Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd GIG Vol. 2
Synopsis
On her first visit to one of the refugee areas, the Prime Minister receives a bouquet of flowers with a death threat in it. Section 9 is called in to provide round-the-clock security for her as they work to catch the would-be assassin. As they do their legwork, more and more links to the mysterious ‘Individual Eleven’ are uncovered.
Meanwhile, Togusa is trying to unravel the reason for a man’s suspicious death, and it leads him into the bowels of Tokyo and a government cover-up. Then, Section 9 is ordered to transport some dangerous plutonium out of one of the refugee districts, and the creepy Gohda is once again given command of the operation.
When it’s all over, the Major and the rest of Section 9 try to figure out exactly how all of these things are linked together. These strange happenings can’t all be coincidence.
Review
Eureka. Finally, I have figured out the way Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG flows. Every episode that is available is a building block to create one whole gigantic bang. No wonder I felt strange when watching this show right after every episode’s end. In volume two, the show continues right where if left off in volume one… boring. But slowly, it gathers itself up as the plot is revealed right before your eyes… or part of it. The unique thing was how during the dialogues, the characters would cite various events that had happened earlier, which as a result, led me to my overall understanding of Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG and refreshes the viewers’ minds of earlier events, that would otherwise be forgotten.
I was pretty down on volume one of this series as it was pretty disappointing. But volume two was an improvement over it. It was more action and less blabbering. Kind of like let the action do the talking instead of the characters being stationary and conversing on the issues at hand. In this volume, it surrounds a grouped called the ‘Individual Eleven.’ As a member of the group carries out an assassination attempt on the prime minister, Section 9 is put in charge of her safety. As that episode comes to an end, we begin with another episode that just kind of continues going on with the overall story, but taking on another mission, which will act as a stepping stone to bring the viewers closer to the true message that 2nd Gig is trying to deliver.
By the time I was done with this volume, I thought it was an enjoyable volume. It was not out of the world by any stretch of the imagination, but it was adequate in a sense that it brings what it has to, to the table and manages to stay interesting and intriguing throughout.
The Breakdown
I wonder why Gohda does not fix his face up :). Anyways, this was a good volume, but my expectations are a bit higher for a title like Ghost in the Shell :/. Maybe it is just me? Hmm…