Ask John: Are the Philosophical Qualities of Gunnm and Ghost in the Shell Comparable?

Question:
Do you think Gunnm covers the questions of humanity and identity like Ghost in the Shell?

Answer:
Comparing strictly the manga, Gunnm (known in America as “Battle Angel”) certainly poses more philosophical questions about life, identity and individuality than the Ghost in the Shell manga because the Ghost in the Shell manga is primarily a cyberpunk action/adventure. If we compare the Gunnm anime to the Ghost in the Shell anime, the Ghost in the Shell anime clearly comes out on top because the Gunnm OAV series is relatively straightforward cyberpunk adventure while much of the Ghost in the Shell anime is very philosophical and speculative. If the Gunnm manga is compared to the Ghost in the Shell animation the disparity becomes minimal.

The Ghost in the Shell anime is thematically quite different from its manga source because of Mamoru Oshii’s influence. Oshii interpreted and expanded greatly upon subtle themes in Masamune Shirow’s original work, which is why the Ghost in the Shell anime is as much, if not more so, a Mamoru Oshii creation than a Masamune Shirow creation. Even the Ghost in the Shell television series, which Oshii didn’t personally direct, is heavily imbued with his supervision and influence. Even though both the Gunnm manga and Ghost in the Shell animation deal with theoretical uncertainty over absolute confirmation of the self and the qualities that define humanity, I would say that there are distinct differences between the way both titles approach the topic. The Gunnm manga analyzes the nature of humanity on a very individual scale. Professor Desty Nova broaches the topic of humans as bio-organic machines, but this particular sub-plot isn’t dealt with for long throughout the Gunnm manga series. The manga series spends much more if its time concentrating on Gally’s efforts to quantify her own humanity. Gally struggles with the internal conflict of aggression versus civility, and altruism versus selfishness.

The Ghost in the Shell movies and television series expand the scope of speculation to the entire human race. Motoko Kusanagi rarely questions her own identity or humanity. In fact, the point of Ghost in the Shell is that Motoko is a harbinger of a new philosophy of humanity as consciousness regardless of physical form. Ghost in the Shell doesn’t examine the nature of the individual the way Gunnm does. Ghost in the Shell predicts the advantages and pitfalls of a society with an evolving definition of humanity. Gunnm doesn’t really deal with the universal nature of humanity as a recurring theme. So I do think that both the Gunnm manga (but not the animation) and the Ghost in the Shell animation (but not really the manga) deal with questions of humanity and individuality, but they do so in opposite perspectives. Gunnm poses the question with a narrow, individual focal point. The Ghost in the Shell anime examines the question from a broad, societal perspective without thoroughly examining individual examples in detail.