Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Vol. 2 (Special Edition)
Major Motoko Kusanagi, Batou, Togusa, and the other officers from Public Security Section 9 battle crimes involving hackers, data tampering, and cyber-drugs as the broadcast series based on Mamoru Oshii'sGhost in the Shellcontinues. In "Missing Hearts," they pursue a gang of medical students involved in the black market sale of human organs--an unusual subject, as transplant surgery is much rarer in Japan than in America. The character of Batou is more entertaining in the TV series than inGhost in the Shell II: Innocence. He's action-oriented and engages the other characters in coversation, instead of endlessly quoting Eastern and Western philosophers. Tachikoma, the crab-like robot with the cutesy voice, is an improbable presence in a show that features so much blood and hard-hitting action. The interstitial adventures involving multiple Tachikomas feel like scenes from an unrelated children's program. Extras include interviews with composer Yoko Kanno and the Japanese voice actor who performs the role of Aramaki. This two-disc deluxe edition boasts DTS 5.1 soundtracks in English and Japanese, plus a CD of Kanno's music from the series. (Rated 13 and older: considerable violence, grotesque imagery, nudity, alcohol and tobacco use)--Charles Solomon