Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045

What are your thoughts on artificial intelligence? With AI bots becoming a prominent presence on the Web these days, it’s a good time to ponder this question. There are many arguments against and for AI, but I think both sides have their fair share of solid points. If these technological advancements can do exactly what humans do and possibly even better in every industry, where does the average human being end up? One thing is for sure: the world is always changing, and all living organisms must adapt accordingly to survive. So now would be a good time to revisit a timeless classic.

“Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045,” also known as “Koukaku Kidoutai: SAC_2045” or “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2045,” is a 12-episode Netflix ONA series that was released on April 23, 2020. It was produced by Dentsu, Kodansha, flying DOG, and Bandai Namco Arts, and brought to life by Studios Production I.G. and Sola Digital Arts.

The main staff behind it includes Kawaguchi Tooru as producer, Aramaki Shinji as director, Takagi Hajime as sound director, and Kamiyama Kenji as director, storyboard, screenplay, and series composer. It features the genres of action and sci-fi, alongside the themes of adult cast, detective, mecha, and military. The episodes ran for 24 minutes each, were targeted at the Seinen demographic, and received a rating of R-17+ for its violence and profanity.

The ONA is based on the source manga “The Ghost in the Shell” (Koukaku Kidoutai), which released 11 chapters from March 1989 until September 1991. It is a masterpiece created by author and artist Shirow Masamune that got serialized in Young Magazine Kaizokuban, which became popular for its psychological theme.

Dark Horse first released the series in English in 1995, and in October 2004, they released an uncensored version. Afterwards, Kodansha Comics USA got the license and republished the censored version in October 2009. There are two alternative settings for SAC_2045: the “Ghost in the Shell” movie released in November 1995 and “Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie,” released in June 2015.

The prequel is a single special episode titled “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society”, which was released in September 2006. The sequel “Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Season 2" was released as a 12-episode ONA series in May 2022. The movie “Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 - Sustainable War” was released as a summary of SAC_2045 in November 2021.

The story is set in the fictional year 2045, an era in which artificial intelligence has already undergone tremendous levels of development. Various governments now use them as deadly weapons, engaging in seemingly endless warfare all in the name of sustaining their own economies.

This is where Major Motoko Kusanagi's expert mercenary team, GHOST, enters the conflict. They are not strangers to this hellish landscape, but the rapid innovation of AI technology gives birth to new threats almost every day, and no one can be sure of what looms over the horizon. Kusanagi has already left Public Security Section 9 and now engages in numerous operations worldwide related to these proxy wars alongside her group.

Things take a dramatic turn when a seemingly simple job of locating an arms dealer gets GHOST entangled in a hidden conflict against cybernetically enhanced individuals. These "post-humans" have inexplicably obtained extreme intelligence and physical prowess, and their very emergence sets off an irreversible chain of events leading up to the reunion of Section 9. Now armed with a brand new mission, Kusanagi and her re-established team must work together to prevent global chaos at the hands of these post-humans.

The first look at this might get you thinking, “Oh no, another CGI anime." Honestly, that’s what I thought at first too, but thankfully the CGI here does not ruin an entire show. Considering this is a series based on the Ghost in the Shell series with its massive fanbase, it’s a good thing Netflix didn’t butcher it. But if you are a long-standing fan of this lengthy and legendary franchise, there’s a small chance you’ll end up disappointed with it.

Anyway, the franchise has been presented in multiple different art forms till now, but all of them have remained in 2D animation. I guess they were curious about how far it would go with a CGI approach, and I’d say they did an acceptable job. After all, most of the characters remain largely the same, and the story is similar to the previous SAC seasons.

SAC stands for “Stand Alone Complex,” and that is technically what this series does: present the audience with stand-alone episodes that are complex on their own. Despite this, the episodes are not disconnected and contribute to the overall plot, with each episode focusing on character development. The first half of the anime depicts a Complex Arc involving the emergence of post-humans and Mokoto's team being forced by the American government to eliminate them.

