Review of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig Vol. 5

Introduction

You`d think that with the sparse release schedules for the average anime, waiting for each subsequent instalment would seem interminable. And it is. It`s just that in retrospect, time seems to have flown by, as we are already at the fifth volume of the 2nd Gig of Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Including the episodes on this disc, only 10 remain till the conclusion of the story. Fortunately this time around, there hasn`t been a nail-biting cliffhanger to resolve.

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.

At the end of Volume 4, it became clear that the enigmatic figure of Hideo Kuze, the would be Prime Ministerial assassin has a far greater part to play in the events unfolding than had been previously realised. As Volume 5 begins, Section 9`s priorities have turned to tracking down Kuze and uncovering his past. Once again, 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.

17. Red Data
The Major travels to Taiwan to learn more about Kuze`s past. He has become something of a hero figure for the refugee population there, and understanding why may shed light on his intentions. It isn`t a particularly fruitful journey, until the Major learns that her return flight has been delayed. Stuck in Taiwan, she takes the opportunity to do a little sightseeing, and ends up saving a young refugee boy from some vengeful gang members. Soon she has another mouth to feed. While Chai is a fount of information on Kuze, his immediate plans are liable to lead him and the Major in to serious trouble.

18. Trans Parent
Orders come in superseding Section 9`s hunt for Kuze, and the Major and Batou are sent to Berlin to coordinate an international effort to capture a dangerous terrorist. Angel Feather is responsible for deadly attacks on global trade conferences, and as he wears a different cyberbody each time, he has been impossible to track. That is until now; a lucky break has revealed that just before each attack, he pays a visit to Berlin. With the best of the world`s security placing practically the entire city under surveillance, Batou quickly gets bored. That`s until he sees a young wheelchair-bound girl visiting the same spot each day, a girl who can apparently see through his optic camouflage and is fascinated by him.

19. Chain Reaction
The refugees have flocked to Kuze`s banner, and under his guidance have declared the offshore refugee settlement of Dejima independent. It`s here that Section 9 must venture in order to find the terrorist leader. While the Major and Ishikawa hack the refugees` cyberbrain hub, Togusa, Batou and the others infiltrate Dejima to track Kuze down physically. But the refugees are prepared for Section 9 and when the Major`s hack is corrupted, things go from bad to worse.

20. Fabricate Toy
There`s no time to deal with the previous disastrous attempt to locate Kuze. Section 9 must race to Etorofu to disrupt a meeting between Kuze and the Russian mafia. It appears that Kuze intends to buy a significant amount of plutonium, enough for Dejima to be able to dictate terms to Japan as a nuclear power. But once again, the hand of Gohda reveals itself.

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.

This particular volume really impresses in the diversity of locations presented in the episodes. We travel from Taiwan to Etorofu, via Berlin and Dejima, and we get four diverse locations to marvel at. There is the mix of the old and new in Taiwan, while the European splendour of Berlin gets some more history with the aftermath of two further world wars spurring regeneration. The dense back alley slums of Dejima indicate a vibrancy that is at odds with the bleak urban conglomeration of Etorofu. This volume sees imagination run riot and I was unreservedly impressed with it all.

No surprise, but the only niggle is the layer change in the middle of episode 3, discreet though it was. 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 highpoint has to be the climax of Fabricate Fog, with a three-way confrontation set to an awesome piece of music called `Turkey`, well worth looking up the soundtrack CDs for. 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. The translated English subtitles are legible throughout.

Features

The menus follow a simple holographic theme, but this time they are red and showcase clips from the episodes. 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. The first is a conversation with Director Kenji Kamiyama, Atsuko Tanaka (Motoko) and Akio Ohtsuka (Batou). The second interview features Kenji Kamiyama again, and this time with Koichi Yamadera (Togusa) and Taro Yamaguchi (Borma). Both last for twelve minutes in which the director and voice actors discuss the characters and the way they develop, both on this disc and the series as a whole.

The Manga Attacks, Karas and Naruto 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 on the disc, you can see the English dub cast in an extra credit sequence.

Conclusion

After a slightly pedestrian fourth volume, the second Gig of Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex really picks up with the fifth. Of course that is just the excuse I need to gush unreservedly about another class anime series being released on our shores. If you actually need a reason to continue buying Ghost In The Shell, I think that in this second series that thus far has reversed the GITSAC jinx by being of consistent high quality, this volume actually pushed the bar in terms of presentation, sound and image standards. This is the best that I have seen Stand Alone Complex look. Of course the cosmopolitan feel to the episodes on this disc help no end.

While the episodes in this series are less distinctly delineated than before when it comes to Stand Alone and Complex, the shifting balance between the individual and arc based stories is still apparent. With that in mind, the first two episodes in this volume certainly focus on individual stories, with the Refugee crisis firmly resigned to the background. While the Major is on the trail of Kuze in Red Data, the story is more directed on the relationship that develops between her and Chai, the street urchin that she rescues. For once we get to see her maternal side. Well for her it`s a maternal side, and she is definitely more relaxed and sensitive, but she`s still like no mother I know of. Chai has a fascination with cyberbodies, and would like to be cyberized just like his hero Kuze, and seeing him get to know Motoko leads to some interesting moments. We stick with the parental theme for Trans Parent, which sees a relationship of sorts develop between Batou and the disabled girl that he is watching. It`s a one sided relationship of course, with Batou getting to know her through his surveillance, and developing a paternal affection for her from afar. The story takes a tragic turn when it becomes apparent what the true identity of Angel Feather is, and the final scene of the episode is heart wrenching.

We`re back to the main story for the final two episodes on this disc, and with the series rushing towards a conclusion, I doubt there will be too many stand alone episodes before the end, if any. The politics of the situation keep occurring in the background of the earlier episodes, and we see the results of those throwaway lines with Chain Reaction, as we head to the now independent state of Dejima in another attempt to capture Kuze. We see what looks like a typical mission for Section 9 turn into chaos as it becomes apparent that they are being led up the garden path. Most significant is the trouble that the Major has trying to ghost-hack Kuze, in contrast with the ease with which she managed such actions previously. We`re left with the doubt that maybe it`s the Major who has been subverted, which leaves the outcome of the story in doubt. Finally in Fabricate Fog, events step up a gear as Section 9 races to stop Kuze getting his hands on nuclear material. This is the big action set piece of the volume and doesn`t disappoint, except in one regard. It ends in another whopping great cliffhanger.

I wasn`t totally honest about the unreserved gushing. I do have one nitpick, although it has nothing to do with the series. I hate the release schedule. Ghost In The Shell is a series that needs to be watched on a regular basis to appreciate fully. Getting a dose of four episodes every few months just doesn`t cut it, and hinders the overall arc. I find that keeping up with conspiracy is nigh on impossible, when each episode only adds a little to the overall picture each time. It`s as if with each successive viewing, I have to reacquaint myself with Gohda and his manipulations anew. I`m looking forward to watching the show all the way through again once the set is complete, and I can understand why waiting for the boxset is an appealing alternative.

Still, for those who find patience to be one of the lesser virtues, this is an essential Ghost In The Shell release, filled with oodles of cyberpunk goodness, and with the story winding up, things are really heating up for Section 9. Waiting for the conclusion of this cliffhanger will be an eternity though.