Mecha-Tokyo
Although met with critical acclaim upon its release, the overrated 1995 anime Ghost In The Shell consistently saddled the short vibrant bursts of action in its gorgeous world with pretentious, angsty ruminations. The screeching of director Mamoru Oshii slamming on the brakes as characters paused to navel-gaze was deafening.

And while drawing that many expressionless characters may allow faux-intellectuals otaku to stroke their egos and pretend only they 'get it', the truth is such things are the hallmark of lazy animators, not master storytellers.

Zoom Function

Casual Fridays of the Future rock.

Given its track record, reports of the new series based on the movie were met with the same eagerness saved for a recurring disease. Yet while sandwiched between sequels to both movie and manga, the series may offer the most accessible continuation of Masamune Shirow's original work wholly due to a refreshing new perspective.

Choosing to interpret the Stand Alone Complex literally, the show steps from the shadow of its source material and casts off the chains of continuity with a question this reviewer has asked often – "what if the events of the movie never happened?" The short answer: something interesting and worth watching.

A.I. C.S.I.

"Why? Why was I programmed to feel pain?"

It's a point nailed home as a gorgeous all-CGI opening infused with breathtaking techno-opera reintroduce the world of Major Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9; a special unit investigating sci-crimes. More actually proves to be better as both the sleek cyberpunk universe and the people who inhabit it fully develop over the 26 episode arc.

Surprisingly, the most human of the cast are the Tachikomas, a unit of A.I. driven 'bots that assist Section 9 on cases. In short post-episode b&w segments they wax existential on the relationship of man and machine in their childish voices, a sly yet innocent jab at the tedious philosophy on the symbiosis of man & machine.

Techno Prisoners

At last, John Kerry's more photogenic.

In one of many re-imaginings of the movie's events the mysterious of the uber-hacker Puppet Master is reborn in the The Laughing Man; identifiable only by a grinning emoticon wreathed in a quote from The Catcher In the Rye -- wow, high school English finally paid off. With her partners Batou and Togusa, Motoko must crack the case the anime way: with suggestive clothing options (god bless her apparent hatred of pants) and a bit of the old ultra-violence.

Animation house Production I.G.'s visual craftsmanship goes a long way toward apologizing for their part in the new Linkin Park video with their work here. While action is still the seasoning rather than the reason for the series, what appears here is a cruel peep show at the talents of creators and characters – they've got the goods, but they're shown teasingly; a clever way to highlight the use of excessive force when necessary. Even exposition is handled creatively as one episode takes place entirely in a futuristic chat room.

With a PS2 game already out in Japan to whet appetites while a second season is under production, Ghost In The Shell-mania shows no signs of slowing down on either side of the Pacific as it heads for Cartoon Network this fall. And with Stand Alone Complex being the best incarnation of the series that round eyes have yet seen, you definitely need to G.i.t.S. S.A.C.*

*Say it out loud, fast. Now hold your tongue and say you were born on a pirate ship...
...Sucker!