So recently the live adaptation to the animated classic, Ghost in the Shell, came out. Thus, I decided to watch the original.
Afterward such activities, I tend to seek out reviews and such and hear out what other people have to say about the film as I mull it over. This is what I found myself naturally doing after watching the 1995 animated classic. However, I found something rather odd, I found that my reading of the film was rather different than what most reviewers perceived in the films conclusion. For this reason, I decided to type out a short interpretation of how I perceived the ending to the film.
SPOILERS
So, at the end of the film we see Major Motoko Kusanagi waking up from the dramatic event of being shot by a sniper rifle. Her shell has been moved into a new body, that of a little girl, by her partner Batou. Apparently, he purchased the body off of the black market, and it was all he could find. She then leaves Batou's safe house saying, "When I was a child my speech feelings and thinking were all those of a child. Now that I am a man I have no more use for childish things" (A biblical quote) followed by "And now I can say these things in my own voice because I am now neither the woman who was known as the major nor am I the program called the puppet master." Batou then gives her the keys to a car and she heads off speaking in rhetoric similar to that of the puppet master.
Most of the reviews I read generally interpret this ending as being a rather straightforward one. Kusanagi merged with the puppet master and the two created a new entity that shared elements of both. This new entity is who Batou is speaking with and through this merging this entity feels that they have achieved something that equates to true life, thus the symbolism of the child's body as a sign of rebirth and her dialogue reflecting similar ideas.
Now, those of you familiar with the film might argue that I am over simplifying this. You are probably correct, but plenty of reviews can be found with that particular reading. I however, am not here to talk about those. Those discussions are easily found with a quick search. Rather, I wish to express my own personal interpretation.
So, first I would like to address the elephant in the room. Did Kusanagi merge with the puppet master. I like to think that she did not, though she does seem to have information from him. However, I argue that if she did or did not is irrelevant to the film's ending. I would like to argue, or at least propose an interpretation in which the changes we see in Kusanagi are not due to the puppet master but are due to Batou.
A little set up:
Though my ending analysis is debatable I think that most can agree with the fact that the central tension Kusanagi experiences thought the film is her questioning her humanity. We regularly see her looking at people and seeming to stand apart from everyone else. The most telling scene is the scene where she is diving. In this scene Batou asks why she does it. Batou asks her if she is afraid that her buoyancy device will fail and she, being mostly robotic, will sink and die. She says that at the bottom she feels fear, but she feels something else. She feels hope. I and many others feel that this is because that fear makes her feel more human. This is an emotion and something she clings to as it makes her feel more like a person, thus her unusual hobby.
Now, let's take a look at Batou. Batou, in my opinion, looks at Kusanagi in a very different way. While she is perpetually questioning her humanity, he seems to be the opposite. It is my reading that he sees her as a human from start to finish.
Throughout the narrative we see Kusanagi strip down. She is often either nude or wearing a skin tight body glove. During these scenes, most people go on by as though this is not particularly strange, though admittedly they are often in tense situations with more pressing issues. However, we see Batou act differently. Every time Kusanagi gets nude we see Batou react, he either looks away, like on the boat, or he'll do something like cover her with his coat. Many interpret this as the idea that Batou is sexually attracted to his partner, and while I don't disagree with that, I think it means something else that is very important. Batou sees Kusanagi as a person. This is the reason that he treats her body like he would a human woman, he isn't shy, he is respectful of her. He is showing respect for her body, and perhaps her humanity.
This interpretation of Batou's perception of the major also explains his actions. Throughout the ending we see Batou really going the extra mile for his partner. He saves her from the tank that might kill her. He agrees to plug her into the puppet master so she can get the answers she seeks. He even gets his arm blown off to deflect a sniper round that would have shattered her robot skull and may have killed her.
Ok, so how does this all tie into the ending?
Well, in my reading of it, Kusanagi has started to see herself as a real persona and not just a machine, in large part because of Batou's actions.
Right when Kusanagi is about to be shot by the sniper and she is merging with the puppet master we see a cut of her vision. In her vision we see her looking up at an angel over her. Most interpret this as a symbol of her reaching a new level of existence. However, in the previous shot we see Batou covering her with his arm. I choose to interpret this as him acting as her guardian angel.
I choose to believe that once the sniper(s) fire the merging, at least partially, fails and the puppet master is killed. However, Kusanagi now sees herself as a person due to Batou's treatment of her. She now realizes the value she has by seeing how someone else cares for her. Thus, when she says, "When I was a child my speech, feelings, and thinking were all those of a child. Now that I am a man, I have no more use for childish things" she does not mean she has evolved, but that she has matured. She no longer will chase after the immature pursuit of deciding if she is or isn't a person and will simple start to really live her life as one. When she says, "And now I can say these things in my own voice" she is saying that Batou no longer has to metaphorically say she is a person because now she believes it and she can say it for herself.
Notice that when she says "because I am now neither the woman who was known as the major nor am I the program called the puppet master." she says her title, not her actual name. I choose to read this as her saying that she is not longer simply a machine, in her eyes at least, but a person.
After saying this, Batou smiles. He seems happy with this response. I think this is because he sees this as I do, as Kusanagi recognizing herself as a person.
Now, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's all completely different in meaning from what I just said. However, "The puppet master fucked her brain and they had a mind baby so she can be a real person now" is a much less fun ending, in my opinion. For me, an ending involving a woman's acceptance of herself thanks to someone who cares about her is a more emotionally resonant conclusion.
