Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex - 1st GIG, Volume 2

Written by Tom Clare in Film Reviews, Tuesday 15 August, 2006

"Smoke And Idiots Love High Places!"

The Ghost In The Shell franchise is an all-too-rare examples of anime that has been as successful outside of its native Japan as within. The reason? Well, much like Manga-stablemate Akira, the original Ghost In The Shell film (first released in 1995) proved a convincing alternative to Disney's films of the time which, good as they were, all tended to run in a similar vein. In its armoury were eye-popping production values, a genuinely thought-provoking narrative, serious voice-acting (none of the high-pitched tones that hinder many animes in the eyes of adults), and superbly stylish presentation. Several high-profile Hollywood blockbusters have been known to have taken more than a hint of inspiration from this futuristic classic.

Seven years after the film appeared, Kenji Kamiyama and his team embarked on a 26-episode series, which was essentially a continuation/spin-off set in 2030 A.D. - subsequently this serialisation was split into 7 DVD's and the one under the spotlight here is (deep breath…) Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex 1ST GIG Volume 2 (GITS: SAC 1st GIG Vol. 2), which contains episodes five to eight.

A sort of futuristic anime cop-show if you will, episodes five to eight expand on the characters introduced in the Volume 1 DVD. They belong to 'Section 9'; a public security sector that deals specifically with internet and cyberbrain-based crime, such as hacking and identity theft - all a great threat in the future due to the prominence of synthetics and artificial intelligence. Whilst there are several characters featured, the main protagonist once again is Motoko Kusanagi; a purple-haired femme fatale with a twist - she has a cyborg body (though appears entirely human). She is flanked by the rough 'n' gruff (but humorous) Batou, and Togusa, who to the viewer is perhaps the easiest to relate to as, in terms of his make-up, he is almost a polar opposite to Kusanagi - having virtually no prosthetic implants at all (and a fabulous mullet - very eighties!).

The Volume 1 DVD started off with 3 'stand alone' episodes (that can be watched singularly) so as to ease the viewer into the 25-minute format, and finished with a single 'complex' episode (part of an ongoing storyline). Volume 2 immediately builds on these; continuing where the last DVD finished by kicking-off with two more 'complex' instalments. The situation in Tokyo had just become a whole lot more serious with the re-emergence of the notorious 'Laughing Man', who seemingly has the ability to hijack the cyberbrains of selected individuals, imparting his unmistakeable logo over their faces whilst making threats to kill high-ranking government officials. But there's more to it than this of course; cover-ups, corruption and conspiracies are rife, and as you might have guessed, it's up to Section 9 to get to the bottom of it all.

The first of the four episodes on the Volume 2 DVD is "DECOY" - essentially the first half of a 50 minute double bill. It's a good episode too; a calm before the storm, if you will, as Tokyo comes to terms with the reappearance of the 'Laughing Man'. The police have named the prime-suspect, though Section 9 are immediately suspicious - the mans profile suggests he is more likely to be a decoy. And so begins a game of cat and mouse, as Motoko and the gang put him under surveillance and wait for his next move, aware that Superintendent General Daido (a big-cheese featured in an earlier episode) may be in danger.

Visually, Stand Alone Complex is extremely good. The animation is rarely more impressive than in "DECOY" and combined with the simple, haunting music, Section 9's investigations at times seem akin to a futuristic CSI. The best moment in the opening episode comes when Motoko is using an 'external memory device' (like a virtual headset), analysing a TV broadcast shot six years previous - when the Laughing Man made his first 'appearance'. Though it is only a short scene, it's typical of how creative the design is. An outdoor weather broadcast has been brilliantly recreated; complete with logos, members of a crowd playing up to the camera and there is even a convincingly-grainy quality to the picture - proving CGI and anime can work when combined right.

The animators never short-change the viewer - I lost count of the number of times throughout the DVD that I was treated to some ludicrously expansive long-shots of the city, complete with the bustle of daily life. The attention to detail is matched only by the ambition and scale of the shots; the variety on offer and the wealth of camera-angles makes it easy to forget at times that it is an animation. It's all so fluent, and any concerns that the animators wouldn't be able to maintain the skyscraping visual quality of the first four episodes are firmly allayed - Volume 2 looks even more stunning.

What "DECOY" provides in plot, "MEME" follows up with in action. The second 'complex' episode sees all hell breaking loose as attempts to locate the Laughing Man take a hit, with a mysterious virus spreading throughout the cyberbrains of security guards, reporters and police officers in the area surrounding the Superintendent General - the man Kusanagi needs to protect. It's really good; the narrative for once isn't too difficult to follow (the episode even starts with a recap) and shows off some cool battle-sequences - Kusanagi's slow-motion somersaults and rapid-fire fist-fighting is well-realised, and harks back to the frenetic qualities that the original Ghost In The Shell film possessed. The sense of urgency is built upon with some pulsating background music - something that has become a real asset to the series thus far. "MEME" manages to sufficiently tie-up the events of the previous 'complex' episodes whilst also allowing an adequate sense of mystique to remain over the 'Laughing Man' saga - well-poised for the Volume 3 DVD you might say!

