Ghost in the Shell 
S.A.C. Vol-6
(Manga Entertainment Region 2 PAL DVD)
(2005)
review by Blackgloves

Production IG's visually stunning "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" anime television saga reaches its penultimate DVD volume, and the main "Laughing Man" story-arc now comes centre stage (instead of being relegated to the occasional episode dotted among a series of 'stand alone' stories): it forms the content of all three episodes included on this disc. The pace is now being noticeably ramped up as the series nears its conclusion; the lives of several members of Section 9 are placed in mortal danger over the course of these episodes -- and of course, the last Volume ended on a cliff-hanger with Togusa, one of the few members of Section 9 who still has a completely human body, crawling away from the offices of the lobby group, "The Sunflower Society", with a bullet lodged in his torso!

The one thing that has already become very clear about the Laughing Man case — as Section 9's sporadic investigation has slowly gained momentum — is that there is more going on and more at stake than just a straightforward case of corporate terrorism. By the end of this volume, it appears that the nature of the criminal activity associated with the Laughing Man is quite different from what we have been led to believe: a conspiracy that goes to the highest levels of the Japanese Government is at the centre of things, and as Section 9 get closer to uncovering the truth, the lives of more and more of its members are being put in danger. The three episodes of this volume feature a satisfying mix of suspense, action and further revelations about what is really going on.

Togusa's investigation into the missing file, stolen by the Laughing Man and passed along to the Medical Lobby group 'The Sunflower Society', reveals that many important dignitaries were receiving the "Murai" vaccine, despite it being refused approval by the Government's health board. The biggest potential scandal is the revelation that the Board's president, Imakurusu Hisashi was among the people unofficially still receiving the vaccine as part of his treatment for cyber-brain sclerosis while the public were being denied it! The success of the vaccine would have devalued the stock of the network of conglomerates set to profit from the development of the, still unproven, Micro-machine nano technology -- also being designed to fight the disease. Before Togusa can get back to Section 9 with his information, the Narcotics Suppression Squad (NSS) invade the Society's offices and massacre everybody! Togusa escapes but is critically wounded. In episode 21: "Eraser", Section 9 manage to download Togusa's memories of the event from his cyber-brain, and set out to trace Hisashi. It seems that the director of the Government's Drug Enforcement Agency also has the same idea, and he also sends the NSS out to hunt down the missing Government official. With Major Kusanagi on the case, the NSS team leader, Gayle, employs the lethal MSDF 303 mobile battle suit and, soon enough, the scene is set for a major showdown with Kusanagi involved a desperate battle for her life.

In episode 22: "Scandal", Section 9 take team leader Gayle into custody after he and Major Kusanagi battle it out. After having her head slammed into a concrete floor and her body stamped on by a mobile battle unit weighing several tons, Kusanagi, not surprisingly, has to have her entire cyber-body replaced! It's quite shocking to be reminded that the rather distinctive and attractive-looking, purple-haired warrior's appearance is really just the result of a generic, off-the-peg prosthetic body. Kusanagi chooses to have her cyber-brain downloaded into a replica of exactly the same body instead of having it upgraded. Unfortunately, Section 9's success in bringing to light the cover-up over the Murai vaccine has rattled a few cages in the higher echelons of the Government, and both Kusanagi and Section 9 boss Aramaki are targeted: someone attempts to tamper with Kusanagi's program while she is incapacitated during the body transfer stage and Aramaki is framed in a drug bust!

Episode 23: "Equinox" sees the original 'Laughing Man' incident coming under scrutiny once more. Section 9 believe the President of Serrano Genomics, the man who was originally held at gunpoint by the mysterious terrorist several years ago, is under threat again. Apparently receiving round-the-clock Police protection ever since the original incident, Section 9 believe he is really being held to stop him spilling the beans on the real nature of the kidnapping. Section 9 hatch a clever plot in order to confirm their suspicions, but will the Laughing Man reach his quarry before they can put it into action?

This, another excellent Volume of episodes in the series, ends on several stunning, new revelations that will change the viewer's perceptions of just what the Laughing Man really stands for. With his true identity yet to be revealed, we're promised a shattering conclusion in the last three episodes yet to come!

As always, this two-disc Special Edition features two versions of each of the three episodes: disc one has the English and Japanese dubs in both 5.1 Surround Sound and 2.0 Stereo, while
the second disc has them with English and Japanese DTS surround options.

A good selection of extras are spread over both discs. On One, we get two interviews with two teams of screenwriters that give us a good insight into the working methods that get story ideas into the series and on to the screen, while disc Two has an interview with Richard Epcar, the voice actor who plays Batou in the series. There is also the usual ten question quiz that allowes you the chance to find out how much attention you've been paying!

This year visit www.standalonecomplex.co.uk for video clips, images, wallpapers, character biogs, episode guides, previews of future volumes and great monthly competitions.