GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX
攻殻機動隊 STAND ALONE COMPLEX Solid State Society
Japan • Japanese • 2002 • 1h 45m
Director
Synopsis
Directed by Kenji Kamiyama • 2002–2003 • JapanStarring Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Otsuka, Osamu SakaOf the myriad adaptations of the foundational cyberpunk manga “Ghost in the Shell,” the animated TV series GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX arguably comes closest to capturing the breadth, vision, and thematic complexity of the original. The twenty-six-episode first season unfolds as a riveting science-fiction crime procedural, following the members of the specialized police unit known as Public Security Section 9 as they investigate high-profile cyberterrorism incidents in a future where humans have increasingly become cybernetic hybrids. Their work ultimately leads them into the case of the Laughing Man, an elusive hacktivist whose attempts to expose a vast web of corporate and political corruption threaten to destabilize powerful institutions. Combining sleek visuals with provocative themes surrounding the dissolving boundaries between humans and technology, STAND ALONE COMPLEX remains a thrilling high point in the art of anime: absorbing, intelligent, and often unsettlingly prescient.
Synopsis
Directed by Kenji Kamiyama • 2002–2003 • JapanStarring Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Otsuka, Osamu SakaOf the myriad adaptations of the foundational cyberpunk manga “Ghost in the Shell,” the animated TV series GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX arguably comes closest to capturing the breadth, vision, and thematic complexity of the original. The twenty-six-episode first season unfolds as a riveting science-fiction crime procedural, following the members of the specialized police unit known as Public Security Section 9 as they investigate high-profile cyberterrorism incidents in a future where humans have increasingly become cybernetic hybrids. Their work ultimately leads them into the case of the Laughing Man, an elusive hacktivist whose attempts to expose a vast web of corporate and political corruption threaten to destabilize powerful institutions. Combining sleek visuals with provocative themes surrounding the dissolving boundaries between humans and technology, STAND ALONE COMPLEX remains a thrilling high point in the art of anime: absorbing, intelligent, and often unsettlingly prescient.
Episodes (50)
Credits
Crew
DirectorKenji Kamiyama
CinematographerKoji Tanaka
ComposerYoko Kanno
EditorJunichi Uematsu
ProducerHisanori Kunisaki, Tomoyasu Nishimura, Norihisa Oki
Cast
Atsuko Tanakaas Motoko Kusanagi (voice)
Osamu Sakaas Daisuke Aramaki (voice)