Summary: The OAV "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex--The Laughing Man" (2005) consists of footage from the 26-episode "Stand Alone Complex" TV series (2002), recut to tell the story of a police battle with an über-hacker. Writer-director Kenji Kamiyama oversaw the re-editing and rewrote some of the dialogue for greater clarity. The main arc of the first season of "SAC", "The Laughing Man" is complicated tale of cyber-espionage and government corruption. Major Kusanagi, Batou, Chief Aramaki, and the other officers of Public Security Section 9 must untangle an intricate web of deception to discover a hidden scandal involving a bogus cure for the debilitating disease of "cyberbrain sclerosis." In the original series, this story was interwoven with brief adventures involving the black-market sale of human organs, the growing consciousness of the Tachikoma robots, and Chief Aramaki's colorful past. "The Laughing Man", a title borrowed from J.D. Salinger, is interesting enough to stand on its own, but at two hours and forty minutes, it feels very long. Bandai has re-recorded the dialogue with a new cast, which sounds jarring to audiences familiar with the series. "The Laughing Man" may appeal to viewers who didn't see "SAC" in its initial release: "otaku" who know the original may find the reworking feels like a gimmick. (Rated 13 and older: violence, violence against women, grotesque imagery, alcohol and tobacco use) "--Charles Solomon"
Ghost in the Shell - Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man
(2005)
Japan
