I feel bad for not loving this movie. Don't get me wrong, it was definitely a good movie for me, but I just thought that the other entries were better. I was complaining about how the last movie was a bit hard to follow, but I think this film had the opposite problem. I think it was too clear and it took away a lot of the mystery. Of course, the animation is completely flawless as you would expect from this series. It's great to see a movie series that's been consistently good. I was disappointed that Motoko didn't appear more. Of course, Batou is still pretty entertaining on its own.It's just that this film was lacking the action of the previous two films. I also wish that there was more philosophical dialogue. Still, they certainly had great voice work and good talking. If you're a fan of "Ghost In The Shell", you really should see this. The colors are just so gorgeous in this movie. We even get some pretty tender moments involving little kids. I guess if you want to make us care you have to have the lives of a children at stake. It certainly worked here. It was still pretty creative. ***
... View MoreMy first impression was that there was a huge budget cut on this one. The animation is far below the classics we are used to. It is nowhere near movies like, Ghost in the shell, Ninja scroll, Akira etc.It is all talk. And thanks to the budget, its just images with mouths moving. The plot is dull and outdone.I sat through 1/3 of this movie.I'll recommend those i remember that you should see rather than this: The three i listed above, Patlabor, Cyber city odeo, a lot of studio Ghibli's movies, Battle angel Anita & Appleseed.
... View MoreGhost 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.
... View MoreKôkaku 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.
... View More