TLDRs INCLUDED WHERE NEEDED. OVERVIEW Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex which Ill just refer to as SAC is an exemplary cyberpunk tale which reminds us of why we fell in love with the genre in the first place. With its beautiful aesthetics well ahead of its time coupled with the deep messages it offers that always resonate within us not only has it stood its place as the high point for the GitS franchise but also for the entire genre. Before I dive into what makes this show so special Ill provide an FAQ. FAQ Do I need to watch the original movie to understand the plot? No. Many say that you must watch the original 1995 movie to appreciate the series but Id argue the opposite. SAC is a great entry point for newcomers and is an entirely selfcontained story. The originals pacing is quite slow and it emphasizes more on the philosophical aspects. While it is by no means bad in fact I rate it a solid 10/10 it tends to bore off some viewers. SAC serves to satisfy all your action and philosophical cravings therefore it is more suited for a wider audience. If you thoroughly enjoy SAC then I recommend you watch the original 1995 movie. Also we dont talk about the liveaction remake. TLDR: No. Ive not seen many philosophyheavy anime. Can I watch this? Yes. Although this show does not hold your hand its very comprehensible given that you pay more attention to the plot than your average anime. Sub or dub? Both are great. Although I prefer watching dub for serious shows so Im biased towards it. Will my IQ increase after watching this? Ehhhhhh... sure? REVIEW Quite a few people have already reviewed it so Ill keep it as brief as possible while providing information geared more towards newcomers to the franchise and those who havent had much exposure to sciencefiction as a genre especially cyberpunk. WHAT IS CYPERPUNK? Its hard to describe. Some including me call it a genre but others call it a culture. This causes a lot of confusion so Ill give you a concrete answer. It is a style and a medium of themes. Cyberpunk stories are usually set in the nearfuture in large oppressive cities reminiscent of Hong Kong streets. But just because a story is set in a futuristic city doesnt necessarily make it cyberpunk. This is where it acts as a medium of themes. Cyberpunk delivers messages relating to the interactions and relationships between humans technology and society. TLDR: Stories which involve how humans adapt and react to technology and society. OPENING SONG The opening songhttps://www..com/watch?v=QxkMzn4et2U is entirely in CGI so love it or hate it but most agree that the song is absolutely beautiful. Read the comments if you dont believe me. Seriously go watch it. VISUALS Its really hard to believe this show was made in 2002. It happens to look better than most anime today. It captures the cyberpunk aesthetic nicely with its huge sprawling city along with oppressive yet beautiful and vivid lights and skyscrapers. Check out the opening scene for the first episode.https://www..com/watch?v=Po7FsOATd0g While on the topic of visuals lets talk about CGI. Its used quite often in this anime but trust me its done really well. Unfortunately CGI has a bad reputation for sticking out like a tornado in a cornfield and just looking ugly in general. That is not the case here. Ill leave it up to you to decide what you think of the CGI but I guarantee you it will not hinder your enjoyment. TLDR: Beautiful cyberpunk aesthetic with a frequent use of wellcrafted CGI. MUSIC The GitS franchise is known for its unique music which mixes traditional sounds with modern electronic beats. Take the musichttps://www..com/watch?v=RsE8Q789o of the clip provided in the previous section for example. The philosophy of the shrinking dichotomy between humans and machines is reflected in the soundtrack with the traditional instruments and vocals representing human nature and the electronic beats representing well machines. The soundtrack never failed to amaze and immerse me in the plot. Its always refreshing to hear music thats not a generic orchestral score. TLDR: Music from the clip above.https://www..com/watch?v=RsE8Q789o It succeeds in reflecting the central theme of the anime of the blurring lines between man and machine. PLOT Word of advice dont google the plotpoints you dont understand or check the wiki as there are a lot of spoilers. The episodes of SAC are divided into Stand Alone SA and Complex C. SA episodes are selfcontained stories whereas C episodes contribute to the main arc following the mysterious Laughing Man. Without spoilers its really difficult to highlight the ingenuity of both the SA stories and the main arc. Antagonists are unique and seldom bland. They have welldefined and developed motives. My only real complaint with the plot is how repetitive the process watching Section 9 solve crimes becomes. It usually just boils down to hacking to find the criminals coordinates confronting them fighting them and taking them into custody. Although SAC tries to make the process interesting by making the crimes affect one of the members at a personal level due to their circumstances/past each time its always superficial and doesnt really change the characters in the long run or beyond the episode for that matter. Where SAC really shines is in its C episodes which center around the Laughing Man incident. Its an engaging mystery and the show invites the viewers to try and solve the case themselves too as they know as little about it as Section 9 up until a certain point. But even then the case isnt completely solved allowing for further investigation. Of course it is completely possible to just watch the show without trying to solve the case. All in all the main arc is one of the best stories I have experienced not just in anime but in storytelling as a whole. TLDR: Main story arc is amazing. Stand alone episodes are great but get repetitive near the end. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT This is where the anime lacks but thats okay. The superior second season 2nd Gig accomplishes that. SAC serves to convey its philosophical ideas and establish the setting all while providing an entertaining storyline. MY RATING SYSTEM The ratings I give on my profile page are different from the scores I give in my public reviews. My ratings in the former are purely based on MY enjoyment whereas the scores in my public reviews are more critical in nature and a result of considering various factors. CONCLUSION 95/100 The only thing stopping this anime from receiving a perfect 100 is its weak character development. Looking past that this anime provides an entertaining main story arc with fun little stand alone episodes that give life to the cyberpunk world of GitS. Note: This is my first review. Feel free to object and offer advice on improving.