Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG - Tachikoma na Hibi

Stand Alone Complex was based on Yoshiki Sakurai’s 2001 Media Ecology dissertation “The Whereabouts of the Other in the Future of Human-Robot Interaction” (「他我を宿す条件 ～人間・ロボット間コミュニケーションの行方～」).

It is about how the phenomenon of THE LAUGHING MAN — unique minds becoming individual components of a complex system acting as one collective consciousness (memes), and the phenomenon of THE TACHIKOMA — perfect machine copies of each other evolving individual differences, are the two inevitable consequences of data synchronization.

The interaction between these antithetical phenomena is explored on a literary level in Stand Alone Complex, and political in 2nd GiG.

Stand Alone Complex is the most cerebral anything anywhere, and it has ... prophesied most contemporary Internet phenomena such as Anonymous and Asange with perfect precision several years ahead.

So. . .where to start?

Tachikoma na Hibi, and I have to repeat the summary, is basically a mini series which appeared at the end of every GITSSAC 2nd gig episode. To be fair, this series was a fun extra, although I was embarassed everytime it popped up at the end of the episodes.

It is a series made of randomness in it's entirety. It uses the loveable Tachikima's and gives them strange scenarios. Perhaps to younger viewers they are highly enjoyable, and to the odd lover of the Tachikoma's, but to me, I felt it took away the intensity of the series. One moment you ... would be left at a shocking cliff hanger, only to be welcomed by the. . .well, irritating, opening tune. Terrorism and dancing robots don't really mix together well in my opinion.

None the less, anyone looking for random humour, this series is perfect.