Dhruv Sharma
The impact of the first ‘Ghost in the Shell’ movie still echoes not just in Japan but in the west as well. Focusing on two very distinctive elements—where it throws light on the perspective of the overarching protagonist in one and on the visions of the antagonist in another—’Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex‘ was surprisingly as good as its predecessor. And though, for obvious reasons, we are a little skeptic about the upcoming installment of the series, we can’t help but eagerly wait for Netflix’s take on this classic. Here is everything we know about it.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2045 Release Date: When will it premiere?
Adapted from a cyberpunk manga of the late 80s, ‘Ghost in the Shell‘ is one of the most celebrated anime shows of the 90s. Just recently, in 2017, Paramount had created a live-action version of the anime which starred Scarlett Johansson and was heavily criticized for whitewashing its characters. Netflix has been on a tear lately with anime and as expected, the streaming giant will now be coming out with a new version of ‘Ghost in the Shell’ as well.
Titled ‘Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2045’, the 24-episode series, is scheduled to release in April 2020. Unlike the original series, which mostly involved a traditional animation style, this one will be rendered with heavy CGI similar to other recent Netflix anime like ‘Kengan Ashura‘. Nothing more has been revealed about it yet, but as soon as we get any confirmed news regarding it, we will update it in this section.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2045 English Dub:
The English Dub of ‘Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2045’ will be available on Netflix.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2045 Plot:
‘Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex’ was set in the year 2030 where humans were going through a major technological breakthrough in the field of cybernetics. The use of this technology had gone so far that humans were literally making full-body replacements with cybernetic prosthetics. But along with all the good that came with this technology, its evil side started to emerge when several criminals started taking this it for granted. Out of sheer desperation, the government established a special police unit known as Section 9 which dealt with all of the crimes related to the complex technology.
Motoko Kusanagi and Daisuke Aramaki, the two driving forces of the unit, spend all their time on solving cases that fall under the category and don’t ever fail to catch the criminals behind them. But then comes a time when a hacker named “The Laughing Man” takes the world of cybernetics by storm and hacks the minds of those use them. With this, he makes people commit crimes for him and spreads mayhem all over the city. The two cops must now somehow find the true identity of this criminal before he executes his ultimate plan.
Now set in the year 2045, ‘Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2045’ will be taking a massive time jump where in the aftermath of global capitalism in Japan, Section 9 will carry out its usual cyber operations.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Characters:
Daisuke Aramaki
Daisuke, who is the Lieutenant Colonel of Public Security Section 9, is a stout man whose very presence commands immense respect. Though he is respected by everyone, because of his monkey-like appearance, everyone calls him “old ape”. He may carry a very cold exterior but he really cares for all of his teammates. He is always committed to his work and is even willing to put his own life on the line for his men. He is also really good at strategizing and with the help of his international contacts, his teammates are often able to acquire information that no one else has access to.
Batou
Second in command after Daisuke, Batou may not initially seem like the guy who holds so much power in the organization. He loves to goof around and is usually in good terms with almost everyone around him. Being as ex-American Special Force soldier, he is the kind of guy no one messes with. The ones who are close to him very well know that as cheerful as he may initially seem, he loses his temper very easily. His entire body has several cybernetic prosthetics and despite that, he works out a lot. Even after knowing that his appearance won’t change in any way, he works out because he truly enjoys it. Just like the rest of his body, even his eyes are prosthetics and are entirely grey in color. He sports a short crew cut that goes well with his overall badass personality and huge build.
Motoko Kusanagi
Motoko, who is probably the main protagonist of ‘Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2045’, is a mysterious young woman whose origins are unknown. She has had an entirely cyborgized body from a very young age and as she grew up, she just shifted from being in one cyborg body to another. Quite often, she is easily able to move other cyborg bodies with ease and is also an incredible hacker. But no one really knows where she developed all of these advanced skills. In the trailer of the new series, it seems like Mokoto has not aged at all, in fact, she appears to be slightly younger.
Togusa
Unlike most other members of Special 9, Togusa is recruited directly from the regular police force. Though all of his external body parts are still intact, his brain has been heavily cyborgized. The main reason why he is hired on the team is that the Major wishes to have the perspective of an outsider. He firmly believes that the opinion of his teammates can often be biased and can create unnecessary conflicts. He is the only member of the group who has a family and he often feels left out in the group because of his distinctive perspective on most things.
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