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Ambiso Tawsik

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As this semester comes to a close, you finally realise that you don’t really have the necessary notes you need to feel optimally prepared for the upcoming exams. You do what any person undergoing a shock would do – call up all your contacts to find an equally unprepared friend and find relief that you are not alone in this dilemma (and, fascinatingly, it works every damn time). Just to make matters worse, here is a list of new game releases that you will be missing out on for a really long time:

Far Cry 4
The Far Cry series has set a whole new benchmark in the genre of open world, sandbox games. While Far Cry 3 was set in the wild, humid tropics, the latest instalment of the series will have you explore the chilly mountain ranges of Kyrat. Don’t bother checking the map, Kyrat is a fictional setting nestled in the Himalayas. The players will set into the shoes of the new English speaking Nepalese protagonist – Ajay Ghale, who returns to his native hometown of Kyrat to spread his mother’s ashes. He is unwittingly caught in the tide of a civil war, where the rebels struggle to fight against the despotic regime of a psychotic King – Pagan Min. The cinematic trailers and gameplay snippets have shown just how much effort the developers are putting in, to push the next-gen systems to its limits. Apart from the promised graphic upgrade, the other new features include: wide choice of armaments, different variety of flora and fauna, new modes of transport like auto-rickshaws (don’t forget to set down the meter) and a freaking six tonne elephant! Oh and it also has a grappling gun to go “Na na na na na na Batman” with. The game is set to release on the 18th of November, 2014. While Ajay is out exploring the vast expanse of the Himalayas and trading bullets with the local colours, why don’t you open that book that has been gathering dust on top of the shelf?

Dragon Age Inquisition
After the disappointment that was Dragon Age 2, the latest instalment seeks to redeem itself. With the game already being reviewed and praised by critics worldwide, I was encouraged to raise my hopes up again for this new RPG game by Bioware softwares. Dragon Age Inquisition is, as the previous instalments of the series, a very story driven game with lots and lots of dialogue. The developers have promised greater story immersion, with plenty of decision making that will inadvertently affect how the story unfolds. Many of the previous characters are to make a cameo in the game bringing back fond memories and nostalgia. Dragon Age Inquisition does not linger on the past though, you, an ‘inquisitor’, are set into the path of saving the world from itself, as it threatens to implode. As an inquisitor you are responsible for the safety of your people and travel across vast, different territories, which are independent of each other and accessible only through the map. Looking at the many video reviews, it looks like the combat system has lost its awkward clumsiness and the graphics are just eye-popping. Maybe it is time to put Skyrim to pasture while we try out this bad boy as it released on the 18th of November on console and 21st of November for the PC. Oh, dang! We have exams, don’t we?!

Grand Theft Auto 5
Yes, yes. We all know that GTA 5 came out last year and everyone had the chance to play it. Well, everyone that owned a previous gen console that is. For months, console owners have laughed and mocked the PC and the next gen consoles for its inability to play this masterpiece developed by Rockstar Studios. Well, they aren’t laughing anymore. That’s right, folks. GTA 5 is now making an appearance in the next gen consoles boasting of better graphics, refined gameplay and some neat surprises. The re-mastered edition for the PS4 and X box One is due to release on November, the 18th. Unfortunately, PC owners, #gamingmasterrace, will have to wait till January for their edition, which doesn’t really matter as you wouldn’t have been able to touch the keyboard anyways. Imagine the world of Los Santos in ultra HD with new contents the next time you hit your books.

