Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (UMD)

Ghost in the Shell has long been beloved by anime fans, and for good reason. The television series, Stand Alone Complex, is more action-oriented and less philosophical than the two movies it picks up the story from, but it maintains the same high standards. It's still an anime for thinkers, but one action fans can enjoy also. If you enjoy anime or are a science fiction fan, you need to see this series.

GitS, as fans abbreviate it, has been one of my favorite series for some time, so I was delighted to see it released on UMD. Even though I am collecting the series on DVD, I like to be able to watch my anime on the go, so having it on UMD as well is pretty cool.

The UMD presents the series in sharp video and audio. It's a great-looking series to begin with, seamlessly blending traditional and CGI animation, and it looks just as good on the PSPs little screen. And the soundtrack -- created by the legendary Yoko Kanno -- is some of the best anime music out there.

Complexity

The storyline is an interesting mix of one-shot episodes and multi-episode stories, held together by a season-long story arc. You won't see all of that from this one disc, but you'll get a good taste of what the story is all about. I'm betting most people who see the first four episodes (which is what you get in this volume) will want to see more.

Extras!

Most UMD releases don't include any extras. Stand Alone Complex volume 1 had a nice surprise, though. It isn't much, but the UMD does include anime trailers. Plus, I half-expected the extra "Tachikomatic Days" shorts that appear after each episode to be cut off, as they were on the North American (or at least Canadian) TV broadcasts. To my delight, the shorts were still included.

Be sure to read the full review for all the details on this release.