KOUKAKU KIDOUTAI: SAC_2045

DESCRIPTION

CAST

SPECIAL MysteryKoukaku Kidoutai: STAND ALONE COMPLEX - Solid State Society
ONA ActionKoukaku Kidoutai: SAC_2045 Season 2
MOVIE ActionKoukaku Kidoutai: SAC_2045 - Jizoku Kanou Sensou
MUSIC ActionWatashi to Isshoni Tobu

REVIEWS

• 

  waifwu

  70/100
  A decent show on it's own but underwhelming compared to it's prequels.

  First of all I'd like to talk about the thing about which most people were skeptical, that is Full CGI. To put it simply the Full CGI here is different compared to the approach that most the anime take i.e, dropping the frame rate to match that anime aesthetic. SAC 2045 decided to throw that away and go with smooth frame rates. The question is did it work? In short it was fair. Certainly not as good as the look of the original SAC or the original movie but nowhere as bad as that it started to ruin the experience or anything.

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  Story - 6.5/10

  The story on it's own might've been fair but when you consider the fact that it has to carry the weight of a series like Ghost in the Shell you have to say that it's not up to the standard set by it. The first arc of the story that's set in America is certainly the weakest part. The first few episodes certainly felt the weakest due to mediocre storytelling. However as the story progressed that got better. Also the last arc was pretty good and felt upto the mark like a real gits story.

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  Characters - 8/10 (minor spoilers ahead)

  So we do get a bunch of new characters along with the og cast with major and the company. In the beginning it looked like we're getting another one named Stan in the company but he was get rid of pretty soon without any development or involvement in the story which definitely questions the whole point of adding him in the first place. Also there's a new pink haired girl at the headquarters who seemed like the annoying point of the show to me at first sight but as episodes moved on it was somewhat leveled down. No complains with the original characters tho. They managed to keep them exactly how they should be.

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  Animation - 7/10

  First things first. Just bashing this anime because of the cgi is not a good idea. Many people including me were upset when the trailer came out with the so called "ps2 graphics". But as i watched the show I very quickly got used to it and very soon started to like it as well because of 2 reasons. 1) As i said before, because they decided to not frame limit it, the fight scenes and chase scenes looked really good. They were very well choreographed too. 2) Even without the frame limit the anime aesthetic was there which brings me to the next point that is the main reason why the trailer looked horrible to most people is because of the difference in aesthetic not because it was ugly or anything. Character design was certainly different and one thing that may have striked many people is major's character looked more feminine than before but it didn't bug me as much because she was as badass as ever. One thing that did bug me was character motions sometimes did feel a bit disney-ish( That's the best way I can describe it).

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  Sound and Music - 5/10

  Not much to talk about here. OP and ED were nowhere close to the iconic OPs and EDs of original SAC which were performed by Origa(Rip). Music was not bad but it didn't suit the ambience of ghost in the shell at all.

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  Overall

  If you liked the original SAC then you'll most likely find it decent at least. It's nowhere close to be called a worthy successor but it's not bad enough that it should be ignored or never looked at it again. The cliffhanger on the last episode was good enough to give me hopes for the next season and they might as well will be able make it a better one than this.

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• 

  Jigemoo

  82/100
  A worthy successor to SAC and not to be overlooked because of a new style, or prejudice against a continuation to SAC.

  Story (9): The bread and butter of this sequel, as it should be. Contrary to the iconic 1995 movie, the original Stand Alone Complex TV animated series featured a much more thrilling political plot that delved into the machinations of a cyberpunk world. And to continue this, SAC 2045 does an absolutely stellar job at capturing your attention with it's intriguing plot. The setting is not much different with the exception of new locales, and that the time period is a little ahead. Every episode leaves you hooked on the premise that there is some organization/individual attempting to gain control in a cyberpunk world. The plot strikes a nice balance between exposition and action as there are philosophical/political discussions every episode, just before or after an action sequence that compliments them (much like the older SAC). There is really only one filler episode, so the story does not wait for long at all. It's surprising to see that people are asking for more when this show borrows the same exact story formula of its prequel.

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  Characters (9): Not much to be said about the cast since it is the same characters, except for a couple new additions. Our beloved cast retains the now veteran VA's who still voice characters like Kusanagi, Batou, and Togusa. So, it is still the characters we love being voiced just like they always were.

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  Visuals (7): The problem child. Or, that is what it's being made out to be. In reality, the new style is just adding on another texture. CGI in anime is very hit or miss, and it makes people reluctant to explore new titles. In this case, Production I.G worked with Sola Digital Arts to create a full CGI experience for the viewers. For a franchise of this magnitude, this was perhaps a bold move. But for the viewer that is willing to take the plunge, a new era of GITS awaits. The character design for the new Major is stunning only because Ilya Kuvshinov is the illustrator behind this new project. As for the CGI, it makes the characters seem too smooth sometimes (but that is maybe for the untrained eye which is not used to CGI). The animation is very fluid most of the time, except when there are certain background characters. The fight scenes are a joy to watch because you can clearly see the detailed choreography. Minor grievances are the muzzle flashes of the guns, and perhaps cars.

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  Audio (6): Let's start with the opening. The OP is a rather large departure from the previous ones as it is the least bit cyberpunk, and just sounds like modern rap with a bit of jazz. As for the ED, it's a polar opposite because it features more synth elements and is sung in a ghost-like voice. The OST is decent, but it could've used more diversity. There are still good tracks, with one in particular sounding reminiscent of Blade-Runner. It's definitely a more modern take, especially when you hear the Drum and Bass during the action sequences sometimes.

