It’s without saying that Masamune Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell is one of the largest and most influential anime of all time, and the franchise has spun off into various manga, movies and TV shows, yet it’s firmly established that each and every one of them is its own entity. Even Shirow himself admitted that, claiming that there is no ‘definitive’ Ghost in the Shell and that each version, despite some similarities, should be seen and viewed as its own unique entity. If we learnt anything from the past 30 years since the franchise started, it’s that each version delivers a different separate, yet unique take on the source material within the franchise. However, despite the original movie reputation as a classic and Shirow’s belief that there isn’t a definitive version out there, the Stand Alone Complex TV show is quite possibly the truest and most fully realised vision of Ghost in the Shell to date.

This show is the full potential of what the franchise has to offer, combining simple episodic stories with grand overarching plotlines, and much like TV’s Westworld, this show is like an intricate puzzle box with each piece being placed out before the major truths reveal themselves towards the end. It dabbles with philosophy and psychology, but like The Wire, it requires at least a basic understanding of politics, economics, and sociology, and all of that plays into the show’s greatest strengths. Another of this show’s major positives is its brilliant use of world-building as its constantly evolving and changing like its central characters, and all of that gets to be explored via different avenues the show takes us through. While the world-building is realised brilliantly, this doesn’t overshadow the excellent characterisation and character development so that they don’t get lost in the world they inhabit. Akin to Mass Effect or Metal Gear Solid, this offers a beautifully realised world while also delving into complex themes, deliver gripping narratives and giving us fleshed out characters that each have their own identity and personality.

All of this came from writer/director Kenji Kamiyama, who is, without question, a genius by taking Shirow’s complex manga and transforming into something much more creative and expansive, which is also helped by the extraordinary animation that is delivered by Production I.G. Everything about the animation, from the lush backgrounds to the well-choreographed action sequences to even the slightest of emotions displayed on the character’s faces is far and beyond anything yet seen in an anime on this scale, plus the music by Yoko Kanno is out of this world. However, it is well-rounded characters that ultimately takes the spotlight, and every character here certainly makes a huge impact, whether it’s our main protagonists in Major Motoko Kusanagi and Batou or its central villains like Hideo Kuze and Kazundo Goda. While the original movie was groundbreaking, its characters didn’t really have that much humanity or personalities for us to be invested in them, yet this show delivers that and actually provides moments of levity to make the heightened events all the more real and grounded. Most of those light moments come courtesy of the think-tanks known as the Tachikomas, and these adorable machines are a welcome presence while also probably being the most interesting, complex and effective characters in the entire show.

This entire Blu-ray collection contains the original two seasons (totalling at 52 episodes), the two condensed movie versions of those seasons, and the ‘finale’ movie Solid State Society, and this last chapter of the Stand Alone Complex saga is an admirable effort if ultimately anticlimactic by the end. Ultimately though, Stand Alone Complex is one of the greatest anime to have ever been released and is the true Ghost in the Shell to this day. Everything on display here is top-quality, whether it’s the gorgeous animation, the superb score and sound design, its strongly-authored narratives, the iconic characters or the brilliant voice cast (the English dub is top quality and includes the excellent Mary Elizabeth McGlynn and Richard Epcar). Recent efforts like the Arise series and the live-action movie tried to capture the magic of this series, yet they failed to understand the true passion and ingenuity that went into this show and that was all down to combined efforts of Kenji Kamiyama and Production I.G. There have been anime that have been celebrated for their innovative creativity and this series is no exception; Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is an engrossing piece of genre fiction and further proof that mature anime like this can be a true writer’s medium.

GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX – COMPLETE SERIES COLLECTION / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING: SHIRÔ SAITÔ, MARY ELIZABETH MCGLYNN, WILLIAM KNIGHT / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW