I have decided that we need to make things a little easier for everyone. WE ARE NOT GOING TO DO THE CONTENT ANALYSIS ASSIGNMENT. Instead we will do what is described in this blog. I am going to give 5 points for each blog assignment, with the 2 comments that are required (minimum) for each. This is your 3rd such assignment. (The 5 points for this one will come from the participation part of the grade schedule if anyone cares) If you can't get a copy of Innocence yourself (they have one at the Waikiki Public Library! Netflix and Diamond Head have it, etc...) we also have a circulation copy - please contact Mikiko to see if you can borrow it for a night or a few hours.
As soon as you have (preferably) watched Ghost in the Shell I at least 2 times and have watched Innocence at least once, please comment here (at least twice) on how Innocence reflects, continues, modifies and amplifies the themes of Ghost in the Shell I... with a special focus on "who is Major Kusanagi?" "what is her problem?" "what is her legacy? what can we learn from her? and so on... You must comment on both films to get ANY points for this assignment, sorry, but its a serious assignment.
At the very bottom of this blog there is a still from Ghost I. Take a look at it, scroll to the bottom. This is at the end of Kusanagi's battle with the tank. What would make a woman treat her body like that? What is she after? What motivates her? (Or should we ask instead: Is this entire final combat scene meant to be "real"? Or is it a type of sexual allegory i.e. is there deliberate sexual symbolism in the battle between Kusanagi and the Puppetmaster? How is Batou positioned as a boyfriend who is 'losing' his girl? What kind of assasin tears off her shirt/bra right when her opponent "runs out of ammo"?) How does Kusanagi's battle with the Puppetmaster resemble Deckard's battle with Roy in Bladerunner? Are Kusanagi and The Puppetmaster in a "doppleganger" relationship (are they two sides of the same potential personality?) like Roy and Deckard seem to be?
And the best question of them all: Does Kusanagi really give birth to herself as a result of her battle with the Puppetmaster? Does she affirm the fact that she has given birth into the "net"..? and what does this mean, exactly??? Metaphor? Biophysical reproduction? wah? What is the message the audience is supposed to take away from this ending of Ghost I? How does this ending echo in Ghost 2?
Please - lets be analytical and avoid trivial "I like, I don't like" types of commentary. No body "likes" Major Kusanagi... she has a horrible job (but someone has to do it, no? Why not a woman?) and she has some very difficult mental problems. Lets discuss those -- what are they? How do Kusanagi's inner preoccupations intertwine with the plot, driving her forward to her confrontation with the Puppetmaster? Does he do her a favor by 'mating' with her? Should the Frankenstein Monster have treated the Bride the same way? (similar to how Deckard treated Rachel?) Or is Batou an improved and more chivalric Frankenstein 'monster'? How does he compare to Roy and the Monster? What is Batou's problem? Does he love The Major? What is the erotic backstory in your opinion?
What is it with Future men anyways? What do they want in their future females (in these stories?)
Go to it! Enjoy exploring this fascinating film. IF you aren't interested in the relationship questions above, try analyzing the Christian theme in Ghost in the Shell? Why does the Puppetmaster quote the bible all the time? If you are Japanese, tell us about the language used to refer to the "ghost" in the "shell"... how are these concepts Japanese? (don't try to 'translate' them into USA christian orthodox language... tell us about their Japanese meanings). Can you plot any of the Gnostic themes we have explored onto the plot, backstory and "world situation" in Ghost in the Shell? This is also a VERY interesting area to explore and equally valid for a contribution to our course. Don't feel that you MUST analyze the love and sex possibilities in this tale, other paths to exploration are available here.