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  Enjoyment (10): It was truly a pleasure to be watching GITS again, and SAC 2045 made me feel like this wasn't some milked project. I felt like I was watching SAC all over again, just with a different story and look. It's astounds me how many "GITS fans" will not give this show a shot just because it's CGI or because they hold the original SAC in such high regard that they cannot move on.

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• 

  sam19967

  75/100
  Old meets New in a classic series with a new style

  I want to make one think clear at the start of this review, I have seen all other Ghost in the Shell anime’s series at some point before the release of ‘Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045’ and I have watched them quite a few times as they are among my favourite anime’s of all time (especially Stand Alone Complex). With that said I going to try to be natural on this. Just a heads up.

  Animation – By far the biggest change in the series and a topic no-one can avoid. In brief it’s good. The animation of the 3D models is on level with the use within video games with it’s smooth appearance and natural motion, it stands out more than other as it is one of the best and highest quality I’ve seen in recent anime (AAA video game level work we’re talking about here). All character motion and animation are great, immediate setting (in other words ‘rooms’) is well put together. That said there are drawbacks such as more work could be done on backgrounds, in other ‘Ghost in the Shell’ series the background often showed off the scale of the locations (the use of citywide shots everything from the 1995 film to Arise) creating the appearance of a much larger world. But in SAC_2045 all that is completely gone (probably as it’s quite difficult to make a whole city using 3D models) and the world itself feels bland and lacking any character. When an action section happens (i.e. a fight) this is where most of the problems of animation are. Fights in SAC_2045 can range from fairly okay to stupid to rather stupid (mostly the last) and the tone is completely gone out the window (there’s comedic nudity more than once). This is a series that in the past used combat in a mature way it was always used as a last resort (used realistically) and it was meaningful and impactful. SAC_2045 missies that. So animation then is good, but scale is gone and combat isn’t as mature anymore. Also to note the Opening Sequence is in 3D is nice while the Ending Sequence is in 2D and is also nicely

  Review for first half story - For me the story in the first half is all over the place as unlike ‘Stand Alone Complex’ season one and season two where episodes where divided into stand alone story episodes and overarching episodes SAC_2045 doesn’t have that (doesn’t feel like than anyway although some episodes are standalone). But the problem is the episodes are wildly different in-terms of focus and tone. We start off with what feels like a mix of ‘The Expendables’ and ‘Scooby-Doo’, with tone more in-line with ‘Scooby-Doo’. The first few episodes are a bit strange was it has to set up a lot of changes that have happened between ‘Solid State Society’ and ‘SAC_2045’ while setting up a main plot. The main plot itself is set up is very odd and makes the whole story feel very wired with also make the episode and characters feel odd. Episodes 7-12 change a bit was it becomes more focused and the pace slows down quite a bit, but tone is still a problem. This is probably the last anime you expect to find comedic nudity (including in fights), but the comedic nudity is followed by a slow gentle episode that is nicely though out. This really is Ghost in the Shell writing mixed with Netflix and a lot of fizzy drinks however I think it works (I explain later). Personally, I feel is written to make a show and sell maybe that why some of potential is lost.

  Characters – It’s hasn’t changed to much from ‘Solid State Society’ although a few changes happen off-screen to characters that aren’t really explained. There still solid while ‘Purin Ezaki’ (new) makes the show feel fresher. The main cast have felt that they aged a bit, that said that would be expected as the first series took place in 2030 and this series in 2045.

  As a Ghost in the Shell fan - I said I was going to be natural on this but if I digress of a bit. One of major changes is the (animation duh) tone of the story which is something all other ‘Ghost in the Shell’ anime’s do differently. The stories are much more scuttle by giving very little away to make you look deeper at it and pick it apart which also make people think about it often leading people having different views on the same sense let alone the whole show.
  While it sounds like I’m ripping it apart it’s (again) because I’m a fan of the ‘Ghost in the Shell’ and my main issue is that it isn’t the same anymore from ‘Stand Alone Complex’ season one and two. All the pacing, mature tone, the thoughtful story, the depth. It’s (mostly) gone from ‘SAC_2045’.

  It’s hard to say if I would recommend it or not because while it look like I’m ripping it apart I still enjoyed it. The strange thing is that this is a sequel to a show that came out in 2006 (Solid State Society) so change was going to happen. But even more strangely as a continuation to ‘Stand Alone Complex’ it works. ‘Ghost in the Shell’ fans may or may not like it but there’s another way of think about it.

  Ghost in the Shell as an anime has always (to me) talked about the challenges of modern technology, for example in 1995 the World Wide Web was starting to be used within peoples homes and as more people starting using this the technology it started to develop faster (using the multiplication theory). That the time it was a new thing that could have in gone in any direction. The 1995 film creates a situation using the technology at the time and creates a film around it and a talking point. SAC_2045 does much the same even the fact that Netflix publish it also shows technology (albeit in a not subtle way). As a ‘Ghost in the Shell’ series that is key and it manages it (differently).

  Again last thoughts animation good (sort of), story is wired (too wired), world is bland, philosophy element still there (sort of). So I would say watch it but it’s wildly different from other parts in the ‘Ghost in the Shell’ series. Also remember the term ‘Ghost in the Shell’ series is a bit loose (example there is massive different between the original manga (1989-91) by Masamune Shirow, the 1995 film, Stand Alone Complex and Arise (2013-15). Give it a go and see.

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