Tong: Ghost in the Shell Analysis

http://gameusagi.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/ghostintheshell.png

'Ghost in the Shell' is one of the best anime films I'd ever seen. The animation is gorgeous, the characters are interesting, and the ideas explored are philosophical. The main topic the film explores is humanity and what makes someone a human, as well as one's sense of identity. In the world of 'Ghost in the Shell', people have combined with machines, sort of like androids. A downside to the mechanization of humans is the risk of someone hacking into others, which is the case for this film. A mysterious person who goes by the name Puppet Master is hacking people in order to do his bidding. He's able to erase people's minds and give them memories they've never had, making these people believe they're living a life they're not actually living.

http://thisdistractedglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/Ghost%20In%20The%20Shell%20pic3.jpg

The film questions humanity regarding its robotic characters. The title "Ghost in the Shell" is actually a meaning for these characters, with "shell" being the robotic outside layer, and "ghost" being the spirit within. With human characters more machine in the film, what makes them a human? Is it the fact that they continue to have a conscience, a ghost? When does one stop being human, and start being machine? These are the complicated questions asked in 'Ghost in the Shell'. In my personal opinion, one stops being human either when they lose their ability to feel emotions, and when one loses the ability to reproduce. These are two very important qualities of living, breathing humans.

The film questions identity regarding its hacked characters. It's truly horrific to find out you're living a life of lies the entire time, as is the case with a few characters in the film. The question I ask of this film is: Is it worse to continue living the fake you still believe in, or is it worse to find out you're living a life of lies? When a garbageman in the film discovers he's been hacked, and that his real life doesn't include a wife and a battle for custody over his daughter, he becomes emotional and depressed. His real life is a lonesome one with no family. I wondered if it would have been better to let him think he had a wife and daughter?

http://blog.media-freaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/free-hidden-object-games-22.jpg

The loss of identity is also explored in the anime films 'Akira' and 'Perfect Blue'. In 'Akira', science is used to tap into people's psychic potential in their brains. Some characters in the film have gained control of these powers, and thus become experiments and objects of the government. With great power comes the loss of identity within the film. These psychic characters have no roles for themselves except as property of the government. And one of the main characters, Tetsuo, loses both physical and emotional control when he gains his powers. It can be said that great power can greatly change people, as with Tetsuo. When he gains power, he isn't the same defenseless young boy. Tetsuo is instead a power-hungry person who thinks he's essentially a god.

In 'Perfect Blue', the main character is a pop idol-turned-actress and model. This character, Mima, is loved and adored by her many pop music fans. But when she retires from singing in order to focus solely on acting (and then modeling), her fans are not as pleased. The film explores the identity of celebrities and how effective fans are. Celebrities have the difficult task of always being perfect, always being role models for their fans. To regular people, celebrities can, and should, do no wrong. If a celebrity does something wrong, everyone goes berserk and ostracize those celebs. This begs the question: What is the true identity of celebrities? Is it their squeaky-clean image, or is it their true selves, their actual personal lives? Obviously their true identity is their personal one, away from stardom. But to many, a celebrity's identity is owned by the fans.