Kôkaku kidôtai: Stand Alone Complex

I couldn't believe that someone compared the series with the movie and found it lacking. It is true that it transforms the very cool idea of Ghost in the Shell into a police series, but the underlying idea of Stand Alone Complex is very consistent with the one in the movie: the evolution of the soul.

Now I don't mean to sound too smart and start explaining the series. It is well done, with nice music and interesting suspense technique. Any GITS lover should watch it, that is for sure. As any movie transformed into series it does have its faults. Sometimes the plot is described by the characters talking to each other and there are inconsistencies in the way the technology is used, but taking into account it is a 2 season of 26 episodes each anime, it does well.

I do feel that the second season was so disconnected from the first that it almost becomes a separate series. I didn't like that. Fill-up episodes when nothing pertaining to the main story is happening also did not make me enjoy it more, but the atmosphere and the world of GITS is detailed enough to keep you waiting for what is going to happen next.

I am not fanatic enough to kill someone if they don't continue either the series or the movies, but I am close enough. :D Get to work! Good work, that is.

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 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.

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.

Top notch! solid animation, catchy music. Great action. But above all intriguing characters and stories that make you think... Has a depth that no single movie can achive, the series format is used to its full potential. The stories treat issues of the future that are becomeing a reality, AI, cyborgs, technology acheveing more and mor of the impossible. But it is also about life... this series goes much further than the movie in all aspects. The only problem I had was the silly looking outfit our heroine seems to prefer, but you get used to it. Anyhow, a must see! Average 10(10)