Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig Part 5 Episodes 17-20

When the search for leads on Kuze overseas goes cold, Section 9 returns home only to head right into the lions den itself.  Dejima has become the Refugees castle and Kuze is potentially readying them for a full blown revolution.  Kuze has proven formidable so far and in her first encounter with him, will even The Major be able to come out on top?  The tipping point in the Refugee/Individual Eleven Case has been reached and all it will take is one spark to ignite a revolution.

I know it’s a little hard to believe but we are actually one week away from the season finale of Stand Alone Complex.  In fact, next week is going to be a double entry, the final six episodes, so this week had a bit of weight to it as it had to set everything up for what’s to come.

First though, in a season that had very few on their own Stand Alone episodes, we finally got two that felt a bit like adventures of their own.  Yes, like every other episode of this season, they had little tidbits to tie into the growing stakes of the central plot, something Season 1 never worried about.  But what made these two stand out in particular are their three similar elements: both were stories dedicated to Motoko and Batou, both were overseas and both involved kids.  So we got to see a more parental side to the series two leads than before.  This went double for Motoko, who had a fun little romp with a boy who basically wanted to be Kuze when he grew up only to learn he wasn’t ready for the serious gun in your face aspects of the job.  This led to a couple of great moments including Motoko beating down some gangsters and brokering a peace treaty single handedly.  But the best bit had to be the kid, Chai, somehow managing to live every guys fantasy of sharing a bed with Motoko for the night.  Her sleeping in only panties and teasing Chai when he asks about cyborg sex was a priceless moment.  See? Even the cold, cold Major has a sense of humor.  Aside from some really cool shots and some interesting bits about Berlin in WW III and WW IV, Batou’s overseas episode was a lot slower.  It did manage to pull out a heartbreaking finale when he tried to give a terrorist bomber a bit of a break because of the guys blind and paralyzed daughter only for Motoko to swoop in and beat the crap out of him before chiding Batou.

Speaking of chiding out, it’s a scary thing to see Motoko on the receiving end of a defeat.  But I dare say her cyber incursion with Kuze was far worse than her losing an arm last season to a suit of mecha armor.  The Major has always been the unmovable rock of Section 9, barely budging even in the face of impossible odds.  So to see her make a huge operational mistake that results in the death of one of Section 9’s nameless rookies is a pretty big deal.  She doesn’t even try to make excuses for her mistakes, even when it’s Batou’s turn to chew her out.  And now we’re back to Section 9 not at their best this season.  This could have been a TKO moment for the team in a season of being several steps behind…well everything.  But in a way I can understand a bit.  Im all for stories that have the heroes facing odds that keep them from snagging a win until they finally come together in an inspiring way that grants them victory in the end.  And that’s helped up the ante for this season, the hope that Section 9 will snag Kuze and Goda in the end.  But I have to admit that it’s been a season long ass kicking for Section 9 and that win seems pretty elusive, especially now.

 

Couple of side notes for this week.  The world building continues to intrigue me.  We got to see Berlin as I mentioned above but we also got to take a look at Etorofu, a region we saw in the Ghost in the Shell movies.  The contrast between these two locales could not be any more different.  Batou even notes that Berlin got the short end of the attack stick during two world wars but again it’s coming out better from reconstruction.  Etorofu, however, is the anime equivalent of the future 2019 LA we saw in Blade Runner: bustling, overcrowded and filled with more problems than hope.  Also, got some great action this week, including the Tachikoma’s vs some heavy duty arm suits and a tense stand off between Batou and Kuze that I cant wait to see resolve itself next week.

Oh and you cant overlook Motoko saying she knows Kuze somehow and Batou claiming Motoko’s acting like a girl who’s fallen for her high school crush after her near death experience in Kuze’s cyberbrain.  Of all the things to be cryptic about and man can this show shroud a lot in secrecy, I think it’s safe to assume we might know how Kuze and Motoko are connected.

It’s a double sized season finale next week as we reach the end of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2^nd Gig.  The team has been hit harder than ever before and Motoko may have suffered her most embarrassing moment ever.  Im getting the feeling any stand alones are pretty much done with now and it’ll be a race to see who comes out on top of this three way battle between Section 9, Goda and the CIS and Kuze and the refugees.  You wanted a season conflict bigger than season one?  Well you got one.

Catch ya next week for the finale everyone.

 

Dare to dream people, dare to dream.