SAC_2045, Ep 07: Living a Life That I Can’t Leave Behind

Batou gets himself caught up in a bank robbery on his first day back in Japan.

ep 07 – “PIE IN THE SKY – First Bank Robbery”

Hmm.

The seventh episode for SAC_2045 was an interlude and a bookend to the first episode. Like how the first episode set the global environment for 2045 and the seventh gave us the setting for Japan. Japanese old people are still cute and funny in 2045 too. The cast of old characters were a nice device to illustrate the recent problems with modernity and money because of the Global Simultaneous Default.

SAC_2045 gave us a good character study for Batou too. He’s the most senior of the Major’s comrades, being her first recruit to Aramaki’s special cybercrime unit. The interlude was a good way for new fans to appreciate how his sense of justice and fairness lies above laws and rules. He’ll work within the laws if they help, but he has experience with more creative methods. This ties in neatly with how Section 9 will approach things in Japan instead of relying only on military tactical commando methods for private military contractors. There’s going to be more civilian interactions and room for extra-judicial maneuvering. Fighting crime in Japan in SAC_2045 will have more varied environments for engagement than the Americas where the GHOST mercenary team operated.

Heh.

Yay! SAC_2045 is finally back in Japan. Cute! This pink-haired girl looks like she has came directly from one of Masamune Shirow’s later works, like W-TAILS CAT 2. Batou is on his own for a week? Time to take his own tour of Fukuoka. Holy moly, this Purin is adorable!

Batou went straight to a bank. He must have a bag full of foreign currency to deposit. Aw. The elderly still have trouble with login IDs and passwords in 2045. Is 2-Factor Authentication not a thing in SAC_2045? Those with cyberbrains have it easier at security checkpoints. The branch manager is helpful but brusque. Batou appears to have sympathy for the older generation. He makes a good observation about banks becoming nursing homes, though. Younger folks these days do almost all their banking transactions through apps or PC’s.

SAC_2045 does good exposition in this transitional episode. It’s showing some of the consequences of that Simultaneous Global Default, how money is different, and how the exchange rate puts money savers at a disadvantage. Batou still mutters to himself loudly.

Ah. Now we get to Batou’s real welcome back to Japan. SAC_2045’s episode title said there was a bank robbery, so here we go. This should be over quickly with Batou on the grid. You can tell these robbers are geezers because they’re hunched over, and they’re trying to rob a bank of cash in 2045. Batou is not impressed. Yup, geezers. There’s more going to happen here because we’re not even halfway done with the episode yet. Also yup. The security guard was in on it and now he has a hostage.

Batou will have to let this play out because these old people are frail, and they have no cyberbrains to hack. Sure, Batou will break a safe for you. I think Batou is already figuring out a way to let these old guys win without getting them in trouble.

Ha! SAC_2045 plot development! The old lady wants that cash too! Aw. The Japanese are sensitive to treating the aged with deference and respect, so Batou needs to do something now. He’ll help the old guys get real money. He didn’t like that branch manager’s attitude anyway. Let’s see how he runs his first bank robbery.

There are all these little details in the bank showing how remote meetings work. SAC_2045 is doing more world building. I see humanoid forms with blank screens for faces and a camera on the forehead, which people can use for handling documents.

Har. The cops arrived and say it’s the first bank robbery in 25 years! Geezers! SAC_2045 started production in 2018, so did the writers base theirs on a bank robbery in Fukuoka in 2017? Hahaha! Batou as a hostage! Hahahaha! He’s wearing a bentou bag like a bomb necklace! I’m dying. Batou thinks he’s a funny guy. I agree! Complain about the CGI all you want, but the spirit of Stand Alone Complex is all right here.

Ah hahaha! The Tachikomas are enjoying Batou’s show! This is so good. I’m giddy about the comedy writing! And the Tachikomas are all back in their garage, ready to gossip about the other Section 9 members. Man! SAC_2045 really brought all the best parts of Stand Alone Complex back together. Wow. Production I.G and Sola Digital Arts did a good job with the writing and direction.

These local Tachikomas haven’t seen Batou for six years. I wonder how they feel about their three brothers who went with him. That should be a fun reunion. I still can’t get over how SAC_2045 shows the Tachikomas watching TV on tablets instead of monitoring feeds internally. I suppose it just makes a funny visual. Purin knows the Tachikomas! Is she an AI like they are? She acts just as cutely as they do.

Back at the bank robbery, Batou shows off his totally genuine bomb necklace. We’re starting to get an idea of his own heist. All the old guys are hostages and the robbers got away will be his story. But how will the “hostages” get some money? Aw no. The old lady needed her money to travel to Switzerland for euthanasia. SAC_2045 brings up geriatric issues happening today. The other old guys’ retirement plans suffered after the Global Simultaneous Default. Plus, the branch manager lost all their pensions in a sketchy cryptocurrency. Those things still fluctuate wildly in 2045. Batou has good enough cyber intrusion skills for bank robbery. And, he’s got his own bag of money! Man, I wish my elderly parents knew how to use a smartphone. Batou navigating apps for them is too real.

Nice. Even Batou has malware that can hack cryptocurrency. Blockchain security is a myth in SAC_2045. Batou gave away 12 million yen-dollars. Easy come, easy go. Oh good. The old lady is going to live a little bit longer. Honolulu is much more relaxing than Zurich. Way to bring it all together in the end! Batou meets the rest of Section 9 at the airport. Borma and Pazu are back too! Fist bumps for everyone. Aramaki really did get the whole band back together.

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 streams on Netflix.