Ghost in the Shell (1995) Movie Reaction & Review!

Time for another classic anime movie reaction! In this video we are watching, reviewing, and reacting to Ghost in the Shell (1995). A cyborg policewoman and her partner hunt a mysterious and powerful hacker called the Puppet Master.
Watch our reaction to Akira: • Akira (1988) Movie Rea...
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This video is for commentary and criticism only and is not a replacement for watching Ghost in the Shell.
00:00​​ Intro
01:00 Reaction
19:52 Outro
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Intro/Outro Song: Always Dreaming - Same Town Forever
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[@DosCavazos]

*Watch our full length watch-a-long reaction AND vote in the poll for the next movie on Patreon: **bityl.co/7xf8* -Watch our reaction to Akira: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2Wlc6Rnma94p6M -Watch our reaction to Your Name: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZrPiHqlZtZ1ZrM -Watch our reaction to A Silent Voice: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZDXloOeeMmNiKM -Watch our reaction to Demon Slayer: Mugen Train: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qparfHx9qNV5mcU

[@Dexiray]

when you can't find animes (series or movies) in any stream platforms, I suggest downloading @ nyaa si

[@dyto2287]

I would suggest to see next movie to be "Grave of the fireflies"

[@EscapeArtist587]

@@Dexiray Shhhh..🤫 that’s how kiss got taken down

[@VACIO666]

The society of Ghost a the Shell, human beings have to a greater or lesser extent cybernetic implants, but, all at least have an implant in the brain that connects them to the internet, for that reason they are "hacked". The "Ghost" refers to consciousness, be aware of itself, they use the word "Ghost" because the society of Ghost in the Shell, is full of robots and artificial intelligences, although they are not conscious, they do not have "Ghost", except for one, the Puppeteer. Ghost in the Shell is a masterpiece, in which it is raised and questioned what it is to be human, about consciousness, memories, it talks about deep philosophical approaches. There are several series that expand the universe of Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex it's the first. I hope I have helped you, greetings.

[@mhead81]

U should watch the series Ghost in the shell but old ones 1 & 2 GIG and Stand alone complex also U can check Death note , Attack on titan , Claymore , Berserk , Vinland saga

[@keinwarecliff4101]

A Ghost is the person's Soul. Or if there is a little bit of their original self left, their "Whispers." Major Kusanagi has been a Cyborg for like fifty to seventy years in this movie if you watch and read the lore from subsequent sequels. Kusanagi has hacked/fused/been hacked/and deleted so much of her "Original" Self she no longer really remembers who she used to be. She still has a toy to help her somewhat remember who she is, and diving. So when she says I hear my Ghost whispering to me, it means that little piece of her original self is telling her what to do or acting like her subconscious.

[@JacopoBasanisi]

But I mean, the explanation to everything doesn't even matter. Cyberpunk genre is highly metaphysical, you have to go with the flow.

[@DoremiFasolatido1979]

It's less a "soul" and more the remnants of the original emergent phenomena of the "mind" out of the original organic brain.

[@RyoMassaki]

I don't know which lore you draw from, but back when the movie came out there was only the manga and this movie. In the manga and this movie she is in her 40s and has been an cyborg since being a little child after suffering heavy injuries in an accident. The majority or even the whole of her organic brain is still inside of her head. "Kusanagi has hacked/fused/been hacked/and deleted so much of her "Original" Self she no longer really remembers who she used to be." That is not true. She has augmented her brain with various pieces of equipment and probably many versions of different brands of artificial brains, but her organic brain stayed consistently the same over the years and with it her true self, its the additional pieces that have changed her personality, and these have been changed dramatically by circumstances (being a Major in the military) and customized by her, but it is not really possible to override (the content of) her organic brain and she absolutely remembers who she used to be, but since most of her abilities and memories as an adult are tied to the augmented stuff she doubts her "whole" since many parts of her have become replaceable. People overstate her identity crisis and make her almost close to an person with amnesia or if misunderstanding the source material as being more of an robot than a human, but this conflict is more philosophical since she grew up as a cyborg never having the comparison to being a "normal" fully biological human being. The "Ghost" that is whispering to her is also something more vague, my understanding is that it is not her normal biological instinct/subconscious, but rather something emergent from the hybrid human - artificial brain. Its something additional she has gained from being an full cyborg vs the gut instinct of an normal human she also has because she refers to these 2 differently. Only after merging with the puppet master does she grow from being an human with an additional artificial brain to something more complex and less definable. Also, every iteration of GiTS changes something of the lore (she never meets the puppet master in the TV-series), so everyone of these should be considered a standalone complex.

[@tofu_golem]

Correct. Motoko and Batou are "full body" cyborgs, meaning the only thing remaining from her original body is most of her brain. That's why she is doubting her humanity. She is using a mass-produced face. Custom faces are very expensive.

[@TonboIV]

Amusingly, this is sometimes described as a "full body prosthesis", and there was a throw away mention of that the paralymics have become the big show and the olymics are just a traditional side event. So the main characters of Ghost in the Shell are mostly people who would be considered disabled in our time. Also, I think it was implied that her body is custom made, _to look like_ a cheap mass produced model. She's the cyborg version of a sleeper car.

[@hikari9433]

I see you're becoming more and more a couple of culture.

[@Stumergeist]

The series Stand Alone Complex is amazing.

[@ImitationBrand]

I rewatch that series regularly! It's a masterpiece of anime IMO

[@thubelihlezondi5822]

It's the best.

[@rampake-1575]

The animation is amazing and story is not so confusion even tho it goes so much deeper.

[@CertifiedSunset]

I hate that I know where your profile pic comes from.

[@HeHe-br9gx]

@@CertifiedSunset same braah

[@fonseca1992]

Major Motoko have a cyborg body. But her Brain is human. She always question herself if that is true.

[@ThanatoselNyx]

People seem to forget what Cyborg means. It is a cybernetic organism, a combo of human and machine. The Major is human brain and robot body all cyborg. Technically a person with a pacemaker is a cyborg.

[@birdee9119]

Well, I would too

[@greylock5680]

She was one of the first to go full body prosthetic - literally a brain in a cyber body.

[@darrylhilbig6459]

She had some disease as a child that screwed up her body.

[@CorporalCookie]

@@darrylhilbig6459 in Stand Alone Complex. It's been ages since I read the manga, but I don't think her background is revealed almost at all intentionally there. Just that when section 9 was originally first set up, she was there and she and the chief go way back. And that she is one of the few full body cyborgs. I think Batou was the second most augmented member of Section 9?

[@philo2189]

Fun fact: This movie along with Akira inspired The Matrix

[@saglionis2205]

Thanks, nobody here seems to know it

[@821lancevance]

You mean the matrix ripped them off right?

[@harshkumarf4379]

@@821lancevance NOT EXACTLY RIPPED OF TOTALLY BUT SOME THEMES ARE INSPIRED BY GITS

[@GirlofCulture]

If by inspire you mean steal... Hollywood was and is not at all able to be inspired by anything to make own ideas from it.

[@chrisbeaty309]

@@harshkumarf4379 some scenes are almost a carbon copy from GITS, however The Wachowskis are very open about as well.

[@TehPhysics]

When the Wachowski’s went in to Warner Bros. to pitch 'The Matrix' they brought a copy of this movie with them and said "We want to make this, but live action". That's not a direct quote, but it was along those lines. Have you two seen 'Blade Runner' yet? Major 'Blade Runner' influence in 'Ghost In The Shell', followed by major 'Ghost In The Shell ' influences in 'The Matrix'.

[@pierluigidipietro5597]

It is a fascinating legacy, indeed. We cloud add Battle Angel Alita in the mix

[@clynad]

I remember watching the making of the matrix when it first came out what you are saying is exactly correct more or less.

[@CorranHorn84]

This movie was groundbreaking at the time for its visuals, due to progress with 90s computer graphics and cel animation. Theme of self-identity with 90s interpretation of cyber technology and the early days of what the internet could become. Its themes and visuals inspired The Matrix.

[@mgfox]

I don't remember how well the movie explains the world but in Ghost in the Shell, technology has advanced to a point allowing people to replace parts of their bodies with cybernetics. Major Kusanagi is technically human. Her backstory differs a bit but she was in an accident at a young age that killed her parents and destroyed her body. For most of her life she has had a full cybernetic body with a real brain.

[@rai5169]

Yup, but I think they changed her origin story a bit in ARISE series and movie. Her 2nd GIg origin is still far better than Arise.

[@mgfox]

@@rai5169 It shifts around depending on the series. I guess the point in the end is that Technically the Major is human but having a cybertic body for most of her life has cause her to have a very different perspective on the world.

[@Rocket1377]

The movie doesn't do a good job explaining it at all. I was super confused when I first watched this. All it needed was a simple text description telling the audience what a "Ghost" is at the beginning, like the opening of Blade Runner.

[@mgfox]

@@Rocket1377 Yeah, idk that any part of the Ghost in the Shell franchise does a great job explaining what a Ghost is. In some cases it may be your "Soul" in other cases it represents things like instincts or feelings you can't explain. I think it is really just a place holder that describes all those things that are unique to humans that perhaps a machine would lack.

[@BRD0211]

@@Rocket1377 i thought it was meant to be vague but still sorta clear in that it was the blurry bit of space between the remnants of your consciousness and the programming of your enhanced bits. It probably gets more complicated, considering our consciousness are presumably products of our own little algorithms of synaptic connections, kinda just making humans fleshy robots instead of techy/mechanical robots.

[@amalaspina]

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is an amazing series and both seasons are worth a watch.

[@TheKnicks2012]

Perfect Blue has to be next!

[@endless013]

Paprika too

[@thenigerundayooooguy2752]

Mutual feeling. Satoshi Kon is a genius

[@ricardolc814]

yes

[@Necksteppa77]

Paprika is better and less confusing.

[@TheKnicks2012]

@@Necksteppa77Satoshi’s debut film and classic so they have to start with that one.

