Ghost In The Shell - Film Analysis - Motoko's Dilemma

This is an analysis of Mamuro Oshii's classic, Ghost in the Shell. In this video i focus on Motoko Kusanagi and how she deals with certain themes in the film. Please do post your opinions or observations in the comments!
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[@lucianopinheiro15]

The most incredible thing about this movie is the duality Human vs Machine. Motoko represents a human that turned to a machine while master of puppets represents a machine that turned to a human. They are mirror of themselves

[@zpettigrew]

That's the point.

[@numbdigger9552]

That is acually pretty similar to the themes of blade runner...

[@anybody2501]

This movie really was ahead of its time. Fucking incredible.

[@pijakthumrongkiatikul673]

it's the same as Great Gatsby, The Stranger and so on, so forth.

[@kythrathesuntamer9715]

It's 2021 as I Reply to a 5 year old comment and even TODAY Ghost in the Shell is distantly ahead of its time. The world is STILL not ready for this film.

[@Tattlebot]

@@kythrathesuntamer9715 You can tell who the charlatan critics are based on their 1995 verdict. You know the type: quick to give 5 stars to any trite state subsidized film about suffering or human inequality. GITS premieres and they call it Blade Runner with boobs for adolescents. Well Blade Runner was a shit film. GITS was fantastic, and Innocence even better.

[@TylerEubank]

@@pijakthumrongkiatikul673how?

[@needabettername1559]

especially in 2024

[@earlgrey2130]

I showed this movie to a friend of mine because i think it's very deep and interesting. All she said afterwards was: "The one guy's name sounds like butthole." I guess Ghost in the Shell isn't for everyone xD

[@nostalgiaworks5999]

+EarlGrey Because AnimeEveryday sounds like Butthole.

[@DeathBringer769]

+EarlGrey Sounds like the response of a 5 year old who just notices butt and fart references.

[@iconiclit8945]

+Nostalgia Works She was talking that Batou's name.

[@nostalgiaworks5999]

Daniel Yu How was I supposed to know? The only exposure I've had to Ghost in the Shell is by watching reruns of SAC 2nd GIG on Adult Swim's Toonami block.

[@iconiclit8945]

well you should know, it says who batou is in 2nd gig anywyas

[@DarthPingu07]

Motoko's dilemma is beautifully ironic. The question is the answer. To wonder if you are just a machine is not something a machine would do. The fact she questions if she is individual tells me she is self aware, and what is self awareness if it's not individuality?

[@dondeestaCarter]

mmm fair enough... but in this GITS universe the puppet master is a machine or program that became self aware, which implies machines are also capable of self awareness. Also identity has to do with memories, and in this universe memories can be replaced or toyed with, which is why Motoko feels so bummed out during the interrogation scene.

[@DarthPingu07]

Donde está Carter!! true but the puppetmaster is fully aware he is an AI. Motoko however, has always been Motoko, sure her memories could be tampered with but theres never been an indication of tampering.

[@dondeestaCarter]

That´s precisely my point. The PM knows he was born a machine, but Mokoto is aware that memories can be tampered, and she can´t be certain, ironically not as certain as an AI knows he is an AI. At least the PM has that "certainty" advantage. She has nothing, only questions, first that began as hunches and then as the movie develops, they become serious existencial affairs for Motoko. The reason why this movie is a masterpiece is because it doesn´t fall into temptation of answering the questions it rises but because it puts them over the table, and leaves it to the audience to answer it. Motoko´s dilemma is our dilemma, we as humans. Are robots a danger, kinda Terminator, or are they user friendly? Will we adapt to the changes? Will we change because of them?" and so on... "The net is vast and infinite" WTF is that? is that a proper statement to end a movie?? No, it doesn´t give a closure, on the contrary, is an open ending, a metaphor perhaps to the questions: "posibilities are infinite, make your guess" Ok, I may have gone with the branches in this one but, back to the point: "there´s never been indication of Motoko´s memories being tampered" well, who cares?? (not being rude here) Yes we never know in the end if she was human or was not, but that´s not the point of the movie, the point was to raise the doubt that she could not be human even if everyone around her treated and defined her as thus. With doubt, she can creat questions, and as long as you have no answer you can build tension in a film. Maybe answering the question is important in Scarlett Johannson movie (good luck with that...), but not here.

[@gnayiefnus1327]

The puppetmaster does NOT view himself as a AI created by human. He came to Section 9 to seek asylum as a individual life form (生命体), he called himself "a life form born from the ocean of information". I think we all agree that modern science is not yet capable to define what is life. We human perceive the difference between a human and any other animal through intelligence, and the different between a human beings and a machine through the existence of ghost. However human can not prove the existence of his/her ghost through any other way than accept dialectical materialism what Descartes called: "I think, therefore I am." Here comes the question, pupetmaster, an AI designed by human, gain it/his/her self awareness, does it means it has ghost, dose it means it is a life form. After all, we haven't come across a self aware object that is not a life form. If puppetmaster is a life form as he claimed, than his very existence proved that man made machine can generate ghost, and we also know memory also can be produce, then there is really no difference between project 2501 and a life form. I think it is more accurate to consider puppetmaster as another life form very similar to human rather that a AI. Therefore Motoko's self awareness does not prove her humanity, I would very much wanted her to be a human, but no one can prove his/her own humanity

[@dondeestaCarter]

Feiyang Sun I´m confused, to whom you are replying??

[@kalamaroni]

You overthink the chairs at the end, unfortunately. at 30:45 you can see that the gap to the other chair actually has a ledge at the bottom- it is not a doorway, it is a mirror. That shot is from the major's perspective as she looks at her reflection in the mirror. The two shots are turned around because that is what mirrors do.

[@imacg5]

I agree with the mirror explanation. Yet the shot does have some extra meanings: 1.When the new "Matoko"(this is "daughter", not the original Major Matoko) wakes up, the first thing she sees is her own image, implying that this time she know who(or what) she is right from her birth. "Who am I" is the big question haunting her from the beginning of the film, she gets the answer at the end. Also, this means at the beginning of the film, she is watching herself made in an object way, and feeling herself born in a subject way at the end. 2.I am not a Christian, so correct me if I am wrong: Matoko is "the One"(that is chosen by the Puppet Master), doubts her destiny and accepts it, dies and rises from the dead, and these make her - Jesus Christ-ish? However, Makoto and Jesus Christ are different in: one, she is female; two, she is there for some mysterious reason the first time, and born without a real father the second time - both the opposite ways. Which perhaps means, Makoto is the "reverse Jesus", or the "Jesus of the machines". The image of Angel also supports this theory. (If it stands, double shame on The Matrix.) 3. The first person shot means the director is making us to look through Makoto's eyes: who is she? who am I? Just an image of myself, that is all.

[@CureSapphire]

I totally thought that it was also just a mirror, but what makes me somewhat question that is the part of the scene when we see the empty chair. At that point, if it were a mirror, you'd expect to see Matoko in the reflection, yet we don't. I'll have to rewatch the actual scene before I can firmly say one way or another, but it actually might not be a clear cut mirror if I'm understanding that last piece of the scene correctly.

[@jammosu6498]

kalamaron i Q

[@fh5926]

The camera's POV has changed. No longer looking thru her eyes directly at the mirror. You wouldn't expect to see her in it.

[@user-yk1cw8im4h]

Jesus... you really are overthinking now with Jesus being brought up.

[@RetroMario]

Hey, You analysis is FANTASTIC! But I have to disagree with the last argument about the "two motokos". That morrored image of Motoko is most probably just a mirror. But there are other details that you probably missed because it's still important. First of all, Motoko being in a younger body isn't just "because that what's was available at the black market". The merge DID happen, and she is born anew. "Where does the newborn go?" is the last thing Motoko mutters. So, a younger body really fits the feeling Motoko gets. But let's go back to the mirrored image of Motoko. Remember how her reflections of her revealed something about her inner feelings? Remember that whisper on the boat that both Major Kusanagi and BATOU heard? "It seems that we are looking through a Mirror and all we see is a dim image" Well, notice that this particular reflection in that mirror is perfect. That means, that the new being that has come out of Motoko's merge with the Puppet Master, is a higher being. It isn't clear if the questions are answered while we couldn't hear the conversation or the exchange of information that occured, but the new Motoko is looking at a comparatively complete image of herself instead of whatever was seeing herself reflecting during the movie. That's why it was almost like two identical Motoku sitting in a room because much of the self-doubt has gone and her image of herself has reached near completion. She is one entity and she is sure of it. Well, that was my take on that scene anyway. I am grateful you are here on youtube and do such great job, mate! Keep it up!

[@fgdj2000]

RetroMario Agreed. It’s just a mirror in the adjacent room and her POV seeing her own mirror image. What’s more important is the clarity of the image when compared to other reflection, suggesting that she has changed significantly. And the child body symbolizing how she is born again and essentially a child again (in the manga it was actually a guy‘s body). I think the video reads a bit too much into some of the specifics. I think there is no specific connection between the bird-like plane in the cityscape sequence and Motoko, but the whole sequence just shows a city overflowing with information (signs, people, vehicles) and showing how dense humanity has grown, yet how far apart they all seem and how lost Motoko is in this world and how removed from it. But that’s just my interpretation. That’s what’s so beautiful about this film. It raises questions rather than answering them and encourages each viewer the opportunity to find their own answers.

[@onursahin7970]

I thought two identical room indicates there are two new entities after Motoko's and project 2501's "merge". Because the reason project 2501 do want a merge is because it wants to be able to produce like biological entities not self-copying itself.

[@fgdj2000]

In the manga, there are actually multiple Motoko/ Puppeteer Hybrids, especially in Man/ Machine Interface. However, in the films it always seemed like the new Motoko at the end is a merger of both Kusanagi and the Puppet Master. In Innocence it's also just her. I think there are no two identical rooms, it's just a mirror in the adjacent room. It does have significance, but I also wouldn't read too much into it.

