[Categories: Anime Reviews]
GitS SAC 2nd Gig episodes 24-26 and Final Thoughts
And so the second season of the SAC finally draws to a close…it’s a moment I didn’t really want to see so soon but it’s a satisfying and gripping conclusion to the current story arc. Ladies and gentlemen, the proverbial shit has hit the fan! The crisis in Dejima boils over into a full-on military assault, prime minister Kayabuki is the subject of a political coup and the members of Section Nine are split up as they try to prevent Nagasaki disappearing under a mushroom cloud. Again. With only a few minor criticisms, this is a good ending to a very good series.
The political side of things is resolved, as Kuze tries to initiate a revolution from the refugees. There are a lot of very angry people, very much armed and very much willing to fire upon the military; meanwhile, Kayabuki is under house arrest and it’s up to good old Togusa to bust her out and enable her to regain control of the government. There’s intrigue, double-crossing and diplomatic dealings that Tom Clancy would be proud of - all the way through the series I was impressed with the complexity of this new element, which lifts it above what the show achieved in the first season.
Another change for the better with the Second Gig was that of the characterisation: the Major, Batou and Togusa inevitably take centre stage but their comrades, namely Saito, Boma and Paz are a lot more fleshed out. Even the Tachikoma’s engineer plays an important role before the end - I didn’t realise until now that his name was Proto! Kuze was a pleasant surprise in that respect: the first time we see him he is a nameless thug who was hellbent on assassination; thanks to glimpses into his background and crucially a lengthy exchange of words with Motoko in this final volume he is a much more sympathetic character. Sadly Gohda doesn’t fare so well: initially he shows much promise but by the end we still don’t know much about him or his motives. All I could deduce was that some unknown event had given him his distinctive James Bond-villain appearance, but even that may not explain why he had gone on that immense power-trip of his; I see his character as something of a wasted opportunity.
Another small niggle with the series is that it relies heavily on long strings of dialogue that require patience and no doubt were a pain for the seiyuu to record. While this is nowhere near as noticable as that of the two feature films, it slows the pace down at times and demands quite a lot of concentration from the viewer (concentration that is better spent on keeping up with the notoriously complex storylines for instance). A constant feature of the GitS franchise is that it tries to be more clever than it either is or needs to be; at the end of the day, the SAC is a high-tech science fiction thriller with enough going on already to keep viewers occupied.
I can’t go without saying a few words about the adorable Tachikomas though, whose final scenes on this disc surpassed those of the first season’s. They play an even more pivotal role in the way that the events play out and cement the notion that their AI has raised them to a status above that of mere machines. By taking their own initiative in the heat of the moment, they exhibit free will and show how even mechanical entities can have what it takes to understand the value of life; Aramaki’s description of their actions afterwards was particularly telling when he describes them as “my men”.
Summary
Although it still allows itself to go off at tangents occasionally with the philosophical posturing and lengthy exposition, the Second Gig winds up as a thoughtfully written and well-presented science fiction thriller that manages to maintain the high standards the franchise has set for itself. Politics, mystery, action and a convincing view of the future are all represented along with cutting edge visuals and a top-notch soundtrack. All in all it’s a solidly entertaining series that I’ve enjoyed from the first episode to the last. When is Solid State Society out again…?
Posted on April 19th, 2007 @ 7:19 pm
I have to admit that when the Tachikomas were singing their joyful little song about being alive, sounding for all the world like happy little children in a schoolyard, had me close to tears. Aramaki describing them as ‘his men’ just clinched the deal.
Posted on April 19th, 2007 @ 8:08 pm
The DVD release of Solid State Society is scheduled for July 3, 2007
in the US.
Posted on April 19th, 2007 @ 8:33 pm
@Dop: Yeah, it’s a great scene - the music was supposed to resemble Kenji Kawai’s score for the feature films, which I thought was a nice touch. Bless ‘em!
@Mochi: It’s a rare occurence but it looks like the UK release date is around the same time (possibly a day earlier). It goes without saying I’ve preordered it but hopefully I’ll get to see it early at the Sci-fi London weekend next month. I’m looking forward to seeing where they take the story next, because it looked like Section Nine had been restructered or something, judging by the uniforms and the ‘Fuchikoma’ tanks they were using.
