Another point is that the show felt quite simple. Some people praise it to the high heavens and perhaps it was a true masterpiece at 1995, but now it's really nothing special. The art, while great for its time, is now somewhat dated and not fluent. The overall idea of the "futuristic tech" isn't really so futuristic anymore, many things exist or at least we've read about this stuff at least a hundred times if not more in novels, anime, manga, games or whatever else. Yes, that's right, I called it very simple. The idea it wants to convey and the way it's going about it is so barebones it feels utterly lacking. While it doesn't explain anything at all during the show, it's very easy to understand what's going on thanks to having experienced similar settings over and over again. It brings nothing new at all to the table. While the mood is good and intense, it's also not much more than that. There's a severe lack of emotions, the characters all feel kind of dead/soulless, their reactions underplayed and conversations tepid.
Don't get me wrong, I loved the setting and I found the idea fascinating and quite cool, but it has two flaws that are incredibly big. The first is that it lacks some passion, not action but rather it lacks life and the feeling that things actually matter, it lacks a proper punch, something to make me feel truly immersed, something to make me care. The second thing it sorely lacks is plot and story, which is pretty much related to its length but also the previous point in how it lacks some steam and pace. Things are kept very simple, explanations are at a ridiculous minimum, the characters barely talk at all and when they do, it's dragged out needlessly for "extra dramatic effect". How do you want me to care what happens when you don't inform me of the situation? When things just happens? It just makes me feel disconnected from the story. Another point here is that if this was perhaps 3 hours long, it would probably be able to make for a more satisfying experience. After 80 minutes when it suddenly ends, I was left in disbelief at how abruptly it ended just as things were supposed to be getting started. A HUGE change and now she's about to roam the world or something and BOOM <Insert ending credits here>. I mean, geez. It's like some kind of a tease. Just at the first climax it stops completely, leaving me more confused and wanting to know what'll happen from now on than anything else. It was, no doubt, just a prologue. This entire movie is simply one big prologue, nothing really happens and we just get an initial explanation and idea of what's up, the only thing wrong is that chapter 1 to 100 is missing and we're left with just a damn prologue.
I hope that the stand alone complex will greatly expand upon this and let me know what happens AFTER this movie ended. I want to see some badassery and real story, not just an animated striptease that never goes all the way. I will be very disappointed if the anime doesn't work on how things go after the movie ended. I also hope the pace changes somewhat and the characters become more lively and the story better.
The overall ends up at 7 for good sound, good mood, pretty nice characters and very good art for its time. Sadly, the story is underwhelming as nothing much really happened and nothing connects properly and my enjoyment would be a 5 for mediocre. It's definitely watchable and unusual but not something I'd watch again. Loved the idea, disliked the execution. Here I go, stand alone complex, show me that the potential can be excavated! Not extremely optimistic about the chances though. I don't like how they changed her whole image, seems to put too much emphasis on sex appeal and she seems less like a cyborg and more like a normal human. Can't judge before seeing it though... Still, those almost duck-level lips feel jarring.