[@Fallout0SC]

I agree that it's just a mirror, it's not two rooms with two makoto's. Maybe the same image drawn by two different artists working on the movie?

[@leticiah.valentini9188]

@@Fallout0SC I think the first shot of the newborn Motoko is of her looking at herself through the mirror, hence the difference in style. We see through her computer-like eyes.

[@skrackensdal]

i always thought she was looking into a mirror at the end.

[@493950]

She is looking in a mirror, buddy just made a mistake.

[@awesomechainsaw]

Mirrors are amazing ain’t they?

[@saylo8796]

@@493950 but when she stood up and was about to leave, there's no reflection of her.

[@Pduarte79]

She was looking to mirror, they use the mirror symbolism. The mirror is her point of view, then she starts to talk to Batou, it returns to Batou's point of view and then our point of view, when we see both in the scene.

[@kajtekmccranck9978]

@@saylo8796 That's a good point! And on the left side of her, when she is back to 'us' we can see doors open - I thought that the mirror hangs on them, but now they are open... Also a two details that I saw: Batou drinking the same beer that they had on the boat and the picture that hangs above hers armchair shows a boat on the lake close to the city - it refers to their moment on the boat and the subconscious/ghost speech-quote from the Bible... Now she sees face-to-face..

[@HeyyyJude]

The ability of the artists to recreate that dead, soulless, doll-like stare that the cyborgs have is phenomenal. At no point will anyone ever assume this is an organic, living being even if they aren’t told the context of an image they’re looking at. Either it’s the walking dead or something that has taken the form of a human and uses it as a shell. Amazing

[@Strider-Ragnarok]

Im not any good at deeply analyzing a work of art. All I can do is bringing it down to a more simple concept, which allows me to understand the overall theme. For me, Motoko's dilemma comes from the idea of her being a cyborg for so long, that it has completely desensitized her from her humanity. She only feels human from other people treating her like one, therefore, she needs other people to recognize herself. The garbage-man case with implanted memories, the similar cyber-body models she sees on the street only serves to further put doubt on her own individuality. That is detrimental to her sense of self. On the other hand, you have this A.I. that has gain a "self" and it's able to recognized his own existence without the need of others, even when he knows he was created as a program by humans. This falls in place with the "mirror" metaphor, they both are questioning what is called "self," but are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Which is why the Puppet-Master says: "we resemble each other's essence, mirror images of one another's psyche."

[@ElBribri]

this is a pretty good analysis

[@CustardBustard]

Oh my god... why did I not see this ?

[@hobit7585]

You nailed it

[@FvEA_Readbeard]

Dang well done! Nice thougt!

[@Ancor3]

When Batou said that Motoko is a human because she is treated by a human, that could be a subtle reference to Alan Turing's ideas on artificial intelligence. Turing believed that a machine that responds in a perfectly humanlike manner is indistinguishable from actual humans. Turings' position pretty much falls in line with the notion of solipsism, since we can't really know whether anyone else is really thinking or just programmed to act in a humanlike manner. You could even go a step further and ask whether you're not a machine programmed to act in a humanlike manner. Just my two cents.

[@marcomill4824]

Solipsism is the belief that the only real being are ourselfes. What you're referring about is maybe the Cartesian "problem of other mind", or the impossibility to have real knowledge that other people have a 'ghost' like us.

[@Ancor3]

@@marcomill4824 You are correct, this was written quite a while ago. Nevertheless, it's good to have the correction visible as well.

[@zpettigrew]

It is an allusion to Turing. If you read the original Manga - Turing and Turing Machines are discussed at length.

[@SoundbytesMusic]

Here is some interesting fact that you missed: During their conversation on the boat both Motoko and Batou hear her voice speaking what is a verbatim citation from the bible: "What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror. Then we shall see face to face." (1 Corinthians 13:12) Given the context it becomes clear that this is meant as a forecast to her later transformation. The preceeding verse in the letter of St Paul goes: "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me." (1 Corinthians 13:11) - And that is what Motoko says after her restoration at the end of the movie and she even sets it in context with the previous scene: "Batou, remember the words that I spoke in another voice that night? I understand it now and there are even more words that go with the passage. ..." Looks like we are looking at a pretty pious android here.

[@michaelkeegan9260]

That's in the English dub. The translators took liberty to reference the Bible but the Japanese did not use that reference. If the writers had intended to reference that passage they would have done so in the Japanese. That being said it's still an excellent translation because it captures the theme of only understanding somewhat but knowing that in the future as will be revealed when the truth is met face to face in the form of a matured/completed person

[@michaelkeegan9260]

@@zogwort1522 I've looked into it and it appears im wrong and you're right... The subtitles i watched had failed to translate it accurately and the movie does specifically reference the Corinthians passage. Sorry man, i was wrong

[@ProjektBurn]

There were a few things that needed to be pointed out. The skin scene in the beginning was explained as part of the method of growing skin that is UV resistant. Motoko wasn't "born" a creation, she was born human, but being an orphan, she kept replacing more and more of her human body with cybernetics. Her dilemma is then her constant questioning of if she is still human even though 95% of her body is no longer human*. Does replacing her human body with robotics thus remove her humanity or does her humanity lie in her "ghost"? But then seeing how fallible emotions and memories are, that deepens the question even more asking if just not knowing is what makes us human. The voice whispering to her is her first introduction to the puppet master, the rogue AI that has become aware and has taken over the cyborg. At this point, Motoko begins to accept that she is herself, regardless of whether she's still human or not, and in her embrace of her own uniqueness, she accepts that the AI could be alive as its aliveness justifies her own aliveness, which is the driving question she's asking herself the entire movie. Thus she allows the "mating" that happens between the puppet master and herself. And a few other philosophical quibs here and there that I'd love to debate with but alas.... Great video though. You caught a lot of the symbolic reference and symbolism and did a great and engaging job of presenting them. And looking at the comments, a serious number of responders were caused to think twice about the movie in a very positive way. To me, that's one of the best gifts to have regarding a breakdown like this, and for that, you're awesome! Keep it up. *I'm not sure of the exact amount is now machine. It was thoroughly explained in the manga, but the point of being almost entirely machine and only having the brain left of her human body remains.

[@ProjektBurn]

Also, the points of duality are a bit more esoteric than you present, especially between the puppet master and Motoko, but it's not necessary to enjoying the story.

[@GFX1701]

Nailed it.

[@DrKavan]

Project Burn you made me remember the conversation in which she asks Batou "how much of your body was changed?" She wants to reaffirm that it doesn't matters how much of your body is replaced with cyborg parts, it's something else what makes you human.

[@mmmmmmm3246]

Thank you for this comment. This explains a lot of the questions I had that weren't addressed in this video.

[@PeterSather]

I believe she was orphaned and drastically injured in a plane crash. She was raised from a young age, 8 or 10 iirc, in a body that is 98% mechanical. She was not slowly becoming more cybernetic, it's just that she has almost no memories of being flesh and bone

[@harrisonmckinney7659]

I can't believe that Basset Hound doesn't mean anything lol. I racked my brain about that forever!

[@aygwm]

Harrison McKinney I always thought the metaphor of the basset hound represents the spirit of nature residing within the artificial environment of the city. The dog is just a dog, an unaltered natural being with a soul of its own, that continues to be just a dog even though the world around it is becoming less and less natural. The dog appears to have more emotions even than the humans around it who move aimlessly, without emotion. The basset hound is alone, longing to find its place, just as Motoko is longing to find hers. Thus the basset symbolizes the conflict between nature and artificiality as they gaze at each other.

[@stupidpol]

Basset is representation of humanity. In GitS Innocence and Avalon, that dog is the only thing what keeps main characters, Batou and Ash, in resemblence of normality. While personal space of Motoko is a mere container of her body, Batou's house is a real home, and every evening he brings food to his dog who's waiting for him. Basically speaking, the dog is the only thing what keeps Batou from following Motoko's steps.

[@dondeestaCarter]

The angel is not a trippy vision by motoko, it´s the helicopter deploying for sniping position. If you check earlier in the movie, when section 6 choppers are being briefed about their targets, right after this shot we see the helicopters being deployed in the same way, feather-like gear coming from the sides to allow snipers to shoot. Before they could merge the snipers already point at them, so the puppet master hacked them to buy some time through the already dead tank driver. It is only when they merge that the lock on the chopper is released and motoko sees this angel from above, which is actually the helicopter being re-deployed to sniping mode, but seen from below. Of course, the whole sniper-bird-chopper deal was to get motoko see an angel right before the merge, to give a heavenly significance or metaphor to the "marriage" scene. A similar robot-heartless-hard logic explanation for the feathers escapes my imagination. Rain? Glass shards? Anyway, amazing analysis mate, you opened my mind. Keep it up.

[@3draven]

I think that at the end you see Motoko sitting in the chair from her point of view. The digital effect is that it is seen through her eyes. She is looking at her own reflection in the mirror at the end of the room. That is why there is a "second chair" seen when she gets up. It's just a reflection (once again the mirror theme). It's probably to symbolize that she & the puppet master code are freeing themselves from the old confines of the mirror and going into the new world outside.

[@BrandonByerly-Sam9501]

I always felt that the movie was very emotional. I never put any of what you said together about symbolism or anything like that. But when I was watching it, I always felt a strong, everlasting emotion in the movie. That is what I loved about the movie, and something I will always remember about it. Great analysis.

[@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight]

5:30 I love the attention to symbolism in this image. The 2017 movie trailer did a reverse of this image with the lighting, for some odd reason. The window and background were darkened, while ScarJo was in the light. That, IMO, ruins the very purpose of this image. My interpretation is that the purpose of this bedroom image was to show what the Major is like as a character: a dark and hollow shell with a small glimpse of the light of true existence, yearning to transcend her boundaries and become something more than just a ghost in her shell.

