Plot Summary

In the world of the future exists the Wired, a virtual place where anything imaginable goes. Many people choose to live their lives in the Wired instead of reality. But the Wired has come under attack by an unknown assailant which absorbs data and kills everyone who comes in contact with it.

Baldr Force EXE

Steppen Wolf, a group of amateur hackers, has made it their calling to hack into the Wired and uncover data from encrypted sources. When a hack goes lethally wrong, one of the hackers, Tohru, is scouted by the elite protection force FLAK to help them uncover the mystery of the Wired killings. Now Tohru must discover the root of the problem, which is connected to him in ways he could never imagine.

Review

This OVA is average. The ideas are average, the animation is average, the whole shebang- average. I’ve never played the PC game, nor have I ever heard of it before watching the series, so maybe the game itself is above average.

The series seems more geared towards fans of the game than to anyone else. The concept is overworked and reminiscent of a hundred other anime. Ideas are crammed into the series which might have been good if they were fleshed out more, but they weren’t. They were just average and very blah.

Baldr Force EXE

Character Development

There is no character development. There are no characters to relate to except to say, “I’ve seen this somewhere before and it was done better.” Watching the OVA, I felt nothing towards any of the characters, simply apathy. I was merely watching the anime, I wasn’t engaged or involved. I was slightly annoyed at times, but even that measurable emotion faded back into, meh.

Character Design

Character designs are also at an average level. Nothing stands out as memorable or dreadful. The world in Baldr Force is a semi-bleak mechanical one, but it isn’t unique. Even the simulacrum used in the Wired look absolutely recycled as do the uniforms for FLAK.

Animation

The animation wasn’t average, it was bad. Lines are mismatched, motions don’t glide smoothly, the actual drawings themselves are not so good and are hazy. Some of the CG is decent, but it’s overruled in quality by the poor animation. It was a chore to sit through the anime due to the uneven nature and sub par quality of the animation.

Music

Baldr Force EXE

The OP, Face of Fact, by KOTOKO is a charming, catchy electronic number, but the animation for the opening is head-scratching. Why are there nude women crawling out of suits when there’s no such thing in the anime? In fact, why is there more nudity in the OP than in the entire series?

undelete was the ED by Mami Kawada, is slightly charming. The animation for the ending is actually better than the entire series. I’d have rather watched the ending ten times than the series in its entirety.

Voice Acting

Amazingly, the English voice cast isn’t all that bad and neither is the Japanese. Neither one is better than the other, however. It’s the one above average bright spot in the OVA.

Conclusion

Baldr Force EXE was slightly entertaining, but only because it’s so reminiscent of so many other better anime. As an anime, the concept is too familiar and poorly done. The OVA is almost instantly forgettable. For fans of the game, however, this OVA may be perfect.

Rating

Baldr Force EXE gets 2 outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date:May 20, 2008
• Retail Price: $29.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes: 1-4
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

The Major and her crew are back again in this compressed, movie version of 2nd Gig; the second season of Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. This second movie is much like the first in that it highlights a main theme of the second season.

The case of the Individual Eleven was the main focus of 2nd Gig, with additional side and back stories thrown into the mix. The movie, Individual Eleven, cuts out the side stories and puts all the emphasis on the Individual Eleven, a case involving many subtleties and the Major’s past.

plot summary

In the future of 2030, WW IV has concluded six years prior. Japan has become home to many thousands of refugees displaced in the war. These refugees live a repressed existence and have become targets for a terrorist group known as the Individual Eleven.

The Individual Eleven have also been targeting foreign ambassadors and the Prime Minister of Japan. Their aim is a total breakdown of the governing system.

A leader has arisen within the refugee camps whose charismatic demeanor inspires the oppressed to rise up against their attacker, no matter the odds.

Major Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9 are put on the case to solve both the riddle of the Individual Eleven and the rebel leader’s identity.

But the true identity of the masterminds behind the mayhem will cause more problems for Section 9 than mere anarchy ever could.

review

Ghost In the Shell is a “thinking man’s” anime. It’s one of those series/ movies that requires a certain amount of undivided attention and some grasp of philosophy, politics, and the art of subterfuge to appreciate the anime to its fullest. I’m never disappointed with the paths this anime has led me down. The “aha!” and “I get it!” moments empower me to feel a slight smugness that other anime don’t.

However, even if one isn’t a fan of undivided attention, philosophy, politics, and the art of subterfuge, there’s still much to be appreciated in the way of thoughtful technology, well choreographed fight scenes, awesome animation, and character development.

Character Development

Fans of the anime will already be well familiar with the Major and her group of special ops. If not, someone new to the anime will be able to watch the movie and still feel as if everyone has enough development to make the OVA self-explanatory.

There are a few instances which may leave one who hasn’t watched the 1rst Gig or the Laughing Man Movie a bit disoriented, but some well placed comments by the characters will give the viewer enough info to infer what’s going on. It’s not much of a stretch to say that a complete noob to GIts will be able get a fairly solid grasp of who’s who within the first 30 minutes of the movie.

Motoko’s past is peeked into in the latter part of the movie, and we’re given a chance to see how she pulled through the difficulties which made her who she is today. She’s given a bit of humanity in contrast to her machine-enabled existence.

Character Design

The Net, aka, internet of the future is a vast configuration able to process all manner of data in micro seconds. Its portrayal in the anime is impressive. GIts has a way of showcasing its unique technology without making it seem like something unattainable; it makes everything look like a damn good possibility.

The colors used for GIts are also a reflection of the possible instead of the improbable. The improbable being more common, as can be seen in other futuristic anime.

Animation

High end is how the animation, by Production I.G., is rendered. It’s smooth flow and lack of hiccups create a sense of realism. The facial expressions are highly emotive and the detailed shading add much appreciated depth to the animation.

Music

Music from Yoko Kanno is always a good thing, and the soundtrack from the original series by Kanno accompanies the movie throughout. The soundtrack gives an edge to the anime apropos to the subject matter. Those unfamiliar with Yakko Kanno’s work on the series should find the techno beats and electronic tones a perfect accompaniment to this high tech movie.

Production

Like the Laughing Man movie, this DVD comes in a simplistic DVD sleeve. Two DVDs contain the movie and extras. The disc with the extras has an image archive from 2nd Gig and a mini movie with the Tachikoma.

Voice Acting

The English voice cast for the Individual Eleven movie was different from the cast of 2nd Gig. But the actors used in the movie were the same ones used in the Laughing Man OVA. This is a great voice cast and I have zero complaints about how they portrayed their characters.

The Japanese voice cast in the series remained the same for both the series and the movie. The Japanese seiyuu were also exemplary in their roles.

Rating

Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Individual Eleven gets 4 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Bandai
• Release Date:December 18, 2007
• Retail Price: $21.99
• Number of discs: 2
• Run Time: 161 minutes
• Rating: Unrated
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen