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Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Production IG with the DVD
release of the complete smash-hit second series of Masamune
Shirow's groundbreaking cyberpunk thriller, Ghost In The
Shell, in one sensational and essential boxed set...
The
seven-disc Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd
GIG - Complete Box Set brings together all 26 episodes
of the second series. Following directly on from the worldwide
hit anime series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex,
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd GIG is
based on a story concept by Mamoru Oshii, director of the
critically acclaimed feature film Ghost
in the Shell 2: Innocence, and picks up where
the first series left off, with the surviving members of Section
9 reunited but under a government enforced Indefinite Standby
Order that effectively renders them inoperable.
The
saga continues as it becomes apparent that a criminal group
calling themselves the Individual
11 has taken hostages at the Chinese Embassy demanding that
the Prime Minister publicly announces a change to the government's
Asian Refugee Policy. The incident provides Section 9 with
a last-chance opportunity to be fully reinstated, but only
if the situation can be resolved without any hostage casualties.
Disc
one:
In
Reembody a criminal group calling themselves the Individual
11 has taken hostages at the Chinese Embassy demanding that
the Prime Minister publicly announces a change to the government's
Asian Refugee Policy. The incident provides Section 9 with
a last-chance opportunity to be fully reinstated, but only
if the situation can be resolved without any hostage casualties.
This
episode was made all the more jaw-droppingly impressive by
the fact that out of nowhere came a totally gratuitous gory
scene. This actually helped to bring home to the viewer that
this is about as far removed from Disney as you can get (before
your DVDs start being distributed by a man down the pub).
It was made all the more bizarre because one moment you have
a guy's face being blown off and then minutes later you have
a cutesy scene with the Tachikomas being reintroduced into
the employ of Section 9.
Night
Cruise sees a cyborg war veteran serving as the personal
helicopter pilot for the chairman of a large company. This
cyborg has begun to experience disturbing daydreams in which
he is responsible for the violent murder of his boss. A recurring
element of the dreams is the presence of a young woman who
looks remarkably like Major Motoko Kusanagi. But are the dreams
purely fantasy or is there an element of reality to these
dark visions?
Night
Cruise follows the story from the point of the cyborg
war veteran who dreams of taking control of his own future.
He's a bit of a "yes" man, but at heart he dreams
of running the show and getting the beautiful girl - all things
beyond his reach. As you'd expect, there's a rather interesting
twist in the tale.
Cash
Eye: When a wealthy businessman claims the infamous thief
Cash Eye is planning to steal from him during a forthcoming
social gathering, the members of Section 9 find themselves
posing undercover at a very strange party.
This
episode examines the seedier side of the Ghost in the Shell
universe. There's something decidedly creepy about the room
that contains the wealthy businessman's Pleasure Doll collection.
We are also kept in the dark about why Section 9 have been
called to help this businessman, especially when we already
know that the Major was responsible for the initial break
in. Again, as with Night Cruise, Cash Eye also
delivers a rather interesting, and unexpected, conclusion.
Natural
Enemy: Section 9 is called in to resolve a potential crisis
situation when the AI units of a series of attack helicopters
go rogue. Their involvement brings them into contact with
the mysterious Special Intelligence operative, Gohda.
This
episode is interesting as it examines the use of AI in military
vehicles. While on a training mission, the pilot of a helicopter
dies of a heart attack. But, as his brain is still giving
off activity, the helicopter ignores a computer override command
from HQ to return to base - believing that because the pilot
is still alive the command must be that of a hacker. There
is an ongoing feeling that this heart attack was not an accident,
but by the end of the episode everything is very much up in
the air. Is this the start of some larger attack? Or was it
just an unavoidable, and tragic, accident?
This
first volume sees the Ghost in the Shell writing team
taking a different approach to the series. Instead of an ongoing
story line, the first four episodes are individual stand alone
tales. This works really well, and I found myself enjoying
the stories much more than the drawn out story arc that took
up most of the previous Stand Alone Complex series.
This
new direction means that episodes like Night Cruise
can be introduced - something which wouldn't really have worked
as well in the previous series.
Disc
two:
Inductance
sees Prime Minister Kayabuki receive a threatening letter
from the Individual Eleven implying that her assassination
is imminent. Section 9 is called in to guard her. Despite
the threat on her life, Kayabuki insists on making her scheduled
annual visit to the local temple as normal. It is a decision
that puts her directly in the firing line of a prosthetic-bodied
man named Kuze.
In
Excavations, Togusa is sent to investigate the death
of a man allegedly responsible for making threats against
the Energy Ministry. The dead man's ex-wife claims her husband
was innocent but as she and Togusa dig deeper into the case,
the hidden truth about the suspect's murky past and the forbidden
government facility at which he used to work is uncovered.
