Trying to enjoy Stand alone complex but having a bit of trouble. Any ideas?

[rbstewart7263]

The biggest problem Im having is just how different it is in tone to the first movie.(havent seen the second but I hear its great) I go back and forth from not letting her outfit bother me to letting it bug me. Its not that I hate fanservice altogether its that In this story it takes away from it. Like the first movie had her fighting naked due to the camo tech she used(which I guess doesnt require her to be naked now which is meh) and I liked that. It was pragmatic and wasnt done in a way that took away from her as a character. She could be standing there naked as a chicken leg nad she was still the major. In this show though its different shes like the major sorta. Like a Kusanagi that would totally be down to bang and while thats fine elsewhere its just whatever here.

Also I cant help but think that it wouldnt even bug me if it weren't for the shit animation. Also Kusanagi keeps going from stoic whatever like she was in the movie to "hey Im a cool chick whats up?" bleh

So any advice? should I get over it? am I missing something with her character or what? should I skip this and if so would I prefer second gig? ( I can see that my concerns are taken care of there from what little of it ive seen. Also that animation is way better!)

 

[Angelowl]

Have you read the manga? The second season have a more serious tone to it and is more in line with the manga in style, despite being better written and less of a philosophical clusterfuck. So the second season is probably more to your liking. The first one is a good cyberpunk series, the second one is a great one.

More governmental corruption, flashbacks to the time of the war, hunting down a killer in eastern Europe.

I actually do not remember if Kusanagi changes outfit in the second season, but the outfit she wears in the intro is a lot more in line with her actual personality. Cargo pants, black shirt and a black trench coat.

Wether you should skip the first one... It isn't bad, but yeah second gig is probably more what you are after.

 

[Zacharine]

What Angelow said. There is also the fact that there kind of are hints here and there that Kusanagi is a cheerful omnisexual. She's still the major, and that is one of the facts that makes her a genuine strong female character: her being a woman isn't a defining part of her character. Her being Kusanagi is. That's an overarching factor for her, even if her apparent personality does get a few changes depending on the medium and particular storyline.

 

[rbstewart7263]

Awesome ok Ill just forget the first season happened. Shouldnt be hard since the plot of that was pretty much open and shut. I also need to finish mushi shi whilst gorging on new episodes of space dandy and sword art online two( Cant they seriously just name the show gun gale online?!)

 

[Angelowl]

Awesome ok Ill just forget the first season happened. Shouldnt be hard since the plot of that was pretty much open and shut. I also need to finish mushi shi whilst gorging on new episodes of space dandy and sword art online two( Cant they seriously just name the show gun gale online?!)

The only real recurring plot point between the two seasons is The Laughing Man. Still, that part is done better during the second gig.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Err the movie is not in the same continuity with the Stand Alone Complex series including the change of characters.

 

[SacremPyrobolum]

Your going to love it when she propositions a preteen aged street urchin for sex.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

The first season I enjoyed, but man is there some tonal whiplash to deal with. Fucking Tachikomas are horrible characters that nearly ruin an otherwise enjoyable cop show.

 

[Stryc9]

Err the movie is not in the same continuity with the Stand Alone Complex series including the change of characters.

This, the 1995 movie Major and the SAC Major are two similar but different people. You'll never hear the Puppetmaster incident mentioned in SAC because it never happened for them. The same thing also goes for the Arise version of all the characters, it's another new continuity.

As for the Major fighting naked in the first movie, not quite true. The therm-optic camo she was using came as a form fitting suit she wore under her combat gear, you can see the line of it around her neck when she deactivates it.

Don't forget that first season happened, it's some pretty good stuff, the second season is definitely better and says some things that certain countries should be paying attention to today, but the first season is pretty solid.

 

[Zak757]

While I think the Major's weird purple outfit is dumb looking and not very attractive, it doesn't really bother me from any other perspective because it's pretty in-character for her to dress like that. She's a pansexual cyborg without sexual taboos in a body she has no need to be ashamed of since other people already have the same model, living in a futuristic society that doesn't care about the same things we do. That said, never really cared for Motoko much as a character as much as an action spectacle. They don't seem to put a lot of effort into characterizing her, and any moment that tries to just seems out of place.

Honestly, Ghost in the Shell is very light on fanservice. Even the nudity in the movies is done in such an very unfetishized fashion. It seems like such a insignificant thing to get caught up on in an anime that is trying to be so so so much more than a hot cyborg cop girl kicking ass. Like, if you we're questioning it's themes and messages about transhumanism, that would make sense to me.

 

[BeerTent]

The first season I enjoyed, but man is there some tonal whiplash to deal with. Fucking Tachikomas are horrible characters that nearly ruin an otherwise enjoyable cop show.

You are not alone on those dumb-ass tanks. Fuck-ing-christ, they were annoying. And they had their own filler episode. The only time they redeem themselves is when they get shot.

OT:

It's been a while since I watched these. I'm weird, so the titties don't bother me at all. I always kind of felt that she chose her female form to show it off a little. (The boat scene from the 1st movie, "Why do you dive?") But like a lot of anime, I typically tend to read the wrong message.

The 2nd movie is astonishing, you should watch it. Bit of a mindfuck in some parts, but it's another Anime that I felt smart about understanding what's going on.

 

[sextus the crazy]

The biggest problem Im having is just how different it is in tone to the first movie.(havent seen the second but I hear its great) I go back and forth from not letting her outfit bother me to letting it bug me. Its not that I hate fanservice altogether its that In this story it takes away from it. Like the first movie had her fighting naked due to the camo tech she used(which I guess doesnt require her to be naked now which is meh) and I liked that. It was pragmatic and wasnt done in a way that took away from her as a character. She could be standing there naked as a chicken leg nad she was still the major. In this show though its different shes like the major sorta. Like a Kusanagi that would totally be down to bang and while thats fine elsewhere its just whatever here.

Yeah, I hate the outfit that she's given because it makes no sense as a character. This version of Kusanagi (who's a different character more or less from the movie version) isn't the type who would wear that sort of costume. Not to mention it's hyper sexualized, which makes no sense from a professional standpoint, compared to the relatively natural nudity of the movie. The outfit is changed in the second season thankfully, and she doesn't wear it around all the time in the first season, but it's just something you'll have to live with now.

Also, to reiterate, she's a completely different major from the one in the movie. This is like an AU or something.

 

[crazygameguy4ever]

even though the Kusanagi in Stand Alone Complex is the same character from the films, it has little if anything to do with the films continuity. She more spunky and younger then the film version of the character.. i personally like the tv series version better then the film version of Kusanagi... as for the outfit, i honestly never paid attention to it... any fan series is pretty light and barely used from what I've seen and yeah she's wearing an outfit that's kind of like a one piece bathing suit with a pair of thigh-high leggings, but honestly i've seen worse and more sexual outfits on female characters in anime.. her isn't really that bad in the first season..