Ghost in the Shell: Subversiveness, The Definition of Masculine Strength and Love in a Cybernetic World

So I am having a marathon run of the two seasons of the TV version of Ghost in the Shell over the Easter weekend. I have never seen it and it is quite overwhelming to see all 52 episodes in one go. Here are some quick impressions.

[Massive spoilers ahead]

Subversiveness

Methinks if you actually manage to get your head around all the maze of events in and philosophy behind the work, you may be surprised that the work was not banned by censorship or otherwise obstructed from ever being produced at all. I think it is fair to say that Ghost in the Shell is a story set in the 21st century that is really about Japan in the post-WWII economic boom. As I watch it, I could feel this raw, seething rage against the Establishment / the Old Guard / the Social System of Weasels, by Weasels, for Weasels that Japan frankly is. It is almost as though the creators have a personal grudge against all the shams in the world (世の中のいんちき) and want to overthrow the whole damn apple cart. The finales of the two series feel almost like Judgment Day.

The two main event-triggering characters - Aoi in the first season and Kuze in the second season - are not 'antagonists' in the traditional sense of the word. Yet all the events in the story more or less flow from their deeds. They both seem to exist on a higher plane - Aoi as an invisible, wizardly arbitrator that regulates the system and Kuze as a Christ-like figure who seeks to facilitate the evolution of human consciousness. There are two points about this:

1) I know Aoi's alias The Laughing Man is probably a reference lifted from Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye (which I have never read). But I am reminded of something called Merlin's Laugh. It is said that the magician Merlin had a strange laugh, and it was heard when nobody else was laughing. He laughed because he knew what was coming next. Aoi is like a magus of that order - by virtue his hacking skills and almost god-like powers derived thereof (for example, taking away the eyesight of another) as well as his knowledge of what no one else knows. His library is such a fitting hide-out for him - his dwelling is what his being stands for - knowledge and wisdom.

2) I personally feel that the story of Kuze is a retelling of the story of historic Jesus. The man may have a transcendental / spiritual idea applicable to all mankind that may be groundbreaking, but he is a dead man the minute he begins to take sides in a political conflict. I feel that the undoing of Jesus is like that - he got too political. Just as Kuze's asssassin said of him - the country does not need a charismatic leader that the government cannot control, but docile consumers. Is Kuze's purpose charitable or political at the end of the day? It is probably a little of both. (In that regard, I think the English law is wise in the long-standing precedent that a charity loses its charity status if it as soon as it engages in a political cause.)

The Definition of Masculine Strength

I once skimped through a book called Otoko no Bigaku (男の美学) by one Tachihara Masaaki (立原正秋). One thing that I can recall vividly even now is the author's definition of masculine strength or otoko no tsuyosa (男の強さ). Masculine strength, said Tachihara, is manifested in one's attitude and deeds whereby one refuses to be a bystander in the face of injustice. This kind of makes sense in a conformist society where one is expected to toe the line. I thought of this as I watch Ghost in the Shell. Never mind if it is gender-specific or not, but perhaps it really is what strength boils down to after all. Section 9, Aoi and Kuze do what they do because they would not play bystanders.

Love in a Cybernetic World

I have a weakness for love stories that are characterized by what does not happen rather than what actually happens. In English, we have one encompassing word called 'love' but in Japanese there are omoi (思い), koi (恋) and ai (愛).   

I think the stuff between Motoko and Kuze fall under omoi. Ai is easy to define against the other two - ai is all encompassing, like love of one's country / grandmother / backyard garden etc etc, although it is not exclusive of romantic love. Koi is the closest approximation of what is known as romantic love, but it is hard to define koi against and omoi. The way the kanji are written may provide a clue. Koi in Japanese is written in a simplified form from the original Chinese word 戀: graphically there seems to be a lot of baggage above the heart (心) - threads (糸) on either side of words (言). Perhaps romantic love is just that - threads of tingled feelings and words weighing on one's heart.

But look at the way omoi is written, a field (田) above the heart (心). Omoi also has the meaning of thought. I am not sure why there should be a field above the heart, but I think omoi is the kind of love that all takes place in the brain. Very little actually happens, but when it does it is significant.

