Ghost in the Shell – Stand Alone Complex

My love for Japanese Anime has found a new object of its desire: Ghost in the Shell, Stand Alone Complex. The original Ghost was a feature anime film, and a sequel (Ghost 2: Innocence) was released in 2004. In between appeared a 26-episode television series. I really needed something to fill the void after finishing both the Cowboy Bebop and Noir serials. Stand Alone Complex fills the bill nicely.

One of the best elements in GITS:SAC is the music of Yoko Kanno, one of my true compositional heroes. (I’ve blogged about her greatness in another entry.) Stand Alone Complex offers one more venue for her stunning compositional achievement. The score alternates between hard-hitting synth-industrial-screaming guitar tracks and haunting vocal songs.

I admit that most of my favorite anime stories center around one (or a combination) of (1) SciFi, (2) special forces/military ops, (3) anti-crime/warlord urban battles, and (4) political spy thrillers. Stand Alone pretty much covers the gamut.