After watching the first gig I have been humbled beyond belief. Ghost in the shell is the best most creative t.v. series I have ever seen in my life. I absoulutely applaud the cinematagraphy, script, and character involvement used throughout the series. If anyone gets a chance watch the first 26 episodes from start to finish I trully believe that they will feel the same way to. Once again Ghost in the shell is the best thing I have watched (be it movie or magna) in a long time. IT IS A MASTER PEICE!!!

ghost in the shell is anime right?

I saw the one about the guy who loved his robot wife, but she didnt love him. Wasn't too into it, no specific reason, it just kind of felt like a soap opera. Maybe ill watch another one, just for you.

Yeah its anime, you really have to watch them from the begining to understand what angle its headed toward. To summerize it a little without giving any of it away... A ghost as you guys probably already know is a soul, these cyborgs (being the major, batou, and the machines) are all dealing with crimes involving the laughing man and others while trying to figure out if they all have souls... That is probably a very crude way of trying to explain it but I promise you if you watch it completely from the begining you will develop such a relationship with these characters it will amaze you.... I just wanted to share about this work of art!!!!

anybody ever seen an anime that didnt have fictional monsters or robots before? By the way you ever see evangelion? I bought that whole series, if you have seen it how does it compare to Ghost in the Shell?

Is this airing on TV now? The films are probably superior to the serial, but they have some issues. The characterization is incredibly flat in each, and the director has tended to focus on philosophical questions at the expense of the story. It's still a great concept, but the execution is not as good as Akira, for example.

"anybody ever seen an anime that didnt have fictional monsters or robots before?"

Sure, plenty of them.

"By the way you ever see evangelion?"

Yes. It's an excellent series but the constraints of the schedule it was developed under show through. The ending is also highly unsatisfactory for many people, which explains Death and Rebirth (the separately released "films").

"The characterization is incredibly flat in each"

While I did think Akira was fantastic I would have to disagree with your comment. While Masamune and Kenji do prod at the questions of life and death they do it in a elegent and tasteful manner. They as the series go on and you begin to see each character for what they trully are in when you understand the story and script development. For the begining shows they (being Kenji and Masamune) are trying to establish a connection between you, the section 9 unit, and what they are doing as well as what thye are going through. The last three episodes of the first gig will really bring a tear and give you a better undrstanding on what the series is about as well as how these characters are inside. Besides the plate full of substence that they put infront of you thier is also wonderful cinematagraphy. I would invest in the subtitled box set from hong kong or japan. Just becareful that they are not dvdrs or the subtitleling isnt off. I lucked out and got a really good one and their is so much more dialogue then in the english version. as far as the films, of course they are better visually but as far as letting us know what is going on I believe it lacks a little. Their should be one more movie coming out and that might be it. Im sure their will be a third gig.