Pu239
sees Section 9 called in to ensure a shipment of spent plutonium
fuel rods doesn't fall into the hands of the Individual Eleven
terrorist group. To Section 9's dismay, the enigmatic government
operative known as Gohda is placed in charge of the operation.
Things begin to go disastrously wrong when a member of the
collaborating Self-Defence Force unexpectedly begins firing
his weapon at a group of refugees.
Fake
Food: During the ongoing investigations in the activities
of the Individual Eleven, Section 9 apprehends a man called
Kawashima. Placing him under 24-hour surveillance, Batou and
Togusa learn that Section 1 also wants Kawashima. Could he
really be one of the Individual Eleven?
Disc
three:
Ambivalence
sees Batou and Togusa on the trail of a gang of cybernetically
enhanced terrorists who have launched a series of suicide
bomb attacks against businesses profiting from the refugee
situation in Fukuoka and Niihama. Meanwhile, Motoko, with
the aid of several Tachikoma units attempts a daring infiltration
of Gohda's computer system and makes some startling discoveries
about the Individual Eleven. Can Section 9 halt the chain
reaction of hatred and civil unrest before the refugee situation
gets out of control?
Trial:
While driving home from work, a woman being chased by an armed
cyborg crosses Togusa's path. Togusa runs to the woman's aid,
but she is killed during the cyborg's arrest. At the cyborg's
defence trial, Togusa is put under the spotlight by a high-powered
defence attorney who is trying to prove that the shooting
was merely an accident. Kusanagi smells something fishy in
the lawyer's exaggerated actions and finds Gohda behind the
scenes. As the courtroom drama unfolds, Togusa finds that
his reputation and career are on the line.
In
Affection Motoko is inexplicably drawn to a bizarre memorabilia
store in a surreal back alley while field-testing a group
of Section 9 candidates. Inside the store, she soon discovers
a mysterious artefact, which reminds her of traumatic events
from her distant childhood. Should she raise her colleague's
suspicions by daring to visit the store one last time?
Selecon:
While hot on the trail of the Individual Eleven terrorist
group, IR cameras pick up the image of Kuze, the cyborg who
attempted to assassinate Prime Minister Kayabuki at the temple.
While Bomar, Ishikawa and Togusa stay behind to continue their
hack into the recently discovered Individual Eleven files,
the rest of Section 9 attempts to apprehend Kuze before he
causes any more harm. The chase leads to a showdown atop the
Kyushu Tower captured on television for the whole nation to
see.
I
particularly liked Affection, although I can see it
won't be to the taste of a lot of fans. The story of the synthetic
boy and girl that Motoko discovers is a nice shift in pace
from the usual violence and mayhem that most of Section 9's
missions seem to end in. Not that I'm knocking violence and
mayhem, it's just it's refreshing to stop for a second and
explore the characters from a new angle.
Disc
four:
The
new series of Masamune Shirow's groundbreaking cyberpunk thriller
Ghost In The Shell continues in Ghost in the Shell: Stand
Alone Complex 2nd GIG. This fourth in the seven-volume series
features four more episodes (13 to 16) detailing the exploits
of Section 9...
Make
Up: Kuze escapes from the Kyushu Tower as Section 9 continues
the investigation into Kuze and the Individual Eleven. Only
a handful of highly skilled specialists could have actually
created Kuze's unique prosthetic face. They identify the prostheticist
they believe treated Kuze and rush to his office to apprehend
him, but it is too late. He has been murdered. The face of
the murderer in the security video is revealed to be that
of Section 9 team member, Paz! An imposter has been using
his identity, but what is this person's connection to him
and Kuze?
Poker
Face: During a poker game, Saito recalls his first run-in
with the Major and how he lost his eye. In the summer of 2020,
he was fighting in Mexico as a mercenary with anti-government
forces. The situation was going from bad to worse and the
mercenaries were waiting for an opportunity to surrender.
In the middle of this torment, Saito learns that an enemy
special operations unit is secretly transporting nuclear material
across enemy lines. In a strange twist of fate Saito has his
first encounter with the young Kusanagi, who is a members
of the very same special operation unit his is attempting
to stop.
Pat:
Some Tachikomas skip a maintenance protocol and initiate an
investigation into the Individual Eleven on their own. Meanwhile,
there is an explosion at the AI lab. Following the destruction
of the lab, Professor Asuda goes missing. While investigating
Asuda's disappearance, the Tachikomas experience a collective
memory of the professor, but why? There is no record of Asuda
in the Tachikomas' memory, so what connects him to them?
Another
Chance: Ishikawa returns from the Peninsula, his investigation
into Kuze revealing a number of shocking truths. In 2024 Kuze
was part of the Self-Defence Forces dispatched by UN mandate
to a small country on the Peninsula. What Kuze witnessed changed
him forever and threatens to bring down the entire government.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is alerted to the existence
of 'cyberbrain hubs' and the very serious implications they
have for the ongoing refugee crisis.
