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Click here to visit the Official Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG site! Ghost in the Shell has always been amongst the most well known and recognisable of all anime franchises, and the excellent Stand Alone Complex series has certainly lived up to the superb legacy of the Ghost in the Shell films. Now midway through its second series - entitled 2nd GIG - the creators are beginning to push the established boundaries of the franchise, exploring the world and characters in far more depth than we have seen before. After superbly delving into Motoko Kusanagi's (and possibly Batou's) past in the last volume this one continues to delve into the pasts of the members of Section 9. However, whereas the series has mainly focused on Kusanagi, Batou, Togusa and Aramaki, this time round some of the more minor members get some long overdue screen time. To this point the most peripheral character in the show has been Paz, who spends most of his time lurking in the background looking like a Mafioso. But when a suspect is murdered Section 9 are shocked to find the CCTV footage shows Paz committing the crime - they know he's innocent, so who is trying to frame him and why? Meanwhile cool-as-a-cucumber sniper Saito recalls a story from his past over a game of poker, not only showing how he came to work for Section 9 but also delving into the turbulent past of the Ghost in the Shell world. The character exploration |
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doesn't stop at the human agents either, the Tachikomas - Section 9's AI tank squadron - get time to discuss their collective memory during a maintenance check before one of their number comes face to face with their creator, a scientist who is trying to defect to another nation. With all this going on you may think that the Individual Eleven plot has been forgotten, but far from it. The grizzled Ishikawa heads to the peninsula to find out about the past of principle terrorist Kuze, and finds out some unexpected information. What has caused the former highly ranked soldier to launch his deadly terror campaign, and how is he connected to the Individual Eleven, if at all? |
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It would be easy to think that with this character focus the series has really changed pace and has abandoned the main storyline completely, but this is simply not the case. Even when delving into the wartorn past the scenes often have relevance to the refugee crises that forms the core of the main plotline, and the Individual Eleven still lurk on the edge of every episode. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex has always shown itself to be intelligently plotted but what has really impressed me with 2nd GIG is the willingness to flesh out the world the series is set in. It looks at the big picture but somehow never |
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loses its focus on either the characters or the main storyline, something that this volume is the strongest example of so far. That the animation and music is superb is something you take for granted in any Ghost in the Shell series or film, but it can occasionally get a bit to clever for it's own good. However, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG - whilst often chucking in a lot of philosophy - remains interesting and intriguing rather than heavy going. The story is developing in an brilliant way and with increased body given to both the setting and the cast the series itself just goes from strength to strength. If you count both series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG vol 4 is the eleventh volume, but it shows no signs of running out of steam. Packed with action and intrigue it just continues to improve, pushing its own boundaries with nearly every volume. This is the latest volume in a really classy and thought-provoking sci-fi action series, and comes as highly recommended as those that have come before - it's essential viewing for any self respecting anime fan. Extras Creator interviews are welcome extras once again, this time director Kenji Kamiyama features in both interviews - firstly alongside Toru Ohkawa and Takeshi Onozuka (voice actors for Saito and Paz respectively) and secondly alongside Sakiko Tamagawa (Tachikomas) and Yutaka Nakano (Ishikawa). As always the interviews are interesting and a great insight into the creation of the series, but it is a shame that the only other extras are a selection of Manga trailers. Ratings Feature:
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