Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex second Gig is, again, a tightly packed action/thriller. The premise of the show is sort of simple, there is a refugee crisis, a low pay work surplus, and mass immigration into Japan. Think civil unrest, and confusion between whether terrorists are locals, refugees, or even something new. Again, Major Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9 attempt to stop the crisis that is facing society: Civil War. I sure hope there's no conspiracy to spark unrest going on in the background...
Again, there are stand alone episodes, which expand the world and explore backstories, and complex episodes which are investigative and later battle focused in nature. Both types of episodes up their games even more than the previous series, managing to make you ask the questions rather than asking itself.
The story arc is top notch. Again, the major themes are big government involvement, inter-sectional infighting, cyber warfare, terrorism, some philosophy, but with new additions of civil unrest, war profiteering, failure of democracy, and the threat of nuclear destruction. You're getting a realistic uprising with all the trimmings: why it happens, how its funded, what it wants... All under the charismatic leadership of a freedom fighter, Kuze. Escalation is dealt with wonderfully, and mysteries are never too vague to become boring or repetitive.
The characters are expanded on, and the entire team get lines! Major characters such as Kusanagi, Goda, and Kuze have wonderful individualism and charm, for better or worse. Side characters not as included in this season as the last, meaning the focus for development stays on Section 9, Government Agencies, and Freedom Fighters. There is a lot more emotional charge behind people's motivations now, especially between the Major and the Freedom Fighter. By the end, no matter who loses, you'll know who they are, what they want, and why they deserve what they get.
The animation remains superb, with the exception of the weird 3D intro scene. The character design expands to include even more cyborgs, robots, machines... There are better scenic locations like the sunken parts of the old city, the ghettos that the refugees live in, and the high security contrast of the rich local Japanese government types. Action sequences become even more of a joy to watch You can almost feel the weight behind every punch, and the facial animations are superb (I'm looking at you here Goda). This is 2004 work at a 2010 level.
The sound is largely repeated, at least variations on a theme, from the first season. You've got guitar and bass, some brass, synth, lounge singing, up as far as choral music - and none of it feels out of place or forced into a scene. All I could have asked for is more strings, but I settled for how well the soundtrack could play my heartstrings. After I finished watching, I downloaded the 3 OSTs and now they're on constant rotation on my phone. That's pretty much the best compliment I can give any music.
The last season spent quite some time world building, meaning this season has a lot more time for strong plot and experimentation. Special mention to the stand alone episode with the "identity crisis" plot, that sums up the cyberpunk feeling of this show in 1 episode. By the time you finish episode 26, you'll won't be screaming Motoko, you'll just be screaming. With satisfaction. Batou's Gambit? Goda's plan? Kuze's freedom? The Tachikomas path? Squee. This is the Ghost in the Shell gold standard.
