Whenever you give Crispen Freeman the spotlight, he runs with it! We hear it all from him, Togusa's exhaustion at the case, excitement at his eureka moments, the sense of right and wrong from his tone of voice alone, it really is what makes this ep one of the best. #GhostInTheShell

Also Crispin Freeman is CARRYING this episode looking at his resume and realizing HOW legacy he is having been in classic anime, Pokemon, Digimon, Steven Universe, X-men, Rumic World, Gundam, Star Wars...etc...
#GhostInTheShell #StandAloneComplex #Episode20 #AnimeRetroRewatch @digiranma.bsky.social

Togusa tries to get the guy with the file out of there...only he winds up stopped by some of the goon squad...and Togusa gets wounded by the rest...but the good news is the item is a COPY, so the original is in the hands of the asshole that started all of this. #GhostInTheShell #StandAloneComplex

Turns out the guy is claiming guilt and is ready to tell the judge what he did...and that's when the "Clean up crew" storms the Sunflower Society with guns blazing. #GhostInTheShell #StandAloneComplex

Oh, and you wanna know the best part of all this? The asshole that rejected the vaccine so the Micro Machine groups can give him more money? Yeah, well, guess what he's been taking to stop the brain hardening.

Hint: It ain't from the people that pay him. #GhostInTheShell #StandAloneComplex

Turns out the Sunflower Society HAS the file that...yeah, confirms that those that got the vaccines are those with deep pockets, famous, or work for the government....just as the government themselves confirm the Sunflower Society has the file and are sending people to "Clean up." #GhostInTheShell

"I'm with public security!"
That's an understatement, also Togusa seems to find himself in these kind of situations.
#GhostInTheShell #StandAloneComplex #Episode20 #AnimeRetroRewatch @digiranma.bsky.social

Oh, and they have a laughing logo.

So, Togusa goes undercover as a journalist to see if they and the Laughing Man are connected.

Oh, and if you wonder what the government's response was: "Screw you, Micro Machines make us mon---we mean work!" #GhostInTheShell #StandAloneComplex

Togusa's research REEKS of the complexities of insurance companies, big pharma and the rich secretly hoarding cures to terminal diseases.
(Like say recent events involving an immortal turtle...if you know, YOU KNOW)
#GhostInTheShell #StandAloneComplex #Episode20 @digiranma.bsky.social

Fast forward a few years and the vaccine got speed tracked to approval...just for a few "Special" (Rich, connected, government) patients. This is where the Sunflower Society comes in as they've been fighting for info on who got the vaccine and who was left out... #GhostInTheShell #StandAloneComplex

So, the list? Yeah, it was with people who had it. This leads Togusa to the Sunflower Society. We then get exposition explaining the rest: It turns out the people in charge of the approval? Yeah, pro Micro Machine treatment...so if a vaccine got out, that causes THEM problems. #GhostInTheShell

...mainly because it happened by accident. Yes, the reverse Rogaine effect, instead of an accidental hair restorer coming out of heart meds, this is an accidental healthy thing. But since "It just works" isn't justified, Murai had to find out why and modify it. #GhostInTheShell #StandAloneComplex

So, here's the gist of it: The brain? Yeah, don't like being in a metallic box for some people, so it creates an effect similar to MS in those, even hardening some parts of the brain. Enter the Murai Vaccine that wasn't approved for medical use... #GhostInTheShell #StandAloneComplex

Togusa gets the OK to search records tied to this and finds the book is missing...it's the list of the Murai Vaccine recipients.

BOY...I CAN'T THINK OF...ANYTHING IN REAL LIFE...WHERE THE GOVERNMENT WOULD BE INVOLVED IN VACCINES... #GhostInTheShell #StandAloneComplex

Togusa figures there's a reason the Laughing Man is quoting Catcher In the Rye, as he talks to the Major...while standing on the edge of the roof her jacket off and her braless back to the guy...like ya do...as she reveals the author also wrote a story called "The Laughing Man." #GhostInTheShell

Since I have the Bandai Anime Legends DVD release I'm gonna be doing a disc change between episodes.
#GhostInTheShell #StandAloneComplex #Episode20 #AnimeRetroRewatch @digiranma.bsky.social

It looks like a legal paper pusher was hacked to mess up the paperwork on Nano Ai and all sings point to it being part of a cover up...meaning Section 9 has to be a bit on the careful side on the grounds that...well...if the government hack their own people... #GhostInTheShell #StandAloneComplex

How do you catch a criminal that you cannot see? Join the beautiful cyborg Motoko Kusanagi in a world of high technology and deadly conspiracies as she searches for these answers and more.
#GhostInTheShell #StandAloneComplex #AnimeRetroRewatch @digiranma.bsky.social

We open on a cleaning lady taking a book from an office and walking out to the park...only to find she didn't know she did it as she was ghost hacked by whoever took the book. #GhostInTheShell #StandAloneComplex

Up next, Togusa is back on the Laughing Man case...but there might be more to it than what it appears to be. "Vanish Medication-RE-VIEW!" #GhostInTheShell #StandAloneComplex