Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Mayank Agarwal It's been 15 years since the release of the anime series, I only got myself to watch it now. Got to say the production values, animation, voice over and plotting is still top class even now. The setting is about a 21st century society where cyberization and robots are common day features. Accordingly terrorism, blackmailing and other crime waves are more futuristic like hacking into people's brain to making clones and such. The series focuses on a group of detectives/counter terrorist who are elites in solving such crimes, one could say modern day FBI. Each and every episode is a gem, initially each episode seem to be a standalone case, it seemed the focus was to introduce us to the modern society, only by the end do we realized its all tied up to a mega case. The story is now only about showing great animation fight sequences is the case with other similar anime instead it makes you ponder over complex questions. The animation is top class, the fight sequences are still a treat to watch, from the conceptions, to the detailed sequence, to the smart follow through. The same can be said for the sound. The characters, each and every one have their own story to tell, while the star of the show is Major, the supporting cast is well developed. Another stand out figure is the enigmatic Laughing Man, even when you don't see his face he leaves a lasting impression. One of the best though out and executed anime I have come across.

Tweekums If you enjoyed the film versions of Ghost in the Shell and are worried that a TV version will be an inferior product you shouldn't be, Stand Alone Complex is excellent, and as it takes place in an alternate time line to the films Major Motoko Kusanagi is once again leading the operational side of Section Nine.Each series has twenty six episodes, some following a main story line, others which which are self contained, some of these tell us about the characters' pasts. The series is lighter in tone than the film but still exciting when it needs to be. Some viewers might not be too keen on the addition of the Tachikoma, small blue tanks with cute voices, I too felt that way initially but grew to like them more and more as the series progressed. As this was made for television the Major keeps her clothes on far more than in the film, she does however wear a rather revealing costume in the first series.An exciting story well told is helped by really good animation accompanied by a great sound track. I really liked the characters, especially the Major, it was nice to get to know them better than the shorter film format allowed. I would certainly recommend this, not just to people who enjoyed the films but also to any fan of exciting science fiction.Don't switch off when the end credits start as after the credits for each episode there is a short "Tachikomatic Days" story, a little comedy sketch featuring the Tachikoma.These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

johnnymacbest Like its predecessors, this series hits the high notes extremely well. Everything you love about the first two films is here with Motoko and the gang facing new threats in a world that's almost a mirror image of our present-day society. It's not hard to realize that technology in GITS: SAC may someday become a reality rapidly, but onto the series itself, as Roger Ebert once stated "it's unusual and challenging sci-fi aimed at smart audiences", that statement alone clearly describes it all. I must say though I enjoy the series, however the plot is a little confusing and complex but upon repeated viewings I appreciated it even more. Not too many anime series have that kind of depth and replay value which is why I'm not a huge fan of anime in the first place; this series grew on me and I'll be looking forward to seeing more of this highly engrossing cyberpunk universe that our heroes dwell in for years to come. Highly recommended if you like deep and thought-provoking high quality stories and art.

wildbill09 The interesting thing about this version of the Ghost in the Shell world is that the Section 9 team members often manage to get in a conversation about the philosophical implications of what's going on, even as things go haywire around them. Kinda weird from the standpoint of how you might expect a special ops team to act, but it really sells the idea of Section 9 as humane and ethical. Normal cyberpunk (anti)heroes -- the amoral, self-centered variety -- are the kinds of creeps Section 9 blows away every week, which is refreshing.To the above two posters: I fully understand your preference for the movie; it's a great story and a great work of art. A couple of the things you complain about, however (such as Kusanagi's provocative dress habits), aren't a case of dumbing-down for television, but actually straight out of the manga -- Kusanagi's having to strip nude to use her camouflage in the film actually seems like fanservice compared to the manga original, where the cloak seemed to be part of the team's battle dress, not built into the Major's skin. The robots (a different model called Fuchikoma in the manga) are, in my opinion, a nice counterpoint to the main plot: while Section 9 defends the people of Japan from manipulation of their "ghosts," they don't know quite what to make of these increasingly sentient robots. Fuchikoma/Tachikoma were part of Shirow's original vision, but were dropped from the film for technical reasons. It was nice seeing them on screen at last.