A Ghost of its Own - A Ghost in the Shell Series Retrospective

[Music] what is the self it's something humanity has asked for as long as we've existed and in the 21st century it feels like a more pertinent question than ever in 1989 mangaka Masamune Chou authored an action-packed dialogue heavy cyberpunk series that wore its philosophical heart on his sleeve and got the world asking once again Who am I in doing so he pushed manga and anime in an astonishing direction and birthda fan choice that has weathered three tumultuous decades of evolution within the medium it helps define fueled by an obsessive focus on identity and independence trowel was so far ahead of his time that were only now asking the questions he provided the answers to nearly thirty years ago this is beyond Ghibli and today we're looking at ghost in the shell' before I can properly introduce you to the fascinating worlds that make up this giant franchise however I need to present you with an enduring metaphysical conundrum that has divided the great thinkers of history since it was first proposed so why not let one of the best minds of the 20th century elucidate was some of the best minds of the first century were proposing nearly two millennia ago exactly saving the Council money I am to mention to her one day that I've had the same brew for the last 20 years I'm very impressed and said never meddle if you've had that broom for 20 years have you actually swept any roads with it cause look aa very well this old broom has at 17 new heads and 40 new handles [Laughter] it's easy to laugh along with the audience at the idiocy of this statement but triggers rationale is actually in line with a thought experiment we've been scratching our heads over since we've had heads to scratch known as theseus's paradox it asks that if an object consisting of multiple parts say the handle and head of an axe has those elements replaced incrementally over time to the point where none of the original remains is it still fundamentally the same object the same question of identity is at the heart of ghosts in the shell though the stakes are raised significantly in its stock vision of the future the process of replacing one's organic body parts with prosthetics is a reality known as cyber ization and it's a procedure nearly all of the major players in the series undergo but if you're willing to scrap and replace nearly every piece of yourself are you really you anymore despite losing every bit of your original being is there some ethereal soul like entity that persists between shells is there a ghost in the machine there's something wonderfully accidentally self reflective about this obsession through its nearly 30-year run a run which has seen no less than five entirely separate universes play host to the same questions asked by the same familiar faces ghost in the shell' has been chopped changed and rearranged to fit a variety of unique iterations and has done fascinating things with each of these alternate angles the uninitiated might ask whether it's the same being now as it was when it started but across every parallel timeline something has persisted through it all incredibly ghost in the shell' has developed a ghost of its own [Music] when Shiva created ghost in the shell' it felt like a scary premonition of where technology was taking us at an alarming speed he jumps to 2029 and guessed at where our hunger for technological advances would lead and his result is both wonderful and terrifying he manages to embed these ideas in an episodic chronicle of the life or lives of major Motoko Kusanagi a cyborg operative who carries out various undercover hijinks for section 9 a cloak-and-dagger government agency that ride around in spider tanks and take our bad guys in a world where we've doubled down on our reliance on technology cybercrime rises to exploit that very dependence New Age criminals with enough technical savvy are able to hack in someone's fancy new ice to grab sensitive material or a victim's ghost to extract or implant memories they can even hijack their cyber brain completely to take control of their body a new type of criminal needed a new type of law enforcement and that's where the major and the rest of section line come in the major is one of the most enduring icons of anime fantastically designed thoroughly intriguing and playing host to some of the deepest questions presented through her own musings and insecurities she's a synthetic full-body post thesis augmented cybernetic human which is a long winded way of saying she was largely fully sized it's mentioned that she exceeds the 97.5% limit to cyber ization and this leads her to think that she is entirely artificial paranoid that even her memories are fake implants to sedate and ground her whether this is true or not is never really adjust much like most of ghosts in the shells most interesting hooks it's left for the viewer to ultimately decide upon she's a jumble of paradoxes even before you get to her many subtly different iterations and it's these paradoxes that have made her not only a fantastic character but a fascinating study into humanity herself the major acts as our constants the many worlds of ghost in the shell' with her portrayal acting is a pretty good barometer of the tone of any given adaptation in the original comic for instance the major is playful boorish goofy occasionally a screw-up and a bit of a horndog and she's bloody brilliant honestly likewise that one is also a bit slapstick and a lot volunteer than its animated counterparts a telling sign of things to come sure our would later go on to focus exclusively on erotic art the movie on the other hand is a lot more serious with the major playing a more believable role - a squad of special ops soldiers she's no longer insubordinate her slightly immature streak is completely gone and she's devastatingly effective and pretty much every mission she undertakes she's also