Ghost in the Shell:Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig v5
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   161 of 331 readers found this review helpful.

Quick note, the “Stand Alone” part of the title does not mean you can jump right in and everything makes sense. The “Complex” part is apt, however.

“Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig Volume 5: The War at Home” is a mostly encapsulated story, and once the characters were introduced the story did make sense, but after this four 30 minute episode collection, I’m itching for more.

This was my first romp into the Ghost in the Shell world, and I was immediately wrapped up in the fast-paced futuristic espionage thriller. It’s a well crafted tale with plenty of cool techno gadgets, and good old fashion gunplay. Who cares that I had no clue what the hell they were talking about…it was still a lot of fun. It’s like trying to watch “BladeRunner” for the first time, but skipping the first hour.

Visually, the show was a sight to behold. The futuristic cities and post-apocalyptic decay creates a wonderful backdrop to the characters. This is some top-notch animation, and word is the most expensive anime project to date, and buddy, it shows.

It wouldn’t be fair to try and summarize what was going on, but the main story line follows The Major and her team trying to track down Kuze, who’s organizing the refugees in an almost religious zealot fashion. Oh, and he’s arming himself to the teeth.

If you’re a fan of the show, this is probably a no-brainer purchase. But if you’re like me and coming in late in the game, do yourself a favor and do your homework first, it’ll make a lot more sense.

I also have to give credit to Manga for some slick packaging too. While $50 is steep for 120 minutes worth of show, the Limited Edition 3 DVD pack is chock full of extras, is packaged in a collector’s tin (inside a larger cardboard box) and also comes with two small toy versions of Togusa and Tachikoma, which are perfect for nerding up your workspace.

On its own, this volume was highly entertaining, great looking and had a cliffhanger that left me wide eyed. It’s a 3 ½ out of 5 can DVD, and definitely has made me want to track down more.

Added:  Monday, June 12, 2006

Language: eng[ Did you find this review helpful?  Yes  No ]
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