Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is a 2002 science fiction anime TV show. The series is adapted from Shirow Masamune's 1989 manga Ghost in the Shell. The show has some similarities to the 1995 feature film, but there is no overarching narrative between the two works. Stand Alone Complex was produced by Production I.G. and distributed on DVD in the United States by Bandai Entertainment, while Adult Swim added the show to their line-up in 2005.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346314/companycredits

The series ran for 26 episodes and spawned a second season, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig, as well as a feature-length movie to complete the series, Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society. Awards received by the show include: an Excellence Prize at the 2002 Japan Media Arts Festival and a Notable Entry Award from the Tokyo International Anime Fair.http://www.webcitation.org/5sS9QFvvihttp://www.tokyoanime.jp/ja/

The first season of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is set in a futuristic Japan in the year 2030. It takes place in the fictional city of New Port. The show tracks the exploits of Major Motoko Kusanagi and her comrades in the government-backed military agency, Public Security Section 9. The team investigates the case of "The Laughing Man", an act of corporate terrorism against a micro-machine firm, perpetrated by a young computer hacker. As the crew unearths more information on the incident, they discover a complex ploy set in motion by the micro-machine companies.

A major theme running throughout Stand Alone Complex is the exploration of what it means to be human and machine. The show mirrors Masamune's extensive footnote style by infusing segments of pure philosophical debate - and even entire episodes - dedicated to observations on existence, individuality, human behavior and the structuring of society at large.http://www.otakuusamagazine.com/Manga/News1/The_Ghost_in_the_Shell_1652.aspx

The bulk of these discussions come from Section 9's tachikomas - mobile tank units with artificial intelligence. The units debate amongst themselves about the meaning of their existence, the Laughing Man case and how the cyberized humans treat the tachikomas differently.http://www.tv.com/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex/sa-time-of-the-machines-machines-d%E9sirantes/episode/316671/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summaryhttp://www.tv.com/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex/sa-tachikoma-runaway-the-movie-directorand039s-dream-escape-from/episode/303378/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summary