Disc
five:
Red
Data: Kusanagi's pursuit of Kuze takes her across the
sea to Taiwan, and straight into danger. After saving a boy
on the run from the Mafia, the Major has little choice but
to stay with him and the pair slowly gains one anothers respect.
However, the boy's impetuous nature sees him try to deal with
the Mafia alone, leading to big problems for the Major and
her investigation.
Trans
Parent: The Major and Batou are sent to Berlin to track
down the international terrorist known only as "Angel
Wing", but their appearance attracts attention from an
unexpected source. A young wheelchair-bound girl is intrigued
by Batou, and her curiosity is aroused as she awaits the annual
visit of her father. As the day leading to her father's visit
nears, her curiosity in this enigmatic stranger grows ever
stronger.
Chain
Reaction: Section 9 is back on the trail of the terrorist
Kuze, hacking a refugee cyberbrain hub to trace him to the
stronghold of Dejima. With tensions rising Dejima has declared
its independence and it's into this hostile territory that
the members of Section 9 must go if they have any chance of
tracking down their man. However, the refugees seem to be
expecting them, and it is clear that they won't be getting
anywhere without a fight.
Fabricate
Fog: Still on Kuze's trail, the battered Section 9 agents
head to Etorofu and into another deadly situation. Kuze always
seems to be one step ahead of them, but now things have taken
a very serious turn. He and his followers have been trying
to obtain nuclear material from the Russian Mafia, hoping
that possessing nuclear arms will force Japan to recognise
them. Section 9 may suspect that events are being manipulated
from afar, but they have a race against time if they are to
stop Kuze concluding the deal.
Disc
six:
Embarrassment: Section 9's attempts to pursue Kuze, who
is fleeing Etorofu in a camouflaged boat, are wrecked when
their transport craft is destroyed by terrorists. Taking stock
of their increasingly dire situation, the team decides to
investigate further into Kuze's past.
Reversal
Process: Events are reaching a head as a live nuclear
bomb is found in the city of Fukuoka. The finger of blame
is pointed firmly at the refuges in Dejima. With the citizens
evacuating, the government decides to combat the threat by
deploying the Self Defence Forces. Meanwhile, Section 9 believes
that the Information Bureau is involved in the current crisis
and Batou is tasked with getting some answers from Gohda.
Faced with the arrogant Bureau agent, Batou is going to have
a hard job keeping his temper and getting the information
he needs.
Martial Law: Under increasing pressure, the government
decides to send the troops to Dejima to recover the remaining
plutonium, leading to a tense stand-off between the two sides.
In a desperate bid to delay outright war, Prime Minister Kayabuki
calls in the UN for a nuclear inspection of Dejima and sends
Section 9 to mediate. However, tension is at an all time high
and with both sides facing each other down the first shot
can't be far away.
Disc seven:
The
Prime Minister has been taken into custody, but her removal
from office is being kept secret. As Aramaki and Togusa work
to get to her so they can prevent a nuclear attack, in Dejima
the military has already begun its assault. Meanwhile, the
Major and the other operatives of Section 9 are trying their
best to defuse the situation, while the injured Ishikawa attempts
to deliver the rest of the plutonium to the authorities to
prove their case.
During
the fighting, the Major and Kuze become trapped beneath the
rubble together and are informed by the Tachikomas that there
is a nuclear submarine just out of sensor range. Batou, meanwhile,
manages to convince the rangers who are pursuing them to stop
fighting and listen to him. It is looking like things are
finally starting to go Section 9's way, but the nuclear missile
is still being prepared for launch.
Nuclear
Power: After the Dejima Bridge is destroyed by refugees,
a rumour starts to circulate that this has boosted their cause
and they are planning to detonate a number of nuclear bombs.
The Cabinet steps up its attacks against the city. Meanwhile
Prime Minister Kayabuki has been arrested and taken to a secret
location.
This
Side of Justice:
As the bombing of Dejima gets underway, the Major convinces
Kuze to help her. However, the Self-Defense forces attack
them and the duo end up trapped under the rubble. Meanwhile
the Prime Minister is rescued.
Endless
Gig: The Major and Kuze devise a plan that they believe
will save the refugees. Because the chances of success are
so slim, the Tachikomas ignore the plan and come up with a
plan of their own.
So,
£40 for a box set that would have originally set you
back £140 is a bit of a bargain. Okay, you don't get
the DTS soundtrack on the episodes, but then the 5.1 soundtrack
is pretty impressive. Extras include textless credit sequences
and interviews with cast and crew.
Ray
Thompson
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