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I wouldn’t know about missing the point in SAC, but as I mentioned it is a series I’m very fond of for merits I see in its narrative, the approachable yet dense theming, the production values and it aligns with many of my own world-views, such as the aforementioned positive outlook on progress and the denunciation of a conservative and capitalistic society. It’s fun to discuss and disagree about this because it’s through viewing certain titles under different lenses than my own that I found greater appreciation for certain titles, Gundam and Hyouka being the most obvious as I started without much of an opinion on both of them but slowly by elaborating on them and reading different people opinions I came around to apprecating them better. The journey itself is one important reason why I now like them so much. I’m just a regular guy on the internet but if you want deeper arguments for GITS SAC there are plenty of papers and thesis that were published on its many themes, just checking google scholar for start would net you a lot of research material if you were still curious.

The general levity in 2199 was indeed one of the reasons the series struck a weird chord with me, it framed the ongoing war as a heroic journey where the protagonists were morally untouchable and their enemies violent, confused and petty, which is the kind of nationalist language that weights down a narrative for me. It seemed par of the course for Matsumoto as he often portrayed (admittedly with a lot more nuance than in this series) militaristic figures shielding their beliefs with duty, honour and other jingoistic jargon. Funnily enough, this made the Gamilas far more interesting to me, because their politics were complex, their characters varied and seemingly unfathomable in their reasoning, it make me second guess what they would be capable of doing each episode. Contrast this with the Earth faction, which rarely if ever showed conflicted characters or different stances on the war, each of them pictured as selfless heroes ready to die for their planet, even the occasional conscientious objectors meeting a death told with the language of martyrdom and courage. Kodai, Okita & co. were fine as a main cast, they just lacked any interest trait for me to latch on aside being a fellow human and having to root for humans.
If the original deals with the two sides of the war in more refined terms I will watch it eventually, thanks for the heads up on the differences between adaptations.

I think understanding art and enjoying art often intertwine but form a tricky duality. After studying every facet of GITS SAC you can still feel other works left a stronger emotional or intellectual impression on you, as I could say that I understand very well the appeal and artistic merit of Haibane Renmei yet still prefer the metaphorical purgatory for young people who died in regret of Angel Beats. You could argue this invalidates my every opinion on anime (and in 2010 people did say it to me lol) but anyone can delve deep into art and still “like” John Woo more than Béla Tarr. Anti-intellectualism is the cardinal sin of rejecting the intention behind art, but owing yourself to “get” something does not always equate to being pleased by it.
Same goes from Tomino, his body of work is too vast to try and parse him as author without getting lost in some contradictions. Brain Powerd is a bloody mess and, both despite and because of it, still immensely enjoyable. Tomino himself said that the series didn’t come out exactly as he had hoped for but was still a necessary step towards Turn A (and if you need more on that Feez’s blog collected every possible info on the series that was ever made publicly available. The lad is the foremost expert on the subject).

In some way I think that also applies to Yamato. I chose to watch the remake because I heard great things about I.G’s production values and came out with an experience that was powerful but also had many of Matsumoto Leiji’s quirks that I learned to not love, mostly his overly positive attitude towards the military. I wonder and I dread how different the 70s original where he had more direct input and control must have been.

Kamiyama can be a lot dry in its writing and characterization but it’s a mark of his own style, there is no need to convince you of anything if the show just doesn’t click with you. I pointed out some aspects of it among many that make it special to me and you pointed out a lot of other works that you managed to appreciate more. Considering the titles you mentioned it’s actually a sign of an industry that, at its peak, is capable of tackling themes and genres or even styles from the perspective of multiple creators and mostly hit the mark, exactly because under similar influences and sharing many animators one can follow a historical thread in how some of these works were developed. SAC was of course Kamiyama’s own view on Oshii’s political thrillers as well as Turn A was Tomino reaching his own epiphany after 20 years of Gundam and King Gainer being an immediate follow up makes a lot of sense, I find so particularly fascinating noticing how people expand, retrace steps and ask similar questions.

Sure, I have many positive things to tell about SAC but I wouldn’t say that I watch or like it because it makes me feel smarter.
If I were to talk about its value, it should be said that, for a tv series, the production is nothing short of immaculate. In 2002 animation was still in the early years of transitioning between analogue and digital colouring and photography and none of the biggest production from that year, between Gundam Seed, Overman King Gainer, Full Metal Panic, Raxhephon etc., even come close to the quality of I.G output. They decided to produce what was possibly the most consistent good looking show that have ever aired up to that point, it was almost experimental although it is hard to see it 20 years later, and it still is, in many instances, a miracle of some of the best staff in the industry coming together for a project of an unprecedented scale. That and also the whole presentation is breathtaking, from the art direction of Takeda Yuusuke to Kanno Yoko’s music, it is just incredibly beautiful to look at.
I also really like cyberpunk as a genre, not the overly gaudy aesthetic of Edgerunners but futures that are just a little more advanced than ours to be believable canvases onto which project themes about politics and economics that can still feel like a natural continuation of our own timeline. Shirow Masamune as a genre author is a favourite of mine because, between GITS, Appleseed, Real Drive and so on, he shines like a very curious person with an unending optimism about the future. His cyberpunk is not the dark and dreary world of Alien or Blade Runner where humanity has collapsed under corporations and class inequality but, as Kamiyama adapted in SAC, brighter futures where technologies are conceived as instruments to elevate humanity and, amidst rampant corruption and struggle between major powers, both the average people and the people in charge (in Shirow’s narratives mostly police officers or soldiers) can still choose to do the right thing. It’s a type of humanistic approach to sci-fi that Japan in particular is very good at (it’s basically the common thread among most mecha shows) and it makes challenging series with complex themes and moral compasses like Gundam and GITS itself both compelling but also light-hearted enough to fill me with hope for tomorrow.

Hope this answers your question!

Hello, thanks for the friend request. I don't really use this site as a social platform but if you want to talk about Gundam or stuff send me a message, it's cool.

Significantly? Eh, not really, all things considered. I think for those who didn't like the show, the movies won't change their mind, but if you liked the series, the movies might give you a deeper appreciation for G-Reco. They are essentially just re-cuts, but in the case of the 4th and 5th films, there are entire scenes added, animated from scratch, some of which are jaw-dropping. I find the revised script in the films actually improve emotional beats for much of the cast, but on the other hand, a few classic scenes like Klims, "I'm a genius!" were cut.

Request accepted. I honestly forgot affinity scores were a thing, lol. You've got some great taste, my friend.

I feel that movies 2 and 3 cut out too much stuff because they couldn't possibly fit everything all in