used as a mouthpiece for some showers loftier tangents spouting notes and munchers that would have previously been scribbled by the author in the margins of his work it sounds to me like you're doubting your own ghost what if a cyber brain could possibly generate its own ghosts create a soul all by itself and if it did just what would be the importance of being human then it's worth saying now that the 95 movie is the only piece of ghost in the shell' that doesn't have a stellar dub sorry but err the rest of the franchise is voiced brilliantly in English but I'd go with the subtitles for this one also I adore 90s anime sound effects they're just so satisfying if you click with ghost in the shell' and it's strange brand of cyberpunk dystopia your next course of action should be obvious I have to do a deep dive [Music] it's a rare golden goose when it comes to franchise anime since its inception in 1989 the series has blossomed into a mixed media franchise that spans across five distinct separate realities probing and exploring the themes of Shirelles original manga run in constantly surprising ways there's the original manga run the 1995 mammal oshi film and its sequel the episodic anime series stand alone complex the arize prequel OVA z' and finally the hollywood movie that hit theaters last year commonly known as ghost in the shell' 2017 there's a lot of additional media from manga novels video games and movies orbiting each of these cause but this is the neatest way to split them up if you're looking to get into ghost in the shell' and this seems daunting the best advice I can give is don't worry ghost in the shell' is unique in that there isn't really a one place to start every version of ghost in the shell' can work both as an engaging standalone piece or feed into a more complex satisfying hole with familiar elements and a core set of characters crossing over to orientate yourself by if that seems like a cop-out hover and you're still wondering where to dive in allow me to help you out most people will point newcomers in the direction of the 1995 movie under Momoa oh she's masterful direction this film became the de facto definitive version of what the franchise of the whole stood for and rightfully so the film is a masterpiece but in my opinion there's a better place to begin you're awfully full of yourself honey when oh she came to ghost in the shell he came with a hatchet and pared it down to his essence in a brief 80 minute film an essence that I as a first-time viewer felt woefully under-equipped to deal with as it turns out oh she had a similar experience with his source material what did you think of the original comic book when you got it it was a very difficult yeah thank you so after he told me to do it I had to reread at 20 more times it's a very difficult complicated manga he's absolutely right though it's stuffed with some of the best action scenes committed to paper hsiao also dedicated countless pages to heavy philosophical theorizing and detailed explanations of believable future-tech whilst the movie doesn't take 20 times to click it certainly benefits from a few repeat viewings much like the comic there's plenty of visual spectacle to make sure you're never bored from balletic fight scenes rampant nudity and brief moments of hyper violence but if you start elsewhere in the series you can come to the movies fully primed and all the characters and themes while she draws upon this would be the order I'd recommend devouring the series in its not ordered chronologically or by quality it's ordered by comprehension what's going to introduce you to the complicated world in the most digestible way possible and here's the secret to ghost in the shell' the place where you should begin just so happens to be my favorite content this franchise has to offer [Music] [Music] [Applause] stand alone complex is a two-season 52 episode procedural cop show that is anything but procedure spun off from Shiraz manga in a totally different directions to one or she took with the movie thanks to the inherent episodic nature stand alone complex is better equipped to mirror the pacing the manga achieved the series often zeroes in on easily digestible themes of the week [Music] allowing the philosophies and characters of ghost in the shell' to breathe in a way that no other medium is achieved and delivers some of the best execution on sheer hours of original ideas to date the major are a fermented litmus test an atmosphere is serious here capable and deadly but also light-hearted friendly and occasionally funny in stand alone complex thanks to the extended run time of the show she's given the chance despite her lack of actual flesh to become a fully fleshed out character in fact the show is able to introduce us to every member of section 9 and the larger world of ghost in the shell' in a more naturalistic way exploring friendships and relationships with the pacing that other mediums don't have the luxury to do this is ultimately the reasons start here because it gives weight to everything that will happen in every other universe going forwards [Music] now you can't talk about standalone complex without mentioning the tachikoma section lines personal spider tanks that he used for backup transport and somehow stealth ops they're based off of the mangoes Fuji coma that's are functionally the same but had to be renamed due to licensing issues these quadrupedal max even got their own brilliant video game in 1997 which is the honor of being the only piece of ghost in the shell' that shares this universe with the original manga sure our even wrote the game's story and it's the only animated version of the original sarcastic major that you'll find Fuji coma just do your job and help the rookie if you can somehow get your hands on this one I really do recommend it having played it through again to grab this footage I can attest it's still brilliant fun to zip around as a hyper