[@pwnorbepwned]

Major is a human just like all the characters in the movie (except the Puppet Master). People can have artificial augmentations, and Major is as heavily augmented as one can be. What you saw at the start of the movie wasn’t her being made, it was her human brain being installed into a brand new artificial body while it was being assembled.

[@joegiles7785]

Ghost refers to an individual's mind or essence of being, their soul perhaps - although that term is somewhat of an antique in this day since the soul denotes spirituality while the ghost is a subject of science. Its what differentiates a human being from a robot. - GITS wikia Ghost in the Shell blurs the line between man and machine. A post-world war III world in which the world is dominated by cyborgs and AI, ever evolving. Small Spoiler for Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, Ghost Dubbing is essentially making illegal copies of an existing person, which slowly kills the ghost of the original. In GITS 2, a gynoid manufacturer gets around program limits, but ghost dubbing kidnapped girls into essentially sex bots. It's human trafficking with more steps. I'm explaining it because the narrative gets confusing as they try to add philosophy like the original movie.

[@KryptonKr]

Just to add, the soul may be a concept from spirituality but there is another term which is consciousness which is not really scientific either because it cannot be tested. It’s something we know it exists but can’t prove or show this “consciousness” directly and know what exactly its made of. Like scientists and philosophers are having a hard time figuring out what consciousness is… that’s why there is “The Hard Problem of Consciousness” in philosophy mostly because we don’t know its nature. It is still a hard problem until now and it’s been centuries since. I find it very interesting when it comes to the soul or consciousness because this is the single most mysterious thing right now and people don’t question it as much.

[@Sparrowhawk97]

The Stand Alone Complex is a great show that dives deeper into this world. Make sure you watch the old one. There are newer Ghost in the Shell shows but they aren't very good with CGI. I feel that the show was easier to understand and gives more time to develop the characters and world.

[@StreamingTribe]

Imagine discovering this anime in the movie theater, when it was out 26 years ago... It was absolutely magical. I left the theater awestruck by the experience... I still remember this, to this day. By the way a cyborg is the acronym for Cybernetic Organism. It implies a mix of human biology and machinery, electronic or otherwise. It was fun to watch you asking yourselves all those questions. Keep it up! ;)

[@IsmaelSilva7]

You kept saying you were confused but you actually got everything right: cyborg cop lady questioning her own existence while trying to catch a program that gained it's own sentience. They explore the universe more in the 2nd part (Innocence) and the stand alone shows are amazing too. If you react to the Scarlet Johanson movie one day, you'll become my favorite youtubers, i swear. We abroad didn't really hated the movie like the local audience did, quite the opposite actually. Also, thank you for the Lara Croft shout out, she and Motoko are my top 2 favorite badasses of all time. Good reaction!

[@Silvist]

Masumune Shirow was the mastermind behind this anime (manga creator), and he also did another series that was made into an anime called Appleseed. He does alot of profound thinking about what defines a human, its pretty mind blowing :D I actually saw this on vhs back in the day, for sure a cult classic!

[@TheFifthHorseman_]

These days, Shirow mostly draws porn.

[@RhoneM]

I know it's a year and a bit late but, Major Kusanagi has been a full body cyborg from a very early age. She lost her parents and her body in an accident at a point where she doesn't know nor remember who they were. She's the first full body cyborg too, growing through her childhood and teens absolutely disconnected from her humanity. The movies main themes deal with what it means to be human/alive and can get very very esoteric.

[@CitiesTurnedToDust]

Keep on mind The Matrix came out well after this Ghost in the Shell movie and was heavily influenced by Ghost in the Shell. This movie explores the idea of what being human means in a world where the lines between human and machine are being blurred by cyborgisation, and the spectrum extends to whether an Artificial Intelligence can be alive. The secretaries were AI robots, not human.

[@TWANDTW]

The musical interlude that comes right after the boat scene, when the words spoken by the unkown voice remain floating in the air, is perhaps the most beautiful three minutes I've ever watched in a movie -in general, not just animated. It's so delicately drawn, the level of details of the cityscapes, the people, the rain that slowly begin to fall, the music (it's an ancient japanese wedding song)... so perfectly balanced to leave you astonished and with no other choice that going deep and think on the previous words of Motoko... Really a masterpiece. It blows my mind every time I see it since 25 years ago.

[@thureinminhtet24]

This is my number one favorite anime MOVIE. Glad you're reacting it:)

[@sneakymickey2410]

bruh. same

[@krono5el]

Oh man this takes me back, GitS, Akira, Robot Carnival, Neo Tokyo, Wicked City, and Castle of Cagliostro were some of my fave movies when i was a kid. incredible animation quality and insane imagination sparking inspiration. loved all other anime but those blew me away at the time.

[@theviciouschickenofbristol4779]

This has to be a record for most questions asked in a reaction. Which is understandable lol.

[@Astral0muffiN]

They still pieced together the central themes without much effort I feel. Future hardcore fans of this franchise for sure!

[@yungsxma5578]

Oh wow you guys actually did react to this 🙌. I love this movie so much.

[@WholesaleSheep]

A reaction to the series would be great too!

[@treygoldsworthy1402]

Specifically to Stand Alone Complex and the English Dub in that show is great.

