Ghost In The Shell: SAC - Solid State Society [Blu-ray] [DVD]

Whilst this is viewed by many as the third GitS film, it is - in actuality - the third installment of the highly successful Stand Alone Complex series.SSS follows on from SAC 2nd GIG - if you haven't seen that then stop reading and watch it - and follows Section 9 two years after the events of the Individual Eleven case. After the events surrounding Kuze, the Major has left Batou and the rest of the group, and Secion 9 has - as a result - fallen into the responsible hands of Togusa, who has developed greatly in his skills and experience since Motoko's departure.The story now revolves around a new enemy to Japan: an unknown Hacker named the Pupperteer - for those of you who have seen the original film and are thinking that this is just a rip-off on the Puppet Master, you're mistaken. Section 9 is presented with a series of suicides by military refuges and must search for the Puppeteer before a civil war breaks out within Japan. However it would seem that there is another unknown presence that is watching over the work of the Puppeteer.Whilst Solid State Society is, more or less, a third installment of the SAC series it is presented more beautifully than the two GIGs, with much improved CGI imagery and excellent voice work. Mary McGlyn returns once again to perform as the voice of Motoko, and Origa (the singer who sung the intro themes from the first two SAC GIGs) is back to sing the intro and ending themes for SSS.On the topic of the music, Yoko Kanno is once again back and creating greatly atmospheric and emotional themes that accompany the action on-screen perfectly.Solid State Society continues to follow GitS's perfectly complex and political issues, but seems to have followed SAC 2nd GIG more than the other films or series, as it maintains a realtively dark atmosphere throughout it's duration; that said, no GitS film is really all that light-hearted.The film itself is worth buying, as it's a great addition to the SAC universe, however there are also a couple of great extras packed onto the second disk of this set - although Amazon has only stated there's one disk there are actually two. On the bonus disk you get the interviews with the director, designer etc. just as you did with the two SAC GIGs. However you also get a nice bonus with an extended episode of Uchikomatic Days - the Tachikomatic Days from the SAC GIGs obviously cannot continue due to storyline purposes.The overall quality of SSS is very high, with it's only real downfall being that you don't get the same kind of feel for the Puppeteer as you did for the Laughing Man, Kuze or Ghoda. However that was always to be expected due to the fact that this is a film, not a 26-episode series.All the characters that you've grown to love appear in SSS, and unlike GitS 2: Innocence you are not left with a nasty taste in your mouth once the credits begin to role.Overall I would recommend this to anybody who enjoys anime, and expecially to those who enjoy GitS and the Stand Alone Complex universe. However, be warned that unless who have watched the previous installments of SAC, the events that occured will be revealed in the course of Solid State Society - so I recommend you watch those before you buy this.WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO LOSE? BUY IT NOW!

Good adventure

Solid State Society is the follow up to the two Ghost in the Shell Standalone Complex TV series from the same writer(s) and director. Like the S.A.C. series it is closer to Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell manga than the two feature films by Mamoru Oshii.Ghost in the Shell was always interesting as it strikes a balance between action, investigation and philosophy, and Solid State Society continues in that same fashion.Sound and animation are quite good, though as another reviewer also mentioned, the 3D animations isn't always that convincing. The attention to design detail is greater than in the S.A.C. TV series and the inclusion of real concept cars is a nice touch. The music is once again by the talented Yoko Kanno and fits the mood and atmosphere of the anime perfectly.The first disc features japanese and english sound tracks with optional english subtitles. The second extras disc contains "Uchikomatic Days", a few interviews and production documentaries. The one about the making of a working Tachikoma robot model is a neat extra and worth watching.I was personally a little disappointed by the story, which would have been better off as two or three episodes of a new season. I thought the cicumstances in which Kusanagi left Section 9 to be a little forced. And in the end the status quo is restored, making a follow up a little too easy. The film does rely heavily on what happended before. Watch the two Stand Alone Complex series before watching this.If you liked the series, you will also like Solid State Society.

This is a review of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd season all in one because quite frankly they are all equally as amazing and if you see one, you need to watch them all.I was absolutely blown away by the TV series for a set of films I already loved.I didn't expect such quality writing and absolutely amazing visuals.I would even go as far as to say the TV show surpasses the films in both animation (although done more recently, so that's understandable) and story. While the first and second film are both ground breaking and deep, the TV show takes it to a new level.You have to realize though, that the TV series is a prequel to the two films, which can ruin the experience a bit because you know certain characters are truly never in danger because they are alive in the future - in fact I would recommend watching these BEFORE the films.But if can get around that, this is a show which truly pulls you into the characters and helps build a great back story for almost all the people involved.The Major is fleshed out, and her passed revealed a long with several other characters.You get to see section 9 in real action, investigating crimes and watch them tackle 3 main villains across 3 seasons.The first season looks into the laughing man crime, the second season focuses on a very deep and very topical subject of immigration and the threat of an all out war, while the third film deals with the puppet master.It isn't perfect though... sometimes the stories can be hard to follow... especially the third season and in typical eastern style the stories have a strong pull towards the spiritual, which can be a bit confusing - even for a spiritual person.But over all a show in which I wanted to watch one episode after another none stop.In regards to the casing... its great. A nice, sleek plastic, sturdy case which holds all the discs nicely.On a side note... i'm not sure i wud recommend the blu ray over the normal DVD version as there isnt a massive difference in quality.