Ghost Hound

     I figured that continuing with the ghost theme would make a nice transition into Ghost Hound... WHAT!? you've never heard of Ghost Hound and you're already thinking about skipping over this review? don't be so hasty grasshopper, consider this a token of my gratitude. This truly is a diamond in the rough of a series. I cannot overstate that fact. It incorporates psychological, philosophical, and Shinto(religion) aspects, to grasp the happenings in the series. And just like Ghost in the Shell, this anime was manifested by Masamune Shirow. You'll notice a correlation of concepts used between the two.

   - Astral projections/Outer body experiences and linking to the net are the same ideas; both demonstrate the ability to connect a world beyond our real world awareness, while being in a state of mind, that leaves the body dormant without a conscious.

   - The question "What makes us alive?", plays itself into both series as well. In Ghost in the Shell, it's if a living 'thing' can be have a full cybernetic body. In Ghost Hound there are these things called, "Bioids", which are possibly living organ-holders used for growing human organs. If you find yourself asking how can you grow organs? it's difficult to explain. First you would need stem cells, which are found in the umbilical cord, bone marrow, and in the blastocyst. Once you've obtained the cells, theoretically you can encode them to become any organ you'd like in the human body. During the onset of the show, you begin to see how the bioids are handled by being trapped in pods, and you can get a sense of the fear in them. Emotion, obviously an important component of being a human.

     Ghost Hound is about a boy named Taro, who after seeing a new psychologist is diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The traumatic event that happened in his past is that him and his sister were kidnapped. The answer to who kidnapped them is a mystery throughout the anime. After years passed though it became a taboo-esque topic, until Masayuki, transfer student, moves into town and begins poking around for answers.
     Amidst this perplexing game of detective, we're introduced to Makoto, who we learn is Taro's cousin. And it was Makoto's father who is the suspected person who kidnapped Taro, but he was run over by a truck when running away from the scene of the crime. Therefore, we're left unsure who deserved to be apprehended.
     Never have I seen an anime where there are so many characters explained in depth. Nearly every character you become acquainted with will have a history that links in with one of the three main characters(Taro, Masayuki, Makoto) storylines. The outer body experiences add an element of mystical-ness to everything. Trust me, this review doesn't even scratch the surface to the greatness of Ghost Hound. It's in my top five all-time anime series. The only drawback is that the ending was rushed. There are only 22 episodes, but it is exceptionally done.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

      Ghost in the Shell deserves the honorary bestowment of being the first review on All Your Anime are Belong to Us. There aren't many animes that are complete top to bottom such as this one is. The story is drew up around a public security sector within Japan's government known as, "Section 9". It takes place in the relatively near future, year 2034. Their overt mission is to bring justice to those deserving. "Deserving" being the keyword (keep that in mind).
      The story revolves around a women they call, "The Major". Her real name - in case you're curious - is Motoko Kusanagi, but it is sparsely used in the series. Her anatomy is full cyborg, including the cyber-brain she has. This brings on an internal conflict of whether or not she was ever human. Supposedly, she had to get a full prosthetic body due to an incident, which is not acknowledged until the proceeding series (2nd GiG). Ever so often, The Major will contemplate the possibility of her memories being fake. It doesn't help that her personality robotic and unemotional.
      Perhaps her most humanistic feature is her relationship with Batou; who is another human with a full prosthetic body. He, like The Major, is apart of Section 9, which is comprised of eight members total. As a viewer you can sense the subtle romance the two share together. They never deliberately court one another, but there are micro-moments where you catch an ounce of affection, mainly stemming from Batou's concern for The Major.
      The philosophical conjecture in the Ghost in the Shell collection is hell bent on making you lose sleep at night. Which is what I really enjoyed about the anime, despite some of the dialogue being somewhat forced. "What is life?", "What makes us human?", "Have my memories tampered with?", "Am I existing in a virtual simulation?", you'll find yourself asking an assortment of abstract questions, that in turn may reinforce or make you doubt what you already believe. The title in itself is a concept in philosophy referred to as dualism. Ghost in the Shell is the same idea of having a body[shell] and a soul[ghost]. You'll notice this is a reoccurring theme in creator Masamune Shirow animations. More specifically, your ghost being able to connect to cyberspace.
      The plot of the season one (Stand Alone Complex) and the first movie are conjoined. They encompass a fight against a Super Class A Hacker, dubbed "The Laughing Man", for his trademark in real-time hack that gives off the impression it's mocking the authorities who are after him. Section 9 tries to gather information on who the hacker is to capture the criminal. In the series you find that The Laughing Man has his own agenda that he's fighting for. You'll find there are a lot of politics that are in the works. The ending of the 26 episode series is definitely worth the time and just when you think it's all over - BANG - a mind numbing twist to get you excited for 2nd GiG.

BONUS: The Original Sound Track composed by Yoko Kanno is nothing short of amazing.

Welcome...

We start this blog with two amateur authors who are passionate about their anime. We decided to collaborate our opinions on the series and movies, either one of us has seen, because we can't get enough of the brilliance and exuberance that defines the genre.

Anime isn't entirely understood by the masses, and is viewed as your typical children's cartoon. Thus, it is wrongly labeled with the Ben-10s of the world, instead of being seen as something separate. The complex characters, story lines, intertwined into masterfully done, mind provoking entertainment, which has engulfed some of our lives for weeks at a time.

As fanatics we(blog-authors) want to read your opinions, as much, if not more than, we want you(reader) to read ours. So please, it's recommended that you drop a lot of comments, suggestions, and questions to keep this blog active and hopefully we can form a community that discusses the depths of anime to the very core.