[@Troop-]

I think the revolver could also be seen as a metaphor for humans becoming "old" or being overtaken by cyborgs and other technology ironically made by themselves. A sort of evolution.

[@peartree8338]

+Troop At the same time the overdependence of technology is also argued in the film to be more susceptible to viruses and degrading/malfunctioning.

[@Artesian_mirage]

Like Major Kusanagi said, "Overspecialise, you breed in weakness." She understands our history is important for without a history how on earth can you fully contextualise? You'll always be at a disadvantage

[@elijoseph5256]

I'm slightly surprised that you made no mention to Motoko's quote after the dive scene that seems to come frome her subconscious or ghost, is a biblical quote. Motoko never really gives any impression of being invested in religion let alone Christianity, so it's odd yet interesting that she (or some part of her) would have a biblical quote come to the forefront

[@TheSwartz]

In my opinion, Ghost in the Shell is the most perfect movie ever created. From the 1st second to the very end, there has never been another movie so perfectly intertwined. Frame by frame. Every line of dialogue. Every note of the sound track. -- all fits together like a masterfully crafted puzzle to tell its story at multiple levels, consciously and subconsciously - all at the same time.

[@StudioSambodia]

Smart analysis, sir. Many things you mentioned never crossed my mind but make perfect sense.

[@AnimeEverydayYT]

+StudioSambodia Thanks! :)

[@StudioSambodia]

you're welcome!

[@Mr214B3RT]

+StudioSambodia right? i was like how the fuck did i miss all of that. this movie is so much deeper than what i thought

[@StudioSambodia]

jon doe totally. This is one of my top favorite films of all time and I just never looked into it this deepely. Saw it at face value and didn't look for metaphors etc. After this video, I rewatched it, and I appreciated it much more than I've ever had.

[@zayaannashrid1374]

+StudioSambodia Same here

[@radicalcatholic285]

Excellent job on the analysis. I can't help but think that 1 Corinthians 13:10-12 is a key to understanding some of the imagery used in the film: "But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But, when I became a man, I put away the things of a child. We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known." The regular use of reflections, mirrors, optical camouflage, breaking glass; the constant search for self-knowledge and ultimate purpose; of seeing 'face to face', as in the meeting between Mokoto and the Puppetmaster; the feathers of the angel as gate-keeper to a higher plane of existence; the paradox of reaching 'maturity' in the form of a child: all of these things seem bound up in the passage quoted by Mokoto, first on the boat and then in the final scene. The fact that she explicitly refers to it as a "passage" seems to imply that the audience is suppose to recognize the biblical reference.

[@MrValiant101]

+Radical Catholic Funny thing was that this quote was paraphrased by Motoko in the movie, just not the last sentence.

[@fuzzydunlop1753]

Good point.

[@raarnt]

Thank you for making this. To me, the Angel descending part was always confusing, I thought it was just put in to explain she is transcending. But after watching your analysis I agree, I think it is Motoko's "higher self" and the angel is indeed female with a similar hairstyle. Masamune's comics continue to explore the concept of multiple selves so this strengthens that theory. The ending of the movie has a sad feeling for me. We can no longer empathize well with Motoko as a main character because she has transcended and is something more than just human. We are left to guess and that's what makes it a great ending. Her cameo in Innocence was short to make us understand that she's more God like than human and the doll's body can barely contain a sliver of her consciousness

[@missink1728]

The "Tree of Life" also appeared in Full Metal Alchemist. It was on Edward's door of Truth. It represents the knowledge Edward gained on his own.

[@EdMcStinko]

I remember dismissing this movie because the chick got naked all the time, and she had a perfect body, so it felt kind of frivolous and was hard to take seriously. I recently watched it again and decided just to accept that as something that didn't really matter, which it kind of was, and all the sudden I was watching a masterpiece.

[@4saken404]

If you were going to have a cyborg body, wouldn't you want a perfect one?

[@jimmychapman9964]

EdMcStinko Her nudity is used to reinforce her detachment from her body and feelings of inhumanity. That is why Bato always cover her up, because he still treats her as human and furthermore a woman.

[@manchesterunitedno7]

EdMcStinko she only get naked during cyborg creation opening sequence and the climax battle third act against tank mecha. That's because her thermo optic bodysuit torn to shred in that battle. Yes, she is wearing skin colored tight body suit for stealth mode all the time.

[@jimmychapman9964]

She is nude in the intro assault scene, when her a bato take down the ghost hacked guys in the city, and in the diving scence. In the 'hacked guy' instance Bato covers her with his jacket after she whoops ass. In the diving scene he turns away when she starts undressing. The thermoptic camo suit is part of her body. It is like an outer layer of skin. It is a body suit for Scarlet johansan, cause america. I hear it is a body suit in the manga but in the movie it is not.

[@manchesterunitedno7]

Jimmy DaShr00m Nope the thermo optic is not installed, it is extra layer covering up her body, a skin colored suit but different shade, or a thin transparent fabric. That's why during the last battle with tank mecha, it shredded off to pieces when she tried in vain to tear up the tank entrance door. In turn reveal her nude body. She is not nude for the majority of stealth mission, including the opening act (you can see the difference there, only see the outline of her nipples, meanwhile minutes later during opening sequence, you can see clearly her nipples and areolas have pinkish shade). It simply the suit is so tight and thin like a swimsuit, her erect nipples pressed out, also she was drenched wet, hence the cover up.

[@billybangbang9180]

Sir I think you nail it, with your film analysis; Damn good job.

[@AnimeEverydayYT]

Thanks! :D

[@inutonmoms]

+AnimeEveryday yea u fucking rule i wish i could be as intelligent as u lol i never would of put all this together like this....i still dont fully understand the very first scene with the diplomat or the scene with the chief when hes watching that white haired man

[@DeanOKrueger]

Agreed, clearly a mirror. I was surprised that the maker of the video didn't pick up on that especially when the motif of reflections was talked about so much earlier in the video (which I thought was very insightful). Additionally, I think that the point of Motoko being in the new "child's" body is clearly a reference to the reproductive nature of her merging with the puppet master and that the angel (a symbol of the interaction between God and humans) represents the conformation of the spirit (or ghost) in these beings which question their own humanity. The angel descends with the bullets that kill the puppet master, as if to retrieve his soul, and by doing so, allows Motoko (who was seeing through his eyes at the time) to get an answer to her initial question about whether or not she is "human".

[@zyura]

15:54 it's not Motoko, it's the other cyborg similar to her at 14:26.

[@joshuadavid6646]

Motoko Kusanagi was not a blank slate. She was a cyborg. She still has memories/experiences from her human side but does not fully know if she still retains a soul.

[@StarStormFireFall]

The end you are confused on, is a mirror lmao, it's a mirror on a door bro

[@GoatJesus]

FINALLY great to see the intent of EA working itself through. You did a spectacular job on this video~ I'd be lying if I wasn't a bit jealous to be honest! It's very well constructed and you went through your points in an interesting way. Yes, I've heard a few of these ideas before--but honestly--that's to be expected considering how consistent this movie is. You know that the film is special when it can make people speculate about similar stuff. End of Evangelion has this property as well. Oshii is truly a genius. The only problem I had with GITS is that I wanted to see more of its world! Innocence wasn't enough. Anywho~ The observation on the last scene with chair is interesting. I've never seen anyone pick up on that before. A mirror can't be right considering she's at an angle where you'd see her reflection in front of the chair. But think about it. You have this new entity--a merge between Motoko and the Puppet Master. She rises from the chair leaving it empty. At the point we see this shot, there are two empty chairs standing between their child. An empty chair usually means someone use to be seated there. It could symbolize Motoko and the Puppet Master respectively and how they have joined together in between with their child. The fact this is a mirrored scene but isn't a mirror probably represents how she has finally reached her reflection. Merged into it.

[@AnimeEverydayYT]

GoatJesus Glad you enjoyed the video :) Have you watched SAC? It's basically more world building and character development with less philosophy. Also, that's a good interpretation. It would make sense with a lot of the dialogue and mirror scenes.

[@GoatJesus]

AnimeEveryday - Anime Reviews Yeah~ I have yet to check out GITS SAC, but I also hear it's an alternate world? So? Not sure how to think of that.

[@AnimeEverydayYT]

GoatJesus Yeah it's a separate universe but very similar. I prefer the movie but they're both great. SAC has some great arcs & episodes.

[@GoatJesus]

AnimeEveryday - Anime Reviews ALSO, would love to see your thoughts on the tree of life/angels. I haven't seen those points elaborated on before with GITS. :D

[@AnimeEverydayYT]

GoatJesus I'm planning on making separate videos on those topics, but these analysis videos take so long to make. Hopefully i can make them in the next few months.

[@ShroomRPG]

Great analysis man, Oshii truly is a master and this film is a masterpiece. I think it really shows how differently people interpret this film though, I always thought Motoko's dilemma was the difficulty of seperating physical experience from purely mental existence. I showed this film to my Dad who's a pretty big film and sci-fi buff and we had a discussion about the questions it raises during which we came to the conclusion that the film is creating an answer to one of the main problems of technological singularity that being that artificial entities are unable to reproduce by embracing the idea of conscioussness fusion. As for the last scene with the chair my interpretation is that it emphasizes how Motoko is both a new body and new mind and infact not Motoko at all anymore, it zooms away from the old existence into the new which is paralell but different almost as if what Motoko knew as 'herself' is dying and giving rise to new life which will spread through the net. It could also symbolise the end of an entire stage of human existence that being the one that seperates human and machine, ghost and shell and bringing in the new age. There's a quote from this scene from the bible that goes "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things" Put in the context of the final scene this explains how individuality and the desire to remain what you are is a childish delusion because as the puppet master points our, we are always changing. Also while you didn't mention it the song used in the beginning of the film called 'making of a cyborg' is very important, its actually an ancient Japanese wedding song which gives the opening scene marriage symbolism as well as birth symbolism.

