Herring --- Ghost in the Shell

One of the most interesting aspects of anime today is their use of technology. Anime, being done with drawings and animation, has a lot of room for creativity and coming up with their own ideas. Technology is used in pretty much every anime and it is interesting how some animes take technology and make it a very important factor in their story. In Ghost in the Shell, and actually Perfect Blue and Akira as well, technology is so advanced that even though it hasn't completely taken over peoples lives, it is still a major aspect of it. Motoko, the main character in Ghost in the Shell, is created to where technology is the thing that keeps her running, literally. The use of her camouflage is a big example of how she uses this aspect of herself to her advantage. The art that is used to create the asthetics used in advanced technology is often interesting in itself as well.

I think part of the reason that people find this so interesting is when there is a highly advanced technological element in a story. We can relate to this because we see parts of that advancement in our own world. We are able to compare how far we have come along in our own "real" technological world, and then possibly even hope for what we may see in the future. It is interesting because even though most of us know that we are rapidly becoming more technologically advanced, we still like to see how far things can be pushed in these animes. In Akira, the government uses complete control over technology and is able to monitor and check almost everything that is going on. Maybe another reason we find situations like that interesting is because some of us are maybe even scared of what our rapid advancement of technology will bring in the future. The argument can then be made whether or not technology is truly helping us or hurting us. There are other movies that use the idea of technology becoming overpowered and taking over as well.

The way Mima's life is being stalked (all by the use of technology) is something that is already seen today. When that film was made, we may not have been as advanced as we are now, which also shows the rate we are moving forward. Even in everyone's personal lives, most of us are somehow connected throughout the internet in some way. As this seems like a good thing, and extremely useful, it could quite possibly result in a large downfall in the distant, or maybe near future.

 Akira, Perfect Blue, and Ghost in the Shell are three great films that contribute to one terrible idea: do we even really know who we are in this world, and do we have any control over our lives anymore? 

I got these images from here, here, here, 
and here.

 

Herring --- Perfect Blue

In the anime film Perfect Blue, many different issues were brought to light. First of all: materialism and consumerism in society.  The main character of Perfect Blue, Mima, is portrayed as a cutsie teeny-bopper pop idol. Her fan base is obsessed with her pure and sweet image and will do anything to keep her in pristine idol condition. They wait at newsstands and bookstores for any new information on her, like hungry dogs waiting for someone to throw them a hunk of meat. To her fans, Mima is nothing more than a piece of meat, a materialistic object in the eye of the media. They do not care about her personal well-being, they only care for how they can receive satisfaction from her. And if they are dissatisfied with what they get out of her, they cause an uproar. The people only care about what they can reap from Mima’s success, and “consume” it greedily. Another issue was the objectification of women in the media. Mima is constantly in the spotlight of the people; they scrutinize her, judge her, and expect nothing less than perfect from her. Most of the public eye consists of men, men who wish to see her more risqué and mature side. They force more scandalous roles and situation upon Mima because it is what they desire most from her. Men have tasted her sweet and innocent side, and now they are hungry for more. Women in media are (more often than not) seen through the eyes of a man and portrayed as sex symbols and nothing more. Men desire women, and they won’t stop until they get their fill of how they want women to be seen on the big screen. Another thing about Perfect Blue is that the storyline was very similar of that to the movie Black Swan. Both of the main characters were strong and beautiful women who were seen as petite and delicate, yet they had a darker side to them. There were antagonists that led them to believe what they perceived as reality may or may not be true, which led them to a spiraling downfall of confusion and madness. The female roles in Perfect Blue and Black Swan both faced demons in their own ways, and eventually overcame them, in justice and death.

I got that picture from here.

Herring --- Cowboy BeBop

In the movie Cowboy Bebop, it is very obvious that the main character or protagonist is Spike Spiegel.  Although he is the main character and is always surrounded by many different people, there is a feeling that he is constantly alone. Spike seems to have a tendency to distance himself from people around him, to keep himself from getting himself betrayed or hurt. Even though he acts like an abused puppy, Spike is a very caring and tender person. For example, while in the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate, he cared for the new recruits. This shows that, although he may have a cold and untrusting exterior, Spike has a warm, kind center. To reflect further upon his seemingly unlikely kind side, there is a scene where Spike comes across an old woman held at gunpoint by a convenience store robber. Spike had never seen (let alone ever met) this woman before in his life, but he quickly responds to the situation by shooting and killing the robber before the robber can kill the old woman. Spike said that he did not care about the woman at all in the least. But, if he didn’t care, then why did he save her life? That’s one scene where his kindness peeks through his veil of hardass-ness.  Another part from the movie that illustrates the depth of Spike’s “self conflicting” character is his hunt for Vincent. Spike has been told that he doesn’t need to go after the bounty set on Vincent and that there are better bounties to hunt down, but that is not Spike’s concern. Spike is worried about the safety of the citizens on the planet Mars, as well as keeping Elektra from aiding Vincent to regain his memories. Vincent and Elektra’s relationship was romantic, so it hurts Elektra’s feelings that Vincent has basically forgotten their past together. Elektra feels as though she should be the one to destroy Vincent, not Spike. Elektra achieves her goal by shooting the man she once loved and restoring his old state of mind. Spike was able to save the planet of Mars, with the help of his BeBop Crew and Rashid the scientist.  Even though Spike doesn’t want to admit it (for it would be a damper on his lone ranger act), he relies on the help from those who surround him.

I got that lovely picture of Spike right here.