Ghost in the Shell, SAC, SAC 2nd Gig & Innocence
Posted by Kushal | Filed under Uncategorized
Continuing the manga reviews I start a couple of months ago. There’s been a few films in between but nothing worth reporting on. Years ago I bought the Ghost in the Shell video. I was stunned. It was a fascinating and deep story in a cyber-terrorism filled near future. There was grand original ideas, new technologies and visual themes way ahead of its time. Years later, Trinity and Co in the Matrix Films didn’t seem so original to anyone that had seen Kusanagi and crew diving out of windows, throwing spider lines, jumping, bouncing, flying, running with super-human ability. I’ve heard it said that without Ghost in the Shell there would have been no Matrix. I’m inclined to agree but for a different reason. Thematic. Technologically there is nothing amazing new in Ghost that hasn’t been explored in various cyberpunk novels over the last twenty years – from advanced prosthetic bodies to thermo-optic camouflage. I feel it is more the visual themes and presentations of technologies and concepts that may have influenced the cyberpunk attempts in Hollywood. From Kusanagi’s free-fall dives to the Tachikoma’s white-washed cyberspace meeting area (á la Neo’s first introduction to his residual self image).
Stories: Section is a high profile Public Security anti-terrorist team created and commanded by a government civil servant on a Stand Alone level. This is where is gets a little deep. The Mental Stand Alone Complex explored throughout the films and the series would require an essay in psychology by itself. It stems from a philosophical thought experiment into that the psychological and philosophical structures of AI will be like when connected to and involved in regular communication with the humans and internet of the future. Everyone has memories which may be downloaded and duplicate but we have only one Ghost (any remember Lawnmower Man?) which may not be duplicate. It is initially theorised that only organically created living being have a Ghost but where do you draw the line? If a human’s memories and Ghost are moved to a man made cyber brain and their entire body can be replaced with prosthetic implants then what makes us alive. This is the deeper subtext explored throughout the stories.
Not to disappoint Anime testosterone junkies that are already falling asleep, there is plenty to keep the action flowing from spider-like battle tanks that swing between building, cyborg soldiers that can shut off pain receptors, political intrigue and, of course, Major Kusanagi. They don’t come any hotter than this. Kusanagi is a full female prosthetic soldier and the operational head of the Section 9. Cold, confident and rock-solid. It’s always nice to see a good looking lady beating the crap out of the bad guys.
So, if you can keep up with (or ignore) the political depth of the stories this is a set of films and series’ not to be missed!
Tags: Anime Reviews
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