Review of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig Vol. 2

Introduction

I`m in the middle of something of a Ghost In The Shell fest at the moment, having just seen the second film Innocence and now having the chance to enjoy the second volume of the second series. Recalling the lengthy gap that developed between Volume 1 and 2 of the first series, this makes for a pleasant change indeed. What makes it even better is that two volumes into the new series, it seems that the technical glitches that so plagued the first are thankfully absent this time around.

Ghost In The Shell inhabits one of those strange new worlds we often hear tell of. Set in the not too distant future, the divisions between man and machine are blurring. AI is a reality, and life like androids do the menial jobs that humans used to. It isn`t unusual for the average citizen to be enhanced in some way with implants or prosthetics. For some the enhancements are to such a degree that little of the original human remains. Major Motoko Kusanagi of Section 9 is one such person, who since the age of 6 has been equipped with a totally cybernetic body. The only biological component left is her brain. The differences between man and machine becomes ever more meaningless when machines can develop personality. It also opens up a whole new area of criminal activity, when cybernetically enhanced senses can be fooled by an enterprising hacker, or worse their brains themselves can be hacked into, subverting the innocent by reprogramming their `ghosts`. In the light of such terrifying possibilities, a special unit is created to head off the threat of such cyber-crime. Section 9 led by Aramaki is at the forefront of combating the new cyber criminals.

Section 9 has been reinstated to duty, but business certainly isn`t the same before, with the new government keeping Aramaki`s division on a short leash. Given the free range and independence they had before, being relegated to guard duty is practically demeaning. Worse is working with and at the behest of other agencies, especially when agendas remain clouded. Just as before, Manga Entertainment releases Ghost In The Shell on 2 discs. Disc 1 contains four episodes and the bulk of the extras, as well as DD 2.0 and DD 5.1 soundtracks. Disc 2 contains the same episodes, but with DTS soundtracks.

5. Inductance
The government`s policies on refugees make them unpopular to both sides of the debate, but when the Prime Minister receives a death threat, Section 9 is called in. However, their mandate doesn`t stretch to investigation this time, merely bodyguard duty. That doesn`t stop Ishikawa and Togusa realising that this threat and the other acts committed by the Individual Eleven are connected. When the Prime Minister visits a shrine, she is completely vulnerable.

6. Excavations
The Energy Ministry is being blackmailed, but the blackmailer winds up dead before Section 9 has a chance to make the arrest. It`s all too convenient. Togusa has to investigate this alone, everyone else is still on bodyguard duty, and the trail leads to the ruins of Tokyo. There he bumps into the fiancée of the dead man, and together they follow the leads left behind. It turns out that this isn`t the only man who has vanished, and something ominous is taking place under the ruins of the old capital.

7. Pu239
The mysteries surrounding the Individual Eleven and their acts of terror keep piling up, and there are precious few leads to be found. Once again, Section 9`s investigations are interrupted at the behest of the Prime Minister. Plutonium fuel rods are being moved from the refugee district, but the Individual Eleven have discovered this and have threatened an attack. This entails a last minute change of itinerary and Section 9 are now in charge of the transfer. It means working with the mysterious Gohda again, and he has his own agenda.

8. Fake Food
A background check into Gohda is leading nowhere, but they do finally have a lead on the Individual Eleven. Sho Kawashima has been sighted around the area whenever the terrorists have targeted a newspaper, and Section 9 is to locate and arrest him. He`s nowhere to be found though, and it turns out that Section 1 have him under surveillance too. Someone is being played for a fool, only its unclear who is manipulating events, and who the dupes are.

Every episode is followed by a short Tachikomatic Days animation.

Video

Ghost In The Shell Stand Alone Complex gets an anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer that is sharp, clear and vivid. The image quality is of greater clarity than the best of Season 1 if anything, with even the colour banding usually associated with animation reduced to a minor degree here. Digital artefacts were absent, and if there was any grain, it seemed more of an artistic decision. Ghost In The Shell is a dynamic and brilliantly animated show. The character design remains of high quality, again improving on Season 1, and the action is striking and dynamic, with both the 2D and 3D imagery used effectively to tell the stories.

The world of Ghost In The Shell grows as well in the second series. Season 1 was about the technology; it was all about the machines, and the new world. Everything was bright and shiny and wondrous. 2nd Gig goes about painting the background to this world, and introduces a much more tangible sense of age, of grime and of decrepitude. It also feels much larger in scope. We are taken into the darker niches of society, and the colour palette consequently becomes grimmer and more subdued. This series makes much greater use of light and shade in comparison to the first outing. It also still marries 2D animation to 3D CGI in a way that works brilliantly. In almost every way, the new series is step up from the first.

Once again, the only issue that I had with the authoring was the layer change in the middle of episode 3. I don`t understand why the show isn`t presented two episodes to a layer.

