The profound appeal and evaluation of the "Ghost in the Shell" series

Ghost in the Shell: A cyberpunk masterpiece that looks into the depths of future society

■Overview of the work

Ghost in the Shell is a 1995 anime film based on the manga of the same name by Shirow Masamune. It was directed by Oshii Mamoru, produced by Production IG, and distributed by Shochiku. It has an Eirin rating of 114609 and is a one-episode film lasting 80 minutes. It was produced by Kodansha, Bandai Visual, and MANGA ENTERTAINMENT, and the copyright is ©1995 Shirow Masamune/KODANSHA・BANDAI VISUAL・MANGA ENTERTAINMENT.

■ Story

In order to combat crimes that are becoming more sophisticated and violent in this ultra-advanced network society, the government formed an unofficial extra-legal special forces unit of elite cyborgs led by Commander Major Kusanagi Motoko. This is the birth of Public Security Section 9 "Ghost in the Shell." One day, a certain country's intelligence source issues a warning to Ghost in the Shell. A "Puppet Master" who has been appearing mainly in the EC zone and is on an international wanted list for stock price manipulation, information manipulation, political maneuvering, and terrorism has appeared in Japan. Motoko pursues the shadow of the "Puppet Master" who is lurking in the midst of crime.

■Cast

• Motoko Kusanagi: Atsuko Tanaka
• Batou: Akio Otsuka
• Togusa: Koichi Yamadera
• Ishikawa: Hiroshi Nakano
• Aramaki: Tamio Oki
• Director Nakamura: Tetsuo Genda
• Dr. Willis: Masatoshi Namaki
• Puppeteer: Ieyuki Iemasa

■ Main staff

• Original author: Masamune Shirow
• Produced by: Teruo Miyahara, Shigeru Watanabe, Andy Frein
• Producers: Yoshimasa Mizuo, Ken Matsumoto, Ken Iyadomi, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa
• Director and Storyboard: Mamoru Oshii
• Screenplay: Kazunori Ito
• Directed by: Toshihiko Nishikubo
• Character design and animation director: Hiroyuki Okiura
• Animation Director: Kazuya Kise
• Mechanical design: Shoji Kawamori, Atsushi Takeuchi
• Firearms design: Mitsuo Iso
• Art setting: Takashi Watanabe
• Art: Hiromasa Ogura
• Color setting: Kumiko Yusa
• Photo by Hisao Shirai
• Edited by: Shuichi Kakesu
• Music: Kenji Kawai
• Sound: Kazuhiro Wakabayashi

■ Main Characters

• Motoko Kusanagi: A female cyborg with accurate judgment and the ability to act calmly and quickly. Although she demonstrates excellent abilities as the commander of Ghost in the Shell, she is also increasingly skeptical of ghosts due to her completely prosthetic body and cyberbrain.
• Batou: A tough guy who can be called her right-hand man and who supports and restrains Kusanagi, who tends to stand out. He is like a sub-leader of the Ghost in the Shell, excelling in both offense and defense. He is large and at first glance behaves like a hard-boiled man, but he also has a surprising comic relief.
• Puppet Master: An unidentified super hacker. Everything else is unconfirmed except that he is presumed to be American. He was given this name because of his method of controlling an unspecified number of computers by ghost hacking them. He is on an international wanted list on suspicion of stock price manipulation, political maneuvering, and many other crimes.
• Togusa: A former police officer who was recruited from the headquarters by Kusanagi. Although he is cyberized, he is almost flesh and blood, making him an unusual presence within Ghost in the Shell. He takes pride in his gun skills.
• Ishikawa: The oldest member of Ghost in the Shell. He lives by the motto of staying calm and collected, and is a practical man who often quietly infiltrates the internet to gather and manipulate information rather than "fighting." His beard is his charm point!?
• Aramaki: Chief of Public Security Section 9. As the head of Ghost in the Shell, he leads a group of eccentric members. He is a tough old man who is devoted to his work and dislikes political interference, but he is a sharp-witted man who has earned the utmost trust from his members.
• Nakamura: He is the head of Public Security Section 6 as a treaty advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and is a loyal official who works hard to solve various cases. He is in conflict with Section 9 over how to solve Project 2501 and is engaged in a secret battle.

■ Related works

• "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex"
• "Ghost in the Shell SAC 2nd GIG"
• Innocence
• "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man"
• "Ghost in the Shell SAC 2nd GIG Individual Eleven"
• "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society"
• “Ghost in the Shell SAC SOLID STATE SOCIETY 3D”

■ Review

"Ghost in the Shell" is a work that symbolizes the cyberpunk genre, and its profound themes and beautiful visuals continue to fascinate many fans even more than a quarter century after its release. The world view woven by director Mamoru Oshii's meticulous direction and Kenji Kawai's music has the power to draw the viewer into the depths of a future society.

The character of Major Motoko Kusanagi, who is at the center of the story, is someone who continues to question the meaning of her existence as a cyborg and the existence of ghosts (souls), and her philosophical questions encourage deep thought in the audience. Also, don't miss the human drama woven by unique characters such as Batou and Togusa.

The visual aspects of this work fully demonstrate Production IG's technical capabilities, and the depiction of the futuristic city and the beauty of the mechanical design were revolutionary for the time. In particular, the rain-soaked cityscape at night and the depiction of cyberspace leave a strong visual impact.

Music is also an important element of the film. Kenji Kawai's score is both tense and beautiful, and contributes greatly to the progression of the story. In particular, the theme song "Ghost in the Shell" is a symbol of the film.

■Recommendation

"Ghost in the Shell" is highly recommended not only for those who like cyberpunk and science fiction, but also for those who are interested in philosophical themes. The deep themes, beautiful visuals, and detailed storytelling will give you new discoveries no matter how many times you watch it. There are also many related works, so by enjoying the entire series, you can immerse yourself more deeply in this worldview.

In particular, the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series has a deeper story and characters as a TV anime, so you can enjoy it even more by watching it together with the film version. Also, Innocence is a work that further emphasizes Director Mamoru Oshii's philosophical perspective, so you can enjoy it as a sequel to the film version.

This work is a monumental work that continues to question the possibilities of future society and the meaning of human existence. Please watch it once, and as many times as you can, to experience its profound world.