I had an introduction with the "Ghost in the Shell" with the very first film. A masterpiece in philosophical future thought. Since the story was perfect as a 1-hour and 20-minute film; a series with 26 episodes was a tough ask from me. It didn't deliver as much, but maybe I can't really compare.
These are two very different stories, tackling a different world, and another message. One is that of the mental questions of how can the world work with these sci-fi concepts, and this series worries itself more on how people deal with those concepts, with a bit of fun.
The story becomes a cop show, crime of the week, with an overarching narrative that slowly becomes the focus. I really wish I could've just experienced that story instead of the entire thing, since many episodes feel useless. However, everything matters in the long-run. You can't skip anything, since it all comes back in the end to move the plot forwards, and it angers me that wasting my time, worked for the story. I hated those tangents that made me lose interest all the time. It manages to drive the point on how societal problems are that of stand-alone elements, eventually becoming a complex web of points that become a whole.
As a story, it worked surprisingly well, but it's not one I liked that much. If anything, I loved those chapters where people just talked about something they deemed interesting about their world. Be it the conspiracy talk, the existential (and surprisingly casual) talk from the robots. Those moments manage to make this series so much more than just a normal detective sci-fi show. Sadly, it should've been shortened to a more effective narrative of only the big plot. It had a terrible pacing for me; as well as so many episodes I couldn't care less about.
I'd say the animation managed to pull me constantly to keep watching. Amazing visuals, actions scenes, environments, details to movement. On the other hand, the characters are something that needed a little more work on the beginning. We don't get anybody that pulls us towards the series, to learn more. I wish there wasn't that very slow development over many chapters that matter so little. It's just the smallest bits that don't create something interesting in the end.
Overall, I just think this is wasted potential. An excessive series that goes to places that don't give much to the story, but are necessary. If the audience has to sit through something slightly important, it's better to put both separate in its own place. I wish I could've skipped so much of the "Filler" to be honest.
6.5/10. It needed to be truncated.