Shadows – Heretic Kingdom
The gaming market seems to be flooded with fast paced and cinematic FPS or the watered down arcade games to entertain the novices that only look to pass time rather than commit hours into gameplay. It has been a long time since any good old school RPG has hit the market since the release of Diablo 3 and Path of Exile. Then my eyes fell towards a lesser hyped Shadows – Heretic Kingdom, developed by GamesFarm. This point and click game shows promise of countless hours of level farming, loot collecting and character building that would make any RPG fans jump with glee. The early access to the game is available on steam which shows off two of the three heroes we can choose to play (the archer and the barbarian. Sorceress is unavailable in early access.). The story line follows the usual ‘world in dilemma’ thread, but your character is what makes the gameplay a little different than other games like Diablo. You are a devourer, a demon with the ability to consume souls and control the bodies of men. The game is divided into two worlds – the material world and the shadow world – and you can jump from these two worlds seamlessly by switching between your demon or the mortal body that you chose to posses. This may allow for a whole new angle of strategy in combat and exploration. The game is set out for a full release on the 20th of November. Yet another game to ponder upon while Karl Marx and calculus refuse to make sense.

Assassins Creed Unity
There has never been a dull moment in the Assassins Creed Universe…scaling impossible heights or jumping from atop the tallest towers all with the push of a single button. You always took care to plan your assassinations methodically, playing and replaying every mission just to discover the most efficient way of killing your target. Or, if all the sneaking around bored you, there was always the flamboyant sword fights you could get into, beautifully animated and orchestrated to give us some of the most smooth gameplay. With a franchise known for its historical depth and great sandbox features, its new instalment has been very much awaited for a long time. Assassins Creed Unity is set in the era of revolutionary France where both wine and bloodshed flowed aplenty. You play as a French Assassin named Arno Dorian. What makes the story a tad bit complicated is the Arno’s dad is a high ranking templar and Arno himself is in love with a templar named Elise De LaSerre. Who are the templars? Only the mortal enemy of the Assasins that have been locked in an eternal battle of brawns and wits. Assasins Creed Unity boasts of some of the most bold new changes which include better parkour mechanics, scene transition without loading screens, ability to render 8000 character models at a time without busting a sweat, re-invented stealth and cover system and hardened the combat system to encourage players to play an Assassin game the way it’s meant to be played – stealthily. The game released on the 11th of November but not without problems. Complaints ranged from random glitches, connectivity issues and the most notorious 30fps controversy. But you can be glad you don’t have to worry about such things as you have other things to think about right now…

Ambiso Tawsik
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“Do you know my child, back in my day…”, how many times have you been trapped into a conversation with an adult who began a rant about his glory days with this exact same sentence? Let me guess: you lost count, right? You can’t really blame them though now can we? With a future so uncertain, it is our past that we fondly cling to and hope to relive. That said (and since we are not getting any younger ourselves), I have compiled a list of retro games that is guaranteed to send you in a wild trip to the beautiful city of Nostalgia-Ville. And just so I can make you feel terribly old, I will mention the year when these games were published.


1. Prince of Persia (1989): The original Prince of side-scrolling platform games. Admit it. You loved every hateful moment when the 8-bit prince fell off ledges, was impaled by spikes, got his butt incinerated by fire pits, squashed by closing walls, stabbed by some random guy in a turban. I don’t remember anyone ever actually completing the game.


2. Midtown Madness (1999): When you see a draw bridge pulling up, what do you do? A) Slow down and come to a stop or B) Just ram the accelerator and use the raising platform as a ramp for the most spectacular stunt jump ever? If you chose the latter, then you have probably played this game. Midtown Madness, unlike every other racing game, did not limit you to the tracks but gave you an large, open, functioning, city to wreck havoc in.


3. Wolfenstein 3D (1992): Revisit the era where you killed Nazis before you learnt about World War or even knew how to spell the bloody word. This game is so old that all you might probably remember was the pixeleted gore, your parents’ worried faces when they saw you take delight in a killing spree with a mini-gun and that funny moustache guy. Yes. THE funny moustache guy.


4. Serious Sam – The Second Encounter(2002): “Give a man a bullet and he’ll want a gun. Give a man a gun and he will be giving bullets away.” Where can you get such an inspirational quote if not from Serious Sam, a man who preaches from the barrel of his fully loaded mini-gun? This game had what every 12 year old wanted – absolutely mindless violence. So what are you waiting for? Go kick some alien guts again!!!


