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Automated Capitalism

EpisodeEp. 14

This Stand Alone Complex case sends Section 9 to guard a reclusive market tycoon marked for death, only to reveal the man died long ago. His fortune keeps trading on its own through an autonomous program, a quiet warning about money that runs with nobody left alive to spend it.

Japanese Air Date: December 31, 2002
English Air Date: February 13, 2005
Director: Hideyo Yamamoto
Main Characters (1): Togusa
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Summary

Acting on a tip, Section 9 dismantles a ring of thieves scheming to cripple a Japanese financial firm called Interstar. Soon after the operation wraps, an intelligence officer from China warns the unit about activity that may signal a planned killing. The apparent mark is Kanemoto Yokose, a secretive Japanese multimillionaire, and the suspected aggressors are Chinese Socialists. The team takes on the job of shielding him.

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Key Events

Yokose is described as a fifty-six-year-old former mathematician who built his wealth by trading shares. Section 9 and the would-be killer arrive at his estate within minutes of one another, and inside the bedroom each side stumbles onto the same shock. Yokose has in fact been dead for a very long time. The reason everyone assumed otherwise is an automated trading program that kept managing his holdings as though he were still alive.

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Notes

The closing sequence shifts to the home of Togusa's wife, whose personal computer switches on by itself, seizes the stock-trading routine, buys shares in Serano Genomics, and then goes dark again. The subtitle "¥€$" strings together the symbols for the Japanese yen, the euro, and the US dollar. Directed by Hideyo Yamamoto and written by Kenji Kamiyama, the fourteenth Stand Alone Complex episode premiered in Japan on December 31, 2002, with the English broadcast on February 13, 2005.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Automated Capitalism about in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex?

Automated Capitalism is the fourteenth episode of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, in which Section 9 is assigned to protect reclusive tycoon Kanemoto Yokose from a suspected assassination plot.

Who is Kanemoto Yokose in Automated Capitalism?

Kanemoto Yokose is a secretive fifty-six-year-old former mathematician turned multimillionaire who built his fortune trading shares, and is believed to be the target of Chinese Socialist assassins.

What twist do Section 9 and the assassin discover at Yokose's estate?

Section 9 and the would-be killer arrive at Yokose's estate almost simultaneously and both discover that Yokose has actually been dead for a long time, his fortune kept trading only because an automated program continued managing his holdings.

What happens in the closing scene of Automated Capitalism?

The episode closes on Togusa's wife's home computer switching on by itself, taking over the trading routine, buying shares in Serano Genomics, and then powering down again.

When did Automated Capitalism first air?

Automated Capitalism first aired in Japan on December 31, 2002, with the English broadcast following on February 13, 2005.

Sources & Information

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This content is original writing by Daddy Jim Anime based on the Ghost in the Shell anime series, manga, and official materials. Ghost in the Shell was created by Masamune Shirow, published by Kodansha, and animated by Production I.G. All rights to Ghost in the Shell and its characters belong to their respective owners. Episode and chapter references are cited where applicable.

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