Beyond the gunplay and set pieces, the Ghost in the Shell anime also set itself apart by throwing you into the deep end of a world where technology is completely integrated with humans. Most people have cyberbrains -- metal cases for their organic brains that allow them to "jack in" to computers and networks. The film doesn't slow down much to explain the concept of a cyberbrain to you, but you eventually grasp it by how characters use them. At one point, you see an official's hands expand into a multitude of robotic digits, which is clearly a big help for typing faster. While the remake echoes this imagery, it doesn't do anything thoughtful with it.
Take the character of Togusa, for example. In the anime, he's established as the least augmented member of Section 9, the intelligence group led by Major Kusanagi. He uses a traditional revolver, and his lack of cybernetic implants seems like a detriment when he's surrounded by literal supersoldiers. But as he starts to question why he's even on the team, Kusanagi makes an intriguing point: A system with standardized components will inevitably fail. If every member of her team was cybernetically enhanced in the same way, that leaves them open to an attack that could take them all out.
Togusa's mere presence is a check against that design flaw. The entire exchange is something we see often in cyberpunk: Technology doesn't always mean progress. In the remake, they point out that Togusa uses an old gun and that's it.
Perhaps the biggest failure of the American version of Ghost in the Shell is that it simply doesn't do anything new. Whereas the original brought plenty of innovative ideas to the table -- it was one of the few science fiction films to actually build on the Blade Runner aesthetic -- the adaptation is perfectly content with copying surface-level style while dumbing down deeper concepts. While the film has been praised for its style, ultimately it's basically just the original Ghost in the Shell aesthetic mashed together with Blade Runner and a boatload of CGI. The remake's vision of New Port City is also oddly sterile. There's none of the lived-in sense of grit you'd find in most cyberpunk stories.
Even the villain is far less interesting. In the remake, it ends up being yet another evil corporate plot. But in the anime, the "Puppet Master" is a completely synthetic life form "born out of the sea of information." He's not inherently evil, he's just trying to figure out who he is.
"It can also be argued that DNA is nothing more than a program designed to preserve itself," the Puppet Master says when someone claims he's just a computer program. "Life has become more complex in the overwhelming sea of information. And life, when organized into species, relies upon genes to be its memory system. So, man is an individual only because of his intangible memory... and memory cannot be defined, but it defines mankind. The advent of computers, and the subsequent accumulation of incalculable data has given rise to a new system of memory and thought parallel to your own. Humanity has underestimated the consequences of computerization."
Cyberpunk stories have rarely been about easy answers, and that's yet another concept the Ghost in the Shell adaptation fails to grasp. Every conflict ends up having a distinct conclusion, be it the villain or Major's place in the world. At the end of the anime however, Major Kusanagi doesn't defeat the antagonist in the traditional sense. She joins with him to create an entirely new being -- a union of a human soul and brain together with a purely cybernetic being.
After being transplanted into a new body, she looks out over the cityscape and simply asks: "And where do I go from here? The network is vast and infinite."
Read more from the original source:
'Ghost in the Shell' is more cyberposeur than cyberpunk - Engadget
- Cyberpunk 2077 Soundtrack - Bullets by Archive - YouTube - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- Cyberpunk - High Tech, Low Life. /r/Cyberpunk - reddit - December 28th, 2016 [December 28th, 2016]
- Niche Spotlight - Katana ZERO: A Murderously Stylish Cyberpunk ... - Niche Gamer - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Ghost In The Shell TV Spot Ramps Up The Cyberpunk Action, Full Trailer Arrives In Time For Valentine's Day - We Got This Covered - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Donald Trump is not the cyberpunk future - The Verge - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Ghost in the Shell's Super Bowl teaser promises plenty of cyberpunk action - The Verge - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Less surreal, more cyberpunk but Prey's first hour will get inside your head - VG247 - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- It's time for cyberpunk games to remember how to be punk - PC Gamer - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- 'Star Marine' Trailer Shows Version Of 'Cyberpunk 2077' Clip [Watch] - Mobile & Apps - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- The upcoming cyberpunk shooter Static Sky calls out for alpha and beta testers - Pocket Gamer - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- 5 Cyberpunk Books to Read Before Watching 'Ghost in the Shell' - Inverse - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Trailer Remade In Star Citizen's FPS Component - SegmentNext - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Ruiner will bring gritty cyberpunk action to Xbox One and PC with Xbox Play Anywhere - Windows Central - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Here's What Could Be In CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 - One Angry Gamer (blog) - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Raw Fury Games to Publish Cyberpunk Adventure The Last Night ... - Hardcore Gamer - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- These Glitchy New 'Ghost In The Shell' Motion Posters Introduce The Cyberpunk Cast - UPROXX - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Augmented Empire for Gear VR Is a Cyberpunk Gem - Tom's Guide - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Ghost in the Shell: Tumblr and Paramount sponsor cyberpunk ... - Netimperative - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- The cyberpunk revolution begins with video games - Engadget - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- Nicki Minaj Served A Cyberpunk Lil' Kim Look At Paris Fashion Week - NYLON - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk Hacking Game "Darknet" For PlayStation VR Arrives ... - COGconnected (press release) - March 9th, 2017 [March 9th, 2017]
