Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Part 1 Episodes 1-4

2045AD.  In the wake of a devastating economic disaster known as the Simulteneous Global Default, all forms of paper and electronic currency have had their value shattered.  The response of the “Big 4” Nations of the world is to instigate the “Sustainable War”, a never ending conflict they hope will keep the economy going.  No longer affiliated with Section 9, Major Motoko Kusinagi and her comrades now live their lives as soldiers of fortune, under the codename “Ghost”.  Their latest job seems like a simple one until things suddenly go sideways and they soon find themselves embroiled in a new conspiracy that brings Motoko and her team back into the company of their former Section 9 Chief, Daisuke Aramaki.

Ah Ghost in the Shell: my second favorite Anime franchise after Mobile Suit Gundam, it’s been far too long.  While the original 1995 Mamoru Oshii film may be more influential to the cyberpunk genre, Stand Alone Complex might be the most popular iteration of the franchise.  After all, it did get two TV Seasons and a movie to explore the characters and expand the scope and depth of the world inhabited by Section 9.  While we did get a fun Non SAC connected prequel with Ghost in the Shell: Arise…and a certain 2017 Movie I’d rather forget ever happened, fans have been hoping for more Stand Alone and Complex adventures since we last saw this version of the Major and Batou and the rest of Section 9.  Well it looks like those prayers have been answered in a very unexpected way.  Pretty much the “Third Season” of Stand Alone Complex, SAC_2045 sees Kenji Kamiyama returning to write and this time share directing duties alongside fellow Shirow Masamune Manga adaptor and CG Anime auteur Shinji Aramaki.  Sounds like a perfect combo right?  Well let’s get settled back in and see what Section 9 is getting up to these days.
 
The first and one of the most jarring stand outs of the new season is the time skip.  The last entry in the Stand Alone Complex saga was 2006’s Solid State Society and that took place in 2034.  With SAC_2045, we’ve skipped forward 11 years and thrown the world into utter chaos thanks to the Global Deficit that saw the need for the Sustainable War.  Let’s ignore the fact that everyone of the central cast hasn’t aged and with some that makes sense because Cyborgs.  But the most human characters, Togusa and Aramaki, barely look a day older than when we last saw them (save for some scruff on Togusa).  It doesn’t really feel like over a decade has passed for Section 9’s former staff but rather 3-5 really.  If anything, the new setting feels more appropriate for a Ghost in the Shell prequel about the exploits of Motoko and her men before they even formed Section 9.  Honestly, it brings back memories of Shinji Aramaki’s Appleseed prequel film, Appleseed Alpha, only SAC_2045 doesn’t even look close to as good as that film looked (more on that in a moment).  There’s also the familiar season trope of Section 9 either being disbanded or outlawed for a brief time before getting reformed.  Point is, this newly established status quo for the cast bothers me. 
 
Even though half of this opening act is one long action sequence (and a decent one at that), I still have more questions about the current state of Section 9.  I get that Motoko and her comrades have always been Mercs for Hire and their pay is an important part of what they do.  But I cant see them just leaving Aramaki even if Section 9 had to be disbanded in the wake of the deficit.  Did Aramaki let them go himself?  And what about Motoko.  Of all the Section 9 members she’s the one who sees Aramaki as the closest thing she has to family.  Maybe I’m reading too much into it and maybe Aramaki did give Motoko the Ok to go do her own thing (and take three Tachikoma’s with her too…could she really do that since theyre technically government property?).   And then there’s Togusa.  Apparently Motoko opted not to take him with her when she and the others went off to play war as a profession.  Based on his chats with Aramaki, Togusa is said to have held a bit of resentment towards his former commanding officer for abandoning him.  Honestly, that’d be a fun angle to explore this season, especially considering how much of a bond Togusa had with the Major (almost ship worthy really).  But the real stinger with him is that Togusa is now a divorced man working as a PI.  This is just wrong.  Part of what made Togusa such a stand out character among the bunch was his personal life.  He was a happily married family man who had something other than “the job” to look forward to at the end of the day.  Togusa always valued his teammates and would do anything if they needed it but never at the expense of his family.  He says that the divorce was mutual so he could “make more room for work”?  Is this because Togusa felt that jaded that Motoko and Batou left him behind?  I have so many questions but for what its worth, Togusa’s lost none of his investigative magic that made him an integral part of Motoko’s unit in the past. It’s fun seeing him working again with Aramaki to track down his former teammates and he gets more fun banter with the Tachikoma’s too.  
 
