World Famous Comics: Ghost in the Shell SAC Complete 1st Season Collection Box Set
Ghost in the Shell SAC Complete 1st Season Collection Box Set
Starring: Dino Andrade, Kevin Brief, Loy Edge, Barbara Goodson, Michael Gregory Directed By: Kenji Kamiyama Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Audience Rating: Unrated Binding: DVD Format: Animated, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC Label: Manga Video Number of Items: 7 Region Code: 1 Release Date: October 31, 2006 Running Time: 750 minutes Theatrical Release Date: November 07, 2004
Description: The Smash First Season Anime Extravaganza in one complete set! Major Motoko Kusanagi is a beautiful but deadly cyborg that is squad leader of Section 9-the Japanese government's clandestine unit assigned to battle terrorism and cyber warfare Surrounded by an expertly trained team, Motoko faces her ultimate challenge- the Laughing Man- a terrorist who orchestrated a kidnapping and extortion plot many years ago and has suddenly reappeared. In order to discover the identity of this enigmatic criminal, Motoko and Section 9 are drawn into a deadly labyrinth and they’ll have to use all their expertise to survive This acclaimed anime series is from Production I.G (Kill Bill) and features the amazing music if Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Behop) with stories by Kenji Kamiyama (Blood, Jin-Roh) and Dai Soto (Eureka SeveN)
Amazon.com: The 2002 broadcast series based on Mamoru Oshii's landmark film Ghost in the Shell (1995) takes place in a parallel world, where Major Motoko Kusanagi didn't vanish into The Net. Although its production values are lower, and director Kenji Kamiyama never matches Oshii's inspired camerawork, Stand Alone Complex does an impressive job of recreating the setting and characters. With the help of the other officers from Public Security Section 9, Kusanagi moves through a deadly city of mecha, cyborgs, humans, and human-prosthetic hybrids. Batou emerges as a more complex and compelling character in the TV series than he was in Ghost in the Shell II: Innocence: He engages the other characters, instead of endlessly quoting philosophers.
Politics and cyber-espionage collide in a somewhat tangled plot that centers on the pursuit of The Laughing Man, an über-hacker whose pseudonym is linked to J.D. Salinger's 1949 story of the same name. The master cyber-criminal leads Kusanagi and Batou into a web of murder and deceit involving bogus cures for "cyberbrain sclerosis" and corrupt government ministers. In the secondary story, the Tachikomas, crab-like robots used by Section 9, develop personalities and an awareness of their existence. The Tachikomas recognize some of the implications of their growing consciousness, but their childish voices--modeled after the performance of Japanese actress Akiko Tamagawa--sound odd discussing philosophical questions. Not surprisingly, the story ends with Kusanagi, Batou, et al. tackling a new case that leads into the 2nd Gig. (Rated 13 and older: considerable violence, violence against women, grotesque imagery, nudity, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon
excellent series I am a huge fan of GITS SAC, I am very pleased with the quality and condition of the collection
Stand Alone Complex lives by it's title Fans of the films might be disappointed. But Stand Alone Complex lives by it's title. Its stands alone from the original movies. But what makes SAC so much more entertaining is the fact it's a series.
In this form GITS becomes more like the manga it was inspired from. Sure there isn't a Puppet Master plot, but now we get to see the inner workings of Section 9 and the role they play in this cybernetic future where the line between the real world and the digital one is too closely blurred.
Everything about this series is top notch. The story's are written in classic science fiction form. The 3-D animation is near flawless. And of course the biggest praise has to be the soundtrack.
But mostly the characters bring out the most in this show. Everyone knows Motoko. But Batou is her complete opposite bringing a little bit of humor to an otherwise serious job. And the old ape, Chief Aramaki, is just superior as the head of Section 9. Also we get to see how the other members of Section 9 make it the elite team that it is.