- Here's Why Cyberpunk 2077 Could Feature Gore And Nudity - One Angry Gamer (blog) - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk thriller Ruiner is here to smash you in the face - VG247 - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Digital love: why cinema can't get enough of cyberpunk - The Guardian (blog) - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action on Steam - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Here's The Latest Rumors Regarding Cyberpunk 2077 And Its E3 Appearance - One Angry Gamer (blog) - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk Is Now Reality | The American Conservative - The American Conservative - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- CD Projekt Red Reveals It's Being Blackmailed For Stolen 'Cyberpunk 2077' Files - Forbes - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- CD Projekt Red Defy Ransom Demands For Early Cyberpunk 2077 Design Docs - TheSixthAxis - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- CD Projekt RED's Cyberpunk 2077 game has been hacked by real cyberpunks - Metro - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- 'Cyberpunk 2077' Leaks: Hackers steal internal files from CD ... - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Hackers threaten CD Projekt Red with stolen Cyberpunk 2077 ... - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 - PC - IGN - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- CD Projekt Red: "Cyberpunk 2077" Files Are Being Ransomed - HardOCP - June 10th, 2017 [June 10th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Design Documents Being Held For Ransom, CD ... - June 10th, 2017 [June 10th, 2017]
- Witcher 3 developers won't bow to extortion for stolen Cyberpunk ... - Network World - June 11th, 2017 [June 11th, 2017]
- Designer of cyberpunk indie The Last Night speaks out as Twitter ... - Polygon - June 13th, 2017 [June 13th, 2017]
- E3 2017: The Last Night revealed, shows off an incredibly stylized Cyberpunk world - GameZone - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- Watch some of mind-hacking cyberpunk horror Observer, from the devs behind Layers of Fear - PCGamesN - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- The Last Night was one of E3's most dazzling games and also its most frustrating - The Verge - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- Snatcher Is Cyberpunk Noir At Its Best - Kotaku - Kotaku - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- Snatcher Is Cyberpunk Noir At Its Best - Kotaku Australia - June 18th, 2017 [June 18th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk adventure 2064: Read Only Memories is coming to Switch - Eurogamer.net - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- The Devil Wears Prada Release Cyberpunk 'Worldwide' Video - Loudwire - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- 23 Best Cyberpunk Books - The Best Sci Fi Books - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- 'Cyberpunk 2077' release Date: The game is far bigger than 'The Witcher 3' - Blasting News - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Job Hiring Details Proprietary Level Design Through RedEngine 4 - One Angry Gamer (blog) - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- Voice of Geralt from The Witcher Series Stars in Upcoming VR Cyberpunk RPG - Twinfinite - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Layers of Fear devs on psychological rape in their cyberpunk horror Observer - PCGamesN - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- The Last Jedi trailer gets a cyberpunk-as-hell remake - A.V. Club - June 29th, 2017 [June 29th, 2017]
- The Geniuses Behind Texhnolyze - Crunchyroll News - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- Beat cyberpunk gangs to free turfs in Neon City Riders, now on Kickstarter - IND13 - July 8th, 2017 [July 8th, 2017]
- 'Deus Ex' Mods: GMDX 9.0 release brings the cyberpunk classic into ... - Mic - July 10th, 2017 [July 10th, 2017]
- Is Net Neutrality Cyberpunk? - Motherboard - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Making Cyberpunk: when Mike Pondsmith met CD Projekt Red - Eurogamer.net - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Mike Pondsmith Talks Creating Cyberpunk 2077 With CD Projekt Red - One Angry Gamer (blog) - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Will Have Journalist/Executive Classes, Mike ... - Wccftech - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- RoboCop at 30: how its cyberpunk vision of the future became a reality - iNews - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- CD Projekt RED will make Cyberpunk 2077 feel authentic - TweakTown - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 release date, trailer and news | TechRadar - TechRadar - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- Cyberpunks creator on helping CD Projekt Red stay true to ... - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- Void Star is a beautiful novel about connections in our cybernetic future - The Verge - July 16th, 2017 [July 16th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Classes Are Unconventional, Include Journalist, Executive - SegmentNext - July 16th, 2017 [July 16th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk Creator Gives His Own Thoughts On Cyberpunk 2077 ... - July 16th, 2017 [July 16th, 2017]
- Playable Classes In Cyberpunk 2077: Journalist And Executive - Gameranx (blog) - July 17th, 2017 [July 17th, 2017]
- Run your own evil megacorporation in Spinnortality, a dystopian strategy game - PC Gamer - July 18th, 2017 [July 18th, 2017]
- Competition: Watch The Jetwalls In Cyberpunk Motorcycle Game Qbike - VRFocus - July 20th, 2017 [July 20th, 2017]
- 'Cyberpunk 2077' Update: Different playable character classes - Blasting News - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 'Hidden Horror' Game Observer Releasing on August 15 for PC/XO/PS4 - Wccftech - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- Layers of Fear Dev's Cyberpunk Horror Game Observer Launches ... - DualShockers - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- Cyberpunk Innovators Outline Blackpills' Sci-Fi Lineup - Den of Geek US - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- 'Blade Runner 2049' brings cyberpunk LA to San Diego Comic-Con - CNET - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- Fight Or Recruit Superpowered Street Gangs In Cyberpunk Action/Adventure Game Neon City Riders - Siliconera - July 22nd, 2017 [July 22nd, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 to Have Destructible Environments & Reactive Physics - COGconnected - July 26th, 2017 [July 26th, 2017]
- Rutger Hauer Stars as a Neural-Detective in New Cyberpunk Horror-Thriller Game Observer - Niche Gamer - July 27th, 2017 [July 27th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Might Feature Destructible Environments ... - SegmentNext - July 27th, 2017 [July 27th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Dev Team Expansion Reveals Graphics To Be ... - One Angry Gamer (blog) - July 29th, 2017 [July 29th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 To Feature Photorealistic Environments ... - SegmentNext - July 29th, 2017 [July 29th, 2017]
- Observer's cyberpunk hallucinations are like being trapped in a Tool video - PC Gamer - July 29th, 2017 [July 29th, 2017]
- Everything We Know About CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 So Far! (New Details) - Quadoop - July 29th, 2017 [July 29th, 2017]