Anime, for those that don't know is an adult form of animation from Japan that derives it's storylines from adult themed comic books called Manga. Most are action packed and are about soldiers or samurai and such. Some are like teen or young adult romance novels. Others have supernatural themes. The most common Anime that most people know about but never realized it was Anime is Speed Racer. Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion (yes I'm old enough to have watched that as a kid) are also examples of Anime. The late night adult version of Cartoon Network called Adult Swim has been showing Anime for years now. Some of it really good, and others just plain weird (but Anime is like that.). Last night on Sci Fi channel they premiered their new weekly Anime show called Ani-Monday. They ran the first US showing of Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society. This is the latest installment in the Stand Alone Concept storyline based on Masumune Shirow's Anime movie Ghost in the Shell. I've seen both movies, the second was very slow and a bit boring, and both Stand Alone Concept tv series and have been wanting to see this one ever since I found out it existed. It was great. The story of Ghost in the Shell is, at it's core, a philosophical look at the computerization of mankind. Just read my blog entries about Cell phones and such. Masumune was right. The first movie was about a counter terrorist organization in the Japanese Government called Section 9. It takes place in year 2030. During that period of time, mankind has become cyberized. Everyone has had their brains updated with cyber implants: computer parts that help our brains learn faster and help us surf the net via a cable connected to our brains (the plug in is on the back of the neck). Cyber crime is rampant and it is the most heinous of crimes to hack someone's brain and take them over....this is referred to as Ghost Hacking (the Ghost representing the Soul which in Masumune's definition is that which makes us uniquely us). The team members of Section 9 are all full conversion cyborgs (meaning they have "prosthetic bodies" with human brains). A cyborg is basically a robot with a human brain. The robot bodies look human, feel human but are comprised of a metal skeleton and no organs. The only thing human about them is the brain and spinal column transplanted into the cyborg chassis. The brain is also contained in a computerized metal casing (to protect it of course). Masumune's philosophical question is (and this is echoed in the thoughts of one of the main characters, The Major) does the soul or Ghost of the person get transferred from the original meat body to the prosthetic one? If it does, what changes does it go through or does it even survive the process? One can look at it in this fashion; the more tech reliant we become, the less human we become. Think about it. Teens with cellphones. They spend countless hours texting each other when the device they are texting on can be used to make a phone call so you can talk to that person. Typing an impersonal electronic message has replaced face to face conversation. Sounds less human to me. In the movie the protagonist is called the "Puppet Master" because he is Ghost Hacking people. At the end of the movie he hacks into a cybernetic Tank and goes on a rampage. The Major, Matoko Kusanagi, a cyborg from Section 9 hacks into the tank to stop it and ends up merging her consciousness with that of the Puppet Master and now roams the net as a disembodied Ghost (or soul). Very deep and action packed. Fans of the original movie asked permission of Masumune if they could work on a project that explores the characters of Section 9 before the events taking place in the movie. He read the proposed storyline and agreed, very happy with what he read. Thus was born Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and the follow ups Stand Alone Complex: Second Gig and Solid State Society. The characters are great in the show. Aramaki is the head of Section 9 referred to as "Chief" or "The Old Man" at various times. The teams leader is Matoko Kusanagi also known as The Major (although we are never sure if this is her rank or just a nickname. I think it's her rank because she is often addressed as Major by Aramaki). She is the character that ultimately ends up a disembodied Ghost roaming the net at the end of the first movie. She is also the character that Masumune uses to voice his philosophy of the computerization of mankind. Next up is Batou an American and former Army Ranger who no longer lives in what is called the American Empire....he is cyberized to the point that his eyes look like two camera lenses and not human eyes. Side note: in the year 2030, the US is no longer the Economic power of the world after having bankrupted itself with it's expansionist ways. Whoa.....pretty damn close to our present way of thinking. Wonder if Masumune and Orwell have ever met???? Boma is a big burly cyborg who is a demo expert. Pazu looks very human with a slim build. He is the "Face Man" of the team. Saito is the sniper, and he's bad ass. He has a cyber eye that he covers with a patch because when he uses it he can link with a global satellite and use that in place of the scope on his sniper rifle. Google Street View comes to mind. Ishikawa is human looking too and he's the computer expert. A Wizard class Hacker is the term used in the show. Togusa is the most human of all. The others come from military and intel backgrounds, Togusa is just a regular cop. He's also still in his original body with the standard cyberbrain enhancements the only cyber he has. Side note: Togusa is always being teased by Batou about not getting a prosthetic body and in the latest installment not only is he in charge of Section 9 in the Major's place (she retired) he also has been cyberized. It affects him as everyone sees. His tireless cyborg body makes it so he's becoming a workaholic and easily emotionally detached. Another example of Masumune's theory on the dehumanization of mankind by tech. Good stuff, and very deep.
Can't wait to see what they show next Monday night.
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