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Ghost in the Shell – Solid State Society – Review
Ghost is the Shell has been around for a while as a franchise, with 3 movies, and 2 TV series to its name. The Ghost in the Shell world is set in the future around 2034 in a time when technology is far advanced and the human brain is shipped about in synthetic bodies as an option just in case you lose your own, or you desire something that offers more performance than a human shell can. The net is a massive virtual world in the Ghost in the Shell world that people can access directly on the go straight through a jack in their brain. Rather like we would through a computer pc, the principle is similar even though Ghost in the Shell was conceived before the internet burst into the public consciousness.
In the film Solid State Society we follow section 9, a special police unit who are at the top of their game and involved in the highly secretive and often political matters or terrorism and war in their country. Section 9 is full of characters including the main four stars in the Ghost in the Shell Movies, the Chief is first, the smart old man with a lot of contacts, he leads Section 9. Next is the Major, the synthetic bodied, and most well known character, she kicks a lot of ass and usually wears very little clothing. Batou is the brawny and smart tough nut who has a thing for the Major yet never pushes it to far. Finally we have Togusa the family man who in the Majors absense has been promoted to team leader. This time around we see them and the rest of section 9 track a criminal known as the puppet master.
Ghost in the Shell – Solid State Society deals with some really pretty complex themes and views on life, through the eyes of the characters who all have very different outlooks on situations and varying relationships. In this way it’s a very mature show and very serious, think of it as a futuristic police show with little in the way of jokes, good character plots and a scantily clad woman with a synthetic body. On top of this you get some serious action heavy scenes, great animation which mixes 3d with traditional cel style animation and science fiction ideas that when first conceived were way ahead of its time.
If your not a fan of Japanese anime you should still consider watching Ghost in the Shell regardless of the medium its presented in, the ideas, story and characters really shine through. Its one of those breakout anime shows/franchises, the poster boy/girl of the anime world that has the ability to cross markets. If you’re a fan of the previous movies or any of the series then this is a must see, otherwise well worth a look.