5. Project I.G.I (2000): This tactical shooter came as quite a surprise. It was too polished a game for its time and had guns that actually sounded like guns (somewhat) and did not go ‘pew-pew-pew’. One of the most popular shooters back in the days, it coined the catch phrase – “I am going in.”


6. Medal of Honour – Allied Assault (2002): Unlike Wolfenstein, by the time you got to play this, you probably got the idea about what a ‘Nazi’ was. Or not, as the case may be. This first person shooter was the only WWII game I seem to recall where I was shooting down antique planes, running away from the intimidating Tiger tank, throwing a ‘frag’ in a room full of ‘baddies’, sighing in relief after finding a ‘medi pack’ when my health was dangerously close to zero…ahh the history (pun intended)!


7. Counter Strike (1999): The first multiplayer you ever played and loved. The reason why you “borrowed” money from your dad so you could go with your friends to the nearest Cybercafe and hook up a LAN session. Come on now. Show the kids of today why everyone in you locality called you “The Headshot King”.


8. Pokemon Red and Blue (1999): Almost every kid who got this game can relate to how much agony the very first decision I was pushed to make – Charmander or Squirtel? (i.e.Charizard or Blastoise?) I mean, seriously! What were the game developers thinking putting such a crucial decision into the hands of a kid, who had watched every episode of Pokemon and adored these pokemons? How could one child choose between two icons? Oh, did someone choose Bulvasaur? Seriously? Why?


9. Super Mario (1985): The original badass. How many people you know can shatter bricks with their head, jump enormous gaps in a single bound, shoot fireballs from his hands, eat mushrooms that grow from odd places, hold their breath underwater infinitely, scour fortresses to defeat dragon/turtle hybrid to save a freaking mushroom guy who tells you that the princess is in the next castle only to find the same guy again every f*@#ing time?


10. Age of Empires 2 – Age of Kings: “Hololo” Boom! Your Moslem Castle is now converted to a French Catholic! “Holololo” Pow! The guy you shot on the face with your ballista is now fully healed. Age of Empires. A game that transcended age and logic. A classic. A point and click strategy game that had you playing for hours at end, collecting resources and forginh empires. Now that you are drowning in the sea of nostalgia, can somebody please tell me – “How do you turn this on?”


11. Contra (1987): You see your partner lying down cold and dead near you and you are down to your last life, all the while the nefarious ‘boss’ is laughing at your imminent termination. You move left to dodge a bullet only to find a wave of laser beam shooting down from that direction. You leap, tuck and roll. The boss gurgles in delight, amused by your pointless acrobatics. But suddenly you see a ‘bonus’ float in the sky. You shoot it and down falls a mini-gun. You smirk. The Boss is not laughing anymore.


12. Grand Theft Auto – Vice City (2002): Every kid in town has played this. And why not? It has guns, bullets, bombs, babes, cars, attack helicopters and more guns. And remarkably, your rocket launcher could fit in your pants. Many have sank countless hours in causing nothing but total anarchy in this game. Nobody gave a damn about completing the campaign, all everyone wanted to do was get a concubine in their car and shoot her to get the money back. Whoops! Did I say that out loud?


13. Diablo 2 (2000): The RPG game that kept every fanboy/girl tossing and turning at night, wondering “Should I spend my gold on that armour or that sword?” I had spent a considerable amount of time mulling over issues such as distributing skill points, choosing the perfect perks, developing my character, making sure I was well stocked in potions and antidotes before I tried to tackle a dungeon. *Sigh* Those memories…


14. Age of Mythology (2002): The lesser cousin of Age of Empire. That is how I recall this game. Yet it was fun to play this game. You can never really get enough of games where you click on little men, order them to do build stuff, tell them to produce more men, tell them to kill someone else, unleash destructive wrath if some mortal displeases you….yea that’s what being a God is like in a nutshell.