How do you look for a lost first love in a cybernetic world where the mind can be copied , the body replaced and the face exchangeable like masks? Perhaps the only things you can rely on are chance and memories. Chance will bring you to that person, and memories will be the key of identification.

You know the scene where Mokoto looks out the window and Kuze sits with the apple, with Batou in between them? She suddenly perks up saying 'you...'. I think Kuze must have said something to her through their cybernetic brains via some private channel. Referring to my earlier post on The aesthetics of the 'deliberate blank' in anime, I think this is indeed a deliberate blank where the audience is invited to guess what he must have said to her.

That is all for now. I will probably have more to say about this excellent series later. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to let me know if you have anything to add. Many thanks in advance.

Comments

[Haesslich]

I'm not sure it's so much post-WW2 Japan, as it is an equivalent of the present-day, post-economic boom Japan where it is losing both the overwhelming technological lead it once had as well as trying to recover from the post-Asian Market Crash of the late 1990's and then the end of the Dot Com years in 2000... combined with the rise of a United Europe and an ever-shifting global economic and political landscape. It's a bit like the world of Gasaraki, really... with similar issues - the increased visibility of Japan's military presence, the debate about whether it is appropriate to be seen as a military force in a part of the world which suffered under Imperial ambitions for the better part of a century and the need to do so in the wake of surging Chinese military and economic strength.

It's subversive... yet not - the characters for the most part support the political system, and the society which built them, even when they go against those who ARE intent on upsetting the apple cart (the businesses which collaborated with Yakushima's cartel in the ruling party in the first season, Gouda in the second). They're mostly military or police (with the exception of Pazu), and are mostly respectable as far as professional matters go.

You have to remember that the world of GITS:SAC is one built on information; a post-information society runs on statistics and collated and interpreted data as much as, if not more so, than directly observed and verified information - it has to; there's too much to know, and too many sources to sample from... so you have to interpret and look for trends based on the mass of facts and figures that come around with everyone being connected to the network and a world where surveillance is omnipresent and inescapable except in private residences - and not even then, if you've been hacked or had an Interceptor planted. Aoi's mission was ultimately a failure - he didn't complete the original Laughing Man's objective, but others were able to effect change by spreading the data in the right areas, even if that meant they 'took the hit' from the Yakushima cartel's death throes. He did manage to change the Major's mind about quite a few things, as well as the rest of the team, through what he did - in a sense, his spreading of the meme did take down Serano and the others, but only because third and fourth parties decided to take action (Section 9 and the group that ultimately had Serano killed).

Kuze may be playing the part of the martyr in Second Gig, but that doesn't make him 'Jesus' any more than it made Ghandi or Malcolm Luther King Jr. so - they were all men of conviction, who felt things had to change... and motivated others at a grass-roots level to do so. Kuze was used by Gouda to try and effect a military overthrow, as happened in Japan prior to WW2 - and they even reference the May 15 Incident in the series as a parallel. Whether Kuze was going for a political change after the prompting from Gouda, or else merely wanted to motivate people to take responsibility for their own lives in a world where everything became the responsibility of the government (which in turn meant that the government had to be more and more oppressive/restrictive in regards to what its people did) is another story, and one that wasn't - and can't - be fully explored. It MAY have motivated the Major to leave Section 9, however.

As far as Tachihara's definition of strength applying to Aoi, I would have to disagree - at first, he found it easy to stand against the rest of society in order to make the point... but the point was lost as he became not a message but another commodity to feed the ever-hungry masses looking for a new meme to consume and render ordinary from its unusual origins. That's why he was so disillusioned after that first time, and only recently began to move in a more surreptious manner that was less likely to create useless talk without action or recognition of a problem. I don't know if it fits with the above definition of strength; he had to depend on someone else making the stand in order to be successful.

With regard to love stories, GITS could be seen as being one in some ways, although I'd have to argue that they are overshadowed by the action and philosophy. We have examples of them all over the place - Batou's longing for the major; Pazu's (lack of) in Second Gig with Poker Face and the results; Togusa's fairly happy family life and the stress he goes through when seperated from his wife for long periods; Aramaki's subdued and underplayed one in Ep 17 of the first season 'Angel's Share... and perhaps the story of the girl and boy in Ep 11 (affection).

