The Major and Section 9 face a fierce firefight against the post-human Mizukane as they try to bring in Kukushkin.
Episode 14 – “CLOSE CALL / I’ve Awoken”
Hmm.
Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 gave us an action-packed episode! In past seasons of the Standalone Complex universe, the anime did its world-building and character development in small doses of comedy and slice-of-life. SAC_2045 doesn’t do that. Last season, the largest info dump on how the year 2045 feels like was when Batou accidentally stumbled into a bank robbery. We need to pay close attention to the characters and dialog during combat to pick up clues on their growing relationships. And the foreshadowing hints at the direction of the plot.
Let’s focus on Purin Esaki. I already talked about how the Ghost in the Shell end credits sequence hints at Purin’s changing role in Section 9 as an operator instead of her mission support role. Her devotion to Batou and how that became a common interest with the Tachikomas was a recurring joke in the first season. Her present closeness to the Tachikomas made her the first member of Section 9 to take on a post-human by herself. The Tachikomas noticed she chose to ride in the one that Motoko always uses instead of the one Batou uses. Motoko’s look of pride at Purin saving the city from a crashing passenger jet hints at a change of leadership for Section 9.
The overarching plot development for Ghost in the Shell was how Japan would treat its ally, America. Section 9 confirmed that the polonium assassination attempt was a frame job. But we haven’t seen Agent Smith called onto the carpet yet. The next episode will be fun to see the attitude Motoko and her crew take toward their American “friend.” I also want to know how the Tachikomas will react to Purin after she controlled them so well. Will they love her as much as they love Batou? I want to know!
Heh.
Rejoining where Ghost in the Shell left off last time, Mizukane joins the party with a grenade launcher and a machine gun. Purin wisely stays behind because she doesn’t know commando tactics or how to use a firearm. Everyone needs to be in “autistic” mode, which means disconnected from their communications network. This is a violent military action now. Purin’s computer programming skills can’t be used here. The Major’s team will rely on their training and team drills.
Yay! Ghost in the Shell brings out the Tachikomas! One of them is curious about Purin requesting their operation. Is this the one that likes Batou the most? Uh oh. The prime minister informs Aramaki that the Americans are coming for Kukushkin. Fighting on two fronts will be rough. If the NSA requested the retrieval operation, they need to suspect John Smith. Har. The Americans tried to frame the Russians with that polonium attack!
Gunbattle phase two! Mizukane dodges bullets like Neo and Agents from the Matrix. Good! Purin hijacks three Tachikomas because she has a plan to take on the post-human. The bots are skeptical. These guys are all the newer models in SAC_2045. Purin chose to ride the Tachikoma that Motoko uses. That surprised the others. They expected Purin to jump into Batou’s favorite.
There it is! Or there it isn’t. The US stealth jet is on the way. Meanwhile, Motoko’s team gave Mizukane too much time. She hacked all the cars on the highway! And she grabbed the Kukushkin “Ginger” bot. Welp, Ghost in the Shell picked Paz to be Mizukane’s first victim. Ooh! Grappling girl-fight! Yes! The Tachikoma cavalry has arrived! They’re ready to take on the post-human. No wireless comms. Use directional lasers only. The Tachikomas are curious about post-humans. They can’t believe they have more processing power.
Oho! Purin can manually control three Tachikomas! They drove off Mizukane. That’s one fewer headache for Motoko, but the American stealth jet dropped two enhanced cyborgs. Purin and the Tachikomas chase after Mizukane. Can they capture her? They grazed her! It’s the first time anyone in Ghost in the Shell injured her. Whoa. There’s steam coming off her body. She’s overheating as she stays ahead of Purin’s Tachikoma team. Purin’s nose starts to bleed from her mental processing, and so does Mizukane’s!
I like Purin’s matchup better than the Major’s fight against the American cyborgs. We expect Ghost in the Shell to show Section 9 win, but it will be close. Superior experience and teamwork will beat newer technology. The rock and roll music started after Motoko’s team shot the first cyborg. It will be over soon.
Will Mizukane negotiate with Purin? Look at the mutual stare down. Ghost in the Shell made a dramatic shift! Mizukane let down her hair! What did that post-human do? Ack! She hacked an airliner and aimed it at Purin! Purin needs to hack the hack back. Now the leader of Team Tachikoma has steam coming off her body. Mizukane escaped. Purin complimented Mizukane’s processing speed, but Purin almost took down that post-human with her own speed. Fear the Pink One!
Epilogue time for Ghost in the Shell. Kukushkin has a disconnected cyber brain with the post-human code in it. I’m sure there’s a complicated story of how it got in there without infecting anyone else. The prime minister and Aramaki worry about Japan’s relations with America-senpai. Another Section of Chris Tate’s government will handle Agent Smith. Metaphor much? The leader of the Land of the Rising Sun watches the dawn.
Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 streams on Netflix in multiple languages and subtitles.
