The fourth border (episode) in the Arise series, opens with spirited Christmas carols, sung on decorated streets, while, at the same time, a mob of protesters angrily voice their opinions at the partnership of a massive technology company and a water supplier. Aramaki, whose voice, again, proves difficult to acclimatize to after having being serenaded by his aging dialogue in previous Ghost in the Shell franchises, begins a major cyber-brain sweep of the entire area, to halter any potential attacks. Focusing his attention on the protesters, Aramaki and Section 9, are caught unaware when riot troops, without warning, open fire on the protesters, the originally blissful spirit of Christmas being crippled with the screams of innocent civilians. During the slaughter, Major Kusanagi, who still objects to joining Section 9, preferring to isolate her team, hunts down the culprit responsible, and upon the chaos having come to an end, her team manages to apprehend a teenage girl, who is connected to the atrocity.
The opening of the fourth episode, Ghost Stands Alone, is potentially the most powerful yet, and works on incorporating our fears of having one of our most celebrated occasions, marred by violence. What's more, the action oriented opening is sure to immediately grasp the attention of viewers, this episode being more action packed than the third, returning viewers to the excitement of the second episode, which is, by far, the most entertaining.
As with the other borders in the series, the animation is very beautiful, and unlike the third episode, where certain aspects of the animation seemed, at times, blurry, Ghost Stands Alone is more solid and crisp. Moreover, the design of New Port City will certainly bring viewers melancholic memories of Stand Alone Complex.
Continuing with the investigation raised in the third border, Ghost Stands Alone brings back characters not only from the third episode, but from the first, and reunites us with members of the 501st that Major Kusanagi was originally affiliated with. Perhaps this was deliberately written in to bring closure to the franchise, by bringing story-lines back around a full 360 degrees, however, by the end, Arise feels incomplete, pivotal aspects of the plot remaining unanswered; perhaps a deliberate strategy to make room for the new movie.
During the episode, Major Kusanagi appears largely impatient, which is a direct contrast with her character in Stand Alone Complex, her attitude causing Batou to question whether he should be leading the operation, resulting in more than a couple of humorous occasions that helps break up the seriousness of the story. Furthermore, the use of humor will potentially remind viewers of the Major's attitude during the original Manga.
Much like with Stand Alone Complex and the original Ghost in the Shell feature, the Major at one point goes up against a massive four legged tank, and though the scene provides viewers with entertainment, it steals a little too much from the aforementioned titles, causing it to appear not as refreshing, which is something that could be said about the entire episode. The plot about the adolescent girl, Emma, will perhaps remind viewers a lot of the Puppet Master, and though there are differences in the story, these are not explored greatly enough as to make us emotionally involved.
Ghost Stands Alone is therefore a lot like the other three borders in the Arise series; as stand alone episodes, they are entertaining enough, with philosophical intrigue, chase sequences, and good battle scenes. However, these are still unable to measure up to the films and series' that came before.
