And then this one goes and totally redeems the franchise. Solid State Society is a follow-up movie to the Stand Alone Complex series, and takes place after the 2nd Gig. It looks like it’s a buildup, in the time line, for the first movie.

It was packed with action, intrigue, hacking, multiple cyber-bodies being controlled by one cyberbrain (Puppeteer FTW, especially as a precursor for the Puppetmaster), kidnapping and cyberization of wee children (tug those heartstrings!), and the Major kicking all kinds of arse. It was kind of strange to see Togusa in a leadership position, and my heart went out to his wife, but they did it well. I really can’t reveal any more about what I liked without giving away spoilers, so I won’t.

I enjoyed this movie so much, I gave it five stars. If you’re a fan of Ghost in the Shell, you’ll dig this.

Let me start off by saying that I am a huge fan of the original Ghost in the Shell movie. I’ve watched it countless times, and probably contributed an undue amount to the wear and tear of ‘s VHS copy of it while I was living in the TWP and working for Comcast. This drove me to rent Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex from Video to Go. This was, maybe, a month or two before I went to San Francisco. I soaked up that mind-bending wonderfulness as I listened to the Japanese cadence (not to mention the different levels of keigo used by the different characters). I wondered how the Tachikomas didn’t end up making it silly, despite their child-like voices and enthusiasm.

I loved 90% of the second series. After wrapping my mind around the idea of a Stand Alone Complex last season, and the subtle differences between direct manipulation and purposeful creation of copycat events through subtle changes in cultural cues and political shifts, I thought I was on pretty good footing. The second series, which held my attention with the usual crazy-awesome action scenes, political backstabbery, and angry Batou, broke my mind at the end. I was left, jaw open, stamerring out “what?” like the first time I saw Serial Experiments: Lain. I’m still fairly certain that I haven’t missed anything, but I have to admit to be disappointed in the seeming simplicity and directness of the reveal and closure.

I have to admit that I’m still trying to figure out who the guy is that was offering Gouda asylum. I know I’d seen him before, and I think he had shown up in regard to the treaty with the American Empire, but I’m not sure.

All in all, I gave it four out of five stars, because I loved everything except the ending. They were well-earned.

This review should be taken in the context of a haze of severe bronchitis, steroid-based inhalers (which tend to mess with my brainmeats a little), and light-headedness due to coughing fits.

All in all, the perfect mindset for the Venture Bros. :) I’d loved this show when it was on Adult Swim, so I couldn’t resist adding it when I signed up. The first disc was only episodes I’d seen enough times that they’d lost a bit of their shiny humor, but the second disc made me laugh out loud repeatedly. Just enough of the “wait, WHAT just happened?” mixed with the ridiculous thrown in with the homages to old-school science fiction. I rated it 5/5 stars.

I have to admit, I’d already seen this season via download, before it was available on DVD. I wanted to know if I’d missed something, so I put this near the top of my queue. I hadn’t missed anything, but 2/3 of the episodes were totally worth watching again. I’ve staggered my TV series, so I don’t get burned out on one or the other, so it’ll be a bit before the third season comes around again. I definitely give this season a thumbs-up, for the rogue Ford and for the space cowboy Ronon.