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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex-Solid State Society (2006)

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex-Solid State Society (2006)

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Released 18-Oct-2007

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Anime Main Menu Audio & Animation
Storyboards-Subtitle Option (Disc One)
Short Film-Uchikomatic Days (4:49) (Disc One)
Theatrical Trailer-Madman Propaganda (Disc One)
Featurette-Making Of- Work World File - Japanese with English Subtitles (30:34)
Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Making of Tachikoma Robot -Japanese with English Sub (17:10)
Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Designing the Future Car - Japanese with English Sub (24:12)
Interviews-Cast & Crew-English Production Interview (9:31)
Interviews-Crew- Mitsuhisa Ishikawa Interview (8:43)
Theatrical Trailer-English Trailer
Theatrical Trailer-Japanese Trailer (Full Frame)
Theatrical Trailer-Madman Propaganda (Disc Two)
Rating Rated M
Year Of Production 2006
Running Time 103:54 (Case: 100)
RSDL / Flipper Dual Layered
Dual Disc Set
Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Kenji Kamiyama
Studio
Distributor
Production IG
Madman Entertainment
Starring Kenji Kamiyama
Yoshiki Sakurai
Masamune Shirow
Shotaro Suga
Bob Buchholz
Richard Epcar
Crispin Freeman
William Knight
Mona Marshall
Michael McCarty
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn
Yutaka Nakano
Tôru Ôkawa
Case Slip Case
RPI $34.95 Music Yôko Kanno


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English dts 5.1 (768Kb/s)
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English
Storyboards
Smoking Yes
Annoying Product Placement Yes
Action In or After Credits Yes

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

It is 2034 and two years have passed since Major Motoko Kusanagi resigned from Public Security Section 9.

The elite counter-terrorist and anti-crime unit has now expanded to a team of 20 field operatives with Togusa acting as the field lead.

The new team is confronted with the suicide of thirteen operatives of the disbanded Siak Republic. The mysterious deaths soon lead Section 9 to sixteen kidnapped children who have had their cyberbrains replaced and their memories partially erased.

As the complex plot and characterisations develop and the identity of the mysterious suspect The Puppeteer is investigated, Solid State Society offers more questions than answers.

The film is a well paced futuristic police thriller and a philosophical meditation on humanity and technology.

Solid State Society is probably best viewed after watching Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG as there are many casual references to the series.

Solid State Society is a worthy entrant in the Ghost in the Shell universe – the high budget film is wonderfully stylish – there are some great dramatic action sequences.

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Transfer Quality

Video

The film is presented in 16x9 enhanced 1.78:1 widescreen. Overall slight MPEG compression artefacts are evident in the backgrounds, however the image remains sharp and detailed.

The film is encoded on a dual layer disc at a bitrate of 4.71 Mbps achieving a relatively smooth transfer.

However mild MPEG compression artefacting is visible in the darker scenes.

On occasion the panning shots stutter slightly.

The colour scheme remains rich with a dark black and grey colour scheme with striking green and purple tones.

The English subtitles are presented in a clear yellow Arial font.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

The original Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 surround and English DTS and English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround audio options are all dynamic and well mixed.

The DTS option is more detailed and balanced then the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound options.

The English dub has some good production values to it – the tone and speech mannerisms are quite close.

Yoko Kanno's eclectic mix of electronica, hip-hop and rock works well against the modern animation.

The soundtracks do not incur any errors or distortion.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

Main Menu Audio & Animation

The main menu on both Disc 1 and Disc 2 are clear and practical. There are chapter selections and set up options on Disc 1 for the feature film. While Disc 2 clearly lists the extra features.

The extra feature content is in Japanese and an English subtitle stream automatically accompanies the selected featurette. This subtitle stream can be turned off if desired.

 

DISC 1:  

Storyboards (Subtitle Option)

The viewer is able to view the original pre-production storyboards as a subtitle stream. The storyboard is located in the lower right side of the frame with the corresponding final image.

Uchikomatic Days (4:49)

The usual Tachikomatic Days episode is titled Uchikomatic Days.

Madman Propaganda

Following an anti-piracy warning the following trailers can be viewed:

Highlander: Search for Vengeance

Dragon Ball Z - Remastered and Uncut

 

DISC 2: (Dual Layer DVD)

Work World File

A featurette focusing on the process of making the film, including interviews with all of the key personnel. (Full Frame)

Making of Tachikoma Robot

A featurette focusing on the working robotic model. (Full Frame)

Designing the Future Car

A featurette focusing on the relationship between Nissan and Production IG. (Full Frame)

English Production Interview

Interviews with the English language ADR cast and crew. (Full Frame)

Mitsuhisa Ishikawa Interview

An interview with the head of Production IG focusing on the genesis of the film. (Full Frame)

Madman Propaganda

Following an anti-piracy warning the following trailers can be viewed:

Moon Phase: Volume One

Ah! My Goodness

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

The R1 and R4 are identical in terms of content but the R1 featured the CD soundtrack, along with the 2-disc set in a Limited Edition Steel Book.

Summary

A well paced futuristic police thriller and a philosophical meditation on humanity and technology.

A well produced DVD with a selection of informative extras.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Vanessa Appassamy (Biography)
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Review Equipment
DVDOPPO DV-980H, using HDMI output
DisplayPanasonic PT-AE 700. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with THX Optimizer.
AmplificationYamaha DSP-A595a - 5.1 DTS
Speakers(Front) DB Dynamics Polaris AC688F loudspeakers,(Centre) DB Dynamics Polaris Mk3 Model CC030,(Rear) Polaris Mk3 Model SSD425,(Subwoofer) Jensen JPS12

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