But really the Tachikoma's bring the most interesting aspect to the show. Since these mini-tanks are controlled by A.I., their experience's help them understand more about the world they live in much like a small child growing up. Overall their playful attitude contrasts the serious aspects of the show. ( and I love their little spots after each episode )
All in all SAC does a great job of showing viewers what a future of great technological advances could bring. The good and the bad. From the hijacked tank, to the Geri's, and even to the terrorist known only as the Laughing Man. Ghost in the Shell SAC shows audiences that anime can be full of action, intelligence, mystery, and humor all rolled into one.
And that makes it a must see for anyone, not just fans of Anime.
Excellent "hard" science fiction Don't let the fact that this is a Japanese cartoon turn you off. This is by far one of the best science fiction shows ever to grace a TV screen. Sadly, it is one of the last few "hard" science fiction shows that isn't a fantasy story wrapped in sci-fi trappings like Battlestar Galactica or Star Wars, nor an attempted "hard" sci-fi show that happens to have a lot of bad science like Star Trek (e.g. half breeds between species from completely different planets or teleporters that violate the laws of physics). It is also, to my knowledge, one of the only major sci-fi TV shows in the cyberpunk genre.
The stories are smart, complex, and leaves you asking the big questions (e.g. "Where is our society headed? How will today's technologies shape tomorrow?") just like the best old-school sci-fi novels. That the show also happens to look great and features heart-pumping action is icing on the cake.
The DVD collection includes lots of interviews with the creators of the series, which fans of the show are sure to love. I just wish they had a similarly priced box set for season 2.
This show gets the "world" of GitS GitS SAC is one of the most well thought fictional worlds I've ever encountered. Little snippets of info from what seem to be nonsensical conversations, over many episodes, build a portrait of a government, military and civilian society in the future that is addicted to machines. Truly, in GitS SAC, nothing is said without meaning.
Beyond such, what the show attempts to tackle is also challenging and delightful to ponder. For instance, I do like how this show accepts that Section 9--which houses our heroine--is basically a quasi-legal, definitely unethical, possible police squad that really functions beyond all boundaries of law. At one point, in season 2, I think the Major actually refers to Section 9 as being closely related to "terrorists." This organization is your worst 1984 nightmare. While occasionally hampered by bureaucracy, Section 9 freely interrogates without making arrests, preforms searches without warrants, crosses all measures of privacy with its hacking and seems to decides its own work and policies--is it any wonder why, in episodes 24-26 (SPOILER), the government can sell to the public that Section 9 was planning a coup d'etat (SPOILER END). It goes to show the lengths of detail woven into this show that reveal how all major arms of society are being manipulated to work together. Meanwhile, Section 9 is also an anti-terrorist squad, and their intelligence gathering is an effective method of thwarting civil unrest that threatens to become violent. In this instance, their services are essential to this society, be it however scary that they exist at all.
Expect these kind of mental knots from GitS. You won't get any straight answers from this show. Instead, it will challenge you to ask yourself how far you'd be willing to bend your personal morals and convictions if you were in such situations.
While the Laughing Man episodes are certainly the best, the "stand alone" episodes are also important. The side stories about the Tachikoma, the Chiefs struggles with his professional/personal boundaries and the Major's connection to her watch all ask serious questions about law enforcement, machine "life" and humanity.
I was sucked in by the show. If you were a history, poly sci, sociology or techno dweeb in school...you'll find this show keeping you on the edge of your seat.
Best TV out there This is hands down the best TV I have ever watched. So good that mainstream audiences can't love this because it's too involving and smart for the average viewer. You really do have to be smart to fully appreciate this anime as its themes can be very evolved and complex. There were a lot of episodes that after the first watching, I didn't completely understand everything that had just happened. Required multiple watchings, but it was multiple watching that were enjoyable. Not anything like a chore. Excellent, excellent TV. Shows like Lost, Heroes, The Sopranos etc. have got nothing on this show. One of my favorite episodes had absolutely no action in it whatsoever. It was just a bunch of people talking about the Laughing Man in an internet chat room. That tells you how involving this series is.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