15. Baldur’s Gate (1989): This game was one of my all time favourite RPGs. Based on the modified version of the gold old Pen and Paper D&D game rules, this game was a huge success. Unfortunately, it was mostly unheard of in our part of the world during the time of its release. Why Then did I put this game in the list you ask? Because it is a brilliant old school RPG with ton of flexibility and replayability options that you must play to make up for the good times you have missed as a kid.

War. It has made women widows. It has toppled kings from their golden thrones. It has decided the fate of entire countries. It has made…history. Despite the unimaginable horrors that it leaves behind in its wake, war has an undeniable allure to it. That is why people have spent billions developing games, movies, books, etc. upon the theme of war and its aftermath. So, as an unimaginative block as I am, I have decided to go with the crowd and compiled a list of 4 great movies that in capture the essence of War:

1. Guns of Navarone (1961)

The story revolves around a rag-tag team of ‘specialists’ from different ‘Allied’ countries, brought together by the British Intelligence in order to accomplish the impossible: Destroying the German artillery. The many plot twists in the story and the top class acting that keeps one glued to the screen from the start to the finish.

2. Gettysburg (1993)

Gettysburg, is a masterpiece in terms of cinematography, historical accuracy and flamboyant speeches. What sets Gettysburg apart from the rest of the ‘Battle of Gettysburg gimmicks’ is that it provides a viewpoint of both the confederates and the union army – about their own personal motives and beliefs. It is fascinating to see thousands of men march in perfect synchronisation, in rhythm with the drums, screams, musket fire and exploding mortar shells.

3. Good Morning Vietnam (1987)

Good Morning Vietnam, is a comic story that revolves around a radio jockey, Adrian Cronauer (played by Robin Williams), and his personal growth as both a human being and a victim of a war. Throw in a little military action, a school boy romance and a touch of grim seriousness in the mix and we get a strangely inspirational war/comedy movie.

4. The Hurt Locker (2008)

A bomb disposal squad in Iraq loses their Staff Sergeant to unsuccessful bomb disarmament and is replaced by Sergeant 1st Class William James (played by Jeremy Renner). At first glance, the new squad leader seemed nice enough. But on their first mission as a team, they are shocked by the utter recklessness of their new Sarge. James’ maverick ways were a threat to the safety of the entire squad and that puts a strain in the squad’s psychology and cohesion. The Hurt Locker provides a total flip side – the addiction to war.

 

We all know that the climate in Delhi is virtually divided into two parts- the bone chilling, teeth chattering winters and the face melting, rash inflicting summers. Now that the cold has died away, we, the analysts in DU Beat have meticulously jotted down the 5 things that even the best of us end up hating about summers:
 
Sweat it out: Whether we’re talking about embarrassing stains they leave on our clothes when we’re out or that icky feeling of brushing against some stranger’s sweaty arm, I think we can all agree that sweating is one of the worst things about summer.
Sweating-like-a-pig

Zombie Apocalypse: With all the heat and the drudgery that the summer heat brings along, it does not take much time for almost every Delhite to become a part of the un-dead horde. Inanimate faces, dragging limbs and reeking body odour everywhere.  Summer in Delhi is a perfect holiday for shuffling corpses (“Thriller” remake anyone? Anyone?)

grunt

The great queue: Be it you trying to fill your examination form, driving to the office or just trying to relieve the pressure in your bowels, there is, by the rule of law, a queue, the length of which is inversely proportional to two factors:

a) the amount of time you can spare
b) the urgency of your work
Now multiply that dilemma with say a 40 degree Celsius temperature and I assure you that you will find religion.

waiting

Lengthier day cycles: We have all learnt that summers mean longer day cycles (ignore this if you were the one snoozing at the last bench with me). Now, longer days mean longer time in the blazing heat, lengthier lectures and a lengthier wait on the queue I just mentioned earlier.