Posted on January 28th, 2008 @ 9:24 am
Hey fellow fans. I’ve just finished the SAC 2nd Gig. I’ve got really confused at the last 2 minutes of the entire series. This is the only time I’m lost or maybe I’ve been lost all along. Anyway, I hope you guys can help me understand it a bit better.
At the end of the final episode where the Major shot Goda (which by the way felt good), Batou said to that man with glasses “It’s that prick…” and then the Major realised that they were going to kill Kuze. Can someone please tell me who the heck was that prick Batou referred to? I couldn’t remember where he play a role in the conspiracy.
Thanks.
Posted on June 10th, 2008 @ 12:19 am
I absolutely adore this series, and the second season surpassed the first much to my surprise.
I have a question though. I just finished watching the series again for the second time, and I realized that while many of my questions and confusions were answered, there still remains 2 that are not.
The first and most annoying to me happens in the last episode right as Batou breaks open the Major’s and Kuze’s tomb. They are holding each other about to bite into an apple. What does that mean? I have this feeling that there is some kind of symbolism with their actions but I can’t seem to figure it out. It also shows that Kuze actually took a bite of his while the Major did not. It’s very interesting.
And also the last scene after the Major jumps out of the window to go save Kuze, you see him on the floor with the guy about to inject him and he says that he’ll go first. Did he release himself into the net or what? Or did he die because the guy already injected him?
These two questions leave me unable to appreciate the ending as much as I’d like too. So any insight or answers would be VERY much appreciated! ^_^
Posted on July 5th, 2008 @ 1:47 am
MangaGal: The “prick” who Batou called is the CIA or CIS agent of the American Empire. The person featured prominently in the episode “Jungle Cruise”. They went to Section 9 in the guise of assisting them to “track down” Marco Amoretti. Also, if you would notice, the guy who injected Kuze with the micro machine virus is also the “prick’s” partner in the CIA or CIS from the episode I was referring to.
Meredith: For your first question regarding symbolism, GitS SAC 2nd gig is so FULL OF IT! The Major and Kuze were trapped in the rubble and as you can see they were all alone. Another hint are the apples, the Major gave Kuze one, and she held on to another. As she was about to bite into it, she stopped from putting it into her mouth because she heard the Tachikoma’s song. That scene is suggesting that they were like the Biblical Adam and Eve, Eve offers the forbidden fruit (maybe to take them to another level of consciousness etc) to Adam. The only difference is that it was Adam/Kuze and not Eve/Motoko who took the bite.
Also, another point to note is that when Kuze reaches for the apple, his palm has 3 bullet holes in it (he was shot by Batou by a burst from his assault rifle in episode “Embarrassment”) which alludes to the Stigmata of Jesus Christ! Kuze, to the refugees is like their Messiah or saviour, who will lead them to their “salvation”.
Another interesting thing to note is the way Batou carries the steel beam he uses to pry out Motoko and Kuze. It would appear that he is like Jesus Christ carrying the Cross on his way to Golgotha! This scene could be viewed two ways:
1. Batou represents Section 9 in their lonely fight to help save the world. Meaning, their actions are to help prevent/stop mankind from suffering another devastating and costly nuclear conflict.
2. Batou could be carrying his UNCONDITIONAL LOVE for the Major. It is obvious that he always gets out of his way to “assist” the Major even if it is unnecessary. Batou tries to express his feelings subtly to her but it is always never reciprocated! If you are familiar with Christianity you’d be surprised by the similarities considering this is a Japanese production.
For your second question Meredith, I think because Kuze bit into the apple which to me symbolizes “the first sin” or to the creators of 2nd Gig could be the next level where he proposes to take the refugees with him. Whether he was successful in reaching the net, I honestly do not know too and I think we may never really know.
I hope I was able to assist you with your questions. Oh, and by the way, I too really love everything about Ghost in the Shell! It is well written and intelligent and I never seem to tire of it.