Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Review

Stand Alone Greatness.

 Masamune Shirow's 1989 cyberpunk manga, Ghost in the Shell, proved to be a success due to its unique design and setting, spawning a 1995 anime film of the same name which also was regarded as a classic. Furthermore, Ghost in the Shell later had an anime adaptation in 2002 titled Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Produced by Production I.G, who later worked on Psycho-Pass. Now having finished watching the first season, its time to dive in the world of Section 9.

STORY- The show follows on law enforcement agency Public Security Section 9 and its members as they investigate crime-related cases. Throughout the show they deal with the likes of are many criminals including assassins, terrorists, and psychopaths. However, the story arc mainly focuses on The Laughing Man, a mysterious and expert hacker who hides from video feeds and cybernetic eyes. What makes it compelling is how each member of Section 9 sees the case and approach it, ultimately uncovering many hidden truths.

The Major is Back.

CHARACTERS- Section 9's main members include: Major Motoko Kusanagi, the powerful and intellectual squad leader; Batou, hot-headed at times and is the second best fighter next to the major; Togusa, a former officer and the only member who hasn't undertook any cybernetics, thus making him the most 'human' member; Ishikawa, the team's laid-back info. and tech. specialist; and finally, Aramaki, the eldest and wisest member and head chief of Section 9. What makes the characters compelling and interesting are their different personalities and situations they're in throughout their stand alone episodes, especially ones including The Laughing Man.

PRESENTATION- Stand Alone Complex is one of the most visually pleasing anime out there. Studio Production I.G did a great job with the designs of the show's characters, backgrounds, and great use of CGI. It really makes you feel like your in a futuristic world with Section 9. Furthermore, is the sound, which is one of the best aspects of the anime. The voice work is great, but most importantly is the soundtrack by Yoko Kanno, whom composed the score of Cowboy Bebop. The soundtrack completely fits the futuristic setting of the series, Inner Universe, the show's opening theme gives you an idea of what to expect in Stand Alone Complex.

OVERALL- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is a worthy addition to the franchise; It stays true to its roots and the story is an interesting one. The production values are handled excellently and fans who watched the movies and even newcomers will find the show enjoyable.

GitS: SAC has violence, sexual themes, and profanity; its targeted for a mature audience.

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Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004) Review

Back With More Philosophic Themes.

 Ghost in the Shell was phenomenal for it's time in 1995. It inspire many filmmakers and was regarded as one of the best animated films made. In 2004, a sequel titled Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (or simply Innocence in Japan) served as a sequel to the 1995 original, now with more philosophy. How does it compare to the original? I asked myself. But after watching the sequel, it became clear.


STORY- After the events of Ghost in the Shell, the narrative takes place in 2032. Batou, member of the Public Security Section 9, have teamed with Togusa, another member of Section 9, to investigate a series of murders caused by doll-like robots. The narrative this time around goes more philosophical this time around compared to the original GitS, with many references to Confucius, Buddha, John Milton, and many more. 

Get ready for some bizarre moments.

CHARACTERS- The story primarily focuses on Batou and his life after the events of Ghost in the Shell, now living with his Basset dog. Also, we get to learn more about Togusa and his family, whom was also in Ghost in the Shell. Furthermore, Major Kusanagi occasionally an appearance every now and then.

Batou gets more development this time.

PRESENTATION- Innocence is looking sharp and fantastic and is just as great the original Ghost in the Shell. Production I.G and Studio Ghibli have done a great job with the environments, especially during the later parts of the film. The soundtrack, composed by Kenji Kawai, follows the music of the original film has memorable and great tracks. 

Presentation-wise, Innocence excels.

OVERALL- Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is fantastic sequel to the 1995 original, though the ending felt weak. Nevertheless, if you're a fan and enjoyed the original Ghost in the Shell, Innocence is just as great. 

- Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is a mature anime movie. There are some scene of violence, sexuality, and profanity.-

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Ghost in the Shell (1995) Review

Futuristic Cyborgs and Philosophy.

 Released back on November 18, 1995, Ghost in the Shell was a landmark anime movie. It influenced many film makers, especially The Wachoskis who directed The Matrix Franchise. This November, Ghost in the Shell will be turning 20, and after I recently watched it, I'll be giving it a review. 

STORY- In the year 2029, the world has been interconnected by a network that monitor every aspects of the human life. The majority of humanity, including the main cast, can access this network using cyborg bodies or "shells" as described in the movie, which gives them neat super-human abilities. Major Motoko Kusanagi, a member of Public Security Section 9, must track the notorious hacker, Puppet Master.

The story GITS presents in an interesting one.

