Review of Ghost In The Shell Stand Alone Complex: Vol. 4

Introduction

Blimey! After the rather intermittent release of the first two volumes of Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex, we`ve already reached the halfway point of the series with the release of this, the fourth volume. Time flies when you`re watching one of the best anime series currently available. I`m keeping my fingers crossed to see if Manga Entertainment have managed to avoid those pesky technical niggles that have plagued the first three volumes.

Ghost In The Shell inhabits one of those strange new worlds we often hear tell of. Set in the not too distant future, the divisions between man and machine are blurring. AI is a reality, and life like androids do the menial jobs that humans used to. It isn`t unusual for the average citizen to be enhanced in some way with implants or prosthetics. For some the enhancements are to such a degree that little of the original human remains. Major Motoko Kusanagi of Section 9 is one such person, who since the age of 6 has been equipped with a totally cybernetic body. The only biological component left is her brain. The differences between man and machine becomes ever more meaningless when machines can develop personality. It also opens up a whole new area of criminal activity, when cybernetically enhanced senses can be fooled by an enterprising hacker, or worse their brains themselves can be hacked into, subverting the innocent by reprogramming their `ghosts`. In the light of such terrifying possibilities, a special unit is created to head off the threat of such cyber-crime. Section 9 led by Aramaki is at the forefront of combating the new cyber criminals.

Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex comprises a mix of stand-alone episodes that sees Section 9 investigating the various cyber-crimes that threaten the societies of the future. The complex episodes follow Section 9 as they pursue a mysterious cyber-criminal known simply as The Laughing Man, in a convoluted storyline that stretches through this first series. This release from Manga Entertainment comes on 2 discs. Disc 1 contains the four episodes and the bulk of the extras, as well as DD 2.0 and DD 5.1 soundtracks. Disc 2 contains the same episodes, but with DTS soundtracks.

Episode 13. Not Equal
Eka Tokura was a daughter of a rich businessman who was kidnapped sixteen years ago. Now she has been located in an abandoned offshore industrial complex, apparently without having aged a day since her abduction. When contact with the intelligence team is lost, Section 9 goes in to find out just what has been going on. What they learn is hard to believe.

Episode 14. ¥€$
Section 9 successfully raids an anti-capitalist gang intent on robbing major Japanese banks. They learn however that this is merely the tip of their nefarious iceberg, as an assassination is planned that will target rich recluse Yokose Kanemoto. The Major, Batou and Togusa are sent to warn him, but it`s hard to get past his mansions security. The major isn`t helped by the Tachikomas playing up.

Episode 15. Machines Désirantes
Saito is having trouble with a targeting system during a training exercise. The Tachikomas decide to help in their inimitable way, once again raising the concerns of the major. The child-like robots are becoming more and more self aware, and realise that the major distrusts them.

Episode 16. AG20
The Tachikomas are being sent back to the lab for decommissioning and Batou is ordered to investigate former Paralympic boxer Pavlo Zaitsev, who is suspected of espionage. Batou`s feeling conflicted about the Tachikomas, and when he befriends the suspect, his loyalties are stretched even further.

Each episode is concluded with a little light relief in the form of a Tachikoma short animation.

Video

Ghost In The Shell is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic ratio. The issues from the last disc, the glitch and occasional pixellation have been addressed, and the fourth volume boasts a clear and sharp image, with only the occasional digital banding really catching my attention. It must be said that the character design is greatly simplified in comparison to the detailed and beautiful characterisations of the movie. That`s to be expected when creating these characters for a serialised television show, but the animation is still dynamic and effortlessly realised. However the sheer detail and intricacy of the world design is marvellous. It`s the mix of the animation and design that makes this show look so good. Memorable imagery includes the massive industrial complex of Not Equal, an aged offshore platform that becomes the stage of a stunning action sequence. The character designs in ¥€$ are astounding, with the household of androids intricately imagined, and the assassins weapon is splendidly realised. Finally, AG20 has a good old-fashioned fistfight energetically animated.

The Ghost In The Shell movie was lauded for its use of CGI. Computer imagery was used to create displays and overlays in the film and certainly contributed to its look. Seven years of advances in animation have made Stand Alone Complex a different animal when it comes to CGI. All 3D objects are realised through the computer, and are flawlessly integrated with the traditional style animation. The displays and overlays are if anything better than in the film. To cap it all off, the title sequence is completely rendered in CGI, with a 3D version of Major Kusanagi in action in a computer-generated world.

Audio

This release comes with a full selection of soundtracks. Disc 1 has soundtracks in DD 2.0 English and Japanese Stereo, as well as DD 5.1 English and Japanese, whereas Disc 2 allows you to watch the show with DTS 5.1 English and Japanese (encoded at 754kbps), as well as a repeat of the DD 2.0 English Stereo track. There are English translated subtitles for both discs.

