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On Feb. 11, “Ghost in the Shell Realize Project the Award,” an event to experience first-hand the science and technology behind Ghost in the Shell, was held at the Hikarie Hall in Shibuya, Tokyo. The aim of the project is to pursue the different kinds of futuristic technology depicted in Ghost in the Shell.
There was also a separate symposium at the event featuring Kenji Kamiyama, series director of Ghost in the Shell S.A.C., novelist Tow Ubukata, who created the script for Ghost in the Shell the New Movie, and Masahiko Inami from the University of Tokyo.
The symposium focused on three themes deeply connected to Ghost in the Shell: cybernetic bodies, cyberbrains, and cyber attacks and net security. On the theme of cybernetic bodies, Ubukata began to ask the question, “What devices are used to express through animation differences between flesh and blood humans and cyborgs?” To which Kamiyama responded, “Showing the minute differences through animation is difficult,” and followed up with a look back, saying, “For example, with Motoko Kusanagi we showed her robot-ness through things like her not blinking and having superhuman agility.” Relating to this, Ubukata discussed a hardship of his as a scriptwriter: “In terms of the script, humanoid robots have to be treated like humans, but the Tachikoma and Logikoma were especially troublesome.”
On the topic of cyberbrains, the discussion expanded to the recent rapid evolution of artificial intelligence. Kamiyama said that as a film director he “remembered a feeling of impending crisis” on the example of AI writing novels. He followed this with the comment, “How do you determine the worth of your own existence? That may be the theme of my next work.”
A variety of other discussions also took place at the symposium on such topics as whether it’s possible to copy a heart, the significance of learning in a time when external storage has been developed, and the latest in network security.
In response to the discussion thus far, Ubukata said aspiringly, “It’s not about simply looking ahead like in Ghost in the Shell, we want to present futuristic worlds that include human drama. Worlds that aren’t a dystopia nor a utopia, but that convey what it is we feel in the real world.”
On the other hand, Kamiyama followed this up by saying, “It’s been 15 years (since Ghost in the Shell S.A.C.), but I feel like it hasn’t grown old at all and the contents have only improved. By taking in this type of discussion I think we can create new settings and stories. If the chance presents itself, I want to write about things like as AI continues to evolve how will we define the meaning of human life?”
During the event a new project in the Ghost in the Shell Realize Project was announced: Tachikoma Realize. They’ve set their sights on creating a 1/2 scale model and a 1/10 scale model that moves and connects to the internet. The currently in production 1/2 scale model was unveiled on stage at the event, and even guest Kamiyama showed off its appearance that had fans absorbed in interest.
Source: animeanime
Source article written by Shigeyoshi Okimoto
