Ghost in the Shell

Dir: Mamoru Oshii

1995

*****

Mamoru Oshii's cult hit Ghost in the Shell (known as Mobile Armored Riot Police: Ghost in the Shell in Japan) is the seminal adaptation of Masamune Shirow's popular MANGA comic. It was a Japanese and British international co-production that was produced by Kodansha in association with Bandai Visual and Manga Entertainment, with Production I.G serving as the animation studio. The futuristic computer heavy story revolves around a public-security agency, Section 9, made up of cyborg operatives and their hunt for a mysterious hacker known as the Puppet Master. With the assistance of her team, Motoko Kusanagi tracks and finds their suspect, only to be drawn into a complex sequence of political intrigue and a cover-up as to the identity and goals of the Puppet Master. It’s classically dystopian, like a George Orwell or Ray Bradbury, with a strong Philip K. Dick influence but it is also way ahead of its time and the science behind the idea doesn’t seem fictional at all. The philosophical themes of the film, including self-identity in a technologically advanced world, is where we are at all these years later. It’s one of the various reasons why it fast became considered to be one of the greatest anime films of all time, its visuals are stunning, all achieved through a combination of traditional cel animation and CG animation. The film has served as inspiration for filmmakers such as the Wachowskis, the Matrix being an obvious offspring of Shirow's original idea. Mamoru Oshii has since stated, "My intuition told me that this story about a futuristic world carried an immediate message for our present world. I am also interested in computers through my own personal experience with them. I had the same feeling about Patlabor and I thought it would be interesting to make a film that took place in the near future. There are only a few movies, even out of Hollywood, which clearly portray the influence and power of computers. I thought this theme would be more effectively conveyed through animation." Oshii expanded on these thoughts in a later interview, noting that technology changes people and had become a part of the culture of Japan. He commented that his use of philosophy caused producers to become frustrated because of sparing use of action scenes. Oshii also acknowledged that a movie with more action would sell better, but he continued to make these movies anyway and a global following of fans are glad he did. As far as I’m concerned it goes Metropolis (1927), Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell. I’m not sure The Matrix actually comes into the equation. Masamune Shirow struggled initially to make it neither too complex nor too simple, I believe he succeeded in answering big questions within the smallest of details. It was important for the development and progression of story that the audience would just except that the world is like this in the future without answering all of the many questions they would have. Shirow answered these questions by quietly asking the reader to heighten their observations, Oshii even more so in his adaptation. The viewer doesn’t even have to read between the lines, it’s all explained if you are willing to listen. It’s one of the reasons it has become such a cult hit, however, there are still many new questions raised that are left open to interpretation. You could write a dissertation on the complexities of the story, I’d bet good money that someone already has. Fans of the original were left disappointed at the removal of a certain sex scene from the comic series but by and large the adaptation was seen as something of an improvement. The visuals are stunning, the sound and the music are wonderfully indulgent, the score, composed by Kenji Kawai, includes an ancient Japanese language in a wedding song that serves as a key piece of music leading up to the climax of the film. It all works together beautifully. I’m not the biggest anime fan in the world, indeed, my anime tastes are very specific but Ghost in the Shell is right up my street. The various sequels, sort of sequels and series are good, and I really liked the live action 2017 remake, but nothing compares to the original. Hugely influential but rarely bettered.