Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2045 Season 1 Episode 2 Recap – At Your Own Risk

Packing Heat

The robot dog has now foiled their plan for stealth entry. Clown shoots the dog, but it alerts the men on the lower floors.

Batou and Clown go lower while the Major fights the robot dog. The dog runs to its owners and interrupts Batou’s fight.

The rest of the fighters get inside a tank. Major shoots the dog; she recognizes it as military-grade.

Batou reports there are three still inside the tank. Tachikoma comes in for an assist and blows the walls out. The enemy is surrounded, and their exit is blocked.

The enemy buys some time and shoots them. A few seconds later, a drone comes in to help them. It shoots one of the Tachikoma lookouts along with Saito. The building collapses under them.

The drone picks them part one by one. Batou can’t believe they’re using Hellfire missiles. The Good one-percenter seems to be supplying these guys with expensive gear.

Fiery Chase

The tank transforms into a spider-mech, and the enemy rides it outside with their drone. The major and her squad try to chase on foot, but their firepower isn’t up for it.

She asks Batou to prepare the Stinger while she goes inside a Tachikoma to pursue the enemy. They try to hit the drone, but its AI is too strong, so they set their sights on the tank. Tachikoma shoots several times, but it doesn’t break their armor. On the other hand, the enemy tank can’t hit them as well.

Tachikoma leaps and breaks their main gun. She’s out of ammo. The enemy calls in the drone back. Tachikoma zigzags and hides to evade its eyes.
Batou and the gang get back in their truck to chase.

Reinstated

Back in their office, Chief Aramaki and Togusa meet about bringing back Section 9. The Prime Minister wants to have some firepower to flex their muscles. The Chief thinks the urgency of reforming Section 9 could be for pro-American reasons as the Prime minister had worked there before.

The chief wants them to find an answer to the societal turmoil of their times. He instructs Togusa to contact the major and the six other members of Section 9.
Back in the fight, a Tachikoma wakes up from under the rubble, looking for Saito.

Batou catches up with the major, carrying a rocket launcher, when the enemy tank goes in front of them. They both fire simultaneously, with Batou and his crew jumping out of the truck. The enemy tank stops the damage.

The drone still remains a problem. Saito calls them; he’s alive and inside a Tachikoma. Major runs back as he reports he still has his Stinger.

Clown and Batou knock on the tank, and it suddenly explodes.

Twist

Saitou finds the drone and shoots it with rockets, but the enemy has flares. They try to force it lower with a continued barrage. Batou ties up the enemy members and asks them to stop the drone. They refuse, and a heated argument starts.

Saitou chases the drone to an alleyway, but the major intended to trap it. She uses grappling hooks to swing on a building to ride it. She then jumps into the drone and shoots down half of its motors. The drone falls.

She heads back to the squad with their prisoners. She asks them where they got those Hellfires, but then the drone fires one of its rockets. The payload hits home by the mountains.
A group of helicopters arrives with some armed troops. A man in a suit asks them to come with him.

Our Thoughts:

An action-packed episode that’s fun and full of twists; I still can’t get over how janky the animation looks, but at least the lighting and pacing is better. I rate this 3/5.