Ghost in the Shell

Ghost in the Shell (攻殻機動 隊, Kōkaku Kidōtai^?) is a science fiction manga created by Masamune Shirow, which progressed into two more manga titled Ghost in the Shell 2: Man/Machine Interface and Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human-Error Processor, two animated films directed by Mamoru Oshii: Ghost in the Shell and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, a television series with two seasons called: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG, of which two OVAs were made that summarize each of those two seasons and a movie derived from said series called Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society.

A re-imagining of Masamune Shirow's original story was realized in a series of 4 manga written by Junichi Fujisaku and 5 OVAs titled Ghost in the Shell: Arise, which can also be seen at prequel mode of the original story. These OVAs were made into a ten-episode television series called Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Alternative Architecture, which led to the movie Ghost in the Shell: The Rising.

Four video games were also made, each work has a free plot line.

Synopsis

Set in the 21st century, Ghost in the Shell appears on first reading as a futuristic espionage thriller, narrating the missions of Motoko Kusanagi, Major in charge of the covert operations of the Public Security Police Section 9, or simply Section 9, specialized in technological crimes and cyber-terrorism. Kusanagi herself is a cyborg, possessing an artificial body, which allows her to be able to perform superhuman feats especially required by her work.

Settings

The setting of Ghost in the Shell is undeniably cyberpunk, reminiscent of William Gibson's famous Sprawl Trilogy. Unlike Gibson, however, Shirow is more interested in the ethical and philosophical consequences of the popularization of the union between man and machine, the development of artificial intelligence and an omnipresent computer network, topics focused especially on the identity of the human being and the particularity of his existence.

It is thus that in this advanced future, the daily application of cyborg technology and the improvement of artificial intelligence blur the line between living beings and emulations, which is why the only thing that validates a living being as a human with rights is the existence of his ghost, an attribute of the human brain that is virtually ethereal and enables it to generate self-awareness, emotions, individuality and all aspects that can be qualified as the "personality" or "soul". The ghost of an individual can even be partially or totally removed from the brain and transferred to implants or machinery, the individual still being recognized as such as long as this element remains intact. In this way, the narrative presents a problem that encompasses all of the previous ones: how to define identity (either of an individual or of a machine).

The manga deals more extensively with these themes, as Kusanagi and her colleagues face both external dangers and puzzles as well as internal conflicts about their own nature, due to being more machines than human beings.

The main theme of the manga (and the only story present in the film) is the pursuit of an electronic media criminal, known as the Puppeteer, whose identity is unknown. The Puppeteer has committed several crimes with a single modus operandi: hacking the ghost, which consists of breaking in and taking control of the mind of a human being. By unraveling the mystery of the Puppeteer, the Section 9 agents understand that it is not an ordinary criminal, but rather an autonomous artificial intelligence project belonging to the Government, to which Section 9 provides services, and that he has fled waiting for a real body and a human identity. Although Kusanagi is skeptical at first, she eventually relents in order for the Puppeteer to join her consciousness and share her body, which she does with the intention of raising even more doubts about the nature of human identity, in a world where human consciousness is no longer something so particular.

The manga is known for the large number of footnotes and comments by Shirow himself, both on the socio-technological and political context of the work.

Characters

• Motoko Kusanagi
• Daisuke Aramaki
• Togusa
• Batou
• Saito
• Ishikawa
• Bouma
• Paz

Work

Manga

Ghost in the Shell (manga, 1989)

Drawn in installments from 1989 to 1990. Collected in one volume.

Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human-Error processor (1992-1995)

Drawn in installments from 1992 to 1995, made up of 4 chapters, published in Kōdansha's Young Magazine. Edited with a complementary compact disc that includes the manga in electronic format, with animation in the transitions of bullets.

Ghost in the Shell 2: Man/Machine Interface

11 chapters drawn serially from 1991 to 1997 in Kōdansha's Young Magazine. His story progresses from the end of Ghost in the Shell, but after some time has passed and with a new plot. Unlike most manga, it has a high number of color pages, many of them made with the help of the computer.

Movies

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Film released in 1995 directed by Mamoru Oshii, produced by Production I.G and Bandai Visual. Unlike the graphic novel, the 1995 animated film directed by Mamoru Oshii became an obligatory reference to the cyberpunk genre in the audiovisual media, either because of the quality of its animation or because of the approach it took. he took Shirow's plot (not very focused on the cultural and ethical problems that he created in his work) which in Oshii's hands was notably different; serious, transcendental, and with its own narrative style, almost poetic, and there is no dialogue or image left to chance or that detracts from the attention of the viewer, who seeks in it a hint of conscience. Well, although Ghost in the Shell leaves countless loose ideas when it is seen for the first time, it is in collecting them where its originality and beauty can be found, accompanied by a dark and disturbing soundtrack that accompanies a sense of photography that is dark, gloomy but distressing. Although its environment may be similar to Blade Runner, it is undeniable that Ghost in the Shell moves significantly away from any sentimental idea and introduces us to that virtual world that endangers not only our identity as human beings, but as unique and unrepeatable individuals.

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)

Film released in 2004 directed by Mamoru Oshii, produced by Production I.G and Bandai Visual. This second part narrates how Batou, former companion of the older Kusanagi, investigates a series of murders and subsequent suicides by robots intended for sexual entertainment, some time after Kusanagi disappeared online.

Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008)

It is a remastered version of the 1995 film with the addition of state-of-the-art digital effects, new scenes in C.G. and 6.1 sound, although unfortunately it doesn't include all the original voices.

