MovieChat Forums > Kôkaku kidôtai: Stand Alone Complex (2004) Discussion > Too difficult?

Too difficult?

posted 14 years ago by denmil7-1
10 replies | jump to latest

I've been watching GitS for 17 episodes now.I'm having some trouble following it,so i wanted to ask if it's just me or is it not explaining itself too well.Maybe it has something to do that english is not my first language.Tell me cause i really want to keep watching it but it's kinda difficult.

p.s:what the hell is wrong with the major's clothes?Her ass is out half the time...it's not like it fits her personality or anything.for example,Faye from cowboy bebop didn't wear a lot but it fitted because she was kind of a "sexy" type of character.

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] borisliu2000 14 years ago

the series is in its own world and it never slows down to explain things explicitly for the viewer. However, this is one of the qualities that got me addicted to the show.

[–] dragon_dance 14 years ago

GITS-SAC is difficult to follow, even if English is your native language. I'm already rewatching the series twice...believe me, you will want to watch both the first season and 2nd GIG more than once. A lot of things don't make sense the first time around, but I believe this is the highest quality of the show: a complex plot line. There is so much to miss in this series, hell, it's worth re-watching several times. That's why it has become my favorite anime of all time and in my opinion, one of the best out there.

About her ass hanging out...I'll admit, this almost made me want to stop watching the series. I thought it had more to do with her character(seeing her body only as an object; she is, in theory, a "doll" after all) but I think it's just selfish fan service(which runs rampant in any anime). Her clothing gets "better" in 2nd gig though. At least, I haven't seen her ass hanging out in 2nd gig. She dresses more modest I suppose. When watching the first season, I just tried ignoring it as best as I could. Her character makes up for the way she dresses.

Don't run with sharp objects.

Margeary is dreaming of horses.

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] danimal50 14 years ago

I agree with everyone else here that GITS is a difficult show to follow, and like some of you I think that this is one of the best things about it. I have seen the films, watched the series, and read the manga several times now, and every time I pick up one of these stories I am impressed. The layers of detail and philosophical concepts go very deep, and you can think about meanings and themes in all sorts of ways. It is very impressive to see this in the form of Japanese cartoons & comic books when it is typically only seen in great novels and films. So it may be difficult a first, but stick with it and you will find yourself watching an entire 26 episode season, then watching it again immediately afterward.

Regarding the Major's preferred outfit in the 1st GIG, I agree that it is partly just an excuse to show (fake) skin on camera, but I also see it as an homage to other classic cyberpunk stories. Does anyone here remember Pris from Blade Runner?

http://www.denofgeek.com/siteimage/scale/800/600/58823.png

Or how about Molly Millions from the William Gibson novels?

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs7/i/2005/209/8/6/Molly_Millions___backgro und_by_KingZombie.jpg

If you search for "cyberpunk girl" on google images you'll see that the Major's outfit isn't so different from many other characters in the same genre. Cyberpunk stories love the "deadly, deadly female who masquerades as a harmless prostitute" character. So I think that the idea for her costume came out of this more than any other reason.
Kinda funny when you think about it.

[–] chilicheeze 14 years ago

it is dumb.

http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=42385905

[–] MetalgearSldSnk 14 years ago

Yeah, I have just started watching the Stand Alone Complex movies, and its super difficult to follow. The storytelling kind of reminds me of Metal Gear Solid, but at least MGS helps you follow the storyline from the beginning to the end (you have to play them in order, though or you will be lost).

[–] Liquidize105 14 years ago

Don't watch the dub, it's still so bad compare to the subbed version even without certain loss of details and the sfx post-processing, the characters' personalities just don't come through with patronizing American voices.

Watch the first time for the action. There are so many standalone episodes anyway. Watch a few more times for the details. You can also do a bit of reading on wikipedia, especially parts about how the future world has, I can't stress this enough, logically progressed from the present.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Ghost_in_the_Shell
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand_alone_complex_%28Ghost_in_the_shell%29#Stand_Alone_Complex

And the "ass hanging out" is part style and part being faithful to the original GITS graphic novels. Don't go thinking it's some low-brow fan service or whatever. Fan service is for retarded made-for-tv anime, this is a cable show in every sense of the word, before cable shows came into their own.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motoko_Kusanagi#Sexuality

This is an incredible show. A few episodes' are all ideas and dialogues. A show like this would never have been made in the US much less in animated format.

Relish it I say.

OH THE HUGE MANATEE!!!

[–] chilicheeze 13 years ago

That was a rare coherent reply on IMDB. Thanx - I will revisit the series.

http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=42385905

[–] 13 years ago

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