2030 AD. In an age
where cybernetics have evolved and the line between human and machine blurs
daily, crime is more rampant and unpredictable than ever. Hackers, cyber warfare specialists,
terrorists, criminals everywhere who are one small key stroke away from committing
acts of unspeakable terror. That’s where
they come in. They are Section 9: a
small crack team of investigators, hackers, and soldiers led by the beautiful
but no nonsense Major Motoko Kusinagi.
From runaway AI Tanks, to simple hackers to a cold case from years gone
by, if it has to do with policing the net, Section 9 is at the ready.
Ah Ghost in the Shell.
It’s a title that, like Akira or Astro Boy before it, comes right to
mind when the genre of Anime is mentioned.
The original 1995 film is an action classic and while a nice
masterpiece, one couldn’t help but think while watching it, this would make a
good TV series. Well it took a few years
but the wish was granted and sure enough we got Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone
Complex. And as a favor for a friend,
it’s my next big series project on Anime Corner.
The series is definitely an Anime not just because of
it’s art style but also the setting and Japanese mannerisms that exist even in
the (now not so somewhat) far off future.
But SAC does have the prints of a classic procedural police drama tv
series…you know when they’re not chasing down giant tanks with smaller tanks
with childlike AI. The cases of the week
in these first four episodes are a nice set, ranging from espionage to potential
serial murders to the first glimpse of the arc long mystery of the first
season. Each has their own distinct
feel, some light hearted, some a bit more serious, some action packed and
others mysterious and highly intellectual.
In a way it reminds me of what NCIS or CSI could be if they went fully
cyberized and used second to none hacker skills to solve cases…which they do on
occasion but I digress.
I should point that out right away. Much like the movie that preceeded it, SAC is
heavy on the existential dialogue, which makes sense considering we’re in that
area of scifi that Blade Runner and Metropolis helped make fascinating: man vs
machine. This is an age where technology
and humanity have blended together so well that it can be hard to tell who is
fully human and who has even the slightest bit of cyborg technology in
them. Some show signs of their
augmentations freely like Batou with his eyes.
But could you really tell that the perp who gets his ass kicked by
Motoko in the opening moments of Episode 1 is a cyborg until he makes that leap
and gets his foot shot off? I’m sure
that deeper debates on the matter will appear in future episodes. The lines between man and machine have
blurred greatly and it will take a new breed of cop to distinguish who’s who in
this vibrant and beautiful if not dangerous future.
And that new breed of cop rocks one interesting costume
choice lol. As the sole female member of
Section 9 (well if you don’t count the robot assistants working the cpus at HQ)
Motoko has to show that she isn’t just a pretty face rocking what looks like a
swimsuit and a leather jacket with boots (that look garnered quite a lot of
controversy back in the day but I think it’s alright). And the first couple of episode show that she
can do just that, shooting off feet and taking on tanks with no fear. She takes no nonsense but has a light sense
of humor. She cares about her team but
isn’t afraid to stick it to them when she thinks they’re in the wrong. Motoko may be a beautiful woman but doesn’t
change the fact that she’ll light you up if the situation calls for it. I will admit, her rant about one poor kids
obsession with an outdated female android and how he may treat her is pretty
funny, especially Batou and Togusa’s reactions to it.
The rest of Section 9 is pretty diverse: Batou the heavy,
Ishikawa the head hacker, Saito the sniper, Pazu and Boma…uh…you know I guess I
should touch on that real quick. Motoko, Batou, Ishikawa and Togusa (who I’ll
get to in a second), even Saito have their own specific set of special skills
they bring to the table. Pazu and Boma I
can still not figure out how they really fit in with Section 9 as a whole. They just seem like the other guys, back up
for characters who need no back up. Even
Saito’s skill set seems limited and we see the least of him after Episode 2
when he uses his really big rifle to take out a menacing tank. I don’t know, it just seem like, much as with
the movie, Motoko, Batou, Togusa and Ishikawa are a fine team on their own
without the excess back up.
Then there’s Togusa, who is one of Section 9’s most
interesting characters. Unlike the rest
of Section 9, he is still almost 100% human, well I think Aramaki is as well
but not sure. It’s interesting that
Motoko would bring on someone like him to the team especially since they need
to be a hard hitting cyberized squad at times.
But Togusa’s human element brings a lot to the mix. His investigative mind is superb (especially
when he gets to show it off in Episode 4) and the fact that he has a family
outside of the job is a nice touch. I
think Mokoto really likes having him on the team and she admires how he adjusts
to the situation around him and grows as a member of her team. Oh and partnering him up with Batou is great
stuff, not just for the human vs. robot philosophical discussions but also for
Batou’s beat down the door approach to Togusa’s more careful execution.
One last thing I will touch on is the soundtrack of the
series. It’s funny jumping from Cowboy
Bebop to SAC because you wouldn’t know it unless you looked at the credits…but
they both have the same composer, the legendary Yoko Kanno. Anime’s best music composer is on her A game
once again, trading the blues and jazz for a cyberized, technopunk style
soundscape that matches the setting and each story perfectly. And cudos to her on the main theme, “Inner
Universe” which is both soothing and blood pumping at the same time.
So as far as initial setup episodes go, Ghost in the
Shell: Stand Alone Complex is off to a great start. Setting established, team (mostly)
established, main season villain hinted at but just enough to leave us wanting
more, fun had…definitely. Who is the
Laughing Man and what’s his story? What
other hacker threats are out there? And
what other sexy outfits does Motoko have in her closet? Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is
just getting started.
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