michaellaing71 Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society, is probably the weakest in the Ghost in the Shell series of films and TV shows and is the third entry into the Stand Alone Complex series.The anime is a good as any of the Stand Alone Complex series though doesn't quite match up to the two feature films. The drawing and shading has improved greatly over the series and is at its best here, there are moments when I noticed flickering but this is rare and again better than the two series of Stand Alone Society.Where the story falls, compared to the rest of the Stand Alone Society is story, which I didn't find nearly as engaging as with previous efforts. Solid State Society is very slow to get going and really never builds the tension that it really should. Too much time seems to be spent on explaining what has happened over between the previous series and this film, which could have worked with a complete series but bogs the film down, with its much shorter running time.Whilst I didn't hate the film, I must say that I was very disappointed, It is trying to be clever but for me was a let down in what is a very good series.

siderite Section 9 is again following leads to solve a case involving brain hacking, a mysterious Puppeteer who seems to be able to push people to kill themselves or do things they do not want, terrorism and so on and so on. Major Kusanagi is not part of the team, though, as she left Section 9 to find her identity.As with the other Ghost in the Shell films and series, Solid State Society is about the dissolution of the human soul, as well as the multitude of states in which it can coalesce. It is thought provoking, to say the least. The animation is great, too. The story has a few holes in it, which chipped a little at the perfection of everything else, but still good.Bottom line: if you are a sci-fi fan, an anime fan, a Ghost in the Shell fan or a fan of intellectually challenging movies that are also accessible and not obtuse, and especially if you are all of the above, you need to see this movie.

Tweekums I assume most people will have seen both series of GitS: Stand Alone Complex so will be familiar with the characters. If you haven't seen them yet I'd strongly recommend watching them before watching this follow-on film.Set two years after the second series Section Nine is on the trail of a hacker known as The Puppeteer. Don't worry, this isn't a rehash of the Puppet Master story from the original GitS film though. The team, led by Togusa since the Major left them, learns of the Puppeteer while investigating a sting of Suicides. While investigating a brake in at a lab Batou sees a familiar face; Major Motoko Kusanagi. She warns him to keep away from the Solid State Society. At first Batou doesn't mention that he saw her but as he starts to believe that she may be the Puppeteer he is forced to tell Togusa about his fears.As one would expect the animation looks fantastic without being distracting... unlike in GitS: Innocence where I often found myself admiring an animated object at the expense of following the story. Once again the music went well with the action and the voice actors all sounded good, although I had to read the subtitles as I can't speak Japanese.If you liked the "Tachikomatic Days" shorts at the end of each episode be sure to watch "Uchikoma Days" on the second DVD which features the little blue tanks as well as the new green ones and the Jameson Unit.I strongly recommend this film to anybody who enjoyed the series, while it isn't essential to watch them first I'm sure it will be a better experience if you have as you'll know and care about the characters more.

eviltimes Kôkaku kidôtai: Stand Alone Complex- Solid State Society. It has been two years since "Major" Motoko Kusanagi left Section 9, a Special Forces unit assigned to cyber crime and answerable only to the Prime Minister of Japan in 2034. Family man Togusa is now leading a much larger force. Chief Aramaki has visibly aged in the job, walking painfully with a cane and attended by Proto. Batou has become a brooding, depressed commander of the training school. All wonder if the Major will ever return.This time around our heroes must deal with the seemingly unconnected rash of suicides, mass child abductions, conspiracy involving elderly healthcare, a "Wizard Class" hacker called the Puppeteer, and as always, corporate malfeasance and political wrangling. All tidied up with a terrific subtle "what if?" ending.At $3.2 million SSS is one of the most expensive TV movie anime's yet, and all the money is up on the screen. Illuminating the convoluted storyline are: Increased detail in both background and foreground (missing in 2nd Gig). "Busy" scenes found only in big budget movies. Naturally smooth movement by people and machines. Small touches like the Nissan concept cars, wrinkled clothing, reflections and small lighting effects, raindrops, "Handheld" camera angles, etc. There are plenty of "remember this?" scenes and other touchstones from the series, including great music by Yoko Kanno, with Origa singing the opening and closing songs. Motoko's face is even cuter than ever and the rest of her- you just don't mess with perfection.Overall SSS is a fine addition to the cyberpunk SAC universe. Can't wait for the English dub next year. Additional SAC stories are promised by Production I.G.GITS: SAC is not for anime fans looking for scantily dressed little girls, giant robots or magical swordplay. Its story lines, dialogue and multiple overlapping themes are more suited to readers of William Gibson's "Neuromancer" or P. K. Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" So if you prefer the new "Battlestar Galactica" instead of "War of the Worlds", Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex- Solid State Society might just be for you.Coda: Rest in Peace, my angel - Origa aka Ol'ga Vital'evna Yakovleva, Oct 17, 1970 - Jan 17, 2015.