Opinion

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (GITS: SAC) is a combination of some excellent stand alone episodes, the laughing man arc, and some really uninteresting stories. The Luaghing man episodes are exceptional as they begin to echo the anime movie and the themes that were being presented between human and machine.

All the familiar GITS characters are present, but due to this being an anime series with no 90 mins + time constraint, the viewer is able to get an insignt into the characterism of the cast, something which the GITS film never did.

GITS set a new level in animation in anime, GITS: SAC fails to live up to its film equivelent, but does combined CGI and traditional cell techniques very well. The Tachikomas animation is first class, and in the early episodes when you see them all driving along the road, you can not help but be impressed.

GITS: SAC score is extremely fitting, with a combination of haunting melodys and some good action pieces. As for the character voices, I can not comment as I watched a UK subtitle version. GITS: SAC biggest flaw is miss-match of episodes. Early in the Laughing man takes center stage, then suddenly the Tachikomas are contemplating life and death! However this mixture of episode quality can be labelled at pretty much every series, so it was not enough for me to lose interest in GITS: SAC.

If you enjoyed the GITS film, then you will love this series. The film is probably the superior story, but GITS: SAC does go to great lengths to bring the characters to life and create depth in the world of Section 9.