Who watches Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex on Adult Swim on Saturday nights at 3 AM? ME!

Fun fact about all the cars in the movie. Several manufacturers (Nissan and Infinity I know for sure) were sponsors for this movie. I guess having their cars being animated into it was a form of product placement.

The Top Gear clip was genius and has layers. Not only because his car was stolen, but also because the car Jeremy was talking about in the clip _was also a Ford GT._

24:36 "Which means the Tachikomas are back! ... I'm sure someone is excited." And that someone is me. ' w'

I don't think that's what happens at the end. It's not a copy of the original ending, it's actually a reversal of that; it's about Motoko spawning another conscience through her interactions with the net (whereas the original ending was about a fusion with the Puppetmaster). The Puppeteer is not a computer program that acquires self-awareness. The movie is deliberately trying to set parallels with the original movie to prepare for that ending, and I think they were very clever in that regard, although I agree that they went a bit overboard sometimes and it's far from a perfect movie overall.

How does she know that's HER shell she walks by in the elevator. For someone who apparently HATES that they reference the first film, you forget the scene wherein she sees another person with HER body!

All things considered, this film had great music

Hey, Scott Pilgrim didn't cling to dear life to the source material. They wrote the finale of the film BEFORE the author even wrote the final volume, and both he and the screenwriter deliberately didn't inform each other about how they'd conclude their respective entries! And they left out a HUGE subplot! XD

To answer why Togusa went unconcious. Simply put, concussion. A revolver THAT close, with THAT heavy of a caliber is gonna rattle your brain something fierce.

I could listen to batou give exposition all day. His voice is just too relaxing!

Hey, at least Batou's epic jump didn't end with him landing in the driver's seat of a convertible and speeding off.

Okay everyone confused over how Togusa was hacked, THIS is for you. In the series Togusa had a cyberbrain meaning he could always be hacked. However that was it. THIS is something The Major and the other members of Section 9 made fun of him for... along with the fact that he packed a revolver instead of an automatic supposedly for reliability. However the fact is his choice was entirely sentimental, much like his choosing to remain natural other than his cyberbrain augmentation. However inbetween Second Gig he cast aside his sentimentality and went full cyborg (full body prosthesis). This is hinted at by the change in hair color. Motoko/The Major even comments on this fact in the movie by complimenting him on the fact that he gone full cyborg and switched to an automatic.

I can almost FEEL the director and the writers being on separate pages for the upcoming movie. The director obviously has love for this world and has painstakingly recreated it (questionable casting aside) while the writers saw that GITS is about a person in a robot body and decided to rewrite robocop. Ugh.

Motoco didn't notice the Puppeteer because he obfuscated himself. The whole reason she went rogue is because the Puppeteer got inside her head.

28:30 -- Sage, this "boy" is not a boy. It's the "Little Motoko"-body from the end of the first season of SAC. And it's neither Loki nor Conan running it, but Motoko herself, the entire time. Loki and Conan are Tachikomas working in the network side of things, they're not physically present. And Motoko is indeed able to consciously only control two bodies at the same time, but the Puppeteer-body is moving on its own accord without her knowledge, thus keeping everything consistent, albeit confusing. She doesn't freak out over this because she doesn't know that this body is one of hers, as it's technically not -- it belongs to the designer who died two years prior. The Puppeteer is holding fort in Motoko's base of operations, but is so great a hacker that even she's not aware of it.

Loki and Konan are the names the Tachikoma have called themselves. As well as Max and Musashi, referenced later. Its a reference to the second Ghost in the Shell Manga, as its the name of the AI that appear every now and then.

I still really like this movie despite the myriad of flaws pointed out. It's still Ghost in the Shell and, though I admittedly haven't seen the newer stuff, that's a franchise that has yet to show me anything really truly bad. There were a lot of things the review pointed out to me that I missed, but there's one tiny little thing I wanted to mention: When you brought up the scene where Motoko mentions how many prosthetic bodies she can control, the impression I got was that Loki and Conan weren't two of them (after all why would she need to tell herself something) but rather two of the Tachikomas. Part of the point of the main series after all was that they had achieved individuality, so naming them seems like an obvious next step. She also refers to one as Musashi during the ending raid on the hospital. So yeah, admittedly not enough to balance out a lot of the bad, but I felt it worth mentioning.