[@seirsbr8756]

I would highly recommend the Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex series (2002-2005). As others have said it moves a little slower and takes time to explore and expand on the world. If you decide to watch it I would recommend the dubbed version for easier understanding since like here there is a ton of dialogue.

[@sneakymickey2410]

This is my favorite anime movie of all time! Thank you for reacting to it!

[@Uziel787]

Shoutout from Dallas! Honestly it’s been a fun ride seeing y’all start with MHA and venture off into all these Legendary Anime’s

[@sgcastle8389]

It's funny that you mentioned Matrix, Ghost in the shell inspired the Matrix.

[@nerdytechs514]

This show brings back so many memories from my childhood, there are so many 90's anime that are underappreciated and this is one of those precious gems.

[@The_Murdoch]

It's based on the philosopher Gilber Ryle (1900-1976) theory of the Ghost in the Machine. The theory is basically that there isn't really a soul, but the is a culmination of experiences that creates something that we would call a soul. The philosophy wasn't really like by adopted by philosophers, but if you use the like basis of the idea you can get like a "soul" from things like computers, dogs, people, really anything that acquires information/experience. So one of the common themes in the shows is "if you change the experiences/information, will the person's "soul" be the same"?

[@separator94]

Really like mature anime that are targeted towards adults. It stinks that they make up such a small percentage of what's out there. The term "ghost" simply refers to her artificial consciousness. Also, although there are a lot of cyborgs and augmented humans in this world, most are still regular human beings. As others have said, the Ghost in the Shell series Stand Alone Complex is excellent. Each episode has a great story.

[@Yora21]

No, the ghost is the human part. The main question is how much of the brain can be replaced with electronics before it's just a computer with the person's memories, but no longer a human self. At the end, the Puppet Master claims that there can be a ghost even in a pure machine that never was human at all.

[@TheRadex27]

Oh god This anime is legendary love it :)

[@Helker]

I'm so glad i suggested this too you guys! xD Never in 26 years i watched a dubbed version of this or the other GITS movies... this was odd. o.O This movie was one of the inspirations for The Matrix movies so i'm glad you noticed a resemblance so soon. I know it's a hard and confusing thing to understand the movie but i can't help to wonder if the dubbed version unintentionally left some aspects or pieces of informations that are key to understanding the movie out of the puzzle, cuz one thing that is known to happen in western dubbing is that they focus too much on syncing the mouth flaps to words that 95% of the time they remove or alter a lot of the dialogue to fit in contrast to eastern customs that the mouth flaps don't matter that much as long as the dialog(voice acting) conveys the sentiment/emotion of the scene. Happy u guys liked my suggestion. Sorry. English is not my first language hope i helped anyways.

[@shathriel]

This is a classic, the follow on was good too, Ghost in the Shell 2 Innocence and then you have GiTs Sac seasons one and two :)

[@TheOldest]

Love seeing people react to Ghost in the Shell for the first time. Few movies get people to really stop a think the way it does.

[@Worldgonemad]

WOW im so surprised you guys are reacting to this classic,. Major props. Most big reactors only react to the popular animes nowadays.

[@davidvfxmusica62]

The concept of "Ghost" is about the digitization of the Soul being unrecopiable or modified, you can lose your memory or totally modify your memories but your "Ghost" (soul) could never be altered, with the advantage of being able to transfer your "Ghost" to another synthetic brain without losing your 'Existence'. This concept solves the existential problem that if a clone of you exists and they are the same or if you are yourself if they erase your memory and create another one... the answer is you because your Ghost is unique wherever it is stored.

[@lokp7]

The second movie is really good, it's a direct continuation made by the same director, but most people haven't seen it because it uses a lot of 3D

[@macker33]

I didnt like the second movie or second series too much, everything else is gold, including arise and the newest one.

[@xgf122]

she is a human, she suffered some accident as small child and lost both parents + strong body devastation, so they transfer her to a cyborg body as she was small girl, the being in the end is a fusion of the two opposite things that became new thing which is totally new and neither of the old one. It is call Hegel's fusion - a philosophical concept

[@Yora21]

I think SAC expands on that whole story.

[@mh96s49]

This was so much fun to watch! I love ghost in the shell and it takes a few viewings to get it I’ve seen it like 3 or 4 times and I’ve just now understood it

[@aelfycarcini3992]

LOL I was confused back there when I saw this movie in the nineties... It's the kind of anime you have to watch several times to have a better insight. But I'm suprised, you two really have an idea of the plot. I guess you two have a vast pop culture in your back.

[@xevious2501]

For those unaware or too young to know.. the term SHELL refers to a computers command line interface. On a PC that would be the command prompt interface, or DOS interface. on other computers it was called SHELL. before the creation of the GUI (graphic user interface) of which you navigate your computer thru visual icons on a desktop, computers had no such thing. only the command line interface aka SHELL. The Flashing often green underscore awaited your text input. the blank screen gave an ominous impression that someone or some things could be controlling the computer, an entity person or other often referred to as a ghost living in the Shell of ones computer. a great example of this is portrayed in the opening scenes of The Matrix when Neo's computer is hacked by Trinity.

