STORY 10/10 In the notsodistant future 2030 a complete body transplant from flesh to machine is possible. Main protagonists are agents of Public Security Section 9 an elite secret police squad of 7 people whose level of prosthetic enhancements ranges from minor modifications to full cyborg. Section 9 specializes in cybercrimes that became a major threat to public security with the recent technological developments. They deal with rogue AIs hackers possessing anothers body remote controlled robots information theft data manipulation and even organ trafficking. Offenders theyre after are not your usual badguys as most of them are either socially desperate pursue a noble political agenda or simply confused in the fastchanging world they live in. The protagonists are more often than not facing a thin line between law and ethics. So if you take GitS:SAC at face value it may appear to be your usual crimeaction series with scifi elements with plenty of gunfights combat tactics and dynamic twists in investigations. The incredibly vivid world of Ghost in the Shell serves as a perfect stage for many interesting philosophical psychological and sociological themes. Where is the line between man and machine? What is the definition of selfhood and can AIs achieve a state of selfawareness in which they can be treated as sentient beings and more importantly should we treat them as such? How does the easilyaccessible global data transfer influence human behavior? Existence of a Ghost soul/consciousness and the possibility of its digital transfer between bodies cyberbrains? Body and mind in the context of ones identity: which is more essential? Is it my body my corporeal worldly representation what defines me? Will I remain myself if my body is replaced but my memories are preserved? If my physical representation completely changes its every part replaced but my Ghost survives is my identity still intact? How much of ones form can you alter without affecting ones essence? The series is brimming with philosophical references. An example is an Ancient Greek paradox called The Ship of Theseus. Plutarch questions would the ship remain the same if it was replaced in its entirety piece by piece Those are some of dominant questions this series tries to unravel never giving one definite answer because well there is no one unambiguous explanation. NARRATIVE 9/10 Stand Alone Complex is also used as wordplay for the two types of episodes in this series: Stand Alone episodes Although a part of a coherent timeline plots of these episodes are independent from one another. The protagonists are usually faced with a crime a mystery or a mission which isnt directly related to the overarching narrative but through them the viewers are better acquainted with the GitS universe and characters. Almost every stand alone episode has a twist ending and usually leaves a lingering question for you to think about when its finished. The episodes are of varying quality while some are brilliant others are fine. Complex episodes The plot of these episodes focuses on the Laughing Man a mysterious hacker whose actions have shaken the corporate world of futuristic Japan. The narrative is interspersed by stand alone episodes providing you with a realistic experience of a longterm investigation. Its incredibly contrived plot is inspired by works of J. D. Salinger in particular The Laughing Man short story and The Catcher in the Rye which are introduced naturally and with subtlety so that you never get the feeling of forced pretentious quoting. The narrative is consistent and free of plotholes and fillers. Dialogues are masterfully written and even the complex philosophical themes are seamlessly introduced into characters dialogues. No themes are overdiscussed and the characters rarely repeat themselves which is why you have to watch it thoughtfully. CHARACTERS 9/10 The manner in which the characters are established is sort of unique compared to most anime. Instead of forcefully telling you who the characters are the series will introduce fragments of their personalities through subtle gestures and hints of their backgrounds. Even then the characters remain partly mysterious because like real people they are not always honest and they dont walk around while endlessly talking about themselves until the audience figures who they are. Furthermore if you want to fully grasp the characters you have to pay attention on their gestures which are never exaggerated the overall atmosphere and all the little details. Nevertheless they are deep thoughtfully designed and selfconsistent. Even minor characters seem thoroughly developed and that is extreme anomaly in this media. One of the best things about the characters is that even though they are skilled and use implants to exceed their human possibilities none of them is unnaturally powerful. They still face human barriers they make mistakes they are intelligent but not indisputable and that makes them lifelike. Their relationships are believable logical complex and never overstated. If there is anything you could criticize it would be Motokos attire. Why would someone in their right mind casually walk around wearing nothing but underpants boots and a leather jacket? Although it is explained during the series it seems silly and inappropriate considering her job description. Clearly there are better ways to express your individuality. Then again you cant argue that she is quite an eyecandy wearing that. ART ANIMATION 8/10 Art style is absolutely gorgeous. Each character has a completely unique design with varying body anatomies and facial characteristics. Their mimics are realistic subtle and distinctive. While uncommon in the cyberpunk genre the perpetual intentional use of bright colors in the series many events occur in broad daylight is in contrast with dystopian themes and it creates a unique appeal. This also helps visually emphasize emotionally intense scenes whose gloomy atmosphere then have a stronger impact on the viewer. This series doesnt really shine in the field of animation especially when compared with its predecessor the original Ghost in the Shell movie. There is an abundance of static scenes with nothing more than just dialogue and sometimes even there the animation is reduced to its bare minimum when they communicate via their cyberbrains they do not move their lips BUT I think they did majestic work with what they had. It is a perfect balance of CGI and handdrawings and action scenes are done very well they managed to save up the budget in static scenes. MUSIC 9/10 One more virtue of this series is music. It was composed by Yoko Kano and its linked with themes wonderfully. It contributes to the atmosphere of the world and even independently it is very enjoyable. Opening theme Inner Universe was performed by Origa and it is written in Russian English and Latin while ending theme is Lithium Flower performed by Scott Matthew and I liked them both so much that I never once skipped them. OVERALL 9/10 I count GitS: SAC among my most favorite anime of all time and I believe everyone who likes cyberpunk should watch it. It looks great sounds great and it has great story and voice acting in sub version I never watched dub. What more do you need?