innocence: ghost in the shell

The date now is July 17, 2009. So much has changed in how I view and appreciate films. Almost everything in this entry is now invalid. Innocence stands as one of the greatest films ever produced and it is rich with subtext. I was foolish to draw so many shallow conclusions after just one viewing with poor subtitles, and after repeated viewings it has become one of my most treasured films. Nevertheless, I leave this entry intact to remember the past.

well well.
there are two ways this film can be looked at, and ideally, it would be good if one can rectify the two – the said ‘one’ being both the creator and the viewer.

in terms of technical development, i would say scenes in innocence surpass final fantasy: the spirits within and wonderful days both, these three films being high achievers graphically.  the centerpiece montage and jim’s house are absolutely mind shattering – the pure amount of effort put into both 3d and hand-drawn animation is super-human – no less.  final fantasy may have had intricate multilayered set-pieces, and wonderful days multiple object animation composites, but the montage of innocence is excecuted with such fine precision and care, with so many moving objects, both rendered realistically and with wonderful physics modelling, that it leaves both other films far behind.

what innocence lacks is heart.

even the original ghost in the shell, while very abstract and subtle in its portrayal, is a very human story – or perhaps human is not quite the correct term for it.  it has nothing whatsoever to do with robots, humans, and the differences or lack thereof between them.  there is a much deeper meaning in ghost in the shell, that has as much to do with affection and intimacy as a romance story.  that might seem a bit far fetched,  but ghost in the shell the film i feel is one of the easier ones to decipher in regards to true meaning being separated from the story arc, or at least deeper.  true, it is through the story arc that we explore the meaning, and perhaps even reconcile the two, which i think ghost in the shell does perfectly, though at times they can be quite separated in other works such as ghost in the shell: stand alone complex, the series.

before i get too bogged down in comparison, innocence should be weighed on it’s own merrits.
the greatest disappointment is the sheer weight of dialogue.  everything is explained very nicely and tidily to what can only be a hungry amerikan audience.  japanese and hardkore viewers have access to far deeper reaching material than what is presented here – in innocence, the story only justifies the technical development – the two don’t augment each other, which is what i mean by two ways of looking at a work such as this and hopefully rectifying the two.  the technical achievements in innocence are merely that – they are emotionless, and the very simple story does little to give meaning to it.  innocence explains all of it’s philosophy, which starts out and stays very basic.  there are only two elements that deviate from this – the entry of jim’s house, a somewhat lain portrayal, and the representation behind bateau’s dog, neither of which are deep enough to justify the entire work, the former of which (jim’s house) is conviniently explained right after the scene.

in light of comparison – innocence reminded me of an episode of stand alone complex – there was much comedy and banter between bateau and togosa, and only mild displays (or one display really) of affection, though even this was performed much better in both ghost in the shell and stand alone complex.  ghost in the shell’s montage is almost entirely hand-drawn, and the attention to detail, the music, the display of kusanagi and the point at which the montage is introduced into the film, are all very spiritual.  the meaning of ghost in the shell is actually displayed in the montage without words, only images and feelings.  innocence’s montage is broken mid-way by a brief interrogation scene which all but ruins it.  though the attention to detail is the same, and yes, someone did have to place every object and it’s attributes manually in a pc, it was still cg, and cannot be compared to a beautiful work drawn by hand.  it’s too easy to detract from meaning by having a display of digital images achieving reality, than hand-drawn images being slightly different, but having character.  innocence might display how a parade float may look and behave physically, but ghost in the shell displayed scaffolding and cityscapes in a solemn and spiritual manner – this is what the artist with the pencil is attempting to portray – not physical realism.

innocence actually felt a lot like ghost in the shell.  very similar format, a montage, an end battle, but it was too loud, