Ghost in the Shell is an anime and manga that tackles with some themes that are increasingly becoming more and more relevant. It battles with conflicting philosophies meeting the advancement of technology. While in the current times, with how far technology has come, these things seem to have come to fruition in a different form, when the manga first came out in 1991, all of this seemed more so dystopian.
There was a lot it tackled in terms of what could be done in a story that was both dark and gripping at the same time while also proposing the way the world could change in an instant. Technological advancement is seeing no stop in today’s day and age, however, Ghost in the Shell’s author, Shirow Masamune’s vision had some regrets too.
Themes of Ghost in the Shell
The story of Ghost in the Shell has been adapted into many different movies, including Scarlett Johansson’s infamous live-action adaptation. During an interview, (via The Ghost in the Shell JP) Shirow Masamune talked about the themes he wanted to tackle when it came to his chef d’oeuvre. While he acknowledged the fact that a lot of what he wanted to put forward could now be done with other aspects of modern-day life, he wanted to show the advancement of people alongside that of technology.
You can do similar things with smartphones and other technologies now, but in it I was telling the story of people who were taking on new functions through technological cranial implants, up to the point of the first person ever with a functioning AI accompanying them on a micromachine network running on the neural network of their biological spinal column. I covered up to that emergence in The Ghost in the Shell.
He wanted to bring to light how the world would drastically change the more becomes dependent on technology. From those who are powerful to those who yearn to gain power, technology would become not only a helping hand but a weapon.
The original manga only went about dealing with the growth of the issue as it took root, not going into dealing with the aftermath of it. However, there was a sequel that did exactly that.
A Drift Caused with Regrets
Working on the sequel of Ghost in the Shell, Shirow Masamune created Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface. While it seemed like a continuation of his old story, there was a lot it took into consideration that his previous work didn’t. The issue of technology and its growth wasn’t one that could be taken microscopically because of the macro impact it had.
Such individuals would proliferate once they emerged and become a general issue instead of a personal one. Everyone would seize the initiative and vie for position. The Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface is about the various conflicts that would arise from that.
Its themes are quite different from the first volume, and I probably should have used different characters, and a different setting and title for it. I think the mix of the content for 1 and 2 ended up rather tricky.
The author acknowledged how there was a big difference between his two works. They both dealt with different themes and different problems. So one thing he wished could have changed about his sequel was the name of it and the characters he brought from the first into the second. The very fact that he had to keep the two connected became a problem of its own.
Both of them, although brilliant, had different messages to give out. Therefore, it did not sit well with him that they existed in the same setting and tied to the story of its predecessor.
Ghost in the Shell is available to rent on Apple TV.
