Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Volume 5 (Episodes 17-20)
The subplot about the Tachikoma robots developing an awareness of their existence falls by the wayside in two episodes focusing on Chief Aramaki's life outside Section 9. He visits an old flame in London and is drawn into a bizarre money-laundering scheme, then outwits a former co-worker's son who's become an assassin. In episode 20, the filmmakers finally return to the central storyline of the Laughing Man, which may be tied to J.D. Salinger's 1949 story of the same name. The cyber-criminal may also be linked to the Sunflower Society, a group that files class action lawsuits against large corporations, including one involving a cure for "cyberbrain sclerosis." The tangled multiple storylines detract from an otherwise engaging series with strong characters. The extras include interviews with themechadesigners, and the directors of photography and 3-D computer graphics. (Rated 13 and older: violence, grotesque imagery, alcohol and tobacco use)--Charles Solomon