edge off you cheese and take down giant robots in standalone complex they are deceptively integral to everything that happens over two seasons these naive high-pitched childlike AI are huge reason to love standalone complex and it's in there conversations about identity self personal growth God and the soul that ghost in the shell' bizarrely gets his most understandable notions with the arcs of these adorable little robots feeling far more relatable than any postulations the human side walks deliver knowingly stand alone complex begins each episode of the two minutes touchy chromatic days short in which a bundle of the robots to over the themes presented in that week's episode or just goof around for some slapstick comedy stands alone complex isn't a perfect ride however there's bound to be a couple of duds in 52 episodes of anime but for the most part this is top class stuff there deserves to go down as one of televisions greats and la you're under arrest for threatening to kill the superintendent general [Music] you [Music] stand alone complex serves as a fantastic introduction to ghost in the shell' and after making your way through it you're pretty well equipped to explore the franchise however you wish the movies will make a lot more sense now the original manga will feel like a continuation of what you've just finished or the arise ova 's and the subsequent new movie appropriately titled the new movie can send you back to where it all began when the major was first putting section nine together arise is a prequel done right and it's just flippin cool i do want to stress again though that these timelines do not feed into each other a rise may be a prequel but it's only a prequel to the notion of ghost in the shell' these are entirely different worlds that would throw up serious plot holes if they were stitched together instead they're reimagining that skew things significantly in order to further explore what ghost in the shell' is it's the reason you can enjoy these completely out of order and an ingenious unique way to explore an established universe which brings us to the Hollywood film that debuted last year I started there America Europe but it so q1 Naruto you may know me [Music] with the surprise success of ghost in the shell' in the West and Hollywood's obsession with turning old properties into new ones it was only a matter of time before we got an American version this is the only piece of the puzzle I'd suggest should come after watching the ocean 95 movie because whilst it isn't a remake again the plot the world and the major are different everything that's come before it cribs a lot of the best moments from the movie and standalone compacts and I think they does a disservice to both of these productions to watch their live-action counterparts first but and this is important I do recommend you watch it the film got a lot of pre-release flak for whitewashing the major and this negative buzz harmed the chance of one of the better Hollywood adaptations we've had or she even defended the film's casting and in the world where bodies are interchangeable and disposable it's not hard to see why but I think it would be naive to say that this move wasn't made because of how much money your Hansen could pull in despite this the movie is fine it's not perfect by any stretch and a lot of ghosts in the show's introspective soul is lost in favor of admittedly impressive CGI but it does a competent job at translating the series for an audience that wouldn't have otherwise discovered it which is ultimately what American adaptations should achieve it's got plenty of visual spectacle to carry out really some of these scenes are fantastic and are lifted in such a way that I couldn't help but be filled at some of my favorite moments being recreated so faithfully ghost in the shell' simultaneously preys on both our desires to improve ourselves and our fear of losing everything that makes us us it's a scary world where cyber criminals are able to turn our own bodies against us but it's hard to deny the allure of being able to buy your way to a harder better faster shell tailored to whatever whim you're partial to in an age where the anonymity of the Internet has us battling for individuality more than ever where the concept of identity is a huge part of the dialogue ghost in the shell' feels more relevant now than it ever did it's these differences that make every iteration yes every iteration worth watching with every voice added the conversation becomes a more interesting one ghost in the shell' has ascended from a property that talks about identity to an example of identity as one that's well worth discussing [Music] [Music] as always thanks for watching and for sticking with this one I'd originally said it would be a short and breezy affair but it became a bit of a beast every video I've made has been very different totally and I'd love to hear what you thought of this one in the comments below did you know that in the time it took you to watch this long-winded video you could have just watched the first episode of standalone complex if you'd like to waste more time that could otherwise we spent what you stand alone complex hit the subscribe button and I'll help you procrastinate further if instead you wish you could cyber eyes your hippocampus in the hopes of forgetting this video ever existed hit the like button and I'll do everything in my power to make sure we're on track for getting that technology by 2029

Channel: Beyond Ghibli

Views: 418,142

Keywords: Ghost in the Shell, Stand Alone Complex, GITS, Review, Guide, What to watch first, viewing guide, ARISE, Ghost in the Shell 2017, Scarlett Johansson, Deep dive, 2nd Gig, Innocence, 1995, Mamoru Oshii, Masamune Shirow, Kenji Kawai, Yoko Kanno, Anime, Beyond Ghibli, Anime classics, classic, cyberpunk, exploration, video essay

Id: LdhCv8_GdB0

Length: 19min 7sec (1147 seconds)

Published: Sat Jan 27 2018