Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex (The
Laughing Man/Individual Eleven/Solid State Society/Bandai
Entertainment Blu-rays)
Picture:
A+ Sound: A+ Extras: A Episodes: A
In the
future mankind has become more technologically advanced, the world
filled with cyborgs, advance A.I.s, weapons and technologies, but so has crime
and terrorism, with robotic combat bodies, illegal hacking, brainwashing,
espionage, committing cyber-crimes is as easy as hacking a computer. Even 'Ghost hacking', crimes committed by
individuals who might not even know they have been hack by a hacker/terrorist
to carry out their evil schemes, wishes or desires, so to combat these new
crimes against humanity, an elite strike force was created: Public Security
Section 9. That is the set up for a
series version of the classic Ghost In
The Shell, subtitled Stand Alone
Complex.
Mankind has done away with the idea of a flesh body. Instead, a person has body of steel,
plastic and electronics, where does the body end and the soul begin? In a world where ones memory can be erased,
copied, or even re-written who can say what is still human? It is up to Section 9 to find these 'Ghost'
who are responsible for committing crimes in cyber-bodies ...or cyber-space, but
there are endless forces behind these crimes, corrupt politicians,
super-hackers, terrorists, who is the true master mind behind it all? Just when they think they caught the
individuals who are responsible, it turns out there is another motive, another
reason, another person who is pulling the strings from behind the scenes...
One of the most well known sci-fi Animes in the anime/otaku world, created by
Masamune Shirow start out as Manga, then into a movie, then into a legend and
spawned two series is now available on Blu-ray, Ghost in the Shell plays with the idea of what possible
technologies could imply for the human race in the future. In a future where technology reigns supreme
and an infinite net exist, the human spirit can become anything, do anything,
go anywhere... the Ghost in the Shell
flirts with the idea of an immortal, digital ghost resides within, who is to
say what is true or false in a digital world, what is the 'ghost' in the
machine(shell)? Perhaps maybe one day
not too far in the future this type of science fiction will no longer be
fiction... Extras include animated interactive menus, archives, anime designs,
making of Tachikoman Robot, Tachikomatic & Uchikomatic Days, and interviews
with the English crew.
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The Laughing Man
The Laughing Man incidents, a series of corporate blackmails and data corruptions,
anyone involved gets their cyber-eyes hacked by the Laughing Man. Section 9 steps in to catch this mysterious
hacker, but when evidence starts pointing to a government cover-up, it suggests
the Laughing Man may have been trying help get someone outside to notice ...is
the Laughing Man a friend or foe? As
more of the truth begins to surface, the mission target suddenly changes from
the Laughing Man to Section 9 itself! Section 9 knows too much and finds
themselves now hunted by other agencies...
Individual Eleven
Six months has passed since the Laughing Man Incident, 3 million refugees have
arrived in Japan and have been invited to fill the shortage of working labor
force but with these 3 million cheap labor workers, a group who call themselves
the 'Individualist' who begin a series of political strikes, even kamikaze
attacks against the government, claiming the government abuses the 'elevens'. These attacks are too well organized and their
intel is too detailed about inner workings of the government... someone is
planning something. Section 9 steps
in... but thing get really elevated when they discover the Individualist has
gotten their hands on a nuclear bomb.
Solid State Society
2 years has gone by since Major Motoko Kusanagi left Section 9 and merged with
the puppeteer. Section 9 is still there,
but isn't what it used to be without her. When a foreign politician and terrorist arrives
Section 9 is called into duty, but what they find is what they least expected. A hidden society call the 'Solid State
Society', connected to the rich, influential and dieing upper crust of society.
Section 9 discovers records of missing
children that may have been kidnapped and brainwashed for some secret motive. Turns out Motoko has been keeping an eye these
incidents and has brought the team back together one more time to catch the
ones who are responsible for the missing children.
- Ricky Chiang