13:00 -- Amusingly, psychics do exist in the GitS-universe, at least in the original manga. Its sequel, Man-Machine Interface features a psychic side character who occasionally projects herself to the Major's daughter's head without using cybernetics.

the ford gt thing gets me because technically it's IS less standout then what batou canonically drives which is a lotus esprit which not only being more noticeable it's also most likely a second or third gen which means it's more expensive.

What was wrong with 2nd GIG? I enjoyed it, almost more than the first season. I also thoroughly enjoyed Solid State Society.

The only thing I can think of is that the puppeteer was controlling this shell that looked like him, and had some form of filter or hack in place to keep the Major from doing much to notice, or that that he has an autonomous program that can run basic functions and social interactions when all that's needed is a body in place somewhere, and not active investigation. For instance, we know that there's all manner of android that also populate hte GitS world, and some of these have very relatable and humanlike characteristics that help them blend into their given role, so it's not far fetched to believe that if Makoto can somehow have a giant body storage and dive complex, that she could also have access to basic AI for hte purpose of slipping some of her shells into places where direct intervention may not be needed, with the option to sync with them later to gain possible intel. WHat could have surprised her is that one of her shells was possessed by the puppeteer program at that point in the story.

Some of the car scenes were brand integration with Nissan. In the scene where Togusa arrives in the black SUV, you might notice the Infiniti badge I'm the grille, with a license plate 3923 (San Kyu Ni San). In later scenes, Togusa can be seen driving a white hatchback that resembles the final design of the first generation Nissan Versa. So they may not have been necessary, but there was a reason why they existed.

Actually it makes sense, the puppetmaster must've still have some connection to the body when the major took it and the puppetmaster manipulated the major into not being fully aware of its autonomy. Think of it as like a shadow following the main character everywhere she went with her not being fully aware of it the whole time. So why do all this? I think that the a I wanted to measure an aspect of humanity and used Motoko as the measuring stick

Solid STATE Society? Japan, who are you trying to fool? We all know you wanted to call it Solid Snake Society.

Such a glorious day when Bennett uploads another Anime Abandon!

The funny thing about togusa's hack scene, is That he didn't have to shoot himself at all. He could have just discharged his weapon, and he would have been immediately arrested. No more doctor's appointment, and his friends would have shown up to bail him out.

Digibro's praise for these car scenes in his video on the series, was hilarious. He made out that it was a revolutionary feat of animation.

Oh hey, I didn't realize they Hobbit-style turned opening chapter of a manga, kidnapped children working for the government, into entire movie. Thank you for amazing episode, Sage

It seems like the identity of the Puppeteer would have been smarter/easier to understand if it took a bit from Holokara from AT4W, an A.I. based on the hero (Motoko) that diverged and became someone else entirely but one the viewer could see was possible for her to become. That was one of the best bits of acting I saw from Lewis, where he admitted he could easily have become that angry and bitter if he hadn't changed what he was doing.

i loved the franchise, and all of the anime installations. pacing is fine to me.

Who else didn't know this existed?

Very much enjoyed the episode. Enjoy your break!

Thank you for going back to is intro. The other one I hated because it didn't look right. Felt something out of a middle school film project gone wrong.

Aaaaaaaah finally wer're back to the natural non-over saturated hyper uber HDR lightning, thank the mother modem! For the last year or so my eyes have been bleeding everytime I've watched anime abandon but at last i can enjoy it without severe eye trauma!

My heart jumped a beat for the second I thought they killed Togusa

You know, I genuinely like Dark Hero and the Speed Racer adaptation. If you ever revisit something, I think it would be so cool to see a Sage and Egoraptor crossover where you have a hilarious feud over Speed Racer. Since I've already mentioned Dark Hero, I'd love to see just about any reviewer do a crossover with David Hayter focusing on Dark Hero. I dunno how he feels about it as a film, but I'm sure he'd have some excellent reactions to his own performance.

Nice TopGear UK drop! Love your work as always, good sir!

"More rare than ESP" would've meant "I can't even believe there's ONE like her."

First time I saw this movie and the car shots I immediately discerned they are for product placements, you can clearly see Infinity, Nissan, Ford and Porshe cars and/or logos.