The next two episodes return to more familiar ground for Stand Alone Complex; focussing on criminals that go about their business in very different manners, each drawing their own set of moral questions. Episodes 7 and 8 have some interesting parallels, but work with varying degrees of success. "IDOLATER" is perhaps the best episode of the bunch, in which Section 9 tail Marcelo Jarti - a South-American drugs baron and a hero amongst his people, said to have survived no less than six assassination attempts. Is he using body doubles or something more sinister? Either way, it makes for a rip-roaring 25 minutes. There are many classy elements that mark "IDOLATER" out from the rest - on a purely technical level, it makes atmospheric use of shadows and muted colours, as well as the subtle-but-successful mix of animating styles used to create TV, computer-screen and nightvision effects. Then there's a breathtaking bullet-ridden bloodbath in a hotel corridor - bodies and gore are scattered with wild-abandon, with 'Major' Kusanagi left in the middle to remark drolly that "things seem to have gotten out of hand". There's even a martial-arts brawl that is very reminiscent of the 'Bambi and Thumper' scene in Diamonds Are Forever, with two scantily-clad androids attempting to double-team Motoko Kusanagi. A fantastic stand-alone episode; gripping from start to finish.

…And finally there's "MISSING HEARTS", which continues the theme of criminals having more to them than initially meets the eye. But whilst "IDOLATER" features a strapping, bearded revolutionary, here we see a small band of youths stealing organs from a Tokyo hospital, with an eye to selling them off to the poorer members of society who can't afford prosthetic bodies. Whilst it has its moments, this episode doesn't match the highs of the previous instalments, as it is used more as vehicle for character examination (not necessarily a bad thing in a long series such as this) and in particular, Kusanagi's dealing with the case, as it provokes painful memories of her own need for a prosthetic body when she was younger. In fairness, all the qualities prominent in the series are here; amazing visuals, fine music and interesting settings, though it never quite grabs you by the scruff of your neck, even in the closing stages.

English-dubbing can be a bit hit-and-miss in modern anime, almost as though Western voice-actors can quite grasp the specific quirks of the Japanese culture. Perhaps the fact the Stand Alone Complex is a little more serious, the voice-actors have had an easier job - in my mind there's some of the best Japanese-to-English translating around on here. Clearly a lot of work has gone into to this side of things - much of the original dialogue has been altered slightly so as not to sound out of place and there are also some genuinely witty remarks and jokes thrown in for good measure. Most apparent is the lovely fluency and flow of the conversations and commands, it just fits perfectly in the immaculate Stand Alone Complex environment.

So episodes 5-8 tend to improve upon the first four seen in 1st GIG Volume 1 - but can the extras do the same? Well, yes and no. The two follow similar lines in that they both feature a thirty minute 'Manga Previews' trailer (good but becoming something of a guarantee in Manga's anime these days), as well as the virtually-bereft second disc that contains a couple of different sound options for the 4 episodes and a quiz - all very nice but once again leaves you questioning the need of a second disc. There are two ten minute interviews - the first being with Osamu Saka (voice of Section 9's boss, Aramaki). To be brutally honest, I found this a bit of a let-down. The interview itself is fairly run-of-the-mill and nothing to write home about, though the main problems lie in the bizarre lack of audio - yes, I know he speaks Japanese and subtitles are essential, but it is nevertheless rather strange watching a man talking with only soft background music coming out of the screen. Plus there is the added irritation of having Japanese subtitles plastered about the interview as well - it all gets a little crowded.

The second interview redeems things though, even if the lack of speech remains a blight that wasn't apparent in the Volume 1 interviews. Yoko Kanno, the composer of the Stand Alone Complex series, provides an unlikely source of inspiration as this wonderfully-crafted interview explains her motives for the often-unusual tunes featured in the series. It also serves as a base from which to show off clips from a brilliantly eclectic mix of songs that comprise choppy-guitar laden rock; haunting symphonies; opera; and slow-paced, mysterious melodies that signal trouble may be just around the corner. Yoko Kanno also mentions the beautiful Stand Alone Complex theme - 'Inner Universe' by Origa. It's somewhat symbolic of the series broad appeal and influences; the intro theme is sung by an operatic Russian with English and Japanese lyrics, and the ending theme by an American rocker.

Elsewhere, there are some decent character profiles that recognise the shift in focus towards secondary figures and villains in this DVD, by providing some mini-biographies on them all. It also acknowledges its own plot-heavy nature by providing 'source codes' (episode descriptions) too - which is a lovely touch.

It's a '15' certificate and this seems appropriate enough - a bit of violence and colourful language rears its head during the course of the DVD, but apart from that, it's probably a bit too taxing for younger audiences to grasp - it requires ample amounts of concentration as a lot is covered in a short space of time, even in the more action-orientated episodes.

So Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex 1st GIG Volume 2 is even better than the last DVD. It's a fabulously-crafted, wonderfully-realised effort with a well-judged mixture of episode styles, wonderful presentation and a consistently high-quality throughout. If the fourth episode had been slightly better and they'd have fixed the sound gremlins that hurt the extra features it would have been incredible. As it is, for £7.99 it's a worthy expansion to a very promising series - provided you own Volume 1 of course.

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