CHARACTERS- The movie primarily foulness on three characters: Matoko, Batou, and Puppet Master. Matoko can often be seen as an emotionless and cold cyborg cop, but in fact, she still has human emotions. Throughout the journey, we get to know about Motoko and her questions if her "ghost" retains any humanity. Her partner, Batou, is more down-to-earth than Motoko. often seen quiet, he actually cares for Motoko. Puppet Master, on the other hand, is a mysterious entity whom more than meets the eye.

The main cast are surprisingly unique.

PRESENTATION- The cyber-punk world Ghost in the Shell which is a combination of computer graphics and animation is outstanding and feels surreal, especially the character designs, which are mature and realistic. In fact they hold up well even to this day. The composition for the movie captures the sense that you're in a futuristic setting, one that's filled with cybernetics. 

In terms of presentation, its one of the best animated movies ever made.

OVERALL- Almost 20 years later, Ghost in the Shell remains an influential movie that showcases the capabilities of modern animation and themes of self-identity. Overall, its one of the best anime movies ever made.

- Ghost in the Shell is a mature anime movie. There are scenes of violence, nudity, and profanity throughout the film.- 

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Psycho-Pass 2 Review

Darker and More Disturbing. 

 Psycho-Pass was a great anime to watch, mainly due to it's style and interesting ending, Psycho-Pass 2 was slow at first, but starts to pick up momentum later on. So how does this 11-episode season compare to the first?

 -Spoiler Alert: This section contains spoilers from the first season.-

STORY-  After going his separate way in killing Makashima, Kogami is now a wanted criminal by the Sibyl system. A year and a half later, now experienced Inspector Akane Tsunemori leads Unit One after former Inspector Ginoza's reaches latent criminal state. Now, they must face a new criminal, Kamui, who cannot even be registered by the Sibyl system. His goal, like Makashima, is to expose the Sybil system. However, what makes him more unique is his twisted methods in doing so. Does he innocently convinces people to join his cause, or can he use an authorized person's organ to use a Dominator? All of these questions will be answered and expect more plot-twists about the Sibyl System and some of Unit One members's true goals.

 Personally, the season starts off pretty slow and it was unfortunate that Kogami didn't make an appearance, despite hinting that he's been up to something during the final credits of season one. Also, I was hoping to see more of Ginoza, who has reached a psycho-pass of over 140 and is demoted to Enforcer, but sadly he doesn't get any development. The story mainly focuses on Akane, Kaumi, and new character Mika, the rest of the group are just left empty.

- End of Spoilers-

CHARACTERS- New characters include Mika Shimutski, whom was introduced during the final episode of the first season, Sho Hinakawa, a brilliant hacker, and Sakuya Togane, a man who resembles Kogami in some ways. The villain, Kamui, is interesting to watch but later in the episodes, he becomes less realistic due to a prior accident. He just feels like a plot device to move the story along. The new characters are interesting, especially Togane, and are a breath of fresh air. 

There are lots of things to anticipate for in Psycho-Pass 2.

PRESENTATION- Psycho-Pass 2 looks and sounds the same in terms of presentation, which really great to see again. However, compared to season one, Psycho-Pass 2 is more violent and disturbing. You'll be constantly seeing blood everywhere, from tortures to beatings to a point where a shot from a Dominator leaves a large pile of blood, it's gory this time around.

"What Color?"

OVERALL- Despite its issues, Psycho-Pass 2 is an interesting continuation of the first Psycho-Pass, which dwells into the reliability of the Sibyil system, and how much security can it provide against. criminals. Also, Akane recived some great character development througout the season, but sadly the other would have benefited too. Overall, if you're a fan of Psycho-Pass, watch it; if you are interesting in the futuristic world Sibyl governs, check the first season then this one. Hopefully, the movie will get dubbed so we can see more of Sybil's actions and the return of Kogami.

- Psycho-Pass 2 is darker and disturbing than the first. There are scenes with gruesome violence, profanity, and some sexual themes.- 

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Psycho-Pass Review

Sibyl-Approved.

 Ghost in the Shell was a groundbreaking anime back in the 90's. It's philosophical themes of the human soul and cyborgs made it a compelling anime to watch. Now comes Psycho-Pass, an anime similar to Ghost in the Shell in style, but different in themes. Join me as we review this futuristic and familiar anime, Psycho-Pass.

STORY- Set many years in the future (2113, to be exact), The Sibyl System scans the mental state of the population as well as identifying if you will become a criminal or not. Those who have yet to commit a crime are called "Latent Criminals" depending on how high their Crime Coefficient is and will either be put in therapy or killed if necessary. 