I really wish that he would review the bastard!!! OVA

I know this is 3 years old and I'm not expecting a response, it just annoyed me enough to comment. Sponsorships aside, the car scenes are either plot relevant, character quirks, or to avoid messy jump cuts that make it look like Togusa lives next door to both wherever he was when he got the call his daughter was missing and the cyberbrain hospital. Also, it's just easier visually to establish where characters are and how many will be in subsequent scenes. The scene with Batou and barely important sniper guy following Raj Putah was plot relevant because it established the setting for the final confrontation as the story threads were tying up in the background. Batou in Aramaki's car is an established character interaction between them, made all the more "special" because I believe Mokoto used to do it too until Aramaki got cyberbrain implants. The scenes with Batou commenting on the expensive car in the hospital lot IS a little clunky if only because it shouldn't be weird to see an expensive car in the staff lot of a hospital, honestly it was weirder that the place was CLOSED, but it did clue the character in that this female cyborg isn't just using a similar model. Her taking his car after establishes that the body of the assemblyman is HER before the big reveal and she's forgotten selectively how many bodies she has on tap, not just her neighbor using a body charging port.

If I had an emergency hatchet it would be a broadaxe.

Sage is reviewing Pokémon the first movie the day after my birthday. Best birthday present ever.

Can you do Black Jack or Pet Shop of Horrors please?

I feel like me and Bennett are not on the same page with this, no wait, not even the same book. I mean really, the less said about season 2 the better, what does that mean.

Does suave just stand there? Is that what he does whenever an episode is being made and just hope he has something to do in this one?

Oh man...Pokemon the first movie review? This is going to be goooood.

i really enjoyed this movie but this is a completely fair and justified review of it. plus sages seizure was priceless... and perfect use of top gear =D

22:50 thanks for being one of the only reviewers i know of to use the princess bride boo scene

Bennet please dont start down the Pokemon road. It will just end in tears and possibly gunshots. Save yourself.

The entire premise of ghost in the Shell comes down to the simple question, what does it mean to be human? But another way to look at it is the question, who is Motoko Kusanagi? Because she is the embodiment of the question of what it means to be human. No matter what the continuity as a child she had everything taken away from her including her own body and consequently, became one of the first cyborgs. Not just any cyborg, but one that is over 90% mechanical. She is a observer of the human race who constantly asked the question, when any part of your body can be replaced with machinery, when the human brain can be mimicked by computer, when your memories and sense of self to be altered with a press of a button, what does it mean to be a human? What is the nature of oneself or the soul? Can such a thing be quantifiable? Reason why people love her is because while she is an embodiment of the question, she is also the answer. An answer that comes in the form of her actions. She lives in a world that is constantly on the edge of war, a place where one could easily sell their humanity for convenience, a place where one can lose one's sense of self and have everything about them altered in the instant. So what does she do? She may think of herself as a cold-blooded killer or somebody does completely detached from humanity. But it couldn't be followed from the truth. The simple reason why she keeps fighting is because she can't turn away from a situation that's going south. It was a court law is so she will be willingly become a criminal to bring them to justice. If she sees a child being harmed she will endanger our own life to save it. Think of the most iconic scene in all of the movie, when the puppet master was running amuck in the only way to stop it was behind a impossible to open door she proceeded to use everything she had to try to ter the door open to a point of destroying her own body. Why would she do this? For knowledge? For power? Or was it just just stop a weapon of war from harming innocent people? Reason why people love her so much is because despite how mechanical she is in body, she is very human spirit. For all the strengths and weaknesses that come with it.

This series was the GITS I first experienced, it was shown in Animax when I still live in mainland China, ah memories

But.. Even if Scott Pilgrim managed to translate a good visual style and theme... The history were COMPLETLY changed o__o

1:00 I kinda liked Guyver 1 & 2. 23:55 And after hearing all that, I've gone cross-eyed. While the sniper duel and gunfights were exciting, and that bit with Togusa and his daughter harrowing (which also tells me Motoko and Batou are her honorary Cool Aunt and Fun Uncle), yeah, there's a lot going on here that doesn't make much sense.

Solid State Society was good tho

The best part of this review, the top gear clip. God I miss those guys

10:36 BRING! BRING! Your cars been stolen

Sage reviewing Pokemon 1st Movie aka Sage tearing apart childhood. Someone get me some popcorn I can't wait XD

Sage is doing the first Pokemon movie? My body is ready.

The car scenes are there for promotional material. yep.