[@ColinPoole]

90s anime movie trademark - just leave you feeling empty at the end. Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Vampire Hunter D, Windaria, the list goes on.

[@Kronical69420]

Fist of the North Star. Gee Mr North Star where did your love and motivation for the entire movie go? Dunno.....blew away.

[@MegaroadProducciones]

Trying to answer your questions: 1- Who can access this technology? Almost everyone. It is as common as those of us who today have a cell phone or a computer. Even people who live humbly or appear to be poor have access to a phone. Here it is similar, and the more power or money you have, the more specialized the body you can access, the more personalized. All or most of the fully cybernetic bodies are artificial bodies that only maintain the human brain. And many can even eat a special food, or drink beer. And of course, there are people like Togusa, who despite having the money and the option, prefer to stay as human as possible. 2- The ghost they refer to is the human mind. But it is something more than that, it is like an amalgam of mind and spirit. When the Major sees someone identical to her, she is only seeing the same model of her body, but it is another person. Her ghosts are totally different. As for the whispering, it is never really explained correctly. There are many theories, but one of many refers to a connection beyond the machine. God, perhaps? The movie, or the scene, raises the idea that there is something beyond the cybernetic that science cannot reach. Yet. 3- The human mind, being connected and having a bridge with the cybernetic, with electrical connections, is also capable of being hacked. That is to say, the ghost itself is not hacked, the body that sends the electrical receptors to the human brain is hacked, and the mind sees what it is told to see. 4- The Puppet Master is an artificial intelligence. But when it says that it is not artificial intelligence, it is because it was not programmed as such, it was not created on purpose. It is like the phrase, the ghost in the machine, and it is what the title of the work refers to, the idea that eventually, machines will have souls on their own, without human intervention. In the end, when the major joins the puppet master, a new being is born, who is neither the major, nor that artificial intelligence. It is finally the union, it is the sum of a human soul with an artificial soul. In addition, the work brings up many more unanswered questions, such as whether our mind resides in our brains or in something else, intangible, like the soul. That's why during the movie, we have images that play with that idea. When we see the assembly of Motoko's body, the music we hear is religious, spiritual, which is already a kind of contradiction... or a hidden message. When the huge plane flies through the skies, its reflection in the water looks like that of a giant bird. And of course, when we see Motoko shooting with the tank, we see that on one of the walls the symbol of the cabal, or tree of life, is destroyed.

[@cteal2018]

A classic...it has influenced sci-fi so much in the last 25+ years

[@Narutoanime16g]

Lots of metaphors and symbolism in this lol confuses me but it’s interesting to think about, similar to the Matrix. The series are very good explains more

[@rask004]

This is still a fantastic movie. Wisecrack Made a great analysis video of this movie. Worth a watch if you want to know more. I've watched this at least 9 times, with English dub and subtitles. I'd say the subtitles are slightly better at explaining things than the dub

[@MDBowron]

the Wachowski sisters showed Ghost In The SHell from 1995 to the producers at Warner BRos and Joel Silver saying "we want to do that for real". It has literally inspired the Matrix in many ways.

[@diegoxd321]

what I love from this movies is they make you think intest of gave all the answers, I see it like 3 times and read the manga before understand it

[@Maya_Ruinz]

Ghost in the Shell should be looked at as a philosophical movie and that there is a ton of symbolism underneath the action. Its a movie about everything that advanced technology forces us to ask, how far can we go before we are not human anymore? what are memories if we can just create them with a few button presses? etc.

[@user-tw4dq5ze5j]

Stand alone complex , you’ve started down this rabbit hole, might as well go all the way

[@Poss1]

I've been looking forward to this since your schedule posted. How exciting! An old favorite! Thanks. Let's see what you think. Here we go!

[@cstephen98]

Her character was the poster child for full cyborg (terrible accident as a child). Her shell looks young but she's in her 80's.

[@yasminesteinbauer8565]

The Puppetmaster is an AI that has evolved to such a high level that it has gained consciousness. Which is why he/she describes himself/herself as a life form and not an AI. Basically, Ghost in the Shell is about the same questions of what makes humans human and how or if the human mind differs from AI as Blade Runner. The 2017 live-action adaptation looks nice, but has none of the philosophical, political, and character depth of the anime. Instead, they've made it a shallow revenge story. Much like Death Note, the live-action adaptation can be spared, in my opinion. The term shell is ambiguous, by the way. It can describe a shell in the physical sense, like the skull that surrounds the brain. But it also stands for the user interface of an operating system (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_(computing) ).

