Solid State Society

I was finally able to watch "Ghost in the Shell: SAC Solid State Society" and boy, was it worth the wait. The year is 2030, two years has passed since the Individual Eleven incident and Major Motoko Kusanagi's resignation from the elite group known as Public Security No. 9. Togusa is now taking the effective leadership position and the group is investigating a series of odd suicides by bureaucratic individuals.

Talk about a topsy-turvy plot...the story is so immersed and never turns the dial down until the credits eventually roll. Even at that moment, you are still left with reminiscent thoughts of the surprising and wild conclusion. The execution of this movie was incredible and the artistry of it all is highly commendable. Our favorite characters are back and with the changing times, character design is done so as to connect with the audience that time has not stood still.

No one element was disregarded or imperfect -- in short, the crew really had all the bases covered. I didn't think GITS' CG animation could get any better, but I'm sure glad I was proven wrong. You can tell how much consideration and thought was given to every little piece of detail. I don't want to give out much more detail of the story, it is truly a masterpiece you have to enjoy firsthand. So it comes to no surprise that I state, this movie is a MUST-SEE and I bet noone will be able to watch SSS once.

It is another success for Yoko Kanno, the continuing music composer for the "Ghost in the Shell" franchise. You can always expect great things from Kanno, and SSS was no exception. Among many other extras, the limited edition release includes the SSS original soundtrack and is well worth every single penny, yen, euro, or whatever. Amidst my many Kanno favorites, the tracks titled "player," "zero signal," and "undivided" join the list. The 3-disc set is no mere edition. Especially note-worthy is the "Work World File" recounting every crucial moment in the entire GITS world. It really takes you back in time to the very first episode of the first season and opens it up to the future.

Compelling, riveting, addicting, SSS does a wonderful job of keeping the integrity and interconnections of GITS intact, while simultaneously building anew.