The final volume of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig brings the series to a very satisfying conclusion.  Many of the questions that the series has raised are answered and viewers who were wondering just what Mr. Gohda has been up to and what Kuze's goals are will come away happy.  Of course, things don't end quite the way anyone was expecting it to, but that's part of the show's charm.  It always keeps you guessing.

Series Synopsis:

In the not too distant future, most humans are augmented by cybernetic implants.  These implants make people faster, stronger, and more powerful.  No longer do you have to spend excruciating hours in the gym to get the perfect body, you can just order one.  Crime is still prevalent in this future society, and the criminals are now much more powerful.  In order to combat these criminals, a special division of the police, Section 9 has been created.  Manned with state of the art cybernetically enhanced officers Section 9 handles the cases that no one else is equipped to.

In this season the political background is much more important.  There is a lot of racial tension in Japan at this time due to the hoards of refugees and immigrants from Asia flooding into the country due to the 2nd Vietnam War.  At first Japan welcomed the cheap labor to help rebuild after the conflict, but now the middle class sees their tax dollars going to help the new comers at the same time that they are taking up jobs.  Segregated into refugee camps that are nothing more than slums, many fear that these immigrants with little hope will soon turn violent.  Then there are some who hope to use the immigrant's discontent to their own advantage.

One person in the mix whose motivations aren't very clear is Kuze.  He's an ex-military commander who one day gave up fighting and went to live with the refugees.  Where ever he goes, Kuze makes draws people to him like flies to honey.  A legend among the refugees, what he wants with the refugees is still a mystery.
 
The other major player in this series is Mr. Gohda, the horribly scarred head of Cabinet Information Security (CIS).  He appears to be pulling the strings of several government agencies, and possibly Section 9 as well.  How much he's involved with the refugees and Kuze, and more importantly what his goals are, still remains to be seen.

This volume: 

The refugees and the self-defense forces are almost at war as the volume begins, and things quickly go from bad to worse.  Section 9 has a plan to avert a disaster, but it involves sneaking fissionable material into the refugee stronghold, something that's not easily done.  While the Major and Batu are attempting that, the PM's enemies launch a coup, arresting her on charges of treason, and Section 9's leader, the Chief, as an accessory.

Of course the people who want a war to start do have a small problem…there aren't any nukes in the refugee compound, and they really need the fear of nuclear weapons in order to seize the power that they want.  So, they've made a little deal with the American Empire.  A US sub is preparing to launch a missile with a nuclear war-head into the refugee's camp.  It will look like they blew themselves up rather than loose the battle.  How can Section 9 possibly stop a submarine miles off shore?

This is one of my favorite series, and I was very happy with the way things ended.  Like the first season, everything was wrapped up, though maybe not in the way you would have wanted.  I especially liked the way they tied in some long forgotten plot lines from earlier in the series.  The action really picks up in these last three episodes, and the tension runs high.  If you've followed the series this far, you don't want to miss this final version.

Audio:

The viewer has the choice of viewing this program with either an English dub (DD 5.1 and 2.0) or in the original Japanese (also in DD 5.1 and 2.0.)  I viewed these using the DD track, and was very impressed.  Like the other volumes, there is good use of the full sound stage which gives the show a very encompassing feeling.  Music and incidental effects come from all angles surrounding the viewer, but these never become overpowering.  There isn=t a trace of hiss or distortion, and everything is very clear and crisp.  I viewed the show in both English and Japanese, and I had a preference for the original language, but the English dub sounded great as well, with the voice talent doing a good job.  There are optional full English subtitles or just subtitles for the signs and song lyrics.

Video:   

Like the previous season, the video on this show is absolutely stellar.  The anamorphic widescreen video was encoded from a high definition master and is just about flawless.  The colors were excellent, blending gracefully from shade to shade without any signs of banding.  The picture was sharp and the definition was first-rate.  This is a great looking show.

Extras:

 
In addition to a series of trailers, there is an interview with director Kenji Kamiyama and actors Ken Nishisa (Gohda) and Rikiya Koyama (Kuze).
 
Final Thoughts:

I'm sorry to see this series come to an end.  One of the more intelligent anime shows, it weaves a complex web of political intrigue as well as containing some kick-ass action.  The characters are well developed and the animation is top-notch.  One of the best show released within the last year, the entire series is Highly Recommended.