[@PhilipZeplinDK]

Luckily, this is one of the better English dubs out there! Not as sharp as the Japanese one, but certainly far from terrible. This was one of the first animes I watched (first ones were as a kid, where I didn't particularly realize), and boy is it a classic. It holds up in so many ways. The animation is still stunning, the philosophical ideas, the concepts, just everything was brilliantly done. Not to mention that it has an absolutely STELLAR soundtrack! .... but yes, it is super fucking confusing first time around. I can recommend the sequel - not so much for the story, but for the absolute jaw-dropping visuals they put in it. *A few things to help you along with understanding:* "Ghost" = The 'you', the soul, consciousness. Makoto has a human brain, in a cyborg body. Later a whole anime series was built around her backstory (it's so so). However, as she is obviously never able to actually see her own brain, she continuously doubts whether she is actually self-aware and conscious, or whether it's a clever piece of software. How much are we, any of us, in control of our own actions? How do we know what is real? When she "sees herself" - you're close. Yes, she's a cyborg, that means that there are models of cyborg, like which model iPhone you have. If you're a cyborg, you're bound to run into someone with the same model now and then. "The sea of information" = The AI/software became self-aware while digesting all the information on the internet, and "organically" grew consciousness.

[@tonymiller1372]

This movie is definitely worth a rewatch to help piece it together

[@BFromAcrossTheStreet]

Amazing Reaction! And yes its confusing and the series Stand Alone Complex is great. Looking forward to seeing more reactions to classic anime films. Two classic anime directors works ya'll can check-out/react to in the future are Yoshiaki Kawajiri - Wicked City, Ninja Scroll, and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust Satoshi Kon - Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers (Great Holiday Film), and Paprika

[@dagonofthedepths]

TLDR explanation is a ghost is a persons soul. Also Masamune Shirow was very carful with his wording with cyborgs. A cyborg by definition have organic and biomechatronic parts. A humaniod robot is called an android. In Motoko's case her brain and brain stem are organic but they are incased in a synthetic case that connects them to to the rest of her body. Fun fact she actually can feel in it. like she has heat sensitive fingers and she can feel damage as pain. Really that's all pain is if you think about it although she can turn off these sensations with a thought. If you can make a cyborg that is so synthetic that the only human element in you is your brain, and if you can make a robot that looks and acts human, then hat is the worth of being human? Conversely , if you can make a robot that has a ghost(soul) then what does that mean for humanity? That's kind of the chief argument behind Ghost in the Shell. Like when she said, "Sure I have a face and voice to distinguishes myself from other..." but really does she? the scene right after that you see a bunch of others with that same body and voice so is Motoko ever all that special? Is she even who she thinks she is? They can program in entire lives into people's minds and how many of us have seen our own brains? Scariest thing for me in that sequence and the movie as a whole is none of that is a grand conspiracy, it's just how life is in that world. When you make a cybernetic body where you can plug anyone's brain into, sure your going to get mass produced models, or a fashionable model someone with the cash will look at and want. All of a sudden your not special anymore and there are a 100 yous walking around. At that point a fat chunk of what makes you you is gone. But this is heavy into the pros and cons of cybernetic transhumanism and it can be hard to stop. For good or ill. Like one of her partners, Togusa, has very little cybernetic augmentation aside from a brain implant that give him a smart phone in his head. Compare that to Batou who has armored skin, augmented strength, multiple vision enhancements, heck he can even shut off his pain receptors. Batou just has a huge advantage over Togusa in every way. Fact is in a fight Batou could just kill Togusa with a simple backhand if he wanted. So it's hard to stop that from being the norm.

[@HypnoZap]

when he said "this looks like the matrix" i thought of the kids that say "that's from fortnite" lol

[@TheZeroAssassin]

I always assumed the ghost referring to the soul (basically what a "ghost" apparently is) was pretty obvious, and the chassis were the shells.

[@LordEsel88]

I highly recommend the series "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex".

[@mannygee005]

thanks for watching this one you're awesome. This has concepts difficult to understand but watching subtitle version does not make it harder to understand, maybe it would have been easier because you "read it" like a book. For example if you listen to an audiobook you are listening to the interpretation of the guy reading but if you were reading it yourself you will be doing the interpretation in your own head and forming your own understanding. Subtitles might actually elucidate and illuminate. She is not naked (maybe) because she is wearing a thermoptic layer but she might as well be naked - she has to take off her regular clothes to become invisible. After this I think there was a TV series then maybe some shorts and then more series and there are recent ones that look like a series of movies maybe. The Ghost is the scientific version of the soul because it is detectable and measurable. The Shell is what contains the Ghost usually referred to as the meat part, the corpo, the body. This is fun. When speaking in monotone you should say "snakes why does it have to be snakes."

[@aristothethrone9032]

I remember I got my aunt to rent this for me at blockbuster as a kid. didn't get it. watched it again in middle school and was super confused. watched it again in high school and I finally got it. but I had to watch it and just accept some of the information.

[@ShadowArtist]

1) Motoko Kusanagi is a cyborg, her *BRAIN* is a human brain but with lot's of cybernetic components implanted in it. There are other people with the same cyber-body that looks like her... 2) a person's "ghost" is their Consciousness, a person's mind like their "soul" it's contains all the memories and personality. 3) Section 9 is a Special Police Force 4) Many people have cybernetic body parts and implants 5) The Puppet Master is a living consciousness originally created as an Artificial Intelligence made by the Government to collect classified data, but it evolved into a living mind becoming self-aware and wanted freedom

[@goforit7595]

The musical score on this movie is fantastic as well!

