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Ghost in the Shell (Japanese TV title Kokaku Kidotai 攻殻機動隊STAND ALONE COMPLEX & 攻殻機動隊S.A.C.2nd GIG , Japanese movie title GHOST IN THE SHELL/攻殻機動隊) (1991 / English version 1995) is a Japanese science fiction manga created by Masamune Shirow.
In 1995, an anime adaptation of the manga was created by Mamoru Oshii. The anime received much attention due to its use of revolutionary computer graphic techniques. The movie also included a classic style soundtrack by Kenji Kawai.
In 2002, an anime television series based on the characters and premises in the manga was created by Kenji Kamiyama, entitled 2004, this series was translated and released to the American market.
In 2004, a sequel movie, March 6, in Japan with a US theatrical release on September 17, 2004
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
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Set in the 21st century, Ghost in the Shell is superficially a futuristic spy thriller, dealing with the exploits of Motoko Kusanagi, a major in the covert operations organization "Section 9", which specializes in fighting technology-related crime. Kusanagi herself is almost completely mechanized, a human brain in an artificial body, capable of superhuman feats, and specialized for her job.
The setting of Ghost in the Shell is distinctively cyberpunk, similar to that of William Gibson's sprawl trilogy, though Shirow's work is more focused on the ethical and philosophical ramifications of the widespread merging of humanity and technology, the development of artificial intelligence, and an omnipresent computer network, in particular related to human identity and uniqueness. The manga, in particular, tackles these questions head on, as Kusanagi and her colleagues face both external threats and puzzles, and internal conflict over their own nature, being more machines than humans.
The overarching story of the manga (and the only story of the anime movie) is of the hunt for a cyber criminal called "The Puppet Master", real identity unknown, who commits a large number of crimes through a single modus operandi: "ghost hacking", breaking into and taking control of human minds. As the agents of Section 9 start to unravel the mystery of the Puppet Master, it becomes clear that it is no ordinary criminal, but a unique autonomous artificial intelligence project created by, and escaped from, the same government Section 9 serves, and wanting a real body and a human identity. Kusanagi, although initially skeptical, finally agrees to allow the Puppet Master to merge with her own consciousness, sharing her body, in what is no doubt intended to raise even more questions about the nature of human identity in a world where human consciousness is no longer unique.
The manga is also notable for the proliferance of footnotes and commentary by Shirow himself on both the technology and the socio-political background of the setting (in the complete, English language graphic novel edition, these take up more than 30 pages).
Like many of Masamune Shirow's works, Ghost in the Shell is rife with brilliant throw-away ideas and conundrums that lesser works of fiction would dedicate entire books to exploring. A few of these ideas are discussed below.
The futuristic society of Ghost in the Shell has scientificly verified the existence of the soul, or ghost. The presence of a ghost is what differentiates a human being from a biological robot. Regardless of how much biological material is replaced with electronic or mechanical substitutes, as long as an individual retains their ghost, they retain their humanity and individuality.
One of the consequences of this revelation is a final resolution of the nature versus nurture debate in criminology. When a criminal is convicted of a crime in Masamune Shirow's future world, a detailed technical analysis is done of the subject. If it is discovered that the crime was committed due to a material defect in either the biological or electronic components of the convict's brain, the defect is repaired and the convict is released. If, instead, the crime is determined to have been the result of an individual's ghost, then there is only one cure: the removal of the portion of the brain that communicates with the soul, thereby de-ghosting the criminal and preventing any possibility of future criminal behavior.
Tachikoma (they are called Tachikoma in Stand Alone Complex, but called Fuchikoma in the original Manga) are artificially intelligent mini-tanks employed by Section 9. Because of the demands of field duty, these robots are constructed with extremely flexible, adaptable AIs that lack many of the safeguards present in other artificially intelligent robots. While this enables them to behave unpredictably and flexibly, it also presents difficulties for the members of Section 9, who must monitor the Fuchikoma closely for signs of undesirable emotional development.
The underlying statement here is that predictable behavior is inherently problematic. Section 9, as an organisation, needs heterogeneity and even organic weakness if it is to survive. "A machine where all the parts respond the same way is a brittle tool."
Cyberbrain warfare is the practice of employing ghost hacking as a means of gaining access to an opponent's cyberbrain, and ultimately, their ghost. A successful cyberhacker can censor or augment the sensory information being received by a victim, or even go so far as to destroy or rewrite complete memories.
Cyberbrain warfare is portrayed as a natural consequence of the integration of cybernetic and wireless communication technology directly into the human brain. Despite the apparent risks, even the most paranoid characters in the story find the benefits of directly networking their brains to be indispensible.
Apparently, any conduit by which information is absorbed by the brain can be exploited for ghost hacking.
Directed by Mamoru Oshii, the movie adaptation of Ghost in the Shell is highly atmospheric and slow-paced compared with the manga. Whereas the characters in the manga are portrayed as more convivially silly, Oshii's screenplay is written in a far more serious manner. In addition, Oshii was required to shorten the manga considerably in order to fit it into 115 minutes of screen time. As a result the film focuses almost exclusively on the 'Puppet Master Plot', excluding the several subplots covered in the manga.
Many found the result of this conversion superficial, confusing, and dull. Others argued that it removed much of Shirow's "obsessive fannishness", added focus to the story, and made for a more artistically pleasing and mature effort than the original.
The film was lauded as one of the first animes to seamlessly blend computer and cel animation. The soundtrack is of a classical Japanese style.
Two television anime series, called "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GiG", have been made, and a second film, called Innocence: Ghost in the Shell, has also been produced. It is noted that both have a different story line but refer to the "Gits" world of Masamune Shirow. A continuation of the manga and first movie storyline can be found in the second part of the manga entitled "Ghost in the Shell 2: Man/Machine Interface".
One self-titled console game has already been produced for the series, developed by Exact and published by THQ. A second one bearing the series title (Stand Alone Complex) is scheduled for release in November 2004, developed by SCEJ and Cavia and published by Bandai.
Like other pioneering sci-fi works, Ghost in the Shell has made a significant impact in fiction and the real world alike. The Matrix, a very successful 1999 sci-fi action movie, contains imagery apparently influenced by this movie (and other anime also). For example, the opening scene with green digits resembles the opening in Ghost in the Shell. During the opening scene in which Trinity flees the agents, the shot of the agent landing on the roof is almost identical to a shot of Kusanagi during the pursuit of the first 'puppet'. .
Another impact is on the real-life development of optical camouflage as worn by Kusanagi.
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