Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 1st & 2nd GIG (Blu-ray) Unboxing

Last Friday was my birthday and one of the items I received was the 2018 release of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex on Blu-ray! I delayed the unboxing so that I can take good photos and also test the discs in one go.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex) is an anime series animated by Production I.G and based on Masamune Shirow’s 1989 manga series Ghost in the Shell. The manga had received a couple films before moving towards a TV series. The films and the TV series have separate continuities despite being animated by the same studio.

Stand Alone Complex aired in October 2002 and ran for 26 episodes, followed by the second season called Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG in January 2004 which also ran for 26 episodes. Both seasons were brought over to western territories by Manga Entertainment and Bandai Entertainment with an English dub. In the United States, the license was moved to Anchor Bay and given a Blu-ray release in February 2017, which was negatively received due to numerous technical issues such as dubtitles and the English dub switching to Japanese in multiple episodes.

Manga Entertainment eventually released a Blu-ray version of the series but using the French master done by Anime Limited’s French branch called @Anime. They also replicated their ultimate edition release for the UK in May 2018 which sold out quite early on. A standard edition was eventually released a couple months later in August 2018, and it’s this version that I have right here to show.

Now Manga Entertainment’s release did receive some technical issues, but nowhere near as bad as the US release. The ultimate edition release (rebranded as a deluxe edition) had broken chapters and a video transfer that basically converted the original Japanese master from 1080i to 1080p which caused some issues. The standard edition amends the chapters issue but the transfer is still the same. The show is still watchable in 1080p, but it’s worth mentioning that the show really should have been left in 1080i in the first place. If you are a hardcore GITS fan and want the best version possible, distributor DS Media in South Korea has released the series using the Japanese masters with English support.

The standard edition UK Blu-ray release from Manga Entertainment is presented in a cardboard box featuring two Blu-ray cases, one per season. Each season is on 4 Blu-ray discs with English & Japanese audio and English subtitles. The Blu-ray discs are region locked to B and the subtitles are unlockable during playback.

You can order the standard edition UK Blu-ray release on Amazon UK.

Blu-ray Specs (Season 1):

Languages: English, Japanese
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Video: 1080p High Definition Native format with 16:9 ratio
Region: B
Subtitles: English
Locked Subtitles: No
Discs: 4

Blu-ray Specs (Season 2):

Plot Synopsis (via Manga Entertainment):

In the not so distant future, mankind has advanced to a state where complete body transplants from flesh to machine is possible. This allows for great increases in both physical and cybernetic prowess and blurring the lines between the two worlds. However, criminals can also make full use of such technology, leading to new and sometimes, very dangerous crimes. In response to such innovative new methods, the Japanese Government has established Section 9, an independently operating police unit which deals with such highly sensitive crimes.

Led by Daisuke Aramaki and Motoko Kusanagi, Section 9 deals with such crimes over the entire social spectrum, usually with success. However, when faced with a new A level hacker nicknamed “The Laughing Man,” the team is thrown into a dangerous cat and mouse game, following the hacker’s trail as it leaves its mark on Japan.

Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features (Season 1):

Interview with Kenji Kamiyama (Director) #1
Interview with Atsuko Tanaka (Actress)
Interview with Osamu Saka (Aramaki)
Interview with Yoko Kanno (Composer)
Interview with Akio Ohtsuka (Batou)
Interview with Wakabayashi Kazuhiro (Sound)
Interview with Koichi Yamadera (Togusa)
Interview with Tamagawa Sakiko (Tachikoma)
Interview with Teraoka Kenzi & Tsuneki Sinobu (Mechanical Designers)
Interview with Koji Tanaka (Director of Photography), Endo Makoto (3D Director)
Interview with Junichi Fujisaki, Yoshiki Sakurai, Nobutoshi Terado (Screenplay)
Interview with Dai Sato, Shotaro Suga (Screenplay)
Interview with Kenji Kamiyama (Director) #2
Trailer
TV Spots

Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features (Season 2):

Interview with Kenji Kamiyama (Director) #1
Interview with Yusuke Takeda (Art Director), Hiroshi Kato (Conceptual Artist)
Interview with Takayuki Goto, Tetsuya Nishio (Character Design Parts 1 & 2)
Interview with Kenichi Takeshita, Toshiyuki Kono (Animation Directors)
Interview with Kenji Kamiyama (Director) #2
Interview with Kenji Kamiyama (Director), Toru Ohkawa (Saito), Takashi Onozura (Paz)
Interview with Kenji Kamiyama (Director), Sakiko Tamagawa (Tachikoma), Yutaka Nakano (Ishikawa)
Interview with Kenji Kamiyama (Director), Atsuko Tanaka (Makoto), Akio Ohtsuka (Batou)
Interview with Kenji Kamiyama (Director), Koichi Yamadera (Togusa), Taro Yamaguchi (Borma)
Interview with Kenji Kamiyama (Director), Osamu Saka (Aramaki), Yoshiko Sakaibara (Prime Minister Kayabuki)
Interview Archive
Interview with Kenji Kamiyama (Director), Ken Nishida (Gouda), Rikiya Koyama (Kuze)