Ghost in the Shell Stand Along Complex - First Gig Volume 1 is based on the manga series by Masamune Shirow, and the film "ghost in the shell" by Mamoru Oshii. The series follows the epic exploits of section 9, an undercover highly specialised police unit, who are led by Major Motoko Kusanagi, a rather volumptious creation who uses a cyborg to house her 'ghost'. The team are soon embarked on a gripping tale in which they have to try to track down a mysterious hacker - the laughing man. On the way, there is an intelligent sub discussion running throughout aa to what makes an individual concious - the society in which it is set is far into the future, where ...  Read the complete review

As anime releases go, the 1995 film adaptation of Masamune Shirow’s epic Manga Ghost In The Shell has to rank among the most significant. A complex but brilliantly realised portrayal of Tokyo in a future that embraced the use of cyber-brains and prosthetic bodies, it captured the imagination with its stunning visuals and thought-provoking take on the role of artificial intelligence – posing the question that if a programme expanded and was able to think and act for itself, what consciously separated the human part of the brain and that of a robot? Aside from this, it was also sighted as being the chief inspiration for The Matrix, and watching it, it isn’t difficult to ...  Read the complete review