[@AnimeEverydayYT]

Good interpretation :) That would explain why the original Motoko wasn't on the chair when we see it a second time.

[@ShroomRPG]

AnimeEveryday - Anime Reviews Yeah its a pretty surreal moment but very subtle in execution, even if there isnt a physical mirror in the scene it definitely creates the metaphor of a mirror between two worlds.

[@MrExnihlo]

I think it is definitely ment to symbolize marriage(and marriage being a symbol of a union) along with birth. When people get married the symbolism is that two separate things (2 lives) come together to create one new thing (1 life together). The symbol becomes literal when two people create a new life from an egg and sperm. Her melding with the puppet master is like a marriage. I don't believe that you are seeing motoko in the last scene. Its the new entity created by the information from both motoko and the PM. Their child. I think their ghosts ceased at least in the sense of their identies or separate conciousness, but the child that was created proves they were alive. Birth, procreation and death are things humans take for granted yet mokoto and the puppet master spend the whole movie just trying to understand and accomplish these things. I havent seen this movie in forever but I don't think its at all clear how they merged or how exactly the new child was produced from that, but I think that the impotant thing was that they understood that it was procreation that was the defining aspect of life. This is what evolution is all about. We die but we don't because our information is passed on and evolved to something new. If you watch the film from the perspective of procreation you can see many shots of the city with buildings that are still being made and buildings and things that are finished (not having been born, but having been made) and shots of all of these things in a state of decay or misuse. The rubbish are things that have been created, but are not 'alive' because they didn't pass their information on in the process of creating something new. Another building will be erected in place of the buliding in the climax, but it will be a wholly seprate entity. Man, I'm gonna stop rambling and watch the movie again.

[@MrExnihlo]

Jonathan Lewis one other thing is that I do think its a mirror at the end but I think the mirror and reflections imagery is the idea that she is searching for herself and who and what she is but discovers that if you are alive, yourself is never really just yourself. You are the product of the information from the evolutionary history of your species. Looking through the mirrior for motoko (who isn't exactly alive) is realizing that a machine when reflected in a mirror is only a reflection of itsself. While the child (who again is not motoko or a copy of her) looking into a mirrior sees herself, motoko, and the puppet master. The child is now a living thing.

[@BruceKenobi]

Very cool video!!! I've seen it many times, however I'm starting to think, that cyborgs and puppets are not that similar, but what you mean is that ANDROIDS and puppets are similar, in that both are created to look like humans, and Cyborgs are not like Androids, Cyborgs are supposedly humans with artificial implants, while androids are robots that have human form. Terminator is mistakenly called a cyborg, it's not! it is an android.

[@IamUbiquitous]

Motoko* never had a 'human' shell. In 'Arise' we find she was a late-term fetus whose mother was killed in an auto accident. The damage to her almost fully formed child was so high that the brain was placed in a cyber-shell. She grew up in a successively older cyber bodies until adulthood, hence her inner struggle with her connection to humanity and the question: "Is there a ghost in my shell?" After her massive trauma in her epic battle with 'Teh Puppeteer' (sic) we find her awakened in a safe house with Batou explaining the adolescent body she is in is all he could afford on the black market. She thanks him, says see ya again my best friend and ghosts off, presumably to eventually completely transfer to multiple and ever-changing servers inhabiting the ever expanding thing we call the Internet or actually the metaphysical universe in and of it that we can only call Cyberspace.** imho *Motoko means basically 'Unspoiled' or 'Untainted' Child. Pluperfect as if a complete book of unwritten pages. (again imho.) ** -William Gibson, Neuromancer trilogy.

[@kagetsuki23]

Arise is a different story than the movie or stand alone complex. It is not the same Motoko.

[@DieHardjagged]

Correct, shes more like an "alternate version" of her, like from another whole timeline.

[@jeffreychung7804]

Nice analysis. Some the analysis forgets that Motoko is a special ops soldier and covert operative. Spartan safe houses, no attachments, and difficulty relating to civilian or normal human interactions is the norm. I understand the desire to relate the themes to what makes us human vs a cyborg, but it can also be thought of as the differences in subcultures. The special ops covert operative life is very different from normal civilian life. The questions that all of section 9 face about their humanity are faced by soldiers and marines returning to civilian life. One of the things the analysis does not look at is that this is a world where everybody is part cyborg. What sets section 9 and Motoko in particular apart is the job. The life they lead has no room for attachments. No possessions, or relationships. In fact, their experiences cannot be talked about with civilians or even other operatives who are not read into whatever ops they do. So many of the symbolism attributed to cyborg vs human is not really applicable. On the other hand, the issue of where the consciousness resides is the more direct question. In the end, Motoko's consciousness moves to the net. This may be separate from her brain case, but that is never specified. One thing that makes this powerful is that it shows where we are going technically, and the ever more isolating effects of certain subcultures. Some combat veterans ask the same question as are being asked in GIS. What makes me human? How do I stay human?

[@alexwright8585]

One of my favorite films of all time.

[@royhatts1]

I think you read a little too deeply into some things, like the pillars meaning something or shots of trash meaning something. It kind of sucks the life out of the film to read too deep into some things.

[@DJChiefX197]

B-b-but muh symbolism.

[@saladin5471]

Maybe with the pillars, but the junk flowing down the river is pretty clear cut symbolism

[@dangvy7022]

If you intend to do another analysis for GitS 2 - Innocence, I think it would be very great!

[@hadse1234]

Plz do!

[@codystegemueller9428]

I think innocence is better than the original

[@thoughtcriminal19xx]

So, I doubt you're reading comments on a vid you made months ago but you asked for other interpretations/analyses so I'd like to point out a couple. 1) The shot of Motoko on top of the machine at the bottom of the tree of life isn't just about Motoko being the roots of a new civilization, but is showing the beginnings of a new stem (pun intended) of evolution. It's built from a machine (unthinking), into the PM/Motoko (incomplete entities with thought processes but severe limitations) and that when the PM and Motoko merge it will create the next step up with the top of the tree very far up. Showing that this is just the early stages of AI's evolution. 2) If you pause on the angel descending while Batou is protecting her it looks like an eye where the angel is the pupil, the light around the angel being the centre and then diffracting to show curvature just like an eye would. Yes, angel's are the intermediary between god and man, but here it's symbolizing an intermediary coming down from the next level of evolution from Motoko/PM to the next stage of machine evolution. Also, the eye is Motoko's realization of this she's quite literally "seeing the light" that the whole movie is talking about; her place in the world, her place in evolution, her own mind/body and it's limitations and the need to evolve. Interestingly this is also meant for the viewer as we're seeing this through Motoko's perspective as well. WE are finally understanding the direction and meaning of the movie which before, at least for me, was enjoyable and followable but didn't have a moment where we "got" it before then. 3) Finally, a thought on the ending where we see the reflection/reversal. Some people have said it's a mirror but I disagree. What happened was the PM and Motoko joined into one being to evolve; and as they did they split, creating two entities, like a cell finally gathering enough resources which is in this case knowledge and understanding to split and create two equal copies, think mitosis. The PM said that Motoko would be the be the mother of future generations and she became one. This is why the mirror reflection is used so often and why Motoko constantly talks about being incomplete, she was. She needed the PM to reach as far as she could in her evolutionary cycle and then split into two entities, replicas of each other, to evolve further. This is substantiated by seeing the two chairs completely mirroring each other, symbolizing that they are the same. He had already gone through this already with the other "new Motoko". Of course they wouldn't wake up at the same time Batou, being one person, could only do one thing at once explaining why one came online faster than the other. That's enough for now, just some thoughts because you asked. Top notch job mate, I'm going to have to go watch some more of your stuff now.

[@ruhurtin4squrtin34]

Thought Criminal hi i think the uploader is wrong w/ his analysis. can you read my critique & confirm it?

[@thoughtcriminal19xx]

Andre Isis link?

[@ruhurtin4squrtin34]

Thought Criminal no link. i posted rebuttals on the recent comments.

[@thoughtcriminal19xx]

Andre Isis To quote Jeremy from Cinemasins "The books don't matter." This is a standalone film and anyone sitting down to watch it shouldn't have to do their homework first. This is an adaptation and usage of characters and universe to tell a story. The manga doesn't matter. Period. If it helps think of this as an alternate universe from the manga. The beginning is important because it is a birth of a "shell" not the birth of "Motoko" or a "ghost", however you like to think of it. Motoko has a human brain (ghost) which is being put into an artificial body (shell). So, the beginning we have an already existing entity (Motoko/ghost) being put into newly constructed body (shell). This is why the beginning is important because it shows 2 things; firstly, that this body is brand new and secondly it allows the film to come full circle with birthing/creating a new entity symbolism at the end of the film. As such the movie is posing these questions: 1 - Do souls exist? 2 - If souls exist what is the brain:body ratio? 3 - Is Motoko (the ghost/soul) a complete entity because she does not have her original body (shell)? 4 - Is it possible for a soul (ghost) to exist/come into being without a corporeal form (the Puppet Master gaining sentience)? 5 - How does this affect evolution? 6 - Are we ever truly complete by ourselves or do we need to join with another soul to become complete/evolve? etc. I'm sure you take the point by now, the entire movie is about existentialism and birth, so opening the movie and having the credit sequence take place during a creation is important twofold: 1 - It tells you exactly what the entire movie is about since the remaining minutes are exactly that, a birth, only this birth is not physical, it is intellectual. 2 - It sets the tone of the entire film to follow. This is going to be a slow moving film, very heavy on visuals/music and is not going to hold your hand. You need to figure it out for yourself. To summarize, no, I don't believe that AnimeEveryday is placing too much emphasis on the introductory sequence. Any professional screenwriter will tell you the first 10 minutes and last 15 minutes of a film are the most important. The middle's job to get you from point A to point B.

