If you’re a fan of anime, you already know about Ghost in the Shell, the classic 1995 movie about an elite group of police officers and military veterans who investigate terrorism and cybercrime in the near future, when technology has advanced to the point where the lines between man and machine have started to blur. In this world, in the far-off year of 2029, a lot of people have augmented their bodies with cybernetic enhancements or even opted for fully synthetic bodies. In that context, a “cybercrime” can involve hacking someone’s central nervous system from afar, or hacking their cybernetic eyes to make them see things that aren’t there.
As technology advances by leaps and bounds in our own world, Ghost in the Shell feels more relevant by the day. So is its TV show spinoff, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, which explores a lot of the same themes over the course of the two excellent seasons, which will keep you watching for a while.
This animated show from the 2000s has a lot to say about the 2020s
It’s a great time for cyberpunk stories
Stand Alone Complex is set in the same world as Ghost in the Shell and revolves around the same characters, but it’s not a sequel or prequel; it just starts the story fresh and acts as if the movie never happened, so you don’t need to have seen the film to enjoy the show.
We mainly follow the members of Section 9, who investigate crimes in this futuristic version of Japan. The group is led by Motoko Kusanagi, known as “the Major,” an ultra-competent officer who has a completely synthetic body, or “shell.” Her second-in-command is Batou, who’s a little warmer than the Major and who has only replaced most of his body with machine parts. Then there’s Togusa, the only all-human member of Section 9, who has a family and a comparatively normal life outside of work.
In this society, Togusa is considered a weird outlier for not having cybernetic parts, which is a great jumping-off point for the show to explore all kinds of interesting questions. What does it even mean to be human in a world where robots can do a lot of things that humans can do but better, something that a lot of people are probably asking themselves nowadays as AI technology continues to improve? If you replace most or all of your body with cybernetic parts, are you really still a person? With companies like Neuralink implanting devices in people’s brains and billionaires like Bryan Johnson earnestly attempting to live forever, we’re at the point where these sorts of questions are no longer purely the province of speculative science fiction, which is watching a show like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex isn’t just entertaining; it’s thought-provoking.
Stand Alone Complex is slick and satisfying to watch
The animation and storytelling hold up
But crucially, the show is entertaining. Stand Alone Complex delivers a mix of stand-alone episodes and full-season story arcs that put our heroes in real jeopardy. The first season revolves around the Laughing Man, an activist who uncovers a scheme to line the pockets of powerful corporate interests and corrupt politicians at the expense of people’s health. He hacks everyone’s vision so they see a laughing logo over his face at all times, which is how he got his name.
The stories are inventive, well-paced, and action-packed. Stand Alone Complex is an action show, and the animation is good enough to actually sell the action scenes, decently above par for your standard anime series, if not quite as fluid and detailed as in the movie. The rocking industrial soundtrack also stands out. And there’s some dry humor to help the whole thing go down easily.
With its futuristic setting, cybernetically enhanced characters, and interest in what it means to be a biological human being in a world dominated by robots, Stand Alone Complex falls squarely within the cyberpunk genre. It remains one of the premier examples of cyberpunk excellence on TV to this day.
There are a lot more Ghost in the Shell spinoffs and side projects out there
But not many are worth watching
At this point, the Ghost in the Shell universe is very big. Stand Alone Complex and the original movie are both worth watching, as is the Stand Alone Complex sequel movie Solid State Society. In 2017, Paramount put out a live-action, English-language remake of the original Ghost in the Shell movie starring Scarlett Johansson as the Major, but it wasn’t very good. Ditto the 2020 Netflix revival series Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045, which was dinged for inferior animation and less curious writing.
Even all these years later, you’re better off sticking to Stand Alone Complex, or seeking out some of the other anime series out there just waiting to blow your mind.
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Even if you usually enjoy animation, Stand Alone Complex is worth a watch
Although there are lots of great animated shows for kids out there, series like Ghost in the Shell prove that animation can be for teenagers and adults, too. The Japanese animation industry has known that for many years, and as anime becomes ever more popular around the world, it’s a good time to revisit classics like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, especially since it still has so much to say about our place and time.
And if you’re still not sold on watching an animated series as your next big binge, there are plenty of great live-action sci-fi shows to watch, too.