In the middle, we get another set of episodes focusing on their return to Japan and the characters Batou, Togusa, and Purin Ezaki individually. In the final sprint, the main characters pursue a post-human case in Japan and conclude with a massive cliffhanger set to be resolved in the next season. Each episode on its own is fine, but the way they’ve split up the seasons is quite jarring.

As for whether or not you’ve watched previous Ghost in the Shell media, it doesn’t matter. You can understand and enjoy this show on its own, despite its inherent complexity. The pacing is just right, and the story itself is thrilling, building up mystery at every possible turn and showcasing gradual development. But like I said earlier, if you are a long-running fan who loved the original works, you’ll be disappointed with how this series plays it safe.

This intricate franchise is well known for its expert execution of provoking themes and psychological aspects that simply make you ponder life. That’s how it has stood strong for so many decades and is still widely appreciated. Unfortunately, this is Netflix, and they won’t dare tread such tricky lines in modern media. On that note, this is more of a Hollywood-styled Ghost in the Shell, featuring a lot more fights and clashes and hardly ever addressing serious internal conflicts. Maybe they can overcome it with the next season, because they came slightly close in the last arc.

The character department has been handled fairly well, featuring everyone from the previous seasons and some newer additions. As usual, Kusanagi Motoko is a badass, but I couldn't help but feel that she is not featured sufficiently. Batou is the only other Section 9 member who gets enough screen time, as in here too. Togusa gets some development, and the Tachikomas (multi-legged combat vehicles with AI) remain amazing characters with a lot more personality than the remainder of the cast, albeit getting a lot less screen time this time around.

While the absence of a proper main villain plagues this series, it hints at the character simply having not been revealed yet, and the pieces are seemingly building up for a big reveal in future seasons. As for the newcomers, there’s Kenjiro Tsuda, an American agent who appears in the first arc but then just leaves. Purin Ezaki appears in the second arc and is mostly just there for comic relief, cuteness, and to allow the series to blow off some steam. Is it necessary? Not at all; the series would’ve been a bit better without her, and she honestly doesn’t fit into the atmosphere at all.

She ultimately undermines the group's no-nonsense atmosphere and proves to be an annoyance. The last thing this show needed was a Moe-girl who broke the immersion and established tone of the show.

Now for the department that most people seem to be weary of: art and animation. This is indeed very different from the Ghost in the Shell we are used to, but it isn't a show-destroyer either; you simply need to give it a chance and try to accept it. As far as anime CGI goes, they did a fairly good job here, and it isn’t very distracting either. The character designs are quite different from what we’ve known and loved, and frankly, I hated that too.

Motoko's redesign is terrible; she just looks like a petite high school girl who can’t even dream of keeping up with the original. A huge portion of her capabilities and badassery are visually lost, and that is such a shame. Batou and Togusa are handled comparatively better, though. Another big issue lies in character faces: their facial movements aren't synchronized at all, and they don’t show any emotion most of the time. They’ve also lost the overall gritty look of the franchise. On the other hand, the fight choreography and backgrounds are pretty impressive, and they add a lot to the action. Also, the visuals for the opening are also amazing!

The music and sound department is very average at best. The opening theme is "Fly with me" by millennium parade × ghost in the shell: SAC_2045, which received its own music video in April 2020. The ending theme is “sustain++;" by Mili, which I found to be better than the opening.

There really isn’t much music in this series other than a very occasional OST, like the cool jazz track in the first episode. Afterwards, we rarely get any OSTs at all, which is bad because the show would’ve been much better with some more tunes. The voice acting is pretty good, so props to all the cast members. On a side note, the original cast returned to reprise their roles in the English-dubbed version.

Overall, I would say Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 is an average to decent series. While it certainly doesn’t live up to the full glory of the older series, they didn't mess it up as badly as most think. This show really does need future installations to properly tie up all the loose ends, so fingers crossed that they’ll be good and maybe even boost the First Season’s reputation. If you’re going to watch this, have low expectations, and you’ll be able to enjoy it anyway.