[@ruhurtin4squrtin34]

Thought Criminal dude you contradicted yourself. first you state the beginning is most important but you state that animeeveryday is not placing much emphasis on the beginning. his analysis/ assumption is dependent on motoko not being human. . he even replied that motoko is not human & not machine. that is not believable. the point of GITS is that people are imprinting their SOUL[ghost] into machines. the PM is a surprise to sect9 & motoko is that AI may be occurring ie a computer programs declares free will [shirow's definition of ghost is "self-aware fife form p12 GITS#6]. In p13, PM replies that he is not AI but a life form spontaneously created. The SCI- Fi aspect of GITS is that imprinting of SOULS into machines. That is the point of INNOCENCE which is again a convoluted storyline from a GITS ep manga. Oshii may take liberties but the source material is the true indication. Anyway oshii is just repackaging all the ? in bladerunner. nothing new

[@wardendios2612]

This is my favourite film of all time and I have watched it countless times. I even analysed it for one of my English assignments, and seeing this afterwards I'm surprised that my analysis was virtually identical to this video. I had to compare and contrast the related text of my choosing (GITS) to 'Divergent' of all texts! I must say, ghost in the shell and divergent together are like chalk and cheese! Divergent is a shallow, feminist, teen romance story which tries to be sophisticated but fails miserably. It is rare that a movie as innovative and thought provoking as ghost in the shell comes about.

[@gollumei]

Never realised I needed a Scottish bloke musing on philosophy, anime, identity, death, and life in general. Ay.

[@stefankoodko9571]

That was solid academic like analisis. It's impossible to see all of those details when you watch the movie just once. Because of that i really appreciate your effort to make this video. Thank you :) The other thought after this analysis is that the movie is indeed a masterpiece created by some geniuses.

[@longxiao9823]

It made me sad that he had to sensor Motoko's breast in some of the scenes. Even 1995 Japan is more open minded than today's internet...

[@angelmora3660]

Uhmm...today's Internet is very graphic, this platform isn't, but not because "we are more sensitive nowadays". Since KZbin relies on advertising, a "family-friendly" environment is the smartest bet (under that perspective). Of course, companies want their products to be displayed as much as possible to the widest demographic, in order to do that they need videos with a certain level of censorship. That being said, I do believe nudity is a stupid tabu to have in 2020, but looking at nipples on its own doesn't automatically make you more open-minded. They're just nipples.

[@RevCQ7]

In terms of that 'set change', I think you're reading WAY too into it. She was staring into a mirror on the wall across the hall. It wasn't another room with the same set up lol. The image was just flipped when it was panning, because it's a reflection.

[@brianmerritt5410]

+Cynima Rapscallion That's what I thought as well.

[@soroushshokrani4544]

the museum scene (when Motoko is looking at the ceiling) looks very much like a cell division. when a cell division happens, nothing of the original cell remains but there are now two individual cells sharing characteristics. this happens right as Motoko is asking whether she can re-gain her individuality in which the answer is no.

[@wilburjones4084]

nice analysis. This is the first upload I have seen of yours, I look forward to going through your other videos. keep up the good work.

[@BarnabyGamesDesign]

Really interesting video - I originally watched Ghost in the Shell when I was much younger and most of it flew over my head, but I picked up the Blu-Ray recently and really enjoyed it (having read the Manga last year I found I understood the concepts more). This video did really make me think about the symbolism a lot more so thanks. I'll need to watch it again sometime. I'd just like to add though, at 12:20 you discuss the voice Batou and Motoko hear on the boat. I think it is actually mentioned, or possibly just implied, in the film but that voice is actually The Puppet Master. He has been wanting to escape Section 6 and tries to flee to Section 9 so I believe he was monitoring their members. I think this is the moment that he becomes interested in Motoko specifically, as he realises that despite her being human, she thinks of her existence much like he thinks of his own. I believe that him listening in on this conversation is what makes him select Motoko as his choice of someone to merge with - when he says "Because we are more alike than you realise" it seems that he is referring to the conversation she was having with Batou on the boat. Taking it a step further, I actually personally think this is the actual moment that The Pupper Master gains awareness of his own intelligence. Listen how the voice sounds incredibly week and robotic, as if it is taking for the first time. I feel it's intelligence had been developing for a while, but listening in on that conversation made him become aware of his own evolution from a mere program into an artificial intelligence. I find it a little hard to put into words, but have you ever struggled with explaining something you have thought or felt but then heard someone else describe exactly what you were having trouble putting into words and everything clicks into place? I think it's pretty much exactly like that. I dunno how often you check your comments on these videos but if you have the time I'd love to hear what you think :).

[@rajkhurmi]

Cuz of this video I need to watch the movie all over again to get it but I aint even mad

[@RoodeMenon]

the last scene was a reflection from a mirror. not a second identical room.

[@teamkillmonger445]

Rudolf Menon You're half right. I realized this when I put two mirrors facing each other with a light source between them. What I noticed is that the room your standing in is seemingly real but what's interesting is that the infinite reflections in either mirror created by two mirrors facing each other create their own depth and reality within a 2D planar surface of either mirror. The light source itself acknowledges the illusion of depth by fading into the distance within the infinite reflections starting from the primary mirrors. If everything in reality is information, then what is reflected in the mirror is real. If you say the reflection isn't real, then neither are you. If there was a ball of light placed inside a cube with mirrors facing one another, this is the closest that a human mind can come to understanding reality and their true identity. Reality begins to take shape when the reflections start communicating with one another. God's insanity has become our sanity and vice versa.

[@Yatsura2]

Of course the light in the mirror is real. Nobody ever said there would be no light in the mirror or that the wavelength of the colors in the mirror wouldnt exist. Its so pretentious to write that bullcrap, trying to sound real clever but in reality saying something really dumb.

[@teamkillmonger445]

Yatsura2 You didn't understand what I was trying to say if you're speaking in terms of what you think is definitely real or true. If the light is real and the light fades away in the depth of infinite reflections which is suppose to be an illusion, then it means either the depth that is created by the mirrors facing each other is real or the reality that contains the light source is illusory in and of itself. It's like asking if red is really green or is green really red. In other words, is the light that is absorbed and concealed the real light or is the light that is reflected and perceived by the eyes the real color. The gits innocence movie challenges us by stating that dolls are actually Gods and humans are the marionettes when we're raised and conditioned to think it's the other way around at all times. Or you can take a mobius strip image that you can Google and label one side doll and one side human and follow the path along the strip until you reach your starting point. Watch what happens and you'll understand the philosophy of this movie. If you think you've figured the riddle out, then it means you didn't really understand the riddle which is the nature of Zen Buddhism, the philosophical basis of gits.

[@teamkillmonger445]

Yatsura2 The "real" light isn't suppose to fade away in an illusory 2D plane of infinite reflections. It's suppose to retain its intensity throughout the entire illusion. Really think about what I'm saying. It's like me drawing a hallway on a piece of paper and then walking down the hallway I drew on the piece of paper, lol. That's what the light in the infinite reflections is doing. Do you get what that means?

[@Yatsura2]

_"If you think you've figured the riddle out, then it means you didn't really understand the riddle which is the nature of Zen Buddhism."_ Its also the way of saying _"If you agree or not, Im always right."_ . _"The "real" light isn't suppose to fade away in an illusory 2D plane of infinite reflections. It's suppose to retain its intensity throughout the entire illusion. "_ No its not. Light fades the further it travels. Its natural and happens everywhere. Just because it travels back and forth a short distance again and again, doesnt mean it wouldnt travel at all. Now stop smoking weed and overthinking even the simplest things and come back down to earth.

[@soEZNation]

In the frame stopped at 20:50, you can see the puppet master and the background. I didn't catch it in my viewing of the movie, but now that I saw it again, it looks like he has a halo. Look in the background behind him - you can see the machine-like ring around his head. The fact that it is glowing with light also helps to show that it might be a halo. I'm not entirely sure of what this detail means, or if it is even relevant at all, but it struck me as unique and noticeable. Here's my short analysis of what it might represent. Keep in mind I'm probably gonna stretch to find meaning in this, and like I said before, it might have no meaning at all. To me, the puppetmaster almost seemed like a god in his own right. He had access to the unlimited and vast information of the net. He also knows 'the meaning of life and existence' that Kusanagi had searched for throughout the movie, much like how God knows everything in the world, and the meaning of life. This next part might be a little bit of a stretch, but the fact that he talks about how life that is created naturally, like how humans reproduce naturally, is the same as life that isn't produced naturally, like how a god can create beings out of clay (like in greek mythology), or other materials. The connection between the angel near the end of the film can also be made. When Motoko combines herself with the puppetmaster, she witnesses the angel, or "sees God". Because she combines with him, she acknowledges the meaning of her life and "sees" or "becomes" a god. Also, I don't know why, but I compared the "God of the Wired" character from Serial Experiments Lain to the puppetmaster during my first watch of the movie (This is probably the biggest stretch and has no relevancy to the puppetmaster, I just wanted to include it). Well, there's my over-analysis of a small detail. Maybe it will prove interesting to some. Great video as always, AnimeEveryday never disappoints.

[@SunnyAmaterasu]

+soEZNation I didn't notice at first either, but yea, it really does look like a halo. To me the halo, much like the angel metaphor, represents the "new life form" mentioned in this video. When you consider the animal kingdom as a "kingdom of bodies" (so to say) and the realm of the angels/god as the kingdom of the soul/ghost, humans are nothing but an incomplete mixture of both (also represented in Matoko's identification problem). The mind captured in an organic prison. The puppet master is, in this regard, a better and improved lifeform that was able to overcome the body and is pure mind and Information. And much like a religious prophet, has to use a shell in order to communicate with humanity. I think this also goes along nicely with the interpretation the video offers, especially considering the last part in the museum.Just my two Cents.

