Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Episode Guide (Index)

Posted by Musashi
December 3, 2008

Note: this is an updated and expanded version of the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex episode guide which was hosted for several years at our previous site, Destroy-All-Monsters.com. Since the switch to Yellow-Menace.com, the GitS:SAC episode guide has been unavaialable while I devoted my energies toward running the new site through several iterations. Even now we still receive e-mails asking when the guide will return, and I can now say that I have begun pulling the old files out of my archives and will be presenting them in short order.

The current plan is to break the guide down into a new 1 post per episode format which will allow me to clean up, revise, and expand each episode summary. This index will exist as a link to the guide as a whole and as new episodes are added they will be linked here; if you keep this post bookmarked, you will be able to access each episode as i post it. In addition to the expanded synopsis, I will complete the guide through 2nd Gig and Solid State Society. I am also considering new features, such as downloadable commentary tracks, which will enhance your enjoyment of the series.

- Musashi

Fans of Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell (adapted from Shirow Masamune’s manga of the same name) had their prayers answered in 2003 when the television series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex began airing on satellite television network Animax in Japan. Produced by Production I.G., the same studio that brought us the feature film, Stand Alone Complex proved to be every bit as good, and in some respects better, than the film. Given the freedom of a 26-episode run, and benefiting from GitS-creator Shirow Masamune’s direct input, Stand Alone Complex is certainly one of the best anime series in recent years. Not unlike the Production I.G. feature ‘Blood: The Last Vampire ‘ (which was also directed by Standalone Complex director Kenji Kamiyama), Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex features a mixture of traditional and CGI animation.

Subsequent to its’ Japanese broadcast run, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex was  picked up by the Cartoon Network for their Adult Swim programming block and to this day airs from time to time. Invariably, fansubs of the episodes have been floating around the internet since the show’s first broadcast, as well. Stand Alone Complex was eventually released in North America on R1 DVD by Manga Entertainment.

In 2004, a follow-up series, 2nd Gig, began airing on Animax and a subsequent feature film, Soild State Society, was released on Japanese pay-per-view televison. Both 2nd Gig and Solid State Society are now available in North America on R1 DVD through Manga Entertainment.

Stand Alone Complex Episode Synopses:

2nd Gig Episode Synopses:(Forthcoming)
Solid State Society (Forthcoming)

Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex Mini-FAQ

Who made this show?
Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex is a co-production of Production I.G., Bandai Visual, and Bandai Visual USA. If you want to know who does what on the show, here’s an incomplete list of the show’s staff.
[Original Story] Masamune Shirow
[Planning] Mitsuhisa Ishikawa (Production I.G.), Shigeru Watanabe (Bandai Visual)
[Director] Kenji Kamiyama (Jin-Roh, Blood: The Last Vampire)
[Screenplays] Shotaro Suga, Yoshiki Sakurai, Dai Sato, Jun ichi Fujisaki, Nobutoshi Terado
[Character Designs] Hajime Shimomura (Blood +, Le Chevalier D’Eon)
[Mechanical Designs] Kenji Teraoka (Ah! My Goddess: The Movie, .Hack//SIGN (TV)), Yukinobu Tsuneki
[Art Director] Yusuke Takeda (Neon Genesis Evangelion, Blood: The Last Vampire)
[Director of Photography] Hiroshi Tanaka
[Editing] Jun Ichi Uematsu
[Music] Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus)
[Producer] Yunichiro Matsuka

Who is in the voice cast?
Most of the actors from the original film reprise their roles in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. A partial cast-list is below, and actors who appeared in the theatrical film will be denoted in red. Additional roles follow the actors name in parentheses.

How did Section 9 bring Kusanagi back after the events of the ‘Ghost in the Shell’ film?

They didn’t. As noted by series director Kenji Kamiyama, the world of Stand Alone Complex is a parallel to the one depicted in the film. Thus, the Puppet Master incident never happened. According to Kamiyama, it was decided early in the production process to ditch the storyline followed in the film so as to retain Kusanagi.

Who sings the theme song, and what are the lyrics?

The SaC theme song is called ‘Inner Universe‘ and is sung by a Russian vocalist named Origa. She has since collaborated with series composer Yoko Kanno on the themes for 2nd Gig and Solid State Society.

As for the lyrics, they’re mostly in Russian, but I’ll post phonetic (i.e. non-cyrillic) version of the lyrics, alongside the English translation, below. (Lyrics courtesy of Anime Lyrics.com). A 7-minute version of this song appears on the OST, which we reviewed here.

Inner Universe (Russian)
Angely i demony kruzhili nado mnoj
Razbivali ternii i zvyozdnye puti
Ne znaet schast’ya tol’ko tot,
Kto ego zova ponyat’ ne smog…

I am Calling Calling now,Spirits rise and falling
Soboj ostat’sya dol’she…
Calling Calling, in the depth of longing
Soboj ostat’sya dol’she…

Stand alone… Where was life when it had a meaning…
Stand alone… Nothing’s real anymore and…

…Beskonechnyj beg…
Poka zhiva ya mogu starat’sya na letu ne upast’,
Ne razuchit’sya mechtat’…lyubit’…
…Beskonechnyj beg…

Calling Calling, For the place of knowing
There’s more that what can be linked
Calling Calling, Never will I look away
For what life has left for me
Yearning Yearning, for what’s left of loving

Soboj ostat’sya dol’she…
Calling Calling now, Spirits rise and falling
Soboj ostat’sya dol’she…
Calling Calling, in the depth of longing
Soboj ostat’sya dol’she…

Inner Universe (English)
Angels and demons were circling above me
Breaking the hardships and starry ways
The only one who doesn’t know the happiness
is the one who couldn’t understand his call

I am Calling Calling now, Spirits rise and falling
To stay myself longer…
Calling Calling, in the depth of longing
To stay myself longer…

Stand alone…Where was life when it had a meaning…
Stand alone…Nothing’s real anymore and…

…Endless run…
While I’m alive, I can try not to fall while flying,
Not to forget how to dream… how to love
…Endless run…

Calling Calling, For the place of knowing
There’s more that what can be linked
Calling Calling, Never will I look away
For what life has left for me
Yearning Yearning, for what’s left of loving

To stay myself longer…
Calling Calling now, Spirits rise and falling
To stay myself longer…
Calling Calling, in the depth of longing
To stay myself longer…

(Note: As of 12/3/08 this F.A.Q. is not complete and will be added to as episodes are completed).

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