summer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Water shortage: Get ready to listen to the dry, hollow whistle of your household taps as it tries to cough up some water (don’t blame the poor chap, it tries its best). Parched throats and rabid demand for packaged water are common syndromes of the summer blaze. Oh and I would strongly advise you to avoid using shampoos. The shower has a nasty habit of running dry just after you apply a thick lather of shampoo (And when the shampoo gets into your eye, and you’ve run out of water, you will know pain like no other)

extreme thirst

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image courtesy: auditoryimpression.blogspot.com, emi-doodle.tumblr.com, imgur.com

I remember the time when I was drawing the map of India in class. I was little then, and as a good boy would I attentively listened to the teacher to learn how to draw my country. “Check the map”, I remember her say, “and don’t forget to draw the international borders in dark, bold outlines.” So I drew the boldest outline for the international borders. “Now draw the 25 states of India and colour them differently”, the teacher added. Now, my counting was limited to just the number of fingers in each of my tiny hands and toes in each of my tiny foot.

So drawing the 25 states (as the 28 had not formed yet) was really troublesome. I never understood why I had to draw more borders than I already had, in great bold outlines. Naturally I approached the teacher with my perfectly valid complaint. I was told that I would understand it when I grew older and understood the working of the human mind…

We humans are the most intellectual being on earth and we take great pride in that knowledge. Our intellect has helped us claw our way from cold, hard caves to plush, furnished hotel rooms, from cattle drawn carts to the sweet melody of a roaring V-8. But there is one talent, from our endless repertoire, that is my topic of interest: our capability to see and recognize patterns.Have you never looked at the floating clouds and giggled as you noticed a peculiar shape in them, maybe that of a cricket bat, a face of a famous person, a face of a not-so-famous person, an aeroplane or a loved one perhaps? Recognizing patterns is not just another one of our talents mind you, but an almost vehement compulsion. Look at your wallet, most people like to keep their money in a fashioned order – 10 rupee notes followed by 20 rupee notes which are in turn followed by 50 rupee notes, and so on and so forth.

This compulsion of forming patterns is not limited to the inanimate alone. We tend to classify people as well, so consequently we have the Indians, the Americans, The Chinese, Marathis, Punjabis, Bengalis etc. In your everyday greeting with any stranger, your first instinct is to ask him their name (out of courtesy) and then their place of origin (out of curiosity). Once you have known the latter it becomes easier for you to compartmentalize him into a specific category that already exists in your head. Now you know which ‘category’ of ‘people’ he comes from, your initial tension subsides and your conversation becomes more fluid. You are safe in the knowledge of what to expect.

Our brains are always, actively, trying to make out patterns. You hate noise because you can find in it no rhythm to tap your foot to. You hate the crowded metro because your mind just cannot find any pattern of behavior. In fact, if our brains are to be subjected to a long stretch of unpredictable patterns we are under the threat of losing our sanity. The ingenious Chinese water torture makes use of the very same fact. The victim is strapped down to a chair or a table while water is trickled, drop by drop, in their forehead. Does not sound like a torture does it? Remember the time you had a leaky roof during the monsoon, or a time when the bathroom tap was loose? Remember the annoying sound it made when drops of water fell to the floor, waking you at just that moment when you had started to doze off? Maddening wasn’t it? So you can only imagine the agony the victims had undergone as drops of water hit their forehead, erratically, before their minds collapsed into insanity as it exhaustively tried to find some sort of pattern.

Similarly, most people are irritated when their nosy friends borrow something and not keep it back in its original place. People are more likely to hang out with others from the same ‘group’ and usually avoid people who are not part of the ‘group’. Because in a ‘group’ the pattern is defined to almost the smallest of detail like – favorite hang outs, food and most importantly faces of people you know. Nobody likes a fly in their chicken soup, do they?