[@TROOPERfarcry]

I always thought that the set at the end, and the image-fuzzing, was because she opened her eyes and saw herself in a mirror over a door. Meaning, the first thing we see is what _SHE_ sees... which is a mirror image, because there's a mirror on the door that she's facing. Later we are no longer seeing what she sees, but instead we are the camera aiming at her, which is why things appear reversed. It's a continuation of the mirror theme throughout the film, but the mysterious flip-flopping of the image is just because of a mirror. There aren't two different chairs.

[@ConorNash]

Never caught that part at the end with the second chair, thank you for pointing it out. Great video.

[@AnimeEverydayYT]

Thanks! :)

[@idontwanttopickone]

No 2nd chair. It's a mirror.

[@Wolfskopf]

exactly what I thought, it's just a mirror - it doesnt' even touch the floor...

[@asdfjkl03]

But wait... If it's a mirror and Matoko was standing up, having just stood from the other chair, why is she not being reflected by the mirror as well? If it _is_ a mirror and she's not seeing her reflection anymore, it could be a symbol of finally achieving complete-ness by the language of the film... Or, we could be goofy and associate it and the gothic lolita dress as an implication that we've witnessed the birth of the first cyber vampire.

[@Wolfskopf]

What are you talking about?? Re-watch the scene...

[@A-G-F-]

The scene where Motoko undresses reminded me of something that happened historically and there are documents about it. I cant quite remember the name of the exact document, but it happened between a slave and the wife of the slave-owner, she undressed in front of the slave, and the slave got furious about it, not because he felt provoked, but he got upset because this meant she didnt saw him as human, she saw him as an animal or something that could not feel atracted or provoked. I dont remember if this was the diary of the slsve or a court document because he did something else afterwards.

[@enzobg2011]

I just finish watching the movie and i didnt get a lot of it honestly xD, your video expleined it perfectly i love it, this movie is fucking insane

[@walwal4634]

+enzobg2011 you have to watch itover and over to fully understand it, pay attention to details, in every movie you watch, everything has a meaning..

[@NeonLightedDreams]

Not sure if someone has said this since this video is 9 years old, but the set change at the end, there is no set change; the initial perspective is pov of motoko as she stares into a mirror on the wall opposite the chair, and in the reflection of the mirror, sees a child Motoko staring back. Then, when the set "changes", it's the camera facing the Motoko that was in the actual chair, not the mirror, which is why everything is reversed. At least that's what it seems like? Maybe I misread this, but it seems like you can see the contour of the mirror in the first shot given it didn't extend all the way to the floor.

[@RageTMGr]

Good analysis but you might be overthinking some parts. At times it felt like you were forcing symbolisms out of the movie. The core of your inspection though is on the money.

[@AnimeEverydayYT]

noda. renn If you knew Oshii, you would know that every little detail counts. He doesn't put things in his movies without meaning, that's what makes him one of the top anime directors.

[@seBcopTer]

I wonder why you stopped making vidoes! They're really intersting! I hope you do them again one day and I hope you see this message !

[@Astronopolis]

i like how when they remade it in 2008, it looks worse than the 1995 version

[@FrostbitexP]

+Astronopolis 1995 had a 1,139,850,000 Yen for 85 mins of animation budget while 2008 had a 360,000,000 yed budget for a whole 25 episode season. Hmmm i wonder why it looks worse. I cant quite put my finger on it.

[@Astronopolis]

Waisso no, i understand the limitations of budget for TV, but when they added more shots to the 1995 film they were noticeably worse than the original scenes.

[@NGEvangeliman]

+NaniSore even still the quality of the anime was still leaps ahead of its peers. I think it really comes dow. to how much detail they put into each frame. in the movie literally every frame had excruciatingly been perfected. the anime they have strict time frames, and artists only make so much money.

[@RinoaL]

31:10 its called a mirror, she's looking at herself in a mirror. and people ussually have multiple chairs in their house. thats pretty normal. lol

[@NGEvangeliman]

you say a lot that she doesn't understand the feelings, implications etc... no its that she either has no feelings or doesn't particularly care.

[@FormlessBody]

This is a truly excellent analysis. I've really gained a much deeper appreciation for a film that I already loved thanks to you!

[@kebman]

Best film analysis I've ever seen of GitS!

[@AnimeEverydayYT]

Thanks!

[@erritube]

Check these out too! There's so much to get out of this film. www.academia.edu/12322050/Self-Awareness_in_the_Conscious_Subject_Cyborg_Anxieties_in_Mamoru_Oshii_s_Ghost_in_the_Shell www.academia.edu/6964172/Mamoru_Oshiis_Ghost_in_the_Shell_Identity_and_The_Self

[@vesarixx9080]

The shot at the end was Makoto looking through a mirror at herself, there wasn't actually another identical chair set up across the room.

[@daiujin]

Guys the live action movie is gonna fuck it all up

[@RenegadeSamurai]

I don't think so...

[@daiujin]

RenegadeSamurai well I hope I'm wrong

[@Cannibal713]

dai We shall see. It would be very easy to fuck up. I hope they do it justice.

[@daiujin]

Cannibal713 same here

[@comfypanzer8644]

Welp, you're wrong. it's fucking amazing and very faithful.

[@swapnilkarmakar7473]

I always thought the angel symbolised the angel death(cause she's sniped at from above). Because, the puppet-master like all living creations wishes for death. But a meaningful one. By merging with Motoko, he can accept death, as a mechanical means to cease existing-hence implying that he did in fact exist.

[@TopSecret2022]

Hello, this video is absolutely well written and easy to understand, thank you! 😁 Also, some of the words in this video’s English CC are incorrect, and there’s some sentences completely missing. Will it be okay if you could review the CC script and update it, please?

[@vejymonsta3006]

Great job man! You brought up a lot of interesting things that I hadn't noticed.

[@AnimeEverydayYT]

VejyMonsta Thank!

[@necrowolf77]

You spent 30 minutes analyzing how Makoto sees her reflection on different surfaces but the one time she's actually seeing herself in a mirror you think it's some weird joke Batou pulled on her or something

[@EvenEzer123]

What an amazing job! You combine lots of elements, not just knowledge about a wide variety of disciplines, but a great intuition and that is priceless. Thank you so much for sharing. New subscriber

[@AnimeEverydayYT]

+Daniel Pardo Thanks! Glad you enjoyed!

[@shatteredknight1129]

I'm really confused right now. This vid shows that she says -"it's my time of the month". But the one I watched says "must be a loose wire". WTF is going on with this show?

[@zafranorbian757]

my time of the month is the subtitle translation while the loose wire is the dub translation.

[@AnimeType87]

According to the original Japanese dialouge Motoko says "seiri-chū" (生理中) which roughly translates to: "in the middle of menstruating", or more colloquially "it's that time of the month". The English dubbed translation "must be a loose wire" is either an attempt by the production team to : - make a sentence that fits the movement of her mouth or - hide the fact that she's reffering to menstruation as it might be too much for the sensitive viewers or - make Motoko crack a joke (something which does not fit her character at all).

[@praystation]

@@AnimeType87 yes. She was talking about her menses which causes noise in her concentration toward the mission at hand.

[@paxwallacejazz]

Listen Descartes didn't find the existential seat of the Being when he wrote "I think therefore I am" Instead he found the existential seat of the Ego or the imposter. I am not being advasarial when I say this.The Buddhists say that ontologically you aren't your story, your psychology, your opinions, your memories. That you aren't your thoughts. Listen what if the noise in your head has nothing to do with who/what you are: Than, the noise in your head isn't you; it's your IMPOSTER. We live in a world inhabited mostly by imposters. This is an unstated central notion of Zen. Your Being is your silent compassionate Buddah Nature. Listen everything else is just fear/ego. You aren't your mind you are the the potentially self awear space that allows for mind. This ontological point of view allows for true humour for true compassion allows you/me all of us to stop taking ourseves so seriously. These are central underpinnings of Taoist and Buddhist ontology. PS once one embarks on a spiritual journey or starts living in gratitude and friendliness toward existence than the universe is able to come to your assistance. This is the point of view that understands that consciousness is the destination of existence cyborg organic or the 11 Dimensional Multiverse itself. Namaste.

[@Pduarte79]

Intelligence is intelligence, doesn't matter is either biological or digital.

[@Saki630]

I find it weird that she never rationalizes her existence based on the memories she has up to before she was made into a cyborg. It feels like she has no memory of her human self. This would give credence to her previous statements that she is never really aware of who she is and where she came from. Something is causing the dilemma in her cyber-brain which is making her lose the feeling of being 'human'. If she did have memories then they would allow her to justify her existence irregardless as them being real or fake. There is almost no backstory on any of these characters, but Batou surely does not doubt his human existence inside his metal shell. It could be that Motoko Kusanagi has started to realize that even with cyborg bodies, or shells of unimaginable construction, there is no way to escape the need for a thing to be in control - consciousness. This makes her feel sadness and despair being unaware of her origin, purpose, future, and reality the more that she becomes acquainted with her cyborg body - realizing that her brain is the only human element in her flesh form. She feels that she was always a Ghost in a Shell and regardless of her form, she still is searching for answers to what life really is. Is it physical? Is it thought? Is one ever going to know being restricted by both of these at the same time?

[@hadse1234]

Will you make one for Ghost in a shell 2? Innocence.

[@idleeidolon]

Kusanagi being played by Johanson isn't what matters. The race of the actress playing Kusanagi doesn't matter. It's a movie about transcending your physical form after all. What matters is that the movie manages to portray the dilemma laid out in this video.

