Synopsis
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, is a philosophical science fiction that continues the 1995 anime classic Ghost in the Shell, directed by Mamoru Oshii. It expands the ever puzzling and profound questions of identity, humanity, and consciousness in a world of limitless technological innovations, focusing particularly on cybernetic body modification, computer, and artificial intelligence.
In 2032, which is the scheduled year in the story, the world is filled with paradoxes and planes of relations devoid of clarifying definitions. Rather, the boundaries between the living and the technological are ever so intertwined. The main protagonist is Batou. He is a soldier of the past, currently a cyborg, and part of Section 9, the government’s top tier counter cyber terrorism unit. Although greatly augmented, he possesses strong emotional characteristics even if he does conceal it under a frigid personality.
In the beginning of the film, a sequence of events relating to the newest kind of gynoids (androids with a feminine appearance and used as house aides) is showcased. These gynoids start behaving in bizarre ways and are responsible for many deaths. Batou and his comrade Togusa, one of the remaining purely biological agents of Section 9, are tasked with the case.
As the investigation continues, Batou and Togusa begin to discover the depths of corruption within the corporation, the illegal programming that has taken place, and the ethics of creating machines that can emulate human feelings and emotions. They traverse different landscapes within the city, move across boundless data networks, and even roam in virtual dream-like worlds. During the course of the investigation, Batou begins to be tormented by the memories of his ex partner, whom he referred to as ‘The Major’. Major Motoko Kusanagi was the partner referred to. In the first movie, she was last seen merging herself into a huge artificial intelligence and has been missing ever since.
While in the first movie, ‘the Major’ doesn’t physically appear, throughout the course of the movie she has a significant impact. She is also present in the digital world, and in an abrupt, yet in the end, important moment, she comes to help Batou and reveal part of the mystery.
The primary and most important part of the movie is the company that goes by the name of ‘Locus Solus’. The company is discovered to be controlling the gynoids through the mind of a real human as an artificial personality. The film, along with that, also tries to answer whether or not a cyborg is capable of feelings, memories and more, a soul. It dares the audience to question themselves: in this new age when technology has taken over, how do we define ourselves? and what do we consider being human?
In the motion picture’s conclusion, Batou reflects on the impact Major Motoko has had on him. As he contemplates, Batou strives to understand the mysteries of his own existence, especially the more human aspects of it. Answers, it seems, are in short supply, but such has been the case ever since the first installment of the Ghost in the Shell franchise. There has always been an introspective quality to the art persuasion, and it persists to this day.
Director: Mamoru Oshii
One of the best directors out there, Mamoru Oshii has never stopped producing unique films and deeply considered animations. In Innocence, we see his signature slow-paced films filled with visual metaphors and an emphasis on the intangible for the most part. Among his other films are the Patlabor series and Angel’s Egg.
Writer: Mamoru Oshii (Screenplay)
Characters such as Ghost in the Shell’s, Batou, are the creation of Masamune Shirow, but it is Oshii who is known as the cinematographer of the film Innocence. In his script, he weaves classical texts which cover numerous philosophies and religions, most notably Confucius and Descartes, into the tangential story.
Main Voice Cast (Japanese Version)
Akio Ōtsuka as Batou
Bringing life to a prominent character in the film, Akio, has mastered a serious tone with his voice. This is especially important for Batou who finds himself stuck in the midst of machinery and his emotions, and has a great internal struggle as a result of it.
Kouichi Yamadera as Togusa
Togusa takes on the role of Batou’s partner as having a more “human” side to the story. Yamadera gives Togusa a gentle touch yet a firm moral center.
Atsuko Tanaka as Major Motoko Kusanagi
Motoko is a character who does not seem to take a lot of screen time however she leaves a strong impression. Tanaka continues the role she has as a soft, mysterious voice representing the character’s ascension from the realm of the living.
Production Studio: Production I.G
With its impressive animation and detailed worldbuilding, Production I.G breathes life into Innocence’s unique fusion of handcrafted and meticulously computer-generated imagery. the studio’s focus on architectural detail, illumination, and motion profoundly augments the film’s sense of immersion.
Composer: Kenji Kawai
The film’s atmosphere is firmly enhanced by Kenji Kawai’s ethereal and haunting score. A single breath of the film reveals a unique fusion of traditional Japanese music, Kawai’s meditative and at times, almost spiritual tonalities, and a chorus.
IMDB Ratings and Review
IMDB Score: 7.5/10
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence received a more or less favorable reception from critics and the audience. However, its philosophical depth, and especially the casual pace, made it an acquired taste.
Critical Reception
The reviewers who analyzed this film attributed to it a daring artistic vision and a courageous degree of ambition. Innocence is less a typical sequel action and much more an exercise in philosophy, blissfully meandering through metaphysics, theories of the soul, and humanity’s troubling affection for its own handiwork. Such an approach is, unsurprisingly, appreciated by fans of thoughtful scifi.
The film’s visuals were also called in for praise, and it was deemed a triumph. The fusion of 2D and 3D animation achieved a state of blissful equilibrium where technology flew hand in hand with tradition, and the fusion was dubbed dreamlike. The artwork, which was inspired by traditional baroque architecture, modern cyberpunk, and East Asia, was regarded as rich and symbolically intricate.
The film is, however, a bit of a paradox. Some of its viewers argue that it is meditative in nature while undergoing abuse as a slow and opaque construction. Contrarily, this type of abuse is primarily suffered due to the film’s monologues and dialogues containing numerous philosophical quotes.
Legacy
Innocence is now regarded as a cinematic anchor for anime and sci-fi fans alike, and continues to be appreciated long after its release. The work is now occasionally mentioned along with the creations of cinematic pioneers such as Stanley Kubrick and Andrei Tarkovsky, and is discussed due to the poetry and the expository themes that its tone carries.
Even though it did not achieve the same level of commercial success as more accessible anime films, it still holds quite a bit of respect as an entry within the cyberpunk genre. Among fans of more profound works of science fiction, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence has, years after its release, still managed to spark reflection and discourse.
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