Ghost in the Shell - Standalone Complex - 2nd Gig Review

Overall Rating - 6.1 out of 10 - Enjoyable only for fans of Section 9 and more flawed than 1st season 

I recommend watching once

I cannot say I enjoyed watching the 2nd Gig, but I managed to get some answers for a few questions that left unanswered from the original. For example, why I did not like Section 9 or its members. By the end of first season, I could not really pin down, what it is about them that did not sit well with me. In second it became clear what is wrong with them. 

I generally do not like self-righteous people who put some sort of moral or ethics above all else, willing to both die or kill for that. Religious zealots, fanatical ideologists are few examples of such people. Section 9 is also like that. At first glance people like that are all nice and willing to help. However, all that flies out of the window if they start seeing you as someone who does not meet their ethical standards. Suddenly they become ruthless enforcers of moral standards, a moral police.

Signs that Section 9 was like that were already showing in the first season, but it really became apparent only in the second one. From small incidents like Togusa shooting some rapist many more times than needed to the very main plot storyline. Gohda is not the nicest guy out there and his plans are more of a danger than anything else. However, Section 9 opposes him not because of that, but simply because they do not like him. They will smuggle a nuke into a rebel area, fight fellow security personnel from different units and put country and a lot of people in danger just to beat Gohda. Interservice rivalry gone rampart. 

In 22nd something episode Batou wasted nearly entire episode picking at Gohda alleged moral and character flaws. That is ad hominem - a logical fallacy. I hate people picking at morals, being immoral is not a crime and it must not be treated as such.

If after first season I thought Section 9 guys might be suitable for security work, now I seriously doubt that. I would not want to be shot by emotionally triggered people who will decide to shoot me because they do not like my outfit or facial expression or such.

Other characters are like that too; they are all deeply emotional willing to die for their believes or for someone they admire. Togusa went hard on rapist because of his emotions, Makoto helped some crooky kid because she kind of sympathised with him. I might have been more positive if I liked the kid, but I just did not. Kuze sided with refugees because he sympathised with them and they are all willing to die for him and the cause because they are at ave of him for some reason. People here seriously lack common sense. They all function on woman's logic or something. 

Plot also took a turn to the worse. Compare to first part it overengineered (or overwritten) to the point of pointlessness. If original managed to pull reasonable enough plot twists that more or less managed to make sense, then 2nd fails in sense department. Why would Kuze need to blow up refugees in order to upload their ghosts to net and turn them into fully bodyless beings. He could just find enough volunteers among general population. That will make Laughing Man stop laughing. 

Overall 2nd gig smells of rather thick anti-American, anti-liberal ideology, something first managed to avoid somehow. I already wrote why Kuze and his refugees are not compelling rebels compare to say Lelouch. Lelouch fought against real oppression, Kuze's refugees are all about struggle for struggle's sake, Bookchinistas. Alas Section 9 is sympathetic to them, or to that ugly Prime Minister woman who is Aramaki's type. 

After all, it's not wrong to live well, it's wrong to not share this wealth with me.

Overall, there is probably certain value in watching this at least once. One can get ideas about using interservice rivalry to destroy countries from within and maybe even to use emotions against people. Not that you need this show to tell you these things, you can figure them on their own. That said, its rather unpleasant show.