Audio

This release comes with a full selection of soundtracks, as per usual for a Manga Entertainment release. Disc 1 has soundtracks in DD 2.0 English and Japanese Stereo, as well as DD 5.1 English and Japanese, whereas Disc 2 allows you to watch the show with DTS 5.1 English and Japanese (encoded at 754kbps), as well as a repeat of the DD 2.0 English Stereo track.

The surround is excellent and there is ample action that makes full use of the soundstage, with plenty of futuristic machinery and vehicles. 2nd Gig also provides some all new Yoko Kanno tunes, including the theme tunes. The music of Ghost In The Shell has always been an exemplary accompaniment to the show, and these all-new tunes are just as immersing. My preference will probably always be for the original language, but the English dub is better than most. That`s high praise when you consider that most recent anime dubs have been of good quality. Here the character voices are perfectly suited, and the actor performances capture the emotion of the scenes well. No problem with the subtitles on the review discs this time around, and the translated English subtitles are legible throughout.

Features

The menus follow a simple holographic theme as in the last volume, but this time they are red and based around a Tachikoma design. It`s pretty nifty to look at, user-friendly and lacks the occasional colour-clash of season 1.

On Disc 1 you get episode synopses. There are also two interviews. Well actually it`s one interview split into two, with Takayuki Goto and Tetsuya Nishio discussing the character designs for the second series. Part one lasts 12 minutes, while part 2 is 10 minutes long. It`s interesting to see how characters are created while keeping to an animation style. There are one or two spoilers for the later episodes, but nothing too devastating.

The trailers get shunted to Disc 2.

Just as before, there is no Play All option, but this time each episode is preceded by an IDT Entertainment logo, which adds 10 seconds of inescapable CGI before we get to the good stuff. At the end of the final episode, you can see the English dub cast in an extra credit sequence.

Conclusion

For the ninth time, I find myself trying to put into words the brilliance that is Ghost In The Shell Stand Alone Complex, and while I may never tire of watching this stunning anime, I beginning to wonder if I`ll run out of superlatives with which to describe it. Volume 2 of the Second Gig maintains that high standard, with brilliant animation coupled with a strong story and gripping characters. This second volume of the series eases back in terms of impact and delivers four episodes of strong character building and story development. It doesn`t have the immediacy of the opening volume, or even many of the first season episodes, but this is more than made up for in the way that the pieces of the puzzle are being introduced, and watching the first tentative attempts of Section 9 to piece together the plot.

The main focus of this second series is something that is all too relevant today, that of refugees and immigrants. Gone is the bright and shiny technological future of the first series, to be replaced with the dingy squalor of an exploited underclass, as well as those who feel that their benefits are usurped, their jobs stolen, their taxes wasted. It all seems so familiar. Of course this migration has its roots in a different cause, and we learn much more about the war that precipitated it, as well as the upsurge in cyberisation that results in people like the Major and the rest of Section 9. 2nd Gig has a broad canvas to paint on.

This volume also sees the distinction between the Stand Alone and Complex aspects of the series fade. The strong demarcation between episodes that stood apart from the overall storyline in the first series is more of a faint line this time around. Episodes 6 and 7 may not concern the Individual Eleven directly, but the story developments that do occur add to an overall picture. The opening episode, Inductance is perhaps the weakest on the disc, showing Section 9 in a familiar situation, providing protection once again. It`s an exposition heavy episode as we get a glimpse into the background of the Individual Eleven and their philosophies. The story unfolds pretty straightforwardly, and it`s almost forgettable. It`s only in the interviews on Disc 1 that the importance of this episode is indicated, and no doubt when seen in context of the series as a whole, it will take on greater levels of importance. Excavations is far better, presenting a mystery for Togusa to solve, and the denouement of which is unexpected, adding to the layers of conspiracy and paranoia that surround the series. Pu239 is a follow up to this, but one which sees Gohda return to centre stage, and clash against Section 9. This character is a master manipulator and seeing him at work adds to the uneasiness. The final episode Fake Food again on its own would seem pretty run of the mill, Section 9`s investigation points to a suspect and it would seem that arresting him would be child`s play. But once again the situation is deceptive, and unfolds unexpectedly.

Conspiracy, paranoia, deception and uneasiness, these aspects mark out the Second Gig from the first series. This second volume confirms what the first hinted at, that this is no simple rehash of the first series. This is a different Section 9 from before, the comfort zone is absent, the protagonists no longer have any semblance of control and they are facing this new threat firmly on the back foot. It`s a subtle difference in tone and writing that has established this new mood, and sees Section 9 wholly in the dark, reacting instead of acting and making mistakes. This presents them in a completely different light. It also makes this series if anything more engrossing than the first. There is simply no hint of what is to come, how the story will develop or who will prevail. The Laughing Man was a single identifiable threat, but this time, it`s unclear who the enemies even are.

The greatest joy is in seeing a flawless Ghost In The Shell release; finally there are no technical problems to whinge about. This second volume lacks the impact of the first, and the episodes are a tad mundane in comparison. However the level of consistency is high, and when taken in context of the whole series, I`m sure these stories will be indispensable. I`m going to recommend another Ghost In The Shell release. Surprised?