 = Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society = 
 
 Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society ( Japanese : 攻殻機動隊 <unk> <unk> <unk> Solid State Society , Hepburn : Kōkaku <unk> <unk> <unk> <unk> Solid State Society ) is a 2006 made @-@ for @-@ television science fiction action spy thriller anime film and is part of the Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex series based on Masamune Shirow 's manga Ghost in the Shell . It was produced by Production I.G and directed by Kenji <unk> . 
 The film is set in <unk> , two years after the events of 2nd <unk> . Togusa is now the team leader for Public Security Section 9 , which has increased considerably in size . Section 9 deals with a series of complicated incidents , including the assassination of Ka Rum , a former dictator of the Siak Republic , which leads to a terrorist plot using children as vectors for a cybernetic virus . Investigations reveal that a hacker nicknamed the " The Puppeteer " is behind the entire series of events . 
 The film , which had a production budget of 360 million yen , debuted in Japan on <unk> <unk> ! on September 1 , 2006 and it was released in North America in 2007 . A stereoscopic 3D version of the film was released in 2011 . The film received generally positive reviews , but was criticized for being very dialogue heavy and lacking in action . 
 
 = = Plot = = 
 
 In <unk> , two years after the events of 2nd <unk> , Public Security Section 9 is investigating a string of mysterious suicides by refugees from the Siak Republic . Chief <unk> conducts a raid to arrest the refugee dictator only to find him already dead . In retaliation , a Siak operative plans a terrorist attack with a <unk> virus . Batou is sent to intercept the Siak operative and encounters Kusanagi , who is conducting her own investigation . Before they can apprehend the operative , he dies while attacking them . Kusanagi takes a case of virus <unk> and warns Batou to stay away from the Solid State Society before leaving . 
 Section 9 operatives develop a theory that a hacker known as the Puppeteer is responsible for Siak agents ' forced suicides and Togusa discovers sixteen kidnapped children who were intended carriers of the virus . All the children are listed as the children of Noble Rot Senior Citizens and Section 9 begins to suspect a larger conspiracy when they are part of a larger body of 20 @,@ 000 children . Soon afterwards , the Puppeteer causes the disappearance of the sixteen children and Batou reveals to Togusa that he believes Kusanagi to be the Puppeteer . Section 9 next <unk> a Siak sniper that is targeting the supposed mastermind of Ka Rum 's assassination . After his capture it is revealed the informant and the target are one in the same . The sniper says that the Puppeteer is a mechanism in the Solid State and cannot be killed . 
 Togusa tracks down one of the missing children , now assigned to an elderly man in the Noble Rot program . As Togusa tries to take the child , the man <unk> and demands the child be left with him as he had named the child as his sole heir . He would rather give his assets to a child off the street and to protect them from abuse than have his assets turned over to the government upon his death . The man immediately dies after warning Togusa not to interfere with the will of the Solid State . Late , Togusa receives a call from the Puppeteer who <unk> his brain and forces him to drive to a cyberbrain <unk> hospital with his daughter . The Puppeteer and Togusa <unk> , and Togusa is given the option to lose his daughter to the Solid State or commit suicide . He chooses suicide but is saved by Kusanagi who then identifies the Puppeteer as a <unk> formed by the collective consciousness of the Noble Rot Senior Citizens located in a welfare center . 
 Kusanagi temporarily rejoins Section 9 and confirms that Ito Munei , an influential politician , was behind the assassination of General Ka Rum . She also confirms that Munei and other politicians use it as a front for a brainwashing facility to create an elite group of pure @-@ <unk> Japanese to take control of the country in the next generation and lead it into Munei 's vision of a new Golden Age . The Solid State decided to eliminate Munei for interfering in its plans , but Munei was ignorant of the origin of the abduction infrastructure . 
 A designer named <unk> Koshiki steps forward , claiming he developed the Solid State system before committing suicide . Kusanagi dives into his cyberbrain and into Koshiki 's trap , allowing him to hack her cyberbrain . The <unk> reveals that he was spread across several <unk> until a collective consciousness emerged and developed into a Solid State , allowing him to move into the society beyond as the vanishing mediator . Later , Batou tells a recovering Kusanagi that the real <unk> Koshiki used a cybernetic body and built the Solid State after he was hired by Munei . Kusanagi does not reveal that the Puppeteer was a fragment of herself , but Batou already knew from being linked to her during the dive . Batou concludes that the ultimate identity of the Puppeteer will remain unknown and that incident will be written off a scandal . 
 
