The name is a focal point for this series, as it is based upon "Stand Alone" and "Complex" episodes. We all know what a stand-alone episode is in anime - it is inessential to the show's entire plot. It's a neat cyberpunk way of framing their plan of filling their show with world building, taking us into the broad spectrum of the cold, digital streets and skies of Ghost in the Shell's universe while also telling a broader story in the complex arc.
Unfortunately, it's at the concept that the show begins to fall apart.
The "Stand alone" episodes often range from needless filler to weakly interesting distractions from the main plot. The 24-minute episode format isn't befitting of these fillers, as most of the episodes comprise of wordy almost-monologues that explain the plot followed by highly varied action scenes where our heroine and her accomplices come out on top. There's very rarely enough time to build tension, but the action scenes do deliver.
When the show let's itself become something more than a contained episode of talking and then fighting, it really comes back together again.
The "complex" deals with the cast of Section 9 hunting down "The Laughing Man" - Stand Alone Complex's alternative to the movie's "Puppet Master." While the concept of identity isn't discussed as broadly this time, "The Laughing Man" instead weaves a complex web to overturn a corrupt political system. The unassuming villain is a complex one, and easy to sympathise with as the complications between good and bad alter on an episodic basis. Some high brow references to J.D. Salinger may go over your head, and you're going to be juggling names as you pay attention to the wordiness, but The Laughing Man arc is a strong case of story telling and builds tension even outside of action scenes. I was even on the edge of my seat watching a Togusa convince a businessman to give him paper evidence!
It's strange that such a strong arc is paired with such a weak string of unrelated episodes, but the Stand Alone episodes do help to build our characters. While most of Section 9 isn't even given defining character traits, they do serve for decent banter with our main quartet, comprised of badasses Motoko and Batou, their uncyberised, simply augmented cop Togusa and the political head that keeps them focused, Aramaki.
Motoko and Batou have strong chemistry as great friends, and their work-focused, solitary lives are given brief exploration. However, more importantly is Togusa, who manages to leap from being just a "jumped-up beat-cop given a chance" to being the emotional driving force of the show. The humanity he offers is invaluable, and at times I would dare to call him the ultimate protagonist. Side-note, I loved his American voice actor more than the Japanese original. There was something nostalgic and refreshing from years of watching American cop-films about his family-man pseudo-arrogance.
Aramaki is mostly dealing with the political runnings behind the scenes, but does serve some significant importance to the show and has a shady history which gets discussed in latter episodes. He presented a humorous irony of loving what his group does but hating the bureaucratic side of things - that which he focuses on reducing for them. In turn, he plays father figure to the group of lonely, almost-vigilantes and rounds out their family of high-tech crime cops.
And it's that family that holds this show together. Not the world building aspects, which aren't handled as moodily as they were in the film but significantly more fleshed out. It's the idea of being disconnected and socially isolated, but coming together for a cause that makes this show, especially The Laughing Man arc, work so well. I guess that's what they really meant about "Stand Alone Complex."
