Science

Fiction
MAMORU OSHII
Postmodernism
and Cyberpunk
• Cyberpunk disappeared for a while
during the late 2000s and dethroned by
fantasy and gothic fiction. However, the
last 10 years have seen a revival of this
subgenre of science fiction. Think about
the contemporary political and social
landscape we live in, and the themes
covered by cyberpunk. Why do you think
this is the case?
Cyberpunk is notable for offering bleak
dystopian versions of the future of capitalist
societies.

It encapsulates that we have advanced into a

new stage of capitalism in which every
domain of life has been commodified:
culture, politics, nature and the unconscious.
Cyberpunk

There are no alternatives to capitalism. The

system is inescapable.
Cyberpunk
Anti-heroes and Marginal Characters: Anti-heroes
that aim to escape the system by living in the margins of
society.

Film Noir: Detectives are often finding themselves in

cases beyond the scope of their understanding and
involving complex corporate interests.

Technology: No longer the grand spaceships and awe-

inspiring machines of traditional SF. Cyberpunk focuses
on technology that shapes the unconscious and
transforms what humanity is.
Mamoru
Oshii
• Japanese filmmaker, television
director and writer.
• Famous for his philosophy-oriented
storytelling.
• He has directed acclaimed anime
films such as Angel’s Egg (1985),
Patlabor 2 (1993) and Ghost in the
Shell (1995).
Mamoru • Visually captivating world-building that
mixes surrealistic imagery with dystopian

Oshii elements.
• Philosophical storytelling that develops
through symbols, allegorical elements and
metaphors that are open to interpretation.
• Since Ghost in the Shell his films and mangas
have drawn inspiration from cyberpunk and
contributed the most emblematic stories of
the movement.
Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the
Shell
• The extrapolation of present social
tendencies into the future is one of
SF’s central forms of estrangement.
Ghost in the Shell includes multiple
technological elements that give
shape to its dystopian universe. Were
there any elements that looked
familiar and raised awareness about
the present?
Ghost in the Shell: Cyberpunk

Cyberpunk Structure: Combination of detective narrative with science fictional elements in

a dystopian setting.

Film Noir: The protagonists are policemen aiming to solve a mystery. The moral ambiguity
increases as the film progresses: the distinction between law and criminality is blurred.

Estrangement: The estrangement is performed by the film’s advanced technology and its
dystopian extrapolation of the future. E.g.: Implants, cyberbrains, fake memories.
Cyberpunk Narrative: The system is
inescapable. Characters are passive receivers of
functions granted by forces beyond them.

Ghost in the
Shell:
Tools and Humanity: Technology is no longer
an external tool serving humanity. Human
beings are depicted as tools.

Cyberpunk
Posthuman Beings: New identities emerge
with the fusion of humanity and technology.
This is observed in the Puppet Master and
Major Motoko’s identity crisis.
Ghost in the • Major Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg public-security agent, is
the protagonist of the film. She has been completely

Shell: Mind and fabricated by the company Megatech and raises multiple
philosophical issues about her identity as a cyborg. Consider

Body her representation throughout the entire film – her facial

expression, voice and personality. Did her character fulfil
your expectations of a cyborg? Were there any moments that
showed her “humanity”?
“I feel fear, loneliness, anxiety, darkness. And maybe
hope. Sometimes I feel that when I come up to the
surface. I can become a different person”
Ghost in the Shell: Mind and Body

Mind/Body: This is one of the main themes of the film. The duality is alluded by the title of
the film: Ghost as soul/mind and shell as body.

Individuality: The film estranges our assumptions about individuality by showing how
everyone’s identity is “fabricated.” Every aspect of Motoko’s life has been arranged for her,
even before her birth. She is both an adult and a baby.

Cyborgs: The metaphor estranges our perception of what it means to be a human being.
Motoko constantly ponders about these questions, while the Puppet Master asserts that
programmes are incomplete life forms.
Ghost in the
Shell: Mind and
Body
• Ghost Hackers: Hackers can potentially
manipulate minds and memories for their
purposes.
• Social Unconscious: The unconscious is
no longer a private domain but, rather, the
point in which corporate entities exert
their influence.
• Social Exploitation: Marginalized groups
are disposable tools exploited by corporate
agencies beyond their understanding.
Ghost in the
Shell: Mind and
Body:
• Reflections: Doubling effects are used
throughout the film to reflect Motoko’s
dilemma as a “copy” of a human being.
She wonders whether her ghost is
separate from her shell.
• Disposable Minds/Bodies: She identifies
with the Garbage Man’s predicament.
• The Other and Identity: By observing
others she can formulate her own
identity.
Ghost in the • If you say so, but your DNA is also just a self-preserving
program. Life is like a node born out of the flow of

Shell: Mind and information. Life as a species has a memory system called
genes and a human being can be an individual only by

Body memories. Even if a memory is synonym for illusion,

humans live by their memories. When the spread of
computers enabled the memories to be stored externally you
should’ve considered the meaning of it more seriously’
(Oshii, Ghost in the Shell).

• Cyborgs have served as a metaphor in SF to raise a variety

of issues concerning identity. In some films the cyborg
represents a completely different form of subjectivity; in
others, the cyborg is indistinguishable from human beings.
What is the film expressing in its utilisation of cyborgs?
Ghost in the Social Darwinism: Like most cyberpunk
narratives, the film present us with a world ruled
Shell: Social by Social Darwinism, that is, a reality governed by
capitalism’s survival of the fittest.
Darwinism
Class Antagonism: The system produces colossal
amounts of waste, marginalization and poverty.
This is depicted in the panoramic shots.

Civilization and Savagery: Capitalism is ruled by

violence and unethical rulers. It is not different
from previous “uncivilized” systems. The music
represents this mix of ritualistic and technological
elements.
Ghost in the
Shell: Social
Darwinism
• Optical Camouflage: Deployed as an
aesthetic device to show that Motoko is
the fittest animal in the capitalist
universe.
• Battle Machine: Built and designed
for the sole purpose of enforcing the
law.
• Institutional Violence: Violence
perpetrated through institutions
outweighs criminal violence.
Ghost in the Shell: Social
Darwinism
Natural History: The final battle between the tank and Major Mokoto takes place in an
abandoned Natural History Museum. This embodies a new form of life that no longer follows
traditional biological models.

Anthropocentrism: The film challenges the narrative of human exceptionalism, that is,
humanity as the pinnacle of evolution. Cyborgs, clones and information-beings challenge this
privileged position.

Natural and Artificial: Beings like Mokoto or the Puppet Master display the inadequacy of
this binary to assess the contemporary world.
Ghost in the
Shell
• Technology is intimately connected with
identity in the film. Characters, like
Motoko or the garbage worker, constantly
inhabit this dilemma in their personal lives.
Consider the role of technologies and social
media in your everyday life. Do you think
this is a relevant topic in the contemporary
world? In what sense?