So the question is… was Nido Taniam the fly?  A ‘something’ that did not fit the urban pattern of Delhi? An anomaly so detestable that he was beaten to death?  Was he not part of the same pattern that I had outlined in great dark, bold outlines as a child? Now when I think about it, I am still that kid holding a map drawn in crayons…

 

The Entrepreneurship Cell of Sri Venkateswara College held their annual fest known as the ‘Entregenesis’ on the 5th and 6th of March.

Prominent individuals such as Padmaja Ruparel (President of the Indian Angel Network), Sujit Banerjee (director/scientist, Department of Science and Technology), Gautam Puri (Vice Chairman & Co-founder of CL Educate Ltd), Shankar Halder (Ex-Chief technology officer of Bharti Airtel), Harkesh Mittal (Advisor and Head, NSTEDB, DST), Rajat Tandon (Senior Director NASSCOM) and Juhi Rai Farmania (Entrepreneur/ Author) graced the main stage, to share valuable insights and experiences with the eager youths.

Several competitive events such as Ad-QuotientIdea-logyTabooMultiplex, Maestros Just a Minute and B-plan (which was by far the largest bait with almost Rs. 30,000 worth prize money) were also held in other venues during the two day event.

Prominent individuals such as Padmaja Ruparel, the President of the Indian Angel Network, Sujit Banerjee, the director/scientist at National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board, Gautam Puri, the Vice Chairman & Co-founder of CL Educate Ltd, Shankar Halder (Ex-Chief technology officer of Bharti Airtel), Harkesh Mittal (Advisor and Head, NSTEDB, DST), Rajat Tandon (Senior Director NASSCOM) and Juhi Rai Farmania, who is an entrepreneur and author graced the main stage, to share valuable insights and experiences with the eager youths.

Shreyak Mahajan and Yagya Vats from Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology won B- Plan and took away almost Rs. 30,000 as prize money.

A special mention has to be made about the star appearance by Manish Paul. Mr. Paul is an Actor/ Anchor known best for his comic timing. The central stage, which was set up in the middle of the college cricket greens, was packed with eager fans as the TV star took to the stage. To put it briefly – there was a lot of shouting, screaming, laughter and a very lucky young man made away with Manish Paul’s jacket, grinning from ear to ear. All in all, Manish Paul wrapped up the entire event with a neat little bow.

Simulation, the annual Statistics department fest of Sri Venkateshwara College, gave a welcoming break to the students from the mundane classroom lectures and the biting chill of the stubborn Delhi weather. Held on 23-24 January, this year’s Simulation saw quite a buzz with multiple events spanning the two days.

sim3

The fest was officially inaugurated on the 23rd of January by T.R Mohanty, the deputy director general of the Central Statistical Organisation at 11 AM. After a brief address by the chief guest, a special Career launcher session was held. In the latter half of the day, students participated in a Treasure hunt that had them run in and out of the campus. For those preferring to sit and solve classic newspaper puzzles instead of running about in the cold, a Sudoku competition was held parallel to the treasure hunting competition. Abhinav from Ram Lal Anand emerged as the winner in the same. Half an hour later, a Quiz competition was held alongside a trailer making competition. Adding more fun to the event schedule, the day ended with the game of dumb charades.

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The fest extended to the next day, the 24th of January. Math lovers found their palates satisfactorily catered to as the second day began with a competitive event called Human Calculator. Participants were expected to solve a series of long and complicated mathematical problems without the use of external aids. A fun session of Antakshari later helped cool off the steaming brain cells. Vritti Palli and Arpit from Statistics(H) IIIrd Year at  SVC won the competition.

This was followed by a three legged Obstacle Race, where tripping and blaming your own partner is a must (12:25 PM), Ad Mad, an event where budding salesmen attempted to win the favour judges for their products and Beg, borrow or Steal, a conspicuous event that, I believe, is threateningly close to receiving a lawsuit by a popular reality show.

All said and done, Simulation has been a surprisingly fun chain of events generating much anticipation for the next year to come.

