Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Vol. 1: The Lost Memory
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March 22, 2006
by: James Jursudakul
A preview of the GitS novel releasing in April from Dark Horse.
Ghost in the Shell, one of the most popular manga titles created by Shirow Masamune, has made a splash nationwide and overseas. The title has been adapted into two successful feature films, a high-rating TV series, and come this April, Dark Horse will be releasing a novel adaptation in North America, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Vol. 1: The Lost Memory. Based on the popular Stand Alone Complex TV series currently airing on Cartoon Network and available on DVD from Bandai and Manga Entertainment, this novel is sure to be well-received by fans of the series.
Description: In the not-too-distant future of 2032, the frontier dividing humans and machines has been crossed. Crimes comitted by flesh-and-metal cyborgs are investigated by Section 9, an elite counter-terrorist squad run by Chief Aramaki and his cyborg assistant, Major Motoko Kusanagi. Section 9 has faced countless adversaries in the real world and in cyberspace, but none like 'The Awakened. 'It is believed that this lethal group of terrorists can take over the minds and bodies of almost anyone. Used as tools to commit crimes against the state, the victims are unaware of who or what is controlling them. When Major Kusanagi captures one of the victims, she hacks into his cyberbrain to learn the ringleader's identity-what she discovers leads her on a journey deep into the heart of cyberspace, a journey that shakes her to the core.
Preview: With the first chapter set in A.D. 2030, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Vol. 1: The Lost Memory takes place around the time of the TV series and is written by Junichi Fujisaku, author of nearly a dozen Stand Alone Complex episodes.
(Section contains slight spoilers for Chapter 2 of the Novel)
The preview we received contains the first two chapters of the novel. The story starts off with Section 9 being called in to deal with one of the mind controlled terrorists who has 24 hostages gathered around him in an electronics superstore located in the cyberbrain district. The terrorist is but a teenage boy with C4 strapped to his chest and a revolver in his right hand. With a bit of camouflage and sharp-shooting, Motoko, Batou, and the rest of Section 9 are able to disarm and apprehend the boy while securing the hostages. Motoko then does a brain-dive into the boy’s cyberbrain to try and extract any info regarding ‘Good Morning Terrorism,’ crimes against the state done by young individuals that just happen to wake up one day and become terrorists, while the Tachikomas attempt to disarm the bomb. Unable to disarm it however, Batou covers Motoko as she pulls out of the brain-dive just before the bomb explodes. The last few pages of the second chapter provide some details on the first incidents of ‘Good Morning Terrorism’ which all happen to involve teenage boys.
Being a fan of the Stand Alone Complex TV Series, I thought the read was very enjoyable and will be appreciated by the fans of the show. My impressions thus far is that the author and translators were able to convey the atmosphere and portray the characters of the TV series perfectly. The novel is obviously aimed towards the already established fans of the TV series, and they will have what seems to be a fine addition to the Stand Alone Complex story when Dark Horse releases Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Vol. 1: The Lost Memory on May 17, 2006.
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