 The story follows Akane Tsunemori, a new Inspector of Unit One of the Bureau and Shinya Kogami, an Enforcer of the same unit. During their missions, Inspectors and Enforcers use a "Dominator", which is a unique weapon that can neutralize latent criminals with a dangerously high crime coefficient. However, Shogo Makashima, the show's villain, is impossible for the Sibyl System to scan, making crime for him easy. Thus, Psycho-Pass presents us a unique world managed by a flawed system that gets interesting as the story goes on.

CHARACTERS- Akane is a very complex character at first, whom will later have major character development. She's seen as naive, kind, and serious when it comes to work. Shinya Kogami, on the other hand, is the show's male lead. He's tough, smart, and believes that he is the only one that can kill Makashima. Shogo Makashima is one of the best villains in recent years. He's deadly just as he is clever, believing that the Sibyl System is flawed and will do anything to expose it. However, I would have liked to learn more about this ideals and background prior to the show. Moving on, the fights between Kogami and Makashima are strong, intense, and blood-heavy, though makes you wonder who are you really rooting for at times since both have their own ideals. 

 Supporting characters such as experienced and strict Inspector, Nobuchika Ginoza, Tomomi Masaoka, former detective with a cool prosthetic hand, and more are interesting, but most of them get their own standalone episodes which gives more info. on their previous lives.

PRESENTATION- The Ghost in the Shell-inspired visuals, handled by studio Production I.G are stylishly neat and reflects the flawed modern society. Character design and background are neat and fits the futuristic cyberpunk world it presents. In terms of sound, I've watched the English dub, which is great by the way, but the Japanese sub is there if you prefer it. Furthermore, the themes of Psycho-Pass centers on life without crime, how Sibyl decides you're fate after you were born. Its reasons like these that there are many latent criminals who don't want to accept the future Sibyl decides for them, which furthermore shows that its not a perfect system. Themes like this that makes the show entertaining and interesting to watch.

OVERALL- Psycho-Pass is a well-made anime. It has an interesting plot and characters as well as it's themes, but doesn't fully reaches the levels of Ghost in the Shell just yet. Nevertheless, its an anime you should watch if you like Ghost in the Shell or cyberpunk in general.

- Psycho-Pass is targeted at a mature audience. There are scenes of sexuality, profanity, and gruesome violence in it.- 

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Cowboy Bebop Review

Adventures in Bounty Hunting.

 Cowboy Bebop was an influential anime of its time, mainly due to it being aired on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim segment, which made it accessible for anime viewers. I was instantly hooked after the first episode and continued to watch every other episode released, even the overlooked movie. Anyway, after watching the series for a second time, I can certainly say it stood the test of time. Join me as we look-back at one of televisions most stylish and fantastic show ever made, Cowboy Bebop.

  Set in the year 2071, the story follows Spike Spiegel, a drifter, and Jet Black, a retired officer as they travel aboard the Bebop to take on bounties issued by the ISSP (the police). Later in their journey, they meet Fey Valentine, a selfishly beautiful woman who occasionally help the guys in catching bounties. Also, they meet Edward, an upbeat and energetic hacker girl (yes, Ed is a she) who can basically hack any system. And finally, Ein, the dog (Corgi to be exact) that has as much personality as his fellow companions. Together, these usual group of bounty hunters tag into many dangerous, and at times humorous situations.

Meet the Bebop crew.

 The story is a strong aspect of Cowboy Bebop. Throughout the 26 episodes, you'll learn more about Spike's life as a hitman in a crime group, why Jet left the ISSP, Fey's memories before joining the Bebop, and why Ed is so energetic. Furthermore, episodes such as the dark, "Pierrot le Fou" and the philosophical, "Brain Scratch" just show how unique Cowboy Bebop can be.

Meet anime's most vicious villain, Vicious.

 Presentation-wise, Cowboy Bebop looks and sounds fantastic after 17 years. Anime studio Sunrise did a great job with the character models and backgrounds, Cowboy Bebop is visually one of the best out there. Sound-wise, I don't know where to start. The show is filled with many catchy and memorable jazz-based tunes by Yoko Kanno. The opening theme, "Tank!",  stands as the best opening theme ever. During my watch of the 26 episodes, I never skipped it. Overall, the presentation is executed perfectly.

 At this point, I may have hyped Cowboy Bebop to death, but personally, its the best anime I've watched since Dragon Ball. You may not have the same experience that I had, but I can assure it does not disappoint. The last three episodes are just well-done, both skillfully and artistically. In conclusion, Cowboy Bebop was and still is the influential and fantastic anime it used to be, and many would agree. If you're a fan of anime or looking for great entertainment, Cowboy Bebop is strongly recommended. 

-Cowboy Bebop is for mature audiences, so expect some sexual themes, violence, and profanity.-

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