Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG (TV)

Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG Episode 2 (Night Cruise) - The quoted "Jewish author" who said, "Life without truth is not possible. Truth is perhaps life itself," is Franz Kafka. It can be found in Gustav Janouch's book "Conversations with Kafka" (1953). The full quote is, "Truth is what every man needs in order to live, but can obtain or purchase from no one. Each man must reproduce it for himself from within, otherwise he must perish. Life without truth is not possible. Truth is perhaps life itself."

Much of episode two, Night Cruise (2nd GIG), pays homage to the Martin Scorsese film Taxi Driver, including the monologue, the gun-play in front of the mirror, the obsession with the "angel" image of Motoko undercover, his planning to assassinate his boss, and the fantasy of rescuing "prostitute" Motoko from the boss. In some scenes, New York City architecture is referenced, such as the Flatiron Building and the former seedy grindhouse theatres of Times Square, making the homage very direct.

In the final episode, ENDLESS∞GIG (2nd GIG), This is the only episode to feature a fixed numeral during the title screen; ironically, it is the indefinable ∞. The song of the Tachikomas is similar to the chorus from the two Ghost in the Shell movies. Also the last scene of this episode, and series, is designed to replicate the first few pages of the manga (following the prologue), where the Section 9 members are all wearing armour that appeared in the 1995 film. It also features the introduction of the "Uchikoma" armored unit as the replacement for the Tachikoma, bringing closure between the original Fuchikoma mecha design from the original manga and the GITS:SAC parallel series.

In episode 3, CASH EYE (2nd GIG), The safe scene s directly inspired by Ocean's Eleven. CASH EYE as a name itself, and the nature of the crime, plus the leaving of a "calling card", refer to the 1983 anime "Cat's Eye". Also When preparing herself to commit the heist, Kusanagi takes off her dress the same way Catherine Zeta Jones's character did in Entrapment.

In episode 5, INDUCTANCE (2nd GIG), Patrick Sylvestre is a fictional political theorist who published 10 essays on the nature of revolution. Ishikawa finds out about the circulating rumour on Sylvestre's unpublished "Individual Eleven", the ideological bible of the terrorist group bearing the same name. Allegedly, this essay deals with events behind the May 15 Incident. Sylvestre could have been modelled after the Japanese author Mishima Yukio.

In episode 6, EXCAVATION (2nd GIG), The depiction of Tokyo is reminiscent of the future Manhattan in the Steven Spielberg movie AI, and also resembles the NeoTokyo in Katsuhiro Otomo's famous film Akira.

In episode 7, Pu239 (2nd GIG), The title, Pu239, is in reference to plutonium-239, an isotope of plutonium that is one of the two fissile materials used in the production of nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors (the other is uranium-235).

In episode 11, AFFECTION (2nd GIG), There are numerous paintings hanging on the walls in the house where Kusanagi has her flashback. They are by Alphonse Mucha, a commercial painter from the late nineteenth century. Mucha’s paintings are notable for being ubiquitously recognizable—particularly in the western world—though Mucha himself was never as famous as his paintings. This contributes to a combined sense of familiarity yet unfamiliarity experienced by Kusanagi as “nostalgia.”

In episode 13, MAKE UP (2nd GIG), Pazu's quote, "I never sleep with the same woman twice", the idea of an "artificial face", and the resulting plot featuring a jealous ex-lover out to kill Pazu are all elements that appear to borrow from the movie Abre los ojos (Open Your Eyes) and its Hollywood re-make Vanilla Sky.

In episode 17, RED DATA (2nd GIG), The blouse Motoko wears in this episode (and only in this episode) resembles the outfit of Fullmetal Alchemist's Izumi Curtis. Izumi is, appropriately enough, the alchemy teacher, mentor, and surrogate mother figure of the main characters in FMA, Ed and Al. Also the 5 star hotel featured in the show is Grand Hotel (Taipei City), in Taipei, Taiwan.

In episode 18 (Angel's Poem/Transparent), the scenes of Batou watching the city of Berlin from the angel's statue (and his role throughout the film) are taken almost directly from Wim Wenders' film _Wings of Desire_, set in Berlin and featuring invisible angels watching the city and its inhabitants.

In episode 20, FABRICATE FOG (2nd GIG), Kuze's scheme of stealing fractions of amounts of money and depositing them into a dummy bank account - "Salami slicing" - has been used in various films including Superman III and Office Space. Also a Tachikoma comments that the entrance to the underground submarine base looks like a "Geofront". This is a reference to the 1996 anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion.