Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society

Ghost in the Shell has risen to become a staple of both the science-fiction genre, and of anime in general, enjoying a meteoric rise from cult anonymity to widespread popularity after the onset of its modern revival.

This revival took all of ten years after the first film by Mamoru Oshii (based on the original manga by Masamune Shirow), seeing both a sequel penned by his own hand (Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence), a twenty six episode series by the Ghost in the Shell Committee, and a sequel series in which Oshii exerted a more direct influence (Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex and Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 2nd gig respectively). The two films and the two television series do not cohabit the same continuity however, despite their common origins, and as such, this latest film, the first by the Ghost in the Shell Committee, is a sequel to the two Stand Alone Complex series, and not the other films. 

The story follows the activities of Public Security Section 9, an elite government  agency specialising in tactical information warfare. Consisting of a small pool of highly specialised experts, drawn from the military, the police, the mafia and other institutions, Public Section 9 effectively protects the public interest by investigating and resolving high-level crimes, whilst also taking assignments from the government. Chief Diasuke Aramaki represents the height of Section 9’s hierarchy; overseeing top-level decision making, negotiation with the Prime Minister and the general conduct of Section 9. Beneath him, Major Motoko Kusanagi, protagonist of the main body of Ghost in the Shell fiction and an unprecedented officer, Togusa, a largely unmodified director of field operations, Batou, next in rank to the major – an imposing figure who acted as the protagonist of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence – and a few other select members form the secret organisation.

The world of Ghost in the Shell is set against the backdrop of rapid cyberisation, that being the onset of advanced technology that enables affluent members of society to be implanted with robotic parts – chiefly, the enhancement of the mind. Cyberisation can vary from minor augmentation, such as that of the mostly human Togusa, who values his humanity above artificial enhancement, to a full prosthetic swap-out, in which the entire body and mind are replaced by cybernetic equivalents. Within the Ghost in the Shell fiction, the latter does not, however, entail becoming a robot, but instead supplants the soul with a ghost, a projection of the accumulated information, and a general spirit, of the individual. Cyberisation has also seen the relentless expansion of the net, to which all people are hooked, but then exposed to the threat of hacking, or in the case of Major Motoko Kusanagi, whose sense of self belongs to the information that forms her ghost – which interacts with and is swallowed by that on the net – the loss of individuality in the vast and infinite sea of information.

From this premise, it is clear that natural philosophical considerations arise, such as questions about the nature of the individual and the effects of technology on our lives, particularly at the impending extreme of posthumanism. Mamoru Oshii chiefly developed these themes and concerns in his films, but the Ghost in the Shell Committee instead emphasised political implications, and it is in this that Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society finds its theme; the socio-political repercussions of falling birth-rates and an ageing population.    

The dialogue throws out an unprecedented amount of information – so much that repeat viewings are almost a necessity to follow basic conversations – which is both characteristic of the series, and often ancillary, rising in crescendo toward small pockets of action, followed by a larger but typically anti-climactic battle that leads to the true unveiling of the threat at hand. This formula is subverted to a degree in the latest film due to the somewhat open-ended nature of the ending, but remains largely intact and more evident than ever, making it perhaps the most predictable of the films thus far. The ending, although perhaps the most unique element of the film, is also perhaps among its least impressive.

Not wanting to ruin the story, I’d rather draw attention to the essence of the film, which is more readily accessible, and certainly more rewarding for the Ghost in the Shell faithful. This is because Solid State Society does not cater for people without at least a minimal understanding of the series fiction, with no attempt to introduce or reintroduce characters, explain terminology unique to the series or elaborate on the world in which the characters reside (other than in an extra on the DVD – that is, the limited edition one, anyway). Beyond this, Solid State Society is more characteristic of the Standalone Complex series than the two films by Mamoru Oshii, and in particular, the original series, for the absence of said director. Unfortunately, it is at this point that Solid State Society becomes overtly stale, prosaic and soulless by comparison with Oshii’s more considerate and imaginative predecessors, lacking the atmosphere and magic infused in his productions. The film is not so much wanting for moments of spectacle – such as the establishing scenes, Motoko’s jump or the pathos that envelops Togusa when his daughter is being taken from him – and is indeed highly stylised, but rather, it lacks originality. The most common criticism of the film is that it feels like an extended episode of one of the series, and this is true enough, with the animation and narrative barely straying from the conventions of the series.

It is by no means a bad film though, and fans of the series should enjoy the cinematic treatment given to the Ghost in the Shell world. Those particularly adversed to Oshii’s philosophical musings and well placed quotes – or, as some would have it, erudition and pomp – may find a slightly more down to earth alternative in the hands of the able Kenji Kamiyama. Watching the film several times also makes the sheer depth of it all painfully obvious, even if it doesn’t particularly expand the core themes or ideas found in other Ghost in the Shell releases. It is in this light that I would recommend the film primarily, and, mirroring the tint of disappointment I found with the film, almost exclusively, to established fans of the series.

In Summary

Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society is more of the politically charged same, and though it is characteristic of the modern revival of Ghost in the Shell as a whole, it feels like a good – albeit slightly hollow – bullet point in this great series, rather than the jewel in its crown.