Is this Motoko attempting to be… normal? Is this her flirting with the idea of domesticity? Not only is she in a relationship with a man, I almost don’t recognize the Major with that hair color. What happened to her girlfriends? Motoko also treats this Section 1 guy with a certain level of care and tenderness that we’ve never seen from her before. Up until now, there has been a lot of sex in Ghost in the Shell‘s setting, but not a whole lot of intimacy. The way people have turned to simulacra to have their needs met also implies that they’ve turned away from each other. Technology hasn’t quite led to societal collapse, but it has definitely reinforced a level of social and personal distancing that leaves the world feeling cold and almost sterile. We’ve only gotten small glimpses of the traditional family unit. Togusa has his family, and that garbageman had… well, his fake memories of having a daughter. Again, a simulacrum. So the desire to have a family is still real; you can’t fake that. Genuine interpersonal relationships, however, seem to be a rare commodity.
Batou remarks that seven months in the same relationship is a record for Motoko, so clearly, the Section 1 guy is markedly different from the usual. You can’t help but wonder how he and the Major met, how serious they really are, and naturally, what will happen after this episode (or chapter in the manga) is said and done? Did she have this same connection with her girlfriends? Will she go back to them after this relationship ends? Even then, seven months is relatively short for a standard relationship. Why can’t Motoko maintain longterm relationships? Is it the nature of her job? The nature of her personality? Both? The one shame about the original manga is that the elusive Puppetmaster is one of the few throughlines that ties the stories together. Obviously, Section 9 has been featured in every chapter. What I’m getting at, however, is that there’s little to no connective tissue between the stories other than investigating cybercrimes. This episode takes place long after their very first mission under Aramaki. There’s always a start and a finish. But where does one middle incident stand vis-a-vis another middle incident, it’s hard to say.
Aramaki and Batou hurry to the hospital, ’cause they have no idea if Motoko is severely hurt or not. You get the general sense that Section 9 truly cares for one another. At one point, Aramaki even says to Motoko, “You’re like a daughter to me!” Unfortunately, the original story never dives too deep into their relationships. Being utterly faithful to the manga can be both a good and a bad thing. Yes, you’re preserving the creator’s original vision, but that also means the warts and other various imperfections are coming along for the ride. I have… major issues with Shirow’s storytelling and general approach to Motoko’s character, but I’ll save that for the end of the series.
As Motoko leaves the hospital to start investigating the attempt on her own life, she can’t help but question her boyfriend. After all, maybe the leak came from him or his team. This is probably why her relationships never last too long. Maybe when you do this line of work, everyone and everything starts looking like a suspect. And her distrust isn’t unfounded either. He admits to running a check on her (and vice versa), because he’s seen wives betray their husbands. But what can you do? Even memories aren’t authentic; even memories can be overwritten. And when every relationship you have can also be a security leak… like I said up top, genuine interpersonal relationships are rare. Plus, seven months might be the record for Motoko, but we might have just seen the start to the end of this relationship. The sad, melancholy background music certainly lends credence to that.
But that doesn’t mean the solution is obvious, either. There has to be a reason Motoko was drawn to this guy. Togusa wonders out loud, “It’d be easier if your boyfriend was a civilian, huh?” But then Motoko probably wouldn’t have emotionally connected with him in the first place. Can a civilian understand what she has to go through on a daily basis? Can a civilian offer her comfort that feels genuine?
It doesn’t take long for the bad guys to rear their ugly faces. Not only does Motoko have a hulking, state-of-the-line think tank after her, the “foot soldiers” are legit in her words. They’re highly trained, not your usual rank-and-file terrorist. And after a furious firefight that costs the Major her left arm (it’s cybernetic so eminently replaceable), we immediately find out why: it’s Section 1. Hell, her boyfriend is even on this mission to take her out.
At the start of the episode, Aramaki was yapping about how it is sometimes a necessary evil to work with terrorists. He reasoned that it’s the only way to exert any semblance of control over them. You can’t ever truly eliminate terrorists. Be that as it may, Aramaki is now confronting the head of Section 1. The latter made a deal in exchange for the Major’s life. They want the name and identity of a major drug dealer, and in order to get it, they had to get in bed with Soma, the man who wants revenge against Motoko. Principles aren’t always practical, but this is what happens when you compromise them.
The thing is, Section 1 knew they were working with Soma. They knew this mission had to be a success in order for them to bag Anaconda, the big cheese in South America. But you also want me to believe that they didn’t know who they were targeting for Soma? Nah, that doesn’t make any sense. How could you tail someone directly from the hospital if you didn’t know who they were? Yes, Motoko’s boyfriend is surprised to see her, and he’s now trying to save her from Soma. But he’s also the chief of his unit. If I were in Motoko’s shoes, I wouldn’t trust him either. We also find out later that Section 1’s deal was all for naught. Motoko reveals that she got all dressed up at the start of the episode to toast her team’s success in apprehending Anaconda, the very same guy Section 1 was after. Even in her half-broken state, Motoko can’t help but flash a smile. It’s all part of her charm, I suppose. I think, however, this belies the depressing truth at the core of this week’s episode. Whether or not her boyfriend ever really knew Soma’s true intentions — maybe only the head of Section 1 really knew — I don’t think his relationship with Motoko will survive for much longer. Genuine interpersonal connections are hard to come by.
Stray thoughts & observations:
— I often let the sci-fi minutia wash over me. It’s not like I can verify whether or not any of it makes scientific or medical sense. All I know is that someone is getting worked done around the brain.
— Like always, female cyborgs and/or robots are rarely ever fully-dressed. This lady looks like she’s prancing around in lingerie.
— And of course, the initial attack on Motoko only causes enough damage to reveal her panties and garter belt. Kinda shameless, Shirow.
— Aramaki: “No matter how many terrorists you kill, someone new always takes their place.” Yeah, it’s almost like they’re created.
— Motoko immediately suspects the man we saw at the start of the episode. He’s taunting her by using the exact same tactic she used against him. Also, we get a stark reminder that Motoko is no heroine of justice. After all, her job is to investigate cybercrimes. That alone says nothing about her moral character.
— As soon as Motoko departs the hospital, she notices someone tailing her. They’ve been watching her all this time. I think what’s interesting is that they could’ve simply struck the hospital. Maybe they don’t have long-ranged weapons like Motoko suggests, but there’s a real possibility that she could be dead if the bad guy wasn’t so hellbent on playing with their food.
— It’s nice that there’s always an abandoned factory somewhere nearby, so none of the action ever impacts innocent people. Except for the vagrants, of course. All men too, by the way. All the sexbots have been female, all the hobos have been male. What do you suppose this says about Shirow’s world-building? I think what has been increasingly clear in recent years is that men can’t escape objectification and commodification of their bodies either. And many sci-fi stories have been quite prescient in predicting this. So it’s odd that Shirow is a departure from his peers. Is this born from a lack of vision in this particular area? Or is he stubborn about indulging his preferences? Like “Dammit, I know everyone will be exploited, but I just want to see sexy robo ladies!”
— Man, Togusa got really messed up in the firefight. It’s a shame we know so little about hsi character. He’s the only one with a family, so I almost want to root for the guy. I’d like to know more about what makes him tick before I get emotionally invested, though.
— So you know how they were tailing all this time? How they could’ve taken her out while she was getting treatment at the hospital? Soma was calling the shots, right? And Section 1 agreed to go along with it?
— After the credits, the head of Section 1 is conspicuously a victim of a hit-and-run. Why can’t you just arrest the damn guy?
— Eyecatch this week is from Yo Moriyama, the guy most known for Redline and Megalo Box. Pretty heavy-hitters, I’d say.
