Ghost in the Shell: SAC Solid State Society in August
25 July 2007

What started as a single, feature-length anime has grown into one of the genre's most successful franchises. The original Ghost in the Shell (Kôkaku Kidôtai) was a groundbreaking anime from master filmmaker Mamoru Oshii, but one that divided opinion to a surprising degree. It was to be another 9 years before Oshii's own mesmerising and beautiful sequel, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (Inosensu: Kôkaku Kidôtai) appeared and almost 2 years more before it arrived on UK shores. By then the films and their characters had reached serious cult status, and inevitably a TV series was spawned in the shape of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, which captured something of the flavour of the original films, but not their unique style or narrative complexity.

Nonetheless, SAC has expanded the Ghost in the Shell fan base, and has now given rise to the third feature film in the series, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society. Written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama, the driving force behind the Stand Alone Complex series, Solid State Society is set in 2034, two years after Major Motoko Kusanagi left Public Security Section 9, the elite counter-terrorist and anti-crime unit specializing in cyber warfare. In that time, Section 9 has increased its appointed personnel to 20 operatives, with Togusa taking over as leader of the unit. Section 9's latest assignment sees the team confronted by a rash of mysterious suicides involving operatives of the disbanded Siak Republic, many of whom had sought asylum in Japan. They manage to track down Ka Gae-Ru, a former Siak Colonel who has taken a hostage in the hope of negotiating safe passage out of the country. Confronted by Section 9, a fearful Gae-Ru issues a cryptic warning that The Puppeteer is coming, before killing himself. Investigations suggest that The Puppeteer is an ultra-wizard hacker who is not only responsible for the recent spate of suicides but is also behind a series of child abductions. But who is the Puppeteer and what is the connection to the so-called Solid State Society? An unexpected encounter between Batou and Major Motoko leaves the former with his own theory, one that is almost impossible to comprehend.

Manga Entertainment have announced a 2-disc DVD of the film for a UK release on 20th August 2007 at the RRP of £19.99. Special features will include:

• Uchikoma Days;
• Storyboard Subtitles;
• English Production Interview;
• World Work File;
• Anime and Car Design - Redesigning the Future Car;
• Making of Tachikoma Robot;
• Mitsuhisa Ishikawa (Production IG) Interview.

Expect a review in the coming weeks, and be sure to check out the clips on the front page. A competition to win the 2-disc DVD release will be coming very soon.