If you read all of this, you are a real champ! Thank you for your time.
Afterward such activities, I tend to seek out reviews and such and hear out what other people have to say about the film as I mull it over. This is what I found myself naturally doing after watching the 1995 animated classic. However, I found something rather odd, I found that my reading of the film was rather different than what most reviewers perceived in the films conclusion. For this reason, I decided to type out a short interpretation of how I perceived the ending to the film.
SPOILERS
So, at the end of the film we see Major Motoko Kusanagi waking up from the dramatic event of being shot by a sniper rifle. Her shell has been moved into a new body, that of a little girl, by her partner Batou. Apparently, he purchased the body off of the black market, and it was all he could find. She then leaves Batou's safe house saying, "When I was a child my speech feelings and thinking were all those of a child. Now that I am a man I have no more use for childish things" (A biblical quote) followed by "And now I can say these things in my own voice because I am now neither the woman who was known as the major nor am I the program called the puppet master." Batou then gives her the keys to a car and she heads off speaking in rhetoric similar to that of the puppet master.
Most of the reviews I read generally interpret this ending as being a rather straightforward one. Kusanagi merged with the puppet master and the two created a new entity that shared elements of both. This new entity is who Batou is speaking with and through this merging this entity feels that they have achieved something that equates to true life, thus the symbolism of the child's body as a sign of rebirth and her dialogue reflecting similar ideas.
Now, those of you familiar with the film might argue that I am over simplifying this. You are probably correct, but plenty of reviews can be found with that particular reading. I however, am not here to talk about those. Those discussions are easily found with a quick search. Rather, I wish to express my own personal interpretation.
So, first I would like to address the elephant in the room. Did Kusanagi merge with the puppet master. I like to think that she did not, though she does seem to have information from him. However, I argue that if she did or did not is irrelevant to the film's ending. I would like to argue, or at least propose an interpretation in which the changes we see in Kusanagi are not due to the puppet master but are due to Batou.
A little set up:
Though my ending analysis is debatable I think that most can agree with the fact that the central tension Kusanagi experiences thought the film is her questioning her humanity. We regularly see her looking at people and seeming to stand apart from everyone else. The most telling scene is the scene where she is diving. In this scene Batou asks why she does it. Batou asks her if she is afraid that her buoyancy device will fail and she, being mostly robotic, will sink and die. She says that at the bottom she feels fear, but she feels something else. She feels hope. I and many others feel that this is because that fear makes her feel more human. This is an emotion and something she clings to as it makes her feel more like a person, thus her unusual hobby.
Now, let's take a look at Batou. Batou, in my opinion, looks at Kusanagi in a very different way. While she is perpetually questioning her humanity, he seems to be the opposite. It is my reading that he sees her as a human from start to finish.
Throughout the narrative we see Kusanagi strip down. She is often either nude or wearing a skin tight body glove. During these scenes, most people go on by as though this is not particularly strange, though admittedly they are often in tense situations with more pressing issues. However, we see Batou act differently. Every time Kusanagi gets nude we see Batou react, he either looks away, like on the boat, or he'll do something like cover her with his coat. Many interpret this as the idea that Batou is sexually attracted to his partner, and while I don't disagree with that, I think it means something else that is very important. Batou sees Kusanagi as a person. This is the reason that he treats her body like he would a human woman, he isn't shy, he is respectful of her. He is showing respect for her body, and perhaps her humanity.
This interpretation of Batou's perception of the major also explains his actions. Throughout the ending we see Batou really going the extra mile for his partner. He saves her from the tank that might kill her. He agrees to plug her into the puppet master so she can get the answers she seeks. He even gets his arm blown off to deflect a sniper round that would have shattered her robot skull and may have killed her.
Ok, so how does this all tie into the ending?
Well, in my reading of it, Kusanagi has started to see herself as a real persona and not just a machine, in large part because of Batou's actions.
Right when Kusanagi is about to be shot by the sniper and she is merging with the puppet master we see a cut of her vision. In her vision we see her looking up at an angel over her. Most interpret this as a symbol of her reaching a new level of existence. However, in the previous shot we see Batou covering her with his arm. I choose to interpret this as him acting as her guardian angel.
I choose to believe that once the sniper(s) fire the merging, at least partially, fails and the puppet master is killed. However, Kusanagi now sees herself as a person due to Batou's treatment of her. She now realizes the value she has by seeing how someone else cares for her. Thus, when she says, "When I was a child my speech, feelings, and thinking were all those of a child. Now that I am a man, I have no more use for childish things" she does not mean she has evolved, but that she has matured. She no longer will chase after the immature pursuit of deciding if she is or isn't a person and will simple start to really live her life as one. When she says, "And now I can say these things in my own voice" she is saying that Batou no longer has to metaphorically say she is a person because now she believes it and she can say it for herself.
Notice that when she says "because I am now neither the woman who was known as the major nor am I the program called the puppet master." she says her title, not her actual name. I choose to read this as her saying that she is not longer simply a machine, in her eyes at least, but a person.
After saying this, Batou smiles. He seems happy with this response. I think this is because he sees this as I do, as Kusanagi recognizing herself as a person.
Now, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's all completely different in meaning from what I just said. However, "The puppet master fucked her brain and they had a mind baby so she can be a real person now" is a much less fun ending, in my opinion. For me, an ending involving a woman's acceptance of herself thanks to someone who cares about her is a more emotionally resonant conclusion.
If you read all of this, you are a real champ! Thank you for your time.