A discourse on Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
GitS: SAC came out in 2003; before the wave of smartphones, social media, and national-level pan-opticons (at least those that got revealed thanks to Snowden).
The show starts off in a fictional February 2024, where cyborgs are in wide usage. Obviously, that's not true. However, the juxtaposition of the "servant-class" taking hostage government officials within the first episode... Cmon. The antagonist's greater goal of gaining access to classified government documents cant be ignored.
We have no mini tanks, no AI that can autonomously control heavy weapons for the military, let alone public security special units. But the Laughing Man arc proved to be one of the most accurate speculations on society. Armed assault of a healthcare executive? Check. Secret list of celebrities and government officials getting preferred treatment over the masses? Check. Conspiracy within the pharmaceutical industry? Check.
However, the real standout, oracle-ing had to be the concept of an internet meme, and how much influence [internet] popularity can translate in to public support for objectively evil deeds. Remember, the show came out in 2003. No Facebook. No Instagram. Myspace wouldn't even be a thing for another 2 years. But the concept of a "meme", the concept of "virulency" (kinda) within the context of internet popularity; and the widespread effect a single person can have due to the interconnectedness that platforms like social media can provide. It set up a real modern philosophical quandary. If minds could be hacked, what would the difference between organically created sympathy/support and something that rewrote some bits of your internal memory that created a more positive algorithm for your mind to follow? Not to argue exact politics, but the MAGA movement provides a very good example of how one can "hack" a mind and gain sympathy for doing something that society has universally said is "no good". How widespread and "intense" the effects can be.
Even fucking Reddit was conceptualized. Episode 10 or 11 had Motoko within an online virtual chat forum, where randoms using anonymized personas discussed cultural and political topics.
It's a fucking great show. Even 22 years later. I wish a non-3d/CGI GitS show would come back. We need another Production IG 26 episode banger.
The show starts off in a fictional February 2024, where cyborgs are in wide usage. Obviously, that's not true. However, the juxtaposition of the "servant-class" taking hostage government officials within the first episode... Cmon. The antagonist's greater goal of gaining access to classified government documents cant be ignored.
We have no mini tanks, no AI that can autonomously control heavy weapons for the military, let alone public security special units. But the Laughing Man arc proved to be one of the most accurate speculations on society. Armed assault of a healthcare executive? Check. Secret list of celebrities and government officials getting preferred treatment over the masses? Check. Conspiracy within the pharmaceutical industry? Check.
However, the real standout, oracle-ing had to be the concept of an internet meme, and how much influence [internet] popularity can translate in to public support for objectively evil deeds. Remember, the show came out in 2003. No Facebook. No Instagram. Myspace wouldn't even be a thing for another 2 years. But the concept of a "meme", the concept of "virulency" (kinda) within the context of internet popularity; and the widespread effect a single person can have due to the interconnectedness that platforms like social media can provide. It set up a real modern philosophical quandary. If minds could be hacked, what would the difference between organically created sympathy/support and something that rewrote some bits of your internal memory that created a more positive algorithm for your mind to follow? Not to argue exact politics, but the MAGA movement provides a very good example of how one can "hack" a mind and gain sympathy for doing something that society has universally said is "no good". How widespread and "intense" the effects can be.
Even fucking Reddit was conceptualized. Episode 10 or 11 had Motoko within an online virtual chat forum, where randoms using anonymized personas discussed cultural and political topics.
It's a fucking great show. Even 22 years later. I wish a non-3d/CGI GitS show would come back. We need another Production IG 26 episode banger.
Commentaires
* Include **basic information about the anime** such as a description for those that haven't heard of it as well as where it can be watched (if legally available).
* Specify a **date and time** that rewatch threads will be posted. Consistency is good!
* Check for **[previous rewatches](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/rewatches)**. It's generally advised to wait a year between rewatches of the same anime.
* If you want to have a rewatch for multiple anime, they should be **thematically connected**. You can also hold multiple unrelated rewatches if they aren't.
* Ensuring **enough people are interested** is important. If only a few users say they *might* participate, you may end up with no one commenting once it starts.
[](#bot-chan)
I hope this helps! You may also want to talk to users that have hosted rewatches before for extra advice, also listed [on the rewatch wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/rewatches).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/anime) if you have any questions or concerns.*
GitS is one of my favorite anime of all time (all of it, movies and 3dcg, except Arise which can kick rocks), and that's largely because of the moral dilemmas and use of technology like you've mentioned.
To me, there's no better anime for making you understand and accept the real world around you with the pure scale at which GitS aims to achieve.
Arise annoyed me in that you had the original releases then the episode versions which just weren't as good but thats what they went with. What they cut is what made it better. Still not as good all the others.
Th.ey better clear their goddamn schedule and get proper funding. Hell, I'd donate $100 to the production committee to put out a proper anime. I dont want them to One Punch my GitS
While u/nullv is more correct in asserting IRC over reddit, as the concept of memes was more of a 90s invention within messageboards and IRC chats; the first widely recognizable and replicated memes started in the late 2000s/early-2010s with Bad Luck Brian, Overly Attached GF/etc.
The episode where they're tracking the US veteran whose torturing people; youtube didnt come out until 2005. So a platform that shared video media with users didnt even exist at the time. In real life, we get mass shootings live streamed, manifestos uploaded to Facebook, while netizens try to catch terrorists in message boards.
Hell, we may not even be that far away from the elderly unconscious gestalt running conspiracies like we saw in Solid State Society.
GiTS is quite incredible, but it takes a lot of doing to produce a show that lives up to the mythos. Arise was mediocre, and though the 3dcg did end up going somewhere interesting, it never lived up to SAC or the original film.
I’m very curious to see the new show. Basing it on the manga means it’ll be more irreverent and goofy (maybe a lot more sexual) but that could be great.
In retrospect, SAC almost seems to be talking about some very specific problems of modern day politics, as if it was released just yesterday with painfully on-your-nose metaphors in the worst case. It's the kind of thing I'd expect from sci-fi short stories from the 80s/90s, but never from an anime.
Season 2 has a ton of stuff whether it's how it portrays far right ideology as a literal virus once individuals get deep enough into obscure internet rabbit holes, information being manipulated in order to forment animonsity between Japanese civilians and refugees, and how the main villain Gouda is trying to attempt a right wing coup in order to get rid of article 9 of the Japanese constitution and militarily realign Japan with America.
Also everything about Kuze is fascinating since it's kinda like if you combined a Che Guevara type figure with the Puppet Master. I think SSS also might take some inspiration from Fredric Jameson with it's use of the term "Vanishing Mediator" at the end of the movie, but I haven't read any of Jameson's work to really be sure of that.
I'm really excited for the Science Saru adaptation that'll probably be more faithful to the OG manga, but at the same time imo the ideas of the manga are generally expanded upon and surpassed by the movies and SAC. I'm really curious to see how the adaptation will handle it beyond staying true to the more light hearted tone of the manga. Also if it'll keep the Israel and Mossad plotline lol.