Ghost in the Shell-
Standalone Complex:
2nd Gig- Volume 1
(Manga Region 2 PAL DVD)
(2006)
review by Blackgloves

After the plaudits and acclaim heaped on the original TV serial version of Masamune Shirow's fabulous philosophical Manga-essay in futurist existentialism, it didn't take a cyber-enhanced noggin to work out that "Stand Alone Complex" would, most likely, return for a second run. And so it proved: "SAC 2nd GIG" picks up where the last series left off, with Section 9 -- the secret Government military unit set up to fight the nebulous threats posed by every conceivable variety of cyber-terrorism -- now reformed, but rendered inactive after the events of the final episodes in the previous series resulted in the imposition of a governmental Indefinite Standby Order. With the old administration replaced after the last election result ousted the corrupt Yokushima Government (who Section 9 uncovered as the real culprits behind the whole "Laughing Man" conspiracy that formed the backbone of the last series' main story-line), Section 9 Chief, Mr Aramaki, is called to the offices of Japan's new female Prime Minister, Kayabuki, in Episode 1: "Reembody". A new terrorist crisis looks to be in the making when a mysterious criminal group calling themselves the Individual 11 raid the Chinese Embassy, taking hostages and demanding that the Government change its refugee policy.

The series takes place in the year 2030 against a backdrop of two world wars which have created a situation where Asian refugee survivors of the resulting international crisis have been encouraged to enter the country as a source of cheap labour. Three million of them have been instrumental in Japan's post-war reconstruction, but in recent years a political backlash has occurred among the population, and anti-refugee sentiment has reached an all time high. Prime Minister Kayabuki had been on the verge of announcing the closure of the five refugee residential districts dotted around the country, when the Embassy raid occurs with the terrorists demanding an immediate stop to the country's refugee intake as well as the closure of all the residential districts. Since she is politically unable to be seen to be giving in to terrorist demands, the PM wants to end the siege before news of it is leaked to the media; since, once news of the terrorist group's demands became known, it would jeopardise her conservative Government's anti-refugee policy! Aramaki persuades her to reinstate Section 9 in order to solve the problem, with all the blame going to him if the operation fails. The only proviso is that the team must accomplish their mission with no hostage fatalities in order for Section 9 to be made permanently operational once-more.

Although three of the four episodes are "Individual" rather than "Dual" (these buzz words replacing the "Stand Alone" & "Complex" episode prefixes of the last series) it soon becomes clear that the ramifications of the refugee situation is going to be a major running theme of the show. It forms the basis of three of the four episodes on this disc with the issue being explored from a variety of different angles. The volatile situation has produced an explosive mix of terrorist groups on both sides of the political spectrum: resistance movements protesting against the poor treatment of the refugees; and groups such as the Individual 11 who represent a strain of anti-globalization which shares qualities with both left and right wing extremism in its antipathy toward imported labour. Episode 2: "Night Cruise" illustrates the shows versatility by reducing main characters like Major Motoko and Batou to merely secondary players in a story about a disaffected cyborg refugee serving as the personal helicopter pilot for the chairman of a large company while, apparently, plotting the murder of his boss. This story zooms in on the tortured dreams of one individual rather than dwelling on the general political situation without reference to how particular people have been affected by it -- and there are hints from Director and chief writer, Kamiyama Kenji, that the aim of this series is to pitch Section 9 against a more general social condition that produces a psychological state of war, rather than the usual cohesive terrorist organisation.

Episode Three: "Cash Eye" provides a brief respite from these themes in an episode which sees Section 9 being called in to protect a wealthy businessman who holds kinky parties where the rich and powerful bring their android "doll" mistresses to indulge in unsaverory antics away from their wives! The infamous thief known as Cash Eye is planning to steal from Mr. Tadokoro's bank vault while the party is in progress, necessitating Major Motoko to pose as a "doll" consort as part of Section 9's operation. This episode is more a futuristic pastiche of heist movies than a serious extension of the show's usual themes but the outlandish setting provides the animators with an excuse to show-off some colourful and attractive designs during the course of the action.

The final episode on this disc, "Natural Enemy" returns to the themes suggested in the first two episodes with Section 9 being called in to resolve a bizarre situation resulting from a group of AI units onboard a fleet of armoured attack helicopters going rogue. Suspicions become aroused that this may be a cyber-hack by an anti-refugee terrorist group when the helicopters start circling a tower above one of the Refugee Residential Areas. When they run out of fuel they will inevitably plunge into the refugee areas causing many casualties, but even their very visible presence is enough to spark unrest among the inhabitants below. The mystery deepens when the creepy, untrustworthy figure of Gohda comes on the scene: this Special Intelligence Operative seems to have a hidden agenda all of his own. Whose side is he on? and are Section 9 merely pawns in a much larger, as yet invisible game of chess being played out behind the scenes of an explosive social situation?

As they did with the previous series, Manga Entertainment UK present each volume in a double disc edition with a whole host of English and Japanese audio options (5.1, 2.0 and DTS) spread over both discs. Disc one also features two interviews: the first, with writer and director Kamiyama Kenji who explains how the series' story concept was initialled by Mamoru Oshi, director of the feature film, "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence "; how it follows on from the last series; and what sort of direction the show will go in over the coming episodes. Expect the unexpected seems to be maxim to follow from here on: Kenji drops some intriguing hints that Section 9 will be faced with a situation that threatens their very existence, with an unexpected twist to the series coming mid-season. The second interview is with Art Director, Takeda Yusuke and Conceptual Artist, Kato Hiroshi who explain the philosophy behind the look of the show and how this series differs in appearance from the last.

"Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig" continues to exhibit the same high standards that fans of the last series will be familiar with. The episodes here a very Motoko-heavy -- we get to see very little of the rest of Section 9 at work -- and, as usual, the dialogue flows thick and fast, making it very hard to follow sometimes; but the imagination and detail of the plots, and the fictional world in which they occur are so convincingly rendered that one cannot help being drawn in to this exciting anime concoction of cyberpunk action.