![]() | This article is rated C-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The English title translations on my DVD set don't match what is listed in the article. Is there an explanation for this? DVD titles listed below, titles that differ have been bolded. Some are IMHO superior to those currently listed (16, 17, 19, 20, 23):
- Eyeresist 03:51, 19 October 2006 (UTC)
It would appear that most of the episodes have been deleted from the 2nd GiG on. I seem to remember them being there when I last checked. --Qxz86 18:48, 28 March 2006
Could we create a separate page for each season's episodes and a page for each episode? This would allow for better separation between seasons and allow in-depth discussion on topics for raised by individual episodes.
It seems that more complete spoiler-laden episode descriptions have been replaced by more simple, vague and spoiler-free descriptions of the episodes. I think for WikiPedia the more complete descriptions are preferable so that people who have problems understanding what happened in the episode can use this guide as a resource. Spoiler-free episode guides belong in a different kind of publication than Wikipedia.--Jbrianrogers 03:10, 7 August 2006 (UTC)
I'd be willing to write a page-longish description for every episode of season 1. I agree that this wiki doesn't nearly begin to help someone digest all the information from the series. For every episode there really are tons of things small and large that are very hard to understand in one or two viewings. Dosboot 07:15, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
Check out what they've done with the Firefly episode guide - the teaser list of episodes on one page, and then each episode gets its own page, with a synopsis and then analysis and goodies.--Jbrianrogers 03:10, 25 January 2007 (UTC)
Does anyone know if the Compilation DVD's are available in the US?--Salvax T - C--19:48, 1 November 2006 (UTC)
I don't understand why the episodes of SAC 2nd Gig are numbered 27 to 52. While they are not clearly numbered 1-26 onscreen, this is a seperate series, not a continuation of Stand Alone Complex, which is why it has a different name. Additionally, the DVDs, at least the editions released here in the UK, list episodes as 1-26. YourMessageHere 04:09, 10 November 2006 (UTC)
I feel like the Laughing Man incident needs a complete explanation for newbs. This isn't done yet, but I wanted to post it where I could get comments, feedback, corrections etc.
THE LAUGHING MAN
1) Background
In the early 21st century, the "cyberbrain" technology was developed. Cyberization is a
fictional process whereby a normal brain is physically integrated with electronic
components to produce an augmented organ referred to as a cyberbrain. Cyberbrain
implants, in conjunction with micromachines, allow the brain to initiate and maintain a
connection to computer networks or other individuals who also possess a cyberbrain.
Cyberbrain sclerosis is a fictional disease introduced in Ghost in the Shell: Stand
Alone Complex. The disease is characterized by hardening of the brain tissues
precipitated by the cyberization process. As, officially, no cure exists, cyberbrain
sclerosis is always fatal. Although the odds of symptoms manifesting are exceedingly
low, anyone that has a cyberbrain(which in the fictional world of Ghost in the Shell
are as ubiquitous as cellular phones are in reality) is potentially at risk.
In 2024, Cyberbrain Sclerosis was viewed as the "new AIDS" of the 21st century. Several
technology corporations were investigating and patenting possible cures for the disease
based around the concept of "micromachines" - nanotech protein granules which
supposedly held great promise for the future.
Hisashi Imakurusu, a former JSDF medic and a board-member for Micro-Machine Industries,
was head of the Medical Evaluation Board. While heading the board, a man named Dr.
Chitose Murai discovered a vaccine for CS. However, while the drug was effective, Murai
could not explain the mechanism by which it worked. Additionally, the head of the Ministry of Labor, Health and Welfare (a man named Yakushima) pressured Imakurusu to reject the drug, promising him riches from the corporate tills. Using Murai's inability to explain the drug's mechanism and the promise of the infant micromachine technology as a pretext, Imakurusu indulged his jealousy and greed to reject the drug, going so far as to have a custom rubber stamp engraved "Approval Denied" crafted specifically for Murai's application.
Micromachines held great promise as a highly versatile technology. The development of
micromachine technology in search of a cure for cyberbrain sclerosis eventually led to
the development of many highly important (not to mention highly profitable)
technologies- the Japanese Miracle (a micromachine that can remove radioactive fallout
from an area affected by nuclear weapons) and Interceptors (symbiotic micromachines
that turn their unwitting hosts into living surveillance devices), just to name two.
