Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, 2nd Gig (2004)
In the first season of Stand Alone Complex, Public Security Section 9 matched wits with an elite hacker and uncovered government corruption. This time around, Kusanagi, Batou, et al. are called in to investigate a mysterious terrorist group called the Individual Eleven that seeks to inflame the refugee crisis in post-World War IV Japan. Meanwhile, a mysterious leader emerges from amongst the embattled refugees, one who might have a startling connection to Kusanagi’s past. As with the previous season, 2nd Gig is a solid mature anime filled with equal parts action and dialog, and it leaves you feeling smarter for having watched it. Of course, this being Ghost in the Shell, the dialog often gets pretty heady. Sometimes too heady, as it turns out. 2nd Gig has plenty of highlights, such as when it explores the ethical and legal murkiness of Section 9’s actions or the emerging intelligence (and perhaps even humanity) of the Tachikoma robots. And even though Kusanagi is the face of Ghost in the Shell, I daresay that Batou emerges as the better character. But 2nd Gig gets muddled as it dives into the mysterious origins of the Individual Eleven, teases out connections between Kusanagi and the refugee leader, and delves into even more government corruption. As such, the season’s climax, though certainly gripping in places, is underwhelming because so much about the characters’ actions and motivations feels opaque.
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