GHOST IN THE SHELL S.A.C.(STAND ALONE COMPLEX)｜Anime

“GHOST IN THE SHELL S.A.C. (STAND ALONE COMPLEX)” is a manga work by Masamune Shirow. As a genre, it belongs to science fiction (including parallel world).
An anime film based on this work was released in 1995, and an animated TV series was released in 2002. In the original version by Masamune Shirou, the film versions GHOST IN THE SHELL and INNOCENCE by Mamoru Oshii, GHOST IN THE SHELL -STAND ALONE COMPLEX- (TV anime) by Kenji Kamiyama and GHOST IN THE SHELL -ARISE- (film) by Kazuya Kise The two works have many differences, including the period setting, the characterisation of the protagonist Motoko Kusanagi and the storyline, and can be considered separate works, each with the original work at its core. In addition, a number of derivative works, such as novels and games, have been developed.

Synopsis

The year 2030 AD. An age in which all kinds of nets are circulating around the eye root, and even if the will that has become light and electrons is directed in one direction, it has not become so informatised that the ‘solitary’ can become the ‘individual’ as a complex….
In the midst of social turmoil, where information networking is progressing at an accelerating pace and crime is becoming increasingly complex, an offensive organisation was established to seek out and eliminate the seeds of crime in advance. It is the Public Security Section 9, an independent unit directly under the Ministry of Home Affairs, commonly known as ‘Ghost in the Shell’.
The role of Public Security Section 9 ranges from dealing with serious cybercrime, protecting key figures in the country, uncovering corruption among politicians, investigating heinous murders to covert assassinations. They are an elite unit that is most adept at electronic warfare, but also demonstrate notable capabilities in physical combat, making use of their high-performance prosthetic bodies.

“GHOST IN THE SHELL S.A.C.(STAND ALONE COMPLEX) | Recommendations

This work could be more accurately described as a political drama. There are many expressions, phrases and ideas that are more bureaucratic than political, and at first it was difficult to follow the development, but the story is meticulously planned, and unexpected developments can be seen throughout the film, making it very watchable.

It stimulates intellectual curiosity through the use of intrigue, the latest technology and the incidents that arise from it. The original work by Shirou Masamune also meticulously takes into account science and technology, so it is realistic to wonder if this is the kind of world we will be living in the future. (Some people may have hope, but others may not). The world is also very original, and people who like Blade Runner-like cyberpunk will not be able to resist this work.

©Masamune Shirou/KODANSHA
©1995Masamune Shirou/KODANSHA・BANDAI VISUAL・MANGA ENTERTAINMENT（©1995,S/K,B,M）
©2004Masamune Shirou/KODANSHA・IG,ITNDDTD
©Masamune Shirou・Production I.G/KODANSHA・GHOST IN THE SHELL production committee