[@RazHalGuhl]

USA : Terminator, a robot from the future Japan : Ghost in the Shell, robots have ghosts Japan is in the future!

[@srottfaen]

She is human, her brain being the only part of her that's organic. The rest is a cybernetic body. Her memories, personality, experiences are the ghost, the cybernetic body is the shell. Ghost in the Shell.

[@tazm2480]

Man it is my dream to be able to animate like this one day or something close to it

[@alpha414]

A classic, one of the best animes out there.

[@wolfpredator1000]

15:03 That laugh lolz

[@KimForsberg]

If you want some more light science fiction in the same type of style, I would recommend Patlabor 2: The Movie. While it of course helps to have seen all the pre-cursor shows and movies to understand the world of Patlabor better, I don't think it is critical.

[@pnutbuttakb]

Definitely watch the series! the major was a cyborg for so long she has doubts about her humanity. Ghost meaning your soul or consciousness the movie and show plays around with what really defines human or alive. Ghost hacking is pretty much hacking someone’s brain and making them do what you want or stealing information. Takes watching a few times to get but the series fleshed out the world more and it’s a fun ride. The major is one of my all time fav characters too. Great reaction!!!

[@ElTipoRaro]

You should see the second part, Ghost in the Shell: Innocence. It is much more complicated and heavy in its philosophical themes about the individual, the soul and the network compared to this first film, but certainly much more interesting and with phenomenal animation that, in my opinion, remains unsurpassed by any other series or film. Or, you can also watch the series, Ghost in the Shell: Stand alone complex. Obviously being a series it doesn't have such spectacular animation or drawing, but my goodness, it still has a story worthy of a 10/10.

[@RazHalGuhl]

To be clear : - cyborgs (cybernetic organism) are human with a (big) part of their body changed to mechanic (ex : Gally/Alita Battle Angel, Robocop, C17 and C18...) - robots are full mechanic/artificial (ex : Short Circuits, Metropolis)

[@Richer78mani]

The song kenji kawai still one of the best orchestral performance on live

[@apocalypse8886]

As a huge Cyberpunk-Fan this is one of my core-movies regarding 80's/90's cyberpunk... together with Akira and Blade Runner.

[@TCMECH79]

The ghost is the person's soul. The thermoptic camouflage is a skintight bodysuit integrated into her cybernetic body and the only thing human about the major is her brain

[@Kamenari37]

The major's body is fully cybernetic, but her brain is still human. The term "Ghost" can be interchanged with someone's soul, or ego depending on how you want to look at it and the context within each scene. Those who have had their ghosts hacked are no longer who they were, suggesting that their ego is subverted into something else. Within Ghost in the Shell's universe, there is a distinct difference between robots, A.I., and cyborgs. The formers are relatively rare by comparison, however cyborgs are literally everywhere as the majority of the human population has some form of basic augmentation whether it's an artificial organ, prosthetic limb, or even the most basic of brain augmentations to be able to connect and use networks and computer interfaces with their mind. It's actually very rare to encounter a human with absolutely no cybernetic inclusions at all as given the world they live in they'd be at a very big disadvantage given how things work within this universe.

[@Andy22905]

I did not want Kusanagi to go she was so cool but now she a newborn. I believe Ghost in the Shell Innocence is the sequel to this and I haven't seen but have been enjoying the Ghost in the Shell Arise series and the new movie which I think it is the prequel before this but it's been a while since I've seen so going to have to recap but really enjoyed Kusanagi and her crew. Great Reaction loved your observations and analysis especially the questioning on the boat scene whether that was her self in a time before, or what she wanted to be if she did not want to be what she is now. Film is very thought provoking on what It means to be human in my opinion

[@dracoargentum9783]

The robot you see being made was different from the Major, It was the one that was run over by the truck and later you see quadruped that everyone is running around trying to nab in the second half.

[@Masterof7s]

Ghost in the Shell is one of those series that needs multiple re-watches to really understand what the hell is happening if you've never read the original manga. But to get to fine grain details you really need to read the manga.

[@Raidanzoup]

It would be amazing if you guys did the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series. (Its second season is called 2nd Gig, and the Solid State Society movie caps out the series. Or it did until the new CGI Netflix sequel came out.)

[@shaggybaggums]

Yeah, need to make sure it's the original episodes too and not those useless feature length versions they threw together.

[@kalbenus1564]

Hello Dos Cavazos crew. It was cool watching you both watch this movie, but I knew it was going to be complicated and confusing. The second movie shows more about what happened to her, but I would recommend that you watch the Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex series. The movies will make more sense if you watch the series. Thank you for making this reaction, and looking forward to the next one. :)

[@itswrongtokillanimalsifyou2837]

Ninja Scroll (1993) is a beautifully paced masterpiece, just putting that out there.

[@sntxrrr]

Most languages don't have a word for mind but use either the word brain, head or thoughts. I think the term ghost here refers to what in english is commonly called mind. What I like about this world is that it isn't a black or white situation like in Bladerunner where you're either human or artificial. It is all a big messy gray area which creates a much more believable, lived in and complicated world. The Major is human but with a (mil-spec) prosthetic that happens to be her entire body, on loan from the government. So in this world what sets a human apart from machine is no longer the body but only your 'ghost'.