However, despite all of its other capabilities, micromachine technology was entirely
ineffective as a treatment for cyberbrain sclerosis.
3 months after the rejection of the Murai vaccine, Serano Genomics was granted approval
for it's micromachine CS treatement design. Shortly thereafter, Micro-Machine
Industries also recieved approval for a patent. These treatments, despite being
basically useless, were sold nationally to CS patients, at great profit to the
corporations behind them. In secret, the Murai Vaccine was set up as a highly-screened
clinical trial, with approval reserved for the rich, powerful, and political elite.
2) Origin of the Laughing Man
At some point in 2024, a student named Aoi discovered a piece of data in the 'Net. This
data was a report comparing the effectiveness of the Murai Vaccine with the
ineffectiveness of micromachine therapy. Aoi was somewhat a naive young man with a
Salinger fetish - specifically he despised "phonies" as did his hero, Holden Caulfield
(from Catcher in the Rye). Aoi was also a super class-A hacker. Peeking into and
playing with data came naturally to him. He decided to use his abilities to expose the
fraud being perpetrated on the Japanese people by the micro-machine industries, and set
out to kidnap Ernest Serano, the CEO of Serano Genomics, in an attempt to persuade him
to tell the truth.
Aoi took his S&W chief, a large, puffy blue hooded jacket and a hat, and set out for
Serano's home. Arriving there, he hacked the surveillance AI's and the eyes of everyone
in the building, brain-dived Serano and walked him out of the building. They spent two
days arguing and debating, at the end of which time Aoi decided to let Serano go in
exchange for a promise to tell the truth after he'd had a chance to make preparations.
However this promise was a last-ditch desperation move from Serano, who was exhausted
from being controlled for 2 days. After Aoi let him go in a crowded pavillion, Serano
turned around and told him he might not be able to keep his promise.
Enraged, Aoi pulled his gun and walked Serano over to a camera crew shooting a puff
piece live on national television. He demanded that Serano tell the truth; however
Serano demured, counting on Aoi's youth and inexperience to keep him from pulling the
trigger. Aoi hacked the camera and the eyes of everyone on the spot in seconds,
overwriting the image of his face with a custom logo of a laughing man with a quote
from Catcher in the Rye rotating around it. (The quote was "I thought what I'd do was,
I'd pretend to be one of those deaf-mutes.")
This incident transformed Japanese society. The Laughing Man, as he came to be called,
became a memetic pop-culture icon virtually overnight. Grafiti and performance art,
copy-cat incidents and other events spawned from the kidnapping event for years.
3) Corporate Blackmail
Unknown to Serano and Aoi, the kidnapping of a major micromachine CEO had become a
national news incident during the 2 days Serano was missing. Shortly after the
kidnapping, a huge ransom demand was delivered. Somebody was using the Laughing Man
incident to extort money from Serano. Later, he speculates that this was a cabal of
comptetitor micromachine corporations, who wanted to ruin latecomer Serano in
retaliation for stealing the CS patent out from under them.
IT IS UNCLEAR TO ME AT THIS POINT WHETHER OR NOT THIS RANSOM WAS EVER PAID.
Shortly thereafter, a killer virus was introduced into Serano's manufacturing plants.
Billions of dollars' worth of micromachines were contaminated, and Serano's stock price
plummeted. In order to save his company, Serano himself began blackmailing other
micromachine corporations, also using the identity of the Laughing Man as a cover. He
extorted funds by threatening to expose the worthlessness of micromachines as a CS
treatment, and the coverup of the secret Murai Vaccine trial.
After several companies had been blackmailed, the government stepped in to keep the
industry afloat with public funds. Shortly thereafter a representative of "a certain
Assemblyman" visited Serano and told him that the virus and the blackmail could be
stopped, if Serano could make a donation to the politician's political fund. The figure
named was the exact amount of all the money Serano had blackmailed from the other
micromachine companies, and all of the public funds Serano has recieved. Ernest Serano
took this to mean that the Assemblyman in question knew everything, including his own
actions in blackmailing the other corporations, and as such he had no choice. The
assemblyman in question was then Minister of Health and Safety, Yakushima. Yakushima
used these funds and his secret Naval power-base to rise to the powerful position of
Secretary-General.
4) Deaf-Mute
Disgusted with the corruption of the Japanese government, Aoi gives up his current
approach and turns away from the world, pretending to be a deaf-mute and ignoring the
darkness. At some point in the next six years he infiltrates an MHLW institution for
children with Closed Shell Syndrome and begins to hack MHLW looking for physical proof
of the secret Murai Vaccine program.
5) Public Security's Laughing Man SIU
Public security launches an immediate investigation into the Laughing Man incident. 6 years later it is still in progress, and now Secretary-General Yakushima has had Interceptors planted in the brains of the SIU detectives, so that he may monitor their progress and ensure they do not approach the truth.
Togusa is an ex-cop working at Section 9. Although he has a low prosthesis index, he was hired to add a new dynamic to the group (specifically that of detective). Togusa's old friend Yamaguchi contacts him to ask him to look at some sensitive data relating to the LMSIU. Hours later he dies in a car accident, the Interceptors in his brain having been triggered to blind him while driving. His superiors had realized that he was suspicious, and the higher-ups ordered his death.
Togusa convinces Aramaki, the Section 9 chief, to give him 3 days to investigate the suspicious death. When he attends Yamaguchi's funeral, his widow gives him a packet which Yamaguchi had mailed her (with instructions) shortly before his death. The package contains images of SIU detectives, their families and friends, in everyday situations. However, in none of the pictures is a camera present. Togusa realizes the SIU detectives have been implanted with the 3-month old Interceptor technology. Digging deeper, he finds that the appropriate paperwork was never filed, and the detectives were implanted without their knowlege or permission.
Motoko leaks the information about the illegal implants to the press, who trick a police chief (Nibu) into snatching a camera while a second photographer snapped a picture of him doing so. Details of the situation and speculation about how high the conspiracy goes are splashed across the next mornings papers. Secretary-General Daido, head of the metropolitan police, calls a press conference to announce that Nibu has been fired. At the press conference, the same reporter points out that Daido is about to retire to Holland, where Serano Genomics (who created and must have provided the Interceptor technology) is headquartered. Daido refuses to discuss the implications, at which point another member of the police cadre is hacked by Aoi. The hacked individual stands and is masked by the Laughing Man logo, and then begins to chastise Daido for the farce he is playing out for the media. Aoi knows that Daido ordered the implants on Secretary-General Yakushima's orders, and is throwing Nibu to the wolve to try to continue the coverup of Yakushima's rise to power. He demands that Daido tell the truth within 3 days, or he will execute him.
6) Death Threat & Copycats
The sudden reappearance of the Laughing Man after 6 years of silence causes heated debate to errupt throughout Japanese society. Almost 60 people independently decide to "become" the laughing man and attempt to assasinate Superintendent-General Daido.
7) MLHW Hack
Aoi hacks a janitor to steal the Murai Vaccine Recipient List.
8) Imakurusu
Imakurusu aquires the Murai Vaccine Recipient List from the Laughing Man. He sends a copy to the Sunflower Society and promises to testify about the truth. MLHW Chief Niimi discovers this and orders the execution of the Sunflower Society via the DEA's Narcotics Squad, a violent organization specializing in death. Togusa happens to be there investigating a lead and gets shot in the crossfire, although he survives. Section 9 mobilizes to discover what happened. Imakurusu calls Yakushima and begs him to intercede with Niimi (Imakurusu and Yakushima are golfing buddies). Yakushima betrays his friend and orders Niimi to execute Yakushima immediately. Section 9, the Narc Squad (with powered armor) and Aoi converge on Imakurusu. Section 9 secures him, but he leaves custody to speak to Aoi, and is then shot in a drive-by. Aoi gives the Murai Vaccine Recipient List to Batou, then hacks his eyes and ears and walks away.
9) Motoko's New Body
Motoko goes to get a new body, where she is ambushed by the doctor (who happens to be part of the Narc Squad.) As she is about to die, Aoi shows up. He brain-dives her to show her the whole truth behind the Laughing Man incident, then disappears, leaving the new Motoko to carry on his quest. Along the way he helps her take control of her new prosthesis to smack down the bitch doctor.
10) Pushing Serano
Motoko poses as the Laughing Man and rekidnaps Serano, hoping to light a fire under him and extract information. Later, Aramaki confronts the prime minister with evidence about Yakushima. The PM decides to destroy Section 9 in order to keep Yaku's support during the next election cycle, after which he will arrest him. Aramaki is furious, but goes along for now. He gets word to Motoko, and arranges for Togusa to be taken into custody (making him difficult to summarily execute).
