Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – 1st Gig
The conceit of dividing a series up into two types of episodes is novel and intriguing, especially when the two categories neatly play on the title of the series: ‘Stand Alone’ (self-contained episodes) & ‘Complex’ (part of the over-arching Laughing Man case). However, clever though this may seem, it’s not at all uncommon for animé series to contain such a mix. The main difference with its employment in this particular instance is that the category each episode belongs to is spelled out to you after the intro, which spoils the surprise to some extent: from the beginning you know whether the episode has some bearing on the larger plot or not.
It’s easy to see such stand alone episodes as disposable and wish that the entire series dealt with the over-arching story; however, the seemingly throw-away stories in between are actually quite important. While acting as essential pacing elements in a long series, they also contain a significant amount of character development and simple context, especially if there is a re-imagined universe to explore. Having to wait for the next instalment of the grander scheme creates expectation and anticipation and heightens the satisfaction when that next episode finally arrives. I suspect it is also preferable to the authors drawing out the main plot to fill twenty-six episodes. One criticism I would offer with regard to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is that I felt the distribution of Complex episodes was not even enough, they are bunched up together. Before the climactic finale, there’s really only five Complex episodes (four, five and six, nine and eleven), and the rest of the series is largely spent waiting, hoping for some more. One or two more episodes similar to episode nine – which took place entirely in an internet chat room on the topic of the Laughing Man – would have gone down a treat as it satisfied as much as it intrigued and tantalised.
Episode eleven, Portraitz, demonstrates another issue: the rigidity with which the episodes stay true to their category. This episode, in which a reference to the Laughing Man comes somewhat out the blue, is the only one that comes anywhere near blurring the line. However, having been already told that it is a Complex episode, the reference is inevitable and comes as no surprise, and really the episode is something of a disappointment due to its incidental relationship to the case rather than being a steady development. The clean separation of episodes ends up, in my opinion, binding the authors’ hands in that they won’t even make subtle references to the Laughing Man case in the Stand Alone episodes, further compounding their apparent disposability. If they genuinely Stand Alone, then why are they part of a series?
Probably the most important reason the more episodic content is present is because the focus of the series is not the main story but the characters themselves. The subject of the Stand Alone Complex is Section 9, not the Laughing Man case. You could well argue that character development, the passing of time, exploring the future Japan, and the day-to-day running of Section 9 could all still be exhibited in a full, twenty-six episode Laughing Man story-arc, and I don’t think I’d argue with you. In conclusion, I think that while it is a neat little device I can’t really see what purpose it serves other and looking clever, which isn’t necessary. I do wonder though how much the method of consumption plays a part: western animé fans will generally plough through the entire series over the course of a few days and weeks, where as originally it will have been released one episode per week, stand-alone or otherwise.