Review of Ghost in the Shell: Individual Eleven

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig: Individual Eleven
directed by Kenji Kamiyama, based on the manga by Shirow Masamune
Madman
Review by Carissa Thorp

Individual Eleven is a (long) feature-film length edit of an entire season of the Ghost in the Shell television series. In the year 2030, Section 9, an elite group of cyber soldiers, investigates the refugee terrorist group, The Individual Eleven, suspecting a greater conspiracy involving the government.
I saw the film version of Ghost in the Shell nearly ten years ago, and haven't seen anything in the "world" since, but I quickly recalled the ideas behind it. The animation is lovely, and never confusing. There's too much explaining going on, but action sequences are great, and considering the wealth of source material, it's quite an accomplishment to make such a cohesive creation.
I wasn't sure who this sort of thing would be aimed at; surely fans would want to see the entire series, if they had the choice, and newbies could be put off by their unfamiliarity with the "mythos". In the end, and with the help of the bonus doco, I decided the main audience is hard-core fans who're after a re-vision of the season from the writer's and directors. Still, it's a great way to get into the Ghost world, and should prompt anyone who enjoys it to seek out the TV series.