11) Narcs vs Section 9
12) Mop-up
Having saved Section 9 and exposed the truth about the Murai Vaccine and Secretary-General Yakushima, Aramaki and Motoko approach Aoi to offer him a job. He politely declines, and takes a job at the National Library, where he spends his time reading print media.
I noticed a major flaw in episodes 22-23, it stated that the laughing man had re-abducted Serano, but in reality it was The Major in disguise as the Laughing Man, using the Laughing Man's memories, to discover the connection with the secretary general Yakushima and Serano.
Oh sorry, I didn't notice, but your right.
It is obvious if you watch both ( same intro , same plan with the statue, ...)
» Bonus 2 interviews croisées entre le réalisateur et les doubleurs / bande-annonce exclusive pour l'épisode TRANS PARENT / Anecdotes à propos des épisodes /
L’équipe de production a décidé de se faire plaisir en déplaçant l’histoire dans deux pays différents, deux épisodes de suite (les deux premiers). Avec cet épisode, on commence avec Taiwan que les membres de Production I.G ont voulu dépeindre avec images et clichés sortis tout droit de films d’arts martiaux asiatiques. Tandis que le deuxième épisode se déroule à Berlin. C'est un hommage au film de Wim Wenders LES AILES DU DESIR ( french title of Wenders's Movie Wings of Desire aka Der Himmel über Berlin )
If it is not enough ask Production I.G it was on their ( dead ) website too ! --Neuromancien 00:09, 24 May 2007 (UTC)
I believe the ending scene of 2nd Gig Episode 9 (the suicide bomber girl and Togusa's hesitant reaction) to be a reference to the opening scene of Jin-Roh. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.169.94.247 (talk) 19:50, 2 September 2007 (UTC)
Given that everything in the episode articles are the same as in the plot summaries on the list or is oriignal research, I propose to have the episode articles redirected to the list. --Farix (Talk) 00:17, 16 January 2008 (UTC)
Episode 4 "C: The Visual Device will Laugh – INTERCEPTER" Togusa browses through photographs and the way he scrolls through them and zooms on parts of the photographs is a direct homage to Deckard in Blade Runner. 71.85.150.20 (talk) 03:39, 28 May 2008 (UTC)
I added the following passage, but it got reverted as original research:
"This (3rd) episode heavily references Jean-Luc Godard's movie titled À bout de souffle - Jeris modelled after Jean Seberg, ending dialogue, cars, movie tapes in the room of the embassador's son, etc"
But I think it is near obvius if you watch carefully this episode and watch out this page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053472/
And I found these links (stating this connection): [3] [4]
If you consider these sources and evidences sufficient, please mention this movie-connection in the article and/or cite the sources.
Rubasov (talk) 23:04, 5 June 2008 (UTC)
Shiroutoushirou added in new airdates to the episode list. Does anyone know if these airdates are a rerun, either on a Japanese television network or on the US Adult Swim program? If so, I don't think they should be included in the episode list; only the original airdates should be included. I'm going to go ahead and remove these... if there is a good reason for their inclusion, please state your case here. -BloodDoll (talk) 23:19, 6 February 2009 (UTC)
Does anyone suppose it's worth mentioning the striking similarities in appearance in this episode between the hospital's administrator and the character Nurse Ratched, as played by Louise Fletcher in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Robdumas (talk • contribs) 02:03, 17 February 2009 (UTC)
I just deleted a line about the OVA tieing into the first movie. Just to clarify this, I'll expand on it here. As noted elsewhere, the TV series and the two films are separate entities and hence are not related story-wise, therefore they can't tie into each other, being entirely separate continuities or 'universes'. I think the claim that I deleted comes from a line in the cited article as follows:
"With some judicious editing, cutting, and a few newly animated scenes, The Laughing Man successfully bridges the gap between TV series and feature film, and reminds us why Ghost in the Shell is still some of the best sci-fi that anime has to offer."
It appears that the phrase 'bridges the gap' has been misinterpreted to mean that it fills in the actual story, whereas what the article is actually talking about is the difference in form between a TV series and a movie.92.24.67.137 (talk) 17:53, 22 February 2010 (UTC)
Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified 8 external links on List of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex episodes. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.
This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template ((source check))
(last update: 18 January 2022).
Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 01:54, 18 May 2017 (UTC)