Nut Ink. Mini reviews of texts old and new. No fuss. No plot spoilers. No adverts. Occasional competency.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex : Episode 001 : Section 9 (2010)

Author: Yu Kinutani | Page Count: 248

"...we've determined the contents of the brain are fake.  So where's the real one?"

The manga of the anime inspired by the film of the manga. A number of cyborg Geishas have taken clients hostage, among them a high-ranking government official who was engaging in some odd activities with the pretend ladies. The Prime Minister summons Public Security Section 9, their best counter-terrorist unit. Led by the cybernetically enhanced Major Kusanagi the team are called upon to not only resolve the situation but to find out who's behind it and why.

It's the entire first episode of the GitS: SAC anime in manga form; it’s almost verbatim except for some minor changes in the action scenes that don’t alter the main storyline one bit. It’s less fun than watching the anime, so is recommended for super-fans only.

Artwork is good and it's well-paced. The characterisation could've been handled better, but it's a successful transition otherwise.

It has its own unique brief Tachikomatic Days at the end but without the audible infectious curiosity of their animated counterparts it’s far from essential.

3 silly sound effects out of 5

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