Ghost in the Shell: The Rising (2015)

Film released in Japanese theaters in summer 2015. Directed by Kazuya Nomura, produced by Production I.G. It repeats much of the equipment from Ghost in the Shell: Arise. In it, Osamu Fujimoto is an adviser and son of the Japanese prime minister, who has been assassinated. Dubbed the "biggest event since the war," the event prompts Osamu to collaborate with Major Kusanagi and Section 9 to discover the truth behind the murder. This film also serves as a prequel to its 1995 namesake.

Ghost in the Shell: Watchman of the Future / Soul of the Machine (2017)

Live action film released in theaters March 31, 2017. Directed by Rupert Sanders and starring Scarlett Johansson.

TV series

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002)

Series of 26 episodes broadcast in 2002.

Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG (2004)

26-episode series aired in 2004. Many of the plots inherit from the Ghost in the Shell 1.5 and Ghost in the Shell 2 mangas.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – The Laughing Man (2005)

Compilation film released directly to DVD, which recovers the entire sub-plot “The Man Who Laughs” from the series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, adding extra footage and improving the quality of the animation, equating it to that of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. The film starts with the fact that the older Motoko Kusanagi, together with her team and the leader Daisuke Aramaki, must pursue crimes committed both in the real world and in the world of cyberspace.

Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society (2006)

OVA made in 2006 (105 min.). Released on September 1 in Japan. It continues the plot and characters traced in the series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG.

The action begins just after the Daiyima refugee district's bid for independence and the breach of the security treaty with the United States of America.

Ghost in the Shell: Arise (2013-2014)

Set of 4 OVA's that serve as a re-imagining of Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell. The four-part series features new character designs and is directed by Kazuchika Kise, script by Ubukata Tow, and music by Cornelius.

The story is set in 2027, one year after the end of World War IV. New Port City is still reeling from the aftermath of the war when it falls prey to a self-propelled mine. Because of this, a military man known for taking bribes from the black market was executed. Batou, a man with an "eye that never sleeps", suspects that Kusanagi is the main suspect in said attack. Detective Togusa, a member of the Niihama Police Station, investigates the execution and death of a prostitute.

1. Ghost in the Shell Arise - Border:1 Ghost Pain (Kôkaku Kidôtai Arise - Border:1 Ghost Pain) (2013)
2. Ghost in the Shell Arise - Border:2 Ghost Whispers (Kôkaku Kidôtai Arise - Border:2 Ghost Whispers) (2013)
3. Ghost in the Shell Arise - Border:3 Ghost Tears (Kôkaku Kidôtai Arise - Border:3 Ghost Tears) (2014)
4. Ghost in the Shell Arise - Border:4 Ghost Stands Alone (Kôkaku Kidôtai Arise - Border:3 Ghost Stands Alone) (2014)

Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Alternative Architecture (2015)

(攻殻機動隊 Arise - Alternative Architecture - Kōkaku Kidōtai Arise: Alternative Architecture)

Re-montage for television of Ghost in the Shell: Arise, as a 10-episode series. The first 8 chapters correspond to the 4 OVA's, each of them divided into two halves, without new content. Episodes 9 and 10 are brand new, making up a fifth OVA titled "Pyrophoric Cult", serving as a bridge between Ghost in the Shell: Arise and the movie Ghost in the Shell: The Rising.

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 ONA series (2020)

Kodansha and Production I.G announced on April 7, 2017, that Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki will direct a new anime production. On December 7, 2018, Netflix reported that they had acquired the worldwide streaming rights to the anime, titled Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045, and that would be released in 2020. The series will be in 3DCG and Sola Digital Arts will be collaborating with Production I.G in the project. It was later revealed that Ilya Kuvshinov will be handling the character designs. It was stated that the new series will have two seasons of 12 episodes each.

Video Games

• Ghost in the ShellGame for PlayStation (1997)
• Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone ComplexPlay for PlayStation 2 (2004)
• Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complexgame for PlayStation Portable (2005)
• Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex First Assault Online, personal computer game (2015)

Impact and influence on culture

One of the films in which the influence of Ghost in the Shell can be clearly seen is The Matrix. The main similarities between the two films are:

• Matrix's "digital rain" (green text patterns that fall representing the Matrix code) restructure the head of the head of the Ghost in the Shellpremiered in 1995 (four years before Matrix).
• During the scene of the beginning, in which Trinity escapes from the agents, the take where it lands on the roof is almost identical to the take in which Major Kusanagi persecutes the first “tender” on the roof Ghost in the Shell.
• The take in which the first “tender” escapes from Batou in the market Ghost in the Shell and the taking in which Neo escapes from a trio of agents on the market coincides in the explosion of watermelons and in the civilians terrified by the crossfire of persecution.
• The famous lobby shooting, which presents Neo and Trinity protecting themselves from the fire behind a stone pillar, and the scene where Kusanagi does it during his battle against the tank.
• There is also a clear relationship between the concept of Matrix and cyber-connected brains as a collective unconscious presented in Ghost in the Shell.
• There are similarities between the arguments of both films. In Ghost in the Shell, at the beginning Kusanagi seeks the Titiritero to arrest him, while, at the end of the film, it is revealed that it is actually the Titiritero who seeks Kusanagi to merge with it. In MatrixNeo is the one who at first seeks Morpheus; when he finally finds him, Morpheus confesses to him that in reality he was the one who was seeking his whole life to the “elected”.
• Both series handle similar mythologies as well as their themes and archetypes are related to the book Neuromancer of William Gibson, and other of his stories.

Finally, the Wachowski sisters, creators of the Matrix trilogy, acknowledged the influence of Ghost in the Shell in an interview. Producer Joel Silver also admitted it in an interview conducted on the DVD of The Animatrix, in which a sequence from Ghost in the Shell was shown, along with the Wachowskis indicating the style they wanted to achieve for the animated shorts from The Animatrix.