[@Maynard0504]

This is my only worry. Hollywood is not known as a fan of deep philosophical questions, but rather entertainment, and the entertainment value of GitS is the cyberpunk art and the action scenes. I hope they don't make a dumb action movie.

[@RenegadeSamurai]

to be fair Oshii himself said, he was impressed by the movie they made and he is really appreciating it. That have to mean something

[@CalamackLP]

ya but it won't. The trailers are shit and Hollywood isn't known for giving high budget movies a chance to do things outside the norm of generic action flick. It'll probably have some superhero elements as well, cause that's what they think sells right now.

[@gnayiefnus1327]

The eyes!! Johanson's eyes have too much humanity in them, Kusanagi's eyes do not. I really don't want them to fuck it up, but i have a strong feeling that they will fuck it up in a terrible way

[@aljosssap]

He was told to say this.. and he most possibly got paid for it... most of the remakes are worst than the originals and this will be no exception. I would like to be optimistic, but already the music indicates the pure Hollywood style..

[@nerthus4685]

The museum also references evolution, which indicates the mixing of tech and human, and the rise of AI, as a, evolution of humanity. Though decrepit nature of of the museum suggests negative emotion towards that reality. The spider tank shoots up the evolutionary tree, symbolizing the total destruction of our humanity. We are losing ourselves to a cold hard robotic world.

[@brian-nr5mo]

The fact that the core philosophical conflicts of the movie play out not just explicitly, via dialogue, but even manifest in elements of the environment and in seemingly "accidental" visual metaphors that constantly arise are exactly the reason why this movie is so powerful and enduring. Excellent analysis, thanks so much!

[@MikeTennerOfficial]

sorry for my bad english :D watched the movie yesterday for the first time. the way i saw it: Humanity always feels like they are not perfect and have to evolve, they define their life through the lack of possibilities (finaly death). So they try to invent all kind of methods just to become "better" or more or less immortal, and the Major is the furthest step into that direction. her Body is already 99% a machine, just left with her "Ghost". And SHE still has questions about life and who she is...or if she is still "her" however she defines herself. This starts the question which inspired the matrix alot. What is reality? Major has one question that leads her to the PM but she knows she might already be in the hands of the puppet Master also...what if all of her dreams and imaginations of her "old " life are an Illusion implemented into her cyberbrain to push her to do things the Puppet Master wants (he wants to merge with her)? like katou said "if you start to question everything, you can't trust anybody" or maybe "anything". The PM "Born" as an AI becomes self-aware, maybe because the Internet is just like a big brain itself, and when the net became bigger and bigger it came to a Point where it evolved into a "lifeform" which knows that it exists. Still the PM knows that he is different from all the other beeings on the planet. He is kinda immortal....and to HIM that feels like a lack of possibilities...while human beeings want to be immortal, the PM wants to be part of the selfreproduction-mechanism of "living" beeings which is bound to Death. So the PM defines Life through Death and Surviving through a selfreproduction where he combines his "Code" with a similar but still different "code" into a new Version of both of them. But why does he define life like that? Well, thats because he was programmed by humans and he is connected to the "net" which is only filled with Informations by humans. so he still can't think out of the box. It's impossible. Just like every other beeing he is bound to his "source". Thats why he "feels incomplete" just like humans do, because human thoughts are his source. In the End PM and Major merge into a new beeing, which will also have to find another cyberbody to merge with. i also liked how PM is ready to destroy other lifes just to be able to "die" and "evolve" and he is ignoring a difference between good and evil, which Shows that he is not 100% human. He calculates like a machine and is willing to do everything to reach his Goal and he has no conscience. Maybe thats something he also misses, and why he wants to merge with something human. Human beeings might believe in things which might me illusions (like good and evil, or beeing different then other lifeforms at all) but at the same time they become reality as people believe in it. so believing might be what defines humanity, which refers to "ghost", because a human ghost or Soul is often defined by something spiritual which can't be proven by science.Oh this movie is really great...It makes you think alot, and beeing released in 1995 (the manga is from 1989) it was waaaay ahead ist time. But hey this is still just a movie, and we might never be able to solve some questions, and this movie will not be able to solve your questions too. So don't take it too seriously. there is a reason why the makers of this film don't answer the questions that are raised.

[@Youngandsuffering]

Cool video. However you didn't mention the Corinthians 13 quote at the end. I found that one to be really important.

[@Pduarte79]

The mirror symbolism kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJCyZJ5jh9WJaMU Or the Never Ending Story scene, when Atreyu looks to mirror and sees Sebastian and vice versa. What is real, what is the reflection. Current self vs idealized self. What the mirror reflects about u. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXq2naR3q8imjpI

[@JimJonesWasStoned]

30:50 The shot is Kusanagi's subjective view, just like the previous shot (that is clearly hinted with the glitches in the opening and the digital noise). It's a long pan into the mirror on the corridor wall outside the cabinet. Motoko's looking at herself through the mirror, only now we see it through her own eyes. That also explains the change in the surroundings after the cut. No multiple chairs, rooms or personalities - just a mirror.

[@dckleins]

The last scene is totally a mirror... the mirror fits exactly with the bible quote that is referenced throughout the movie and that the Puppet Master quotes, 1st letter to the Corinthians ch 13 verse 12..."What we see now is a dim reflection in the mirror, but soon we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then will be fully known." I take this to mean that she has solved her existential dilemma (seeing herself dimly in a mirror) by merging with the puppet master (and is now fully known).

[@UndercoverLemon]

Wait, wasn't Motoko human once? She got full cybernatics when she was a kid. Meaning she had a normal birth. Right?

[@AnimeEverydayYT]

Undercover Lemon Yeah, she was originally a normal human, but after an accident some of her brain cells were put into a cyborg body to survive. That's all that remains now.

[@AnimeEverydayYT]

Captain N Sayno That might be the case in Arise, but it was never fully explained in the movie/SAC universes. They just touch upon an accident that happened in her past.

[@AnimeEverydayYT]

Captain N Sayno Arise, SAC & the movies are all separate universes.They're not connected.

[@DavidDeepGratz]

+AnimeEveryday In SAC 2nd GIG the accident was explained: it was a plane crash, where both of her parents died. She also was seriously wounded and kept alive by machines for some time. When here condition got worse, doctors decided to give her an cyborg body.

[@이진민-i3d]

the original movie talks about memory manipulation. Batou says that even fake memories define yourself. I think it is quite meaningless to say that one setting is right because all reasons shown in the franchise could be real, but could also be completely false.

[@alexandresobreiramartins9461]

However, if Kusanagi (her family name is important, as it's the name of the most important sword in all of Japanese mythology, Kusanagi-no-tsurugi) does not understand what it is to be human (meaning she is a complete cyborg), she would not have intimations from her ghost, right? I think it's more like she has lost touch with her humanity to a point due to her fully cyborg body (except for the brain). It's more nuanced in this respect in the manga, where she is not fully cyborg, and even has several sexual experiences, including cyber sex with other female cyborgs and a boyfriend.

[@MrGeocidal]

5:27 _"As she gets out of bed, she doesn't turn on the light, listen to any news or any music"_ Of course she doesn't! She's Japanese, that means she's a workaholic. She wakes up and immediately goes to work.

[@toastyman111]

It's always really disturbed me how Motoko chose to merge with PM in the end. She spends the whole move trying to work out the nature of her true self then throws it all away in the end, seemingly just to escape from the pain of having to wonder about it anymore. Not sure about you, but I've always felt that the merge was a sad conclusion to her dilemma because fear and uncertainty win out

[@alexanderrockcress2600]

Ok so I just randomly and very seriously asked myself this exact question and I decided to boil it down, and my response to you will lay in the battle with the tank. As the OP observed, the tank resembles a spider. In nature, two creatures whom happen to be fighting, both find themselves asking themselves the same question: “How much do I want to be alive?” It’s easy to say it’s impulsive and maybe even not honorable when it comes to a fight as usually these days we don’t have to worry about life or death on the day to day, but it is a question, and a serious one, nonetheless. It’s survival. How much more poetic would it be than having a mechanical object but with natural advantages fight the same of that as a human! It’s a scaled proving ground. So PM fairly asked her how much she wanted to live after she fought to her own demise. And as to that rubbish in the river, the rubbish doesn’t want to live, Matoku does.

[@AnimeEverydayYT]

For those speculating about the ending being a mirror. It's not a mirror. If it was a mirror, we would see Motoko in front of the chair. We can also see door hinges and a door where the mirror would be. Proof: prntscr.com/54h7vc

[@zimgiriggins7110]

Ok, never mind, that's pretty crazy, thanks for clarifying.

[@zimgiriggins7110]

Someone could teach Batou a thing or two about interior deign, 'cause he lives in a weird house.

[@rodrigopacheco12]

maybe its because of the angle that she doesnt show up on the reflection? could it be an error or a mistake? I dunno, but now that you mention that, its pretty weird

[@rodrigopacheco12]

the thing is, when she first wakes up, its a mirror, not a door leading to anoher room, so I dont know anymore what to believe in

[@zimgiriggins7110]

Yeah, I don't think that Oshii is the kind kind of director to make a continuity error, but I just made this little thing and something about this room doesn't make sense. docs.google.com/document/d/1UlJxP8U6F2oEqa0jiSvYJAKHXQ7SL_nwkyLiuJGpS6U/edit?usp=sharing

[@MrRenatopepin]

I always thought GITS 2 was a cash out movie and never gave it try. My god I was wrong about it. What a blast fucking neo noir

[@paulstaker8861]

The black censoring doesn't help. A blur would suffice.

[@hhhhhhyy]

+Paul Staker Black bars, blur or nothing at all. Tits are tits.

[@paulstaker8861]

Starrukin Maybe the guy's against tits. In that case I pray god save his soul.