Are you absolutely right about the cars being unnecessary bits of technofetishism? Yes; but as a car guy anime lover, it’s another aspect of Ghost in the Shell that I love

Wait, wasn't it established in the first movie that Togusa didn't have a cybernetic brain that could be Ghost-hacked? Wasn't that the entire reason the Major brought him onto her team in GitS?

the counting gag returns, WITH A VENGIOUS

lol that wasn't a car seat for the kid, that was the actual car's seat, the driver side is the exact same

14:16 "Well, I can't complain about the nurse uniforms here." I felt compelled to watch this one on 2/3/2024, the date (according to SAC) of The Laughing Man Incident.

*rubs hands together* Can't wait for that Pokemon Movie review. It gonna be goooooooood.

OMFG! He's gonna cover the first Pokémon movie? ...Gabe, RUN!!! YOU DON'T HAVE ANYMORE EYES FOR HIM TO CLAIM!!! ONLY YOUR SOUL REMAINS!!!

NICE! i was wondering when you'd review this.

A top gear reference never thought I'd see one of those done by an American reviewer

Enjoy your OdinSleep, Sage. We'll be here when you return.

Solid State was AWESOME.

I’m happy the Tachikoma are back.

Little do you know, a main character in the current running manga is a psychic

There in their car They feel safest of all They can lock all their doors It's the only way to live In cars

I had forgotten I'd seen this movie until now.

YES!!!! FINALLY! YOU'RE GOING TO REVIEW THE 1ST POKEMON MOVIE!!! HYPED UP AS SHIT!!!!!!

G.I.T.S.? Don't you mean G.I.T.S.S.S.S.?

Yes the Stand Alone Complex is a different retelling of the manga and first two movies. The Laughing man and individual Eleven are movie length retellings of the first ans second season of SAC. And Solid State Society is a sequel to SAC. The first two reviews you did were different continuity to the Stand Alone Complex continuity and now even the Arise version.

Damn you Sage! Guyver 2 was awesome!

this is a good movie

the clip that was in context literally about the gt40's shitty antitheft system for when she stole it killed me A+

I'm having flashbacks to NC's Pokemon Movie review, and I have never seen it, even trying to avoid it... I'm scared.

Motoko was on the crane to fill out the map.

Guyver Dark Hero was awesome. Watch it, mister.

Something tells me Nissan *ARE* the Solid State Society... and having lived in Sunderland for two years (where Nissan have a massive car plant) that wouldn't surprise me. Also, I get the feeling that the live action Ghost In The Shell film will be Scarlett Johansson being very reminiscent of Sean Young due to the film being a blend of references to the animatedc films and Blade Runner... and possibly little known Anglo-German space opera Star Maidens. Actually, I'd like to see an anime version of Star Maidens wih Naru Narusegawa as the president of Medusa... OK maybe not Naru, that would make it the favourite film of the Red Pill mob. When did Togusa get implants?! And if he doesn't get implants *how would he be affected by virus?!*

Bato shaped hole in the ground did it for me

Ghost in the shell a movie I can't wait ... to rent on Amazon.

I watched all of SAC in January, and I'm still kicking myself for not seeing it sooner. I could tell SSS was too close to the first movie in ideas/scenes and it had a slightly different feel compared to the two seasons and there were moments that made me go "Wait, what?" as pointed out, but I still enjoyed it a lot. Maybe it's because Batou, Togusa, and the other Section 9 members have a bigger focus, though. Oh my God the first Pokémon movie? Is this the 4KIDS review we've been waiting for? My birthday came early!

you're going to be gone a whole month? Have a good vacation, we'll miss you!

Interesting an Anime Abandon look at Pokemon.

IIRC, all these car scenes were there for promotion for car companies like Nissan

23:50 had me in fucking tears! Best Sage Scene Ever!

Batto drives the same kinda car as my friend's dad, right down to the stripes. Weird.

1:17, omg, I nailed "passable" right before you said it, which is what reminds me of 98% of media these 2010-2017 days.

Motoko likes to get her Batman on. Maybe she gets better scopes on the city? Being an android she has a bird's eye view for anyone and everyone.

You forgot Tom Cruise's "Edge of Tomorrow" witch was based on the Manga "All you need is Kill" witch may be getting a anime soon.

Hey I just wanted to mention the strobing light in the background on the too shelf of your collection. Maybe it's just me.

The comm links need line of sight to hack. Shes on the crane to be able to see object she's hacking without being seen herself.

They paid good money for all that CGI and they're gonna use it!

15:00 How of curiosity, anyone can tell me if the Japanese dialogue is different ?