The Real Celebrities
The real celebrities in Japan are not the Hollywood imports but the creators of manga, and it is the only area where a woman is as equal as a man. We may never see fluid squash and stretch from anime, but when was the last time you tried tap dancing when you felt constrained spiritually? It cannot be done. There are many shots where live action seemed to inspire movement and tone. An early scene shows Motoko waking in the dark and sitting up, opening the blinds to let the light in. She is groggy with thought and slightly lethargic. The feeling was beyond animated. It is a wonderful hybrid that Ralph Bakshi felt somewhere in his bones but was never able to transmit onto the screen.

Another shot that has caused some debate is one where two government officials are riding down a glass elevator with their backs toward the camera while having a 20 second (film time) conversation. The only movement is the panning background and a sliver of jaw moving on one of the characters. The big question is why? The shot shouts, "Look at me!" What could the director, Mamoru Oshii, be trying to say? Surrounded by action heavy scenes, it could be that he was sharing his feelings with his audience. In a display of directorial freedom, we could have witnessed a deliberate recession of craft. What is it like to have dramatic action, but not be able to express it through movement? Animation is so much about the ability to express freedom without limitations. Given a clean sheet of paper, how would you express motion? That would depend on several factors.

One factor is how you interpret your environment. Ever go abroad and discover new things and appropriate only what you can? Acceptance of diversity will inspire and the lack of acceptance will limit. This is echoed through Motoko herself during a chase scene. "If we all reacted the same we'd be predictable. And there's more than one way to view a situation. What's true for the group is also true for the individual. It's simple. Overspecialize and you breed in weakness. It's slow death." Certainly the overwhelming social codes of behavior and public conduct have long been the issues explored by Japan's influential creators.

Individualism and Personal Destiny
The feelings of individualism and personal destiny are strong undercurrents in Ghost. All the leading characters are fighting for it, or fighting to understand how they fit in with the big picture. The argument is raised about the importance of being human and is clearly answered. When cyborgs begin wanting a destiny and, more important, want to make the decisions that will create their destinies, the desire to be held or kissed or loved is not one of them. And that is what being human is about.

Motoko's partner in Security, Bateau in Ghost in the Shell. © Manga Entertainment.

Clearly to have the ability to jump 50 floors above the ground, become invisible and have a perfect body that only requires yearly tune ups is attractive. But if tenderness through the grasp of a baby's tiny fingers cannot be experienced, I'd rather expire with the dinosaurs than trade my human shell for one made by MegaTech, with a corporate logo etched under the foot and a warranty. Shirow and Oshii do suggest that the cyborgs of Ghost have feelings and desires. They can be subtly caring and have pure feelings of dedication and devotion. They have transcended the complexities of human needs and self-gratification. Yes, it is true that the cyborgs want, but they were originally created to perform so the hybrid would be a new species of individual, one that cannot succumb to emotional manipulation.

During the final scene, Bateau, Motoko's partner in the security police, leans over her destroyed shell and the two of them continue a conversation. Although her shell is no longer functional, Motoko's robotised brain is and that is the part that Bateau recognizes. It suggests the higher belief that the spirit or soul does exist outside the human body that confines it, of reincarnation and the hope of an afterlife. Many of the same themes are found throughout history, especially in Egypt during the age of the Pharaohs.