WRITTEN BY: Kenji Kamiyama
DIRECTED BY: Kenji Kamiyama
PRODUCTION: Production I.G
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2002
GENRE: Cyber-punk, Action

 The year is 2030. It is the decade of the greatest cybernetic advancement in the history of mankind, where the mind is no longer bound to the vessel of the flesh. Imagine the possibilities if your brain could be cyberized and your thoughts digitized into the vast global network. After all, what is a human thought but a simple form of electrical energy? Imagine a world with no physical illness as your consciousness can be transferred to a fully prosthetic body, sculptured in the likes of the Gods themselves.

Kenji Kamiyama’s Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is set in this very future where technological leaps have given rise to a whole new breed of crime. And as a response the government of Japan forms a special branch of unconventional covert operatives known as Section 9 that specializes in solving cyber crimes.

The main protagonist is a woman operative in Section 9 named Motoko Kusunagi, often referred to by her rank ‘Major’. Although her mysterious past is kept in the shadows one can notice the ease with which she can handle herself and her team when put in a tough spot. Her cool under fire and her genius hacking makes her a well respected leader and an indispensible asset to the agency. Her team members (and the other protagonist) include Bato, a former ranger who is the only one who can fight in equal footing with the Major, Togusa, a former police officer, family man and the only fully human member of the team, Saito, an eagle eyed sniper, Pazu, a former yakuza turned investigator, Borma and Ishikawa, information gatherers and lastly the head of the entire Section 9 – Daisuke Aramaki, an old man with limitless resources and equally abundant wits who is the main brain behind the entire team. His influence and political manoeuvring has often gotten the team out of sticky situations. The characters are richly varied but yet a cohesive unit. Their camaraderie displayed by their trust for each other and a few jokes to relieve tensions of a gun fight.

The plot follows the usual exploits of Section 9 as they go about their day to day business as any other secret agency – secretly. But the daily redundancies are suddenly broken by the re-appearance of the infamous hacker dubbed ‘The Laughing man’, due to the stylized logo he uses. He is a super wizard level hacker who had created a nationwide sensation when he accused the Japanese government of withholding vital information for their own profit at the cost of human lives. But after his first appearance (which occurred several years before the start of the story) the Laughing Man had vanished and many other criminals, inspired by his persona- committed crime. Section 9 is put into a wild game of cat and mouse as they try to segregate facts from reality, even harder still when all forms of information can now be altered and deleted, even the human memory.

The story requires a bit of patience from the audience as they are directly dropped into the middle of a vast new world. The technological advancement in the series is awe inspiring yet believable and better still is the new society that creates itself around it. As the thin line between man and machine begins to disappear the characters begin to engage in brief yet thought provoking dialogue on modern philosophy such as the definition of a human being. The story telling is bold; it does not shy away from presenting the world as it is – corrupted and diseased. Human passion begins to go beyond flesh and the series gives us the repulsive view of the most humane spectacles – sins. Kenji Kamiyama’s Japan is not just a world of towering sky scrapers and well to do bourgeois, but also diseased slums and shanty towns. The GITS series give us glimpses of both sides of the coin.

The artwork and its curious mix of CGI are amazing. And the music scores by Yokko Kanno fits perfectly with the moments on scene: a sombre music accompanying a crime scene investigation, a pulse setting beat during an intense gun fight or a striking revelation emphasized by eerie background music. Many critics have praised the work of Yokko Kanno and rightfully so.

The series is recommended for a mature audience as it involves a little more than just profanity. But it is a necessity as the story explores the deepest pits of human shallowness. A few unrequired instances may put some of the audience a little off but in a Japanese anime who could expect anything else? Its uncensored gore, fascinating plot and incredible storytelling makes it a must watch. Even to those who believe that cartoons are meant for kids alone. I assure you, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex will make you reconsider your presupposition and make you want to watch entire seasons again and again.