Vaccine was his own agenda as adapted by a similar intent when he accidentally stumbled upon the fragment of the the original LM's blackmail threat to the same Serano, but most likely for a different purpose. But with the society being the way it is (not only in the series, but you could argue the real world as well), you've got all of these people who want to individualize themselves from the rest of the bunch. I'm not sure if this is necessarliy a part of the Stand Alone Complex itself, as I thought that was more of a result from society, not the individual. But whatever the inverse is called by way of the individual casting off society instead, you have this "other Complex" (or it could be the same, if anyone can clear up this terminology for me) that these IE followers are trying to mimic.] Not sure if that makes sense, as it's kind of late right now, but I think that's what I've come to assess so far. I have to say, though, I love this whole conspiracy theory feel to the series overall. From the LM case to the now even more intricate IE concept, and not to mention all of the themes and symbolism invovled in these and other plot elements, this is certainly turning into quite the masterpiece of writing. I've got it rated Excellent now. But if things keep getting better and better at this rate, it will easily become another Masterpiece in my book and probably even earn a top 10 spot on my favorite TV series list . I'm looking very forward to watching more!
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Murasakisuishou
Posts: 1469 Location: NE Ohio |
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I definitely prefer the Rise OP to Inner Universe too. Inner Universe is cool and all, but Rise just seems to have more to do with the theme of the anime, and so does the animation that goes with it (IMO, the Motoko in the Inner Universe animation doesn't even look like Motoko). Also, while I'm on the subject of animation not looking like Motoko, has anyone else noticed that the art style in 2nd GIG seems to switch between episodes? It's been a while since I've seen it, so I can't exactly give any examples, but I remember the art being pointier and less 'realistic' in a few episodes when compared to others. ...Bah, now I've got Rise stuck in my head again. I'm a soldier, znatchit ya y otvyetchik y sud'ya... |
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Hokum
Posts: 18 Location: Manchester UK |
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My hope, is that they make a third series. With how successful the frenchise is it seems likely as long as they keep up the quality.
I think the second series though good, lacks a little focus unlike the first, whichi prefered. |
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