Ghost in the Shell - Stand Alone Complex

I am a big fan of the movie, and was pleased to see it made the transition into a series.

It's very well done, with well-balanced action and with the same characters we all know from the movie, plus some more.

Though the episodes trickle out very slowly, I'm always looking forward to each one. This series should be in any animewatchers collection, and even if one does not usually watch anime.

This animated series puts most live action drama films & TV series to shame. The animation is excellent; the stories are even better. Every episode is an absolute gem, much like a little techno-thriller feature film.

It's a real pity cyberpunk fiction never really made much impact in the film world - but this series makes it all work.

Apparently set in a world where Motoko Kusanagi never met the Puppet Master, this series involves complex political intrigue, cyber-crimes, people being hacked as one would hack a computer nowadays, etc.

If you even remotely liked the Ghost in The Shell feature film, check this out if you get the chance.

This has to be the best television anime I have ever seen. As the other reviewer said, the plot centers around a fictional futuristic special operations squad in Japan called section 9 that specializes in computer crimes. The plots are amazing in that they present possible future technologies and crimes in a very compelling way. They also include a good deal of humor, sentimentality, awesome animation and humor. The only warning is that some of the content is mature- one scene showed a brief scene of a character watching an xxx rated movie. However, as long as you understand and enjoy the adult themes the show is a wild ride.

A+

I've been a fan of "Ghost in the Shell" since 1997 when I saw it for the first time. The movie offers sophisticated entertainment that Hollywood couldn't even come close to. Then "Innocence" came out and was an extraordinary achievement with an incredible story and special effects (I still wish they would come out with an English dub).

I didn't think that a TV series could come close to the movies.

I was wrong.

Even though the graphics are a downgrade from the movies, the story has an impact that will give you with goose bumps! The story is an interweaving of events that span for sometime through the series. You have to pay close attention to everything or you'll lose some insight on what is going on.

"SAC" gets into tough subjects like corporate corruption; political corruption and scandals; individuals fighting to restore some semblance of justice and sanity; self sacrifice; robots and their individuality that creates a "Ghost" or a sort of living entity; among other subjects that normal movie production artists wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole. It may require most people to watch it at least 3 times to take in all of the information.

For the ultimate in entertainment, sound effects, music - this IS a must own for any individual!

This is a beautifully animated series format derived from the characters of the philosophically oriented movie 'Ghost in the Shell'. The animation is closer to the original concepts for the manga and adds amazingly gorgeous music to produce a show that is an instant draw. The characters draw some of the aspects familiar in the movie... Motoko's commitment to her job, Batou's casual-tough guy attitude, etc... though it adds some surprisingly refreshing characters like the blue child-like mini tanks Section 9 rides around in so much.

The same philosophical elements of the movie -consciousness in a cyber-oriented world- are present, but definitely take a back seat to plots focused on political wranglings, terrorism, and general lawlessness. The series seems to be more "all in a days work" themed than the cerebral current of the first film.

Overall I highly recommend this series to all fans, though hope they watch the movies as well.