The viewer is indeed left to guess if Kuze and the Major shared anything at the end, outside of what words and ideas they exchanged when they realized that the other was the person on the other side of the curtain in Ep 11. Batou certainly suspects it - but then again, he's the one member of the team most attuned to Motoko's moods as the one who's in love (koi) with her - her personality is cool and professional, yet not without affection or sentimentality despite her outwardly cold manner.. and he recognizes that (the watch is one thing that goes with her from body to body). Whether the Major and Kuze share omoi or merely fond reminisces of first love is debateable, however... but the fact that they share a bond is not.

I do suggest you look at Solid State Society, if you haven't already done so - it develops the love story JUST a little... and shows Section 9 certainly shares close bonds.

[Haesslich]

Damn, did I overuse the word 'post' too much? :P

[Wabi Sabi]

You know, when I made that post, I felt certain that there would be GTS fans replying - GTS fans who have watched the TV series like 20 times and know the story like the back of their hand (as opposed to a newbie like me). I am thinking that you must be one of them. ^-^

Thank you for the long comment - I think to rewatch and rethink in order to respond probably. The story is so rich in intricacies. It will take time but it will come for sure. ^-^

[Haesslich]

That's the thing about Ghost in the Shell's TV incarnation - there's multiple layers to everything, which means that you may catch something you didn't the first time due to the pretty action scenes going on just before or after it.

[hayase]

>>Subversiveness

I've always thought about GITS SAC in terms of the future, not as a subversive reflection of Japan. But since it is Japanese animation I should have thought of that too.

>>It is almost as though the creators have a personal grudge against all the shams in the world

That's what I liked about GITS--it was reflective of human greed and other ills of this world. Personally I thought GITS realistic in that sense.

>>I know Aoi's alias The Laughing Man

Actually 'The Laughing Man' is a short story from JD Salinger. I've read it but it didn't impress me much--or my understanding failed at some point because I could not get the connection at all from the short story. I guess they probably just used it because the alias sounded cool. On the other hand, themes from the novel 'Catcher in the Rye' are more visible/used in the series. And this is where I'm impressed: they were able weave it almost perfectly into the storyline.

I'll post again when I get more free time. =p

[Wabi Sabi]

hayase:

I think the manga first appeared in 1989, and it seems to me that the Japan in GITS resembles Japan in 1989 to a large extent. It is as though it is a future parable about Japan in 1989.

Thanks for the info about The Laughing Man.

Looking forward to hear more from you.

[hayase]

>>but he is a dead man the minute he begins to take sides in a political conflict. I feel that the undoing of Jesus is like that - he got too political.

I do not think Kuze was in the same league as Jesus--the latter's mission was more spiritual than political. Kuze's mission was more materialistic in a way--Jesus usually didn't concern himself with ideas of states and governance etc etc. The only similarity was that they were killed out of jealousy or fear. Kuze feels more like Siddharta Gautama--an enlightened one.

@Haesslich

>>Whether Kuze was going for a political change after the prompting from Gouda...

I do remember Kuze giving a sort of explanation about his actions--but the exact words have escaped me at the moment (or maybe I didn't understand it fully). But I want to believe he no longer aimed for the big political changes. It's quite sad that after his death the refugee problem just went back to square one.

[hayase]

@Wabi Sabi

>>I think the manga first appeared in 1989

Sorry I thought you were talking about SAC exclusively. ^_^;

[Haesslich]

hayase: The refugee problem didn't QUITE go to square one... but neither did they get everything they wanted. Instead, they were given the opportunity to become citizens, IIRC... and the fallout from that was still being dealt with in Solid State Society (given how the General was given refuge just after the war's end due to the Yakushima party's machinations with the other Asian powers, as well as precedent set by certain other actions).

[hayase]

@Haesslich

>>The refugee problem didn't QUITE go to square one...

My bad. Maybe because I wanted to forget about Solid State Society, and I didn't remember anything about the resolution with the refugee problem in 2nd GIG.

[Haesslich]

That's because they didn't deal with it in the end of 2nd Gig - they couldn't have, as the episode ended with the shrine visit, just a few days or weeks after the end of the Gouda incident. There was trouble going on, and the problem had barely had time to even begin to be dealt with... which was part of why things were still going on in SSS.