Week 9: Cyberpunk

This week we talked about Cyberpunk and Sci-Fi manga. This is my favorite genre I think, because it can be what ever you want it to be. Cyberpunk and Sci-Fi manga are usually set in the near future or distant future, so you're imagination is your limit.

I was excited for this week, because we got to take a look at Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow. This was my favorite anime film I have seen. It was one of the first big anime that I watched. This movie is so big, it has left a big impact on myself and aswell as a huge impact on the film industry. Ghost in the shell was revolutionary at the time. It was the first animated film to take advantage of CGI (Computer Generated Images) back in 1995 when the manga was adapted into the film. It revolutionized the possibilities of the filming industry.

Ghost in the Shell, really was what took Sci-Fi to the next level. It really blurred the line between human and machine. It showed what body augmentation could be. From modified mechanical arms to mechanical eyes. A main component of Ghost in the Shell, is the neuro-link that are ingrained into peoples brains, making them able to be downloaded. Thats where the name came from, the ghost referes to the human soul, something we all have, but once we get into body modification and neuro links, the body becomes a shell of its former self. What is a soul if we don't have a body and we can be re-uploaded into a clone? How far is man and technology willing to go?

A lot of Sci-Fi films took inspiration from Ghost in the Shell, the most prominent film that took inspiration was the Matrix. Which the directors of the Matrix came out and admitted that the film had inspired him, but that's not anything new in film industry.