As usual I chose to listen to the original Japanese track, and once again in an improvement over the last volume I found no problems. The surround is stunningly effective, with full use made of the soundstage to effectively convey the action, the future world and Yoko Kanno`s stunning music. Just listen to the entry of the combat helicopter in Machines Désirantes, or the dynamic fight sequence in AG20.

But the curse of Manga Entertainment strikes again, primarily in the subtitles. It seems with every release they try a different font, and this time around, it`s a thick white font that has the letters almost blurring into each other. There are one or two spelling mistakes, as well as one dialogue error, but it`s nothing too serious. More serious was the problem I encountered when I began to spot-check the DD 5.1 English dub. Once again it is a pretty good dub, with actors that suit the characters and the translation none too clunky. Unfortunately the DD 5.1 track suffered from dropouts, rendering it useless. The Stereo track is fine in this respect. This lack of quality control becomes even more annoying when it is a flagship title like Ghost In The Shell.

Features

Once again, I received the test discs for review minus any packaging or artwork. The discs` presentation is impressive. Glorious animated menus reflecting the cyberpunk style of the show are set to the show`s music. The transitions between menus are short and never get tedious. This time around, I did feel that the colour of text used in the menus was a little too close to the background colour, but it wasn`t too much of a hindrance.

Disc 2 contains just the episodes, and an Interactive Quiz. Answer ten questions about and around Ghost In The Shell, and you unlock a sneak peak of episode 17. I`m going to succumb to temptation and let a little spoiler slip, and tell you that the next episode sees Section 9 paying a visit to London, clichéd bobbies and red buses to boot.

Disc 1 contains the episode synopses and character profiles related to the episodes on these discs. Beware of reading them first, as they obviously contain spoilers for the episodes.

There is an 11-minute interview with Koichi Yamadera (Togusa) who talks about his character and the show in general. The second interview is with Sakiko Tamagura who voices the Tachikomas, and she discusses the difficulties of creating discrete personalities for identical machines. This featurette lasts 10 minutes. The interviews take place in windowed sections in the middle of the 4:3 ratio screen, rather than using the whole screen itself.

Finally there are 33 minutes of trailers for other releases from Manga Entertainment and a trailer for the Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex videogame.

Conclusion

Another release of Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and yet another technical flaw to grouse about. Personally I`m not too bothered, as I rarely listen to dubs. But it certainly behoves Manga Entertainment to treat titles like this with extra care and attention. After all, it`s these flagship titles that customers talk about most, on Internet chatrooms, at conventions or just good old-fashioned word of mouth. Consistently releasing discs that are under par will do little to endear them to customers, and while a must own title like GITS: SAC will most likely be snapped up regardless, other releases may be less warmly approached. Is it really asking too much for the discs to undergo a rigorous quality control process prior to release?

Once again these technical flaws are a shame as GITS: SAC is one of the best anime series that I have seen. Outstanding characterisation, brilliant animation, stunning music and excellent writing all come together to create an experience that far surpasses the film that inspired the series. It`s a cyberpunk cop show that is never formulaic and keeps pushing the boundaries of the genre.

There is more time for character development here though, and the Major, Batou, Togusa and Aramaki do differ somewhat from their movie counterparts. Major Kusanagi is hardly as soul searching as before, and here is apt to make the occasional quip. The character of Togusa is explored to a greater extent here and he is more at the heart of the show. Being minimally enhanced, he`s the everyman character who guides us in the world of cyborgs. But it`s Batou who is the most different, he`s practically a comedian in his new guise as opposed to the dour man of few words in the movie, and it`s a change that is definitely one for the better.

We`ve reached the mid-point of the series, and in anticipation of the climax, the pace lessens somewhat in the four episodes on this disc. All four stories are stand-alone episodes exploring aspects of the cyberpunk future, as well as developing some of the characters. I actually found myself missing the complex episodes, and going nearly two hours without mention of The Laughing Man left me a little disappointed. There is a mini-thread in the episodes regarding the Tachikomas, but it isn`t resolved in this release. Still, the stories are outstanding sci-fi, with the first two shows almost in the vein of The Outer Limits. The stories set up a premise that Section 9 have to investigate, but there is a twist at the end of each tale that is just enough to baffle and tantalise. Machines Désirantes focuses on the Tachikomas and shows just how much the robots have developed. I must admit that they are the cutest killing machines ever to grace sci-fi, but as characters they are compelling; of all of Section 9, they engender the most sympathy and the way the story develops on this disc has me feeling quite worried for the child-like robots. AG20 presents a pretty straightforward case to solve, but gives Batou some character development, and is one of the stronger episodes on the disc.

After the stunning episodes of Volume 3, the episodes on this disc almost feel mundane in comparison. That`s in comparison only however, as even on the strength of Volume 4, Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex is miles ahead of any other serial anime. Intelligent stories, well-written characters and quality animation still make this an essential purchase. I`m getting tired of saying this, and I`m sure that you`re tired of reading this, but Manga Entertainment, please check your discs before release… please?