That just about covers the story and current state of the cast.  Let’s talk about the animation.  A big deal has been made about going the full CG Anime route with this new Season of Ghost in the Shell and it is a mixed bag.  Don’t get me wrong, Shinji Aramaki knows how to design a sexy female protagonist (see Deunan Knute from Appleseed).  While Motoko retains her sexy character build (and equally hot wardrobe), her face bothers me.  The big eyed look does emphasize the Cyborg/Doll like aspect to her Shell but it also makes Motoko look like a Princess about to throw a tantrum.  There doesn’t seem to be a lot of animation time dedicated to facial experissions, making every look a little stiff.  When the action is happening, though, Shinji Aramaki proves why he was asked to co helm this project with Kenji Kamiyama (a partnership that has continued with Blade Runner: Black Lotus and the Ultraman reboot).  The action is fast paced and fun.  The Tachikoma’s in particular stand out with the CG environment allowing for better camera angles of their spider like feats of awesome.  Also Motoko at one point shoots several missiles while hanging from a drone after they launch, which is so freaking cool. 
 
Some other odds and ends before we wrap up this premiere review.  While Kamiyama is once more writing and co directing, one vital element missing from this new SAC is the music of Yoko Kanno.  The legendary composer brought such a beautiful mix of cybernetic, ethereal and haunting melodies to the future inhabited by Motoko Kusinagi that is stands as one of her best OSTs up there with Cowboy Bebop.  Without Kanno, the music feels generic and kind of dull.  Some tracks do feel like they belong in the universe but overall, it’s lacking.  The Opening Theme, “Fly With Me” is terrible and painful listening experience, a far cry from the iconic and awesome “Inner Universe” and “Rise” from the first two Seasons of SAC (the Ending Theme isn’t too bad though).  Speaking of sounds, how cool is it to hear the original SAC voice cast once again.  Clearly Netflix has learned it’s lesson after the abysmal (and in some cases blasphemous) redubbing of Neon Genesis Evangelion.  While these characters have had many voices over the years, those of Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Richard Epcar, Crispin Freeman and William Knight have always been the closest associated with Motoko, Batou, Togusa and Aramaki respectively (doubly so for Epcar and Knight who have voiced their characters since the dub for the original 1995 movie).  So while the viewing experience and story are mixed at best, there’s a comfort in being around old friends again.  I especially love listening to Batou constantly hassle the new guy on the GHOST team, Standard.  Seriously, who is this guy and how did Motoko give him the OK?  He’s loud, obnoxious and constantly brags about being awesome when he is anything but.  He’s such a joke and not the funny kind.  At one point when it looks like Saito might’ve been killed, Standard asks Batou if he thinks he’s dead and Batou simply replies, “if it was you, 100%”.  What is this guy doing here besides being an obvious decoy and meat shield for the others?  I cant believe this guys incompetence makes me miss the “Hey we’re here too” vibe of Paz and Borma.
 
I’m going into this season with an open mind but unlike the previous two seasons which started off awesome, the opening episodes of SAC_2045 feel not so much.  They aren’t terrible but the change in world setting, the current state of Section 9 and some ok to “still needs work” animation make me wonder if the general consensus about this season being the weakest of the bunch are true.  I think there are some angles the season could take advantage of exploring like Togusa’s strained relationship with his former team and Aramaki coming to terms with maybe being “too old for this crap”.  Heck, there are some major plot developments I didn’t go into too much detail about for the sake of review length but I’ll be sure to get into them next time as we dive deeper into Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.