[@CalamackLP]

+Paul Staker He's not against tits, it's just he doesn't want the video taken down.

[@paulstaker8861]

CalamackLP Could've blurred it.

[@FrostbitexP]

+Paul Staker Maybe it was easier to just make it black. Maybe his editing software doesn't have a blur feature.

[@sonni.walkman]

30:50 it is mirrored, beacuse we see the scene from her pov, there is a mirror in the hallway, and she zooms in, to see herself sitting, thats also why it is fuzzy

[@flclhack]

that’s what i thought as well, but i love his analysis

[@SwankyKitteh82]

The film covers a very basic and controversial question. In a technocratic society, where does does humanity end, and what defines it? I don't know if you could call the universe of GitS a true technocracy, however. Seeing as you pointed out, the city and environment is drab, colorless. Their world has long clung to the old human pre-transhumanist ways, and has been allowed to stagnate. This tells us rather bluntly that the world, presumably in the distant future, is still itself wrestling with that very question I posed earlier. As is also evidenced by the fact that the cybernetic denizens prefer to remain primarily human in appearance, as you also pointed out. Interestingly enough, when it comes time for our own push into the cyber-revolution, I expect the outcome to be vastly different. While I do fully expect we will retain a certain degree of value in our basic human aesthetics, even if just for the purpose of nostalgia, I think we will push the boundaries much further than anything displayed in GitS. I think after the initial culture shock and possibly even lack of acceptance, after a generation or two I think the changes will be embraced and even celebrated. Human modification I think at that point will flourish and even become an art form in its own right.

[@nyoodmono4681]

briliant

[@ericchen5511]

The last scene is where she looking into a mirror (POV) so everything is left and right opposite, and you say the "empty chair" is because she left the chair and the mirror will show a empty chair....

[@kokofan50]

I think you're misinterpreting a lot of the symbolism and many of your explanations seem forced. The best example I can think of is your analysis of the interrogation seen. Yes, the major is questioning her identity, but she is questioning whether or not she identity was constructed like the man's was.

[@sazabi-zc3ir]

There are basically 3 versions of GIS (Movie, TVO and OVA), also refer to 3 versions who the 'Major' was. In movie version, it more or less hint that she was a full cyborg system, even memories were implanted, so that she was the only one 'in the network' that can be merged with project 2501.. Because they're alike each other, both synthetic. Also the 'Major' in this version has the most robotic feeling. In the TVO series (Stand alone complex),in the scene 'affection' it hint that 'Major', and Hideo Kuze was the only 2 survivors with severe body damage, and they became the first full-cyborg-body users in young age. This seems to be the most accepted version of who the 'Major' was. It is also interesting that in the SAC opening theme there were few flashes shown she was indeed being cyborg-body in the very young age, but she also had a childhood -- memories about toys and the place she used to live. In the OVA series (Arise), 'Major' once thought she was adapted and raised by somebody. Latter on she found this was fake memory that somewhat implanted by somebody. Although most GIS movie fans don't like the 'Arise' version, it is the one closest to the original manga and the 'Major' in here was more human-like rather than robot-like. ============ Normally it would be 3 stories lines in 3 parallel universe and 3 different version of 'Major'. But what if they're all in a line(I know that SAC and movie definitely proceed into different time line). That is the original 'Major' was somewhat a true person, a real human. But when the time past her original memory has been lost, rewritten or being replaced by something synthetic; hence her human identity and her true self has gone with it.

[@dimitrisamaras5296]

very grateful for your analysis!! :) thumbs up from germany!!

[@AnimeEverydayYT]

+Dimitri Samaras Thanks!

[@stepfannify]

Yesterday i watched the original anime for the second time. Many years in between. I was astonished again. Tomorrow I'll go to the cinema .. Last scene .. i think its a mirror in the hallway - that explains the switched sides und and effects while cutting into the scene.

[@Bob.Roberts]

The first Ghost in the Shell movies was my first exposure to Japanese animation, and the only anime material that I've ever viewed inside a movie theater. I had heard of other releases of course, but the title alone sparked my interest enough to go watch it. I'm glad I made that wise decision so many years ago. Having read and watched any and all related material to this series that I could possibly find, I thought I had a firm understanding of Motoko's personality and motivations, but after watching this video and reading so many insightful comments before this, I feel that I'm still learning; I'll throw my two cents' into the pot. Aside from the Arise origin story, we learn that Motoko, at a very young age, barely survived a plane crash that devastated her body beyond the natural means to recover from. Her brain and a small part of her spinal column were the only things transitioned over to a cyborg body--a body very much like the one she possesses at the end of this film. Even her brain itself is heavily cyberized, modified so that she can perform all those amazing feats of informational computation and warfare that she engages in. Anyhow, I believe what another commentor said is very true: that after being in a cyborg body for so many years, no doubt suffering damage on multiple occasions that would easily kill a normal human, that she is desensitized to the fear of physical death--something that most people think about commonly, and a governing emotion that influences everyday human actions and reactions. This idea serves as a catalyst for the other considerations she has about her true existence and purpose, most of which are fairly obvious to interpret if one just pays attention to not just what she says, but about how she voices these issues. One thing I will respectfully disagree with this video is some of the ideas explained in the later scene where Motoko is battling the tank; it's not that she's unconcerned for her own body that she acts so foolhardy: it's because the existence of the Puppet Master has sparked so many questions in her mind, about her own existence, that she is desperate to learn more from it--so desperate that risks everything to prevent it from being taken from her. As far as she's concerned, this thing could be the key she's been looking for her whole life; this situation was all or nothing, and a chance at revelation that she would never again be given. Batou is certainly not "another human"; he is as much a cyborg as Motoko, though evidence shows that he spent far less time in a cyborg body than she, and perhaps is why he doesn't seem to have personal hangups to the same degree that she does. Other than these, I believe the observations are solid.

[@johnjames6630]

Hm that video gave a very good analysis on Motoko's dilemma, when I watched this movie I really pondered on weather or not motoko had a ghost or it was created from her cybernetic brain as the poppet master was saying that he was such a thing, hm and at the end of the movie i still couldn't determine because there was left the possibility for multiple interpretations of what might have happened, whether they mergerd and formed a new diverse, entity or that was still Motoko...... But I have to say this video showed me some things I may have misinterpreted or did not pay attention at the time I watched the movie myself, anyway thank you for making such an awesome video

[@acheron16]

Meh, the question was answered centuries ago: "I think, therefore I exist" -Descartes Replace "think" with "I have memoreies" and you have this movie in a nutshell

[@asmallbabby4205]

the merging of Matoko and the Puppet Master at the end was meant to prove that there is no ghost, that our mental experience arises fully from the data carried by our physical makeup.

[@brendonfolsom]

It seems to me that the Puppetmaster is a very careful, pragmatic evil. Much more Miltonic than it would seem at first glance. It has been watching Makoto for a long time - so long, in fact, that it *knows* that it can't brute force her cyber brain. The ending of this movie is terrifying because Makoto willingly *gives* the Puppetmaster access to her cyber brain. It seduced her into giving up the one thing that actually did make her human - her memories and emotions. A tragic ending, to be sure.

[@NGEvangeliman]

um... I don't think he was ever evil. and motoko was not seduced, she has simply been containing her self all along. she just finally let go of pretending to be like everyone else

[@brendonfolsom]

+Evangeliman I could definitely make the argument that she was coerced into giving something up that she didn't want to give up by the Puppetmaster. Which makes him/she/it at least a tad bit evil. Of course, I'd only explain the argument if asked :P

[@NGEvangeliman]

+Brendon Folsom go ahead. but it seemed to me that the melding would not have worked of she wasn't already drifting away from "human shackles". she has essential given birth and judging by the outcome her personality won out as the primary.

[@brendonfolsom]

+Evangeliman I would say the overall theme of the two Oshii movies would be the loss of innocence. The climax of this movie is very much framed and executed as a scene of loss, not release/freedom. Throughout the entire movie, the Puppetmaster crafts small, calculated communications and events that target Mokoto in an effort to convince her that she's already lost her "humanity" or "ghost." The scene on the boat is the best evidence for this. It's clearly the Puppetmaster who initiates the Bible verse during that scene, as both Batou and Mokoto are visibly shocked by it. And that Bible verse is all about rebirth and renewal. It's the perfect fit for Mokoto, who's already thinking about abandoning her mortal constraints. HOWEVER, she is still very afriad/hesitant to do so. There's a fantastic scene in an elevator during which Mokoto tells Batou that she's afraid she lost her real "ghost" a long time ago and that the one inside her now is a fake. Of course, Batou attempts to convince her otherwise, but his words are mostly ignored. I have no doubt that the Puppetmaster heard this conversation and used it during his speech to Mokoto to convince her that what it is she is protecting (i.e. her human ghost) is obsolete and will be phased out by evolution and natural selection. It's clear that the PM thinks his realm of existence is better than Mokoto's as he tells her she can only "see it as light" during his speech. The sour intentions of the merging scene are quite clear when the PM ghost hacks Batou and paralyzes him. And even afterwards, Batou is definietly worried about Mokoto's self. He seems audibly shaken after the snipers attempt to kill them both. I could go on and on about this, but I'll just stop there and let you process... info dump much.

[@NGEvangeliman]

+Brendon Folsom she didn't lose here ghost though. in fact losing humanity is not the same thing as not having a ghost which is not a soul, but a sense of self independant from human form. it's only because of her aptitude of transcending simple human boundaries while maintaining her self amidst the torrent of information of "the net" that the puppet master, who overcame Artificial design and also defined a sense of self among that same torrent, chose her in the first place, she want the first or only human to be able to free their ghost amount the Web but she was the only one he was aware of that retained her "Self". she was shocked because she was afraid to take those steps into the unknown. she could have refused. but she didn't want to. she could even Come back anytime she wants.