 = = Cast = = 
 
 
 = = Production = = 
 
 The film was initially hinted as a new anime project collaboration with Bandai <unk> and Production I.G. The film was officially announced by Production I.G at the 2006 Tokyo Anime Fair . Whether the film would be released theatrically , broadcast on television , or released direct @-@ to @-@ DVD was undecided at the time . The film had a production budget of 360 million yen ( equivalent to US $ 4 @.@ 3 million ) . It was produced in Hi @-@ vision format and was made by the same staff that originally made the TV series . 
 The production team used a 3 @-@ D layout system to render the interior shots ahead separately and in advance . The art team was tasked to draw lighting boards to show the position of light sources in the scene to improve the overall quality of the animation . One of the themes in the series was " Motoko Kusanagi 's <unk> " . The team had a difficult time portraying Motoko Kusanagi and her return to Section 9 . Kenji <unk> stated that he felt the characters have obtained " ghosts " of their own and that Kusanagi needed a convincing story in order to return to Section 9 . <unk> <unk> noted that Kusanagi was more going back to her old self rather than showing the new strength she found when she left Section 9 . 
 For the music , Yoko <unk> read the scripts of the film in order to compose music that would <unk> with each scene , rather than composing music ahead of time . Sound Director <unk> Wakabayashi returned to provide music menus , which made up of 70 % of the scores Yoko <unk> composed . 
 As part of the Nissan sponsorship , the movie features two concept cars designed by Nissan . Section 9 drive a white Nissan Sport Concept sports <unk> and seater <unk> <unk> that premiered at the 2005 New York International Auto Show and North American International Auto Show . 
 
 = = Releases = = 
 
 The film debuted in Japan on <unk> <unk> ! on September 1 , 2006 . It premiered in North America at the 2007 New York Comic @-@ Con screening from February 23 – 25 , and also featured in 2007 's Fantasia Festival in Canada . The English version was released on July 3 , 2007 . The Limited Edition <unk> contained an additional DVD containing various development interviews and videos and the Solid State Society Original Soundtrack CD . In July 2008 , Solid State Society was released in Blu @-@ Ray alongside the two <unk> The Laughing Man and Individual Eleven in Ghost in the Shell : <unk> Trilogy Box . 
 In November 2010 , a stereoscopic 3D version was announced adding a new opening sequence . The 3D version was released in Tokyo 's <unk> <unk> 9 theater on March 26 , 2011 . The stereoscopic 3D version was released in both normal and deluxe edition on July 22 , 2011 . The normal version contains opening @-@ day <unk> by the staff and cast , film advertisements , and audio commentaries . The deluxe edition titled Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society <unk> <unk> is packaged in a <unk> Box containing the film in <unk> 3D all the content the normal edition along with three <unk> Days shorts in 3D and one in 2D . 
 A novel adaptation titled Ghost in the Shell : <unk> Solid State Society ( <unk> Solid State Society ) was published by Kodansha and released on April 3 , 2011 . An optical camouflage camera <unk> for iOS was released on September 2 , 2011 . A video game for the Xbox 360 <unk> was developed by <unk> to promote the 3D remake of the film . 
 
 = = Reception = = 
 
 Christopher <unk> of IGN gave Solid State Society an " <unk> " score of 8 @.@ 0 out of 10 , stating that it was " A worthwhile watch " . Carl <unk> of Anime News Network gave the film a " B " rating , calling it a " swift @-@ moving futuristic crime film with some clever science @-@ fiction twists and solid action " but criticizing it was " <unk> , confusing and somewhat bloodless . " The film earned a 1 @.@ 4 % rating when it aired in <unk> on October 15 , 2012 . Marcus <unk> of DVD Active gave it a 6 / 10 stating , " Solid State Society isn 't as strong as the first and second season of the anime show but being one feature length story as opposed to lots of very cool and largely great individual episodes offers a more in depth and focused story for the most part and a happy return to the world of Ghost in the Shell " . The film was awarded the <unk> Prize at the 21st Digital Content Grand Prix . The film was featured in the " Late Night Manga to Anime Film Season " hosted by The British Museum . The DVD released ranked No. 1 on Oricon charts on November 23 , 2006 . 
 The 3D version ranked at No. 11 in the Japanese box office chart with a total of $ 285 @,@ 268 from a total of nine theaters . The 3D version won the Movie award for The Japanese Committee of the International 3D Society . 
 
 