[@AnotherFancyUser]

"Must be a lose wire"... this is why you dont watch movies dubbed, you watch em subbed!

[@macker33]

GiTs and ninja scroll are probably my two favourite anime movies. She is actually a human, her brain and spine are human but the rest of her body is cybernetic, ghost in the shell.

[@freddybonilla2472]

That anime is a masterpiece although I never seen it but it looks good

[@bingsterc7621]

Ghost in the Shell, one of my favorite Anime films of all time. My other all time favorite Anime film is “Akira”, the GREATEST ANIME FILM OF ALL TIME.

[@Godless_Guru]

Imagine being replaced piece by piece until nothing original remains, the sense of self that remains is the ghost, your personal collection of memories, experiences and emotions. A ghost is in essence what makes you you. Your soul/consciousness however you want to describe it. Ghost in the shell is about an artificially created "ghost" that develops a mysterious independent agenda. We viewers are supposed to discover what that agenda is as the story unfoldes.

[@zishlol]

Definitely consider Stand Alone Complex.

[@tenchraven]

The Ghost is a soul. The shell is the body. Some shells, like the office ladies, don't have ghosts because they are androids. Some have shells with a human brain, they're cyborgs. Some people are a mix of meat and tech, and they're cyborgs. And Kusinagi and Bataou had brains, but they've migrated to "cyberbrains"- they are technically cyborgs to. As for Kusinagi looking at someone who looks like her, she uses a body sculpted to look like a pleasure bot that is a few years old- invisible in plain sight, driven by someone who can use their appearance as a weapon against weak minded fools. GitS is supposed to to confuse you, as it is about the confused merger of man and machine, but the movie doesn't have time to really explore. Stand Alone Complex had that room. As others will point out, this heavily inspired The Matrix. Her nom de guerre, Kusinagi, is the name of the chief sword in the Japanese royal jewels. She also inspired a very famous video game character- Curtana, or Cortana, is one of the swords in the English royal jewels. The live action.... Is a beautiful love letter to Ghost in the Shell. It had amazing promise. And it could have been fixed by changing one line, at the very end. Changing that one line, could have made it a beginning. Ultimately, it is a scrap book from people who admired but did not understand what they admired. Spoilers.... At the end... Change "I am Major and I approve this procedure" to "I am Major Motoko Kusinagi and I approve this procedure"- they had her embrace the shell, and not the ghost. Motoko has to be both, the next step between man and machine.

[@azumino9]

What would define you as human if your entire body can be all replaced by machine, which is the theme of the film.

[@FoxMonkey-xw5yf]

I love the cinematography, music and general vibe of this movie (the remaster has weird CGI and the hollywood version are just not as good). The puppet master/project 2501 is a not an AI (an AI is deliberately created), its consciousness emerged "from the sea of information", in the same way we suspect life on earth emerged from a primordial pool. A ghost is a consciousness (which in this world can be hacked like a computer program). The major is almost entirely cybernetic, except her brain. There are more that look like her as her exterior looks like a stock cybernetic body (although the major has much more capabilities: stealth, strength etc). Most people only have some limited augmentations, like the revolver cop.

[@DavidRomigJr]

It’s been a long time since I watched it, but this movie takes place in a future where cybernetics is very common and it questions the very nature of existence, what it is to be human and being alive. “Ghost” is that feeling, that voice, you get in the back of your mind, your subconscious, your soul, that thing that you swear makes you alive. It follows Public Security Section 9 as they fight crime in this world. The main protagonist, Major Mokoto Kusanagi, is full cyborg- only her brain is traditional human. The Stand Alone Complex series of is quite excellent and I highly recommend it.

[@sapfire2288]

I would love for you guys to react to the series Ghost in the Shell: stand alone complex

[@JFrazer4303]

The sub makes a few things more clear. It was incorrect to say that 2501 wasn't AI. He never had a human brain, so he is artificial. A "Ghost:" is personality, what we'd call a soul. Apparently pure artificial memories don't have the creativity and depth of a human personality. That's why 2501 was so unusual. A ghost in that blond artificial body was surprising. The major is said to have a human brain. They show it being assembled into her artificial body. They never go into her brain's origins (while the plot of the 2017 movie dealt mainly with that backstory they made up). The other she saw in the mall, was another copy of her body being worn by somebody else. We might assume that if that other person wearing the body wasn't built as a super-soldier, it might not be as strong as her? She wasn't naked; her skin-tight body suit was her camoflage. She has to take off her armor and everything else for it to work. She has a veil to cover her face for full camo. In the 2017 movie they made it clear that she had been hacked to go beyond her body's strength to try to destroy her. Much of this anime movie contradicted stuff in the manga, and the "Stand Alone Complex" series also took liberties with violating the sequence of events in the manga.

[@Euvari]

The Major uses a cloaking material just like the gunman she chased down, her suit is just skin tight.

[@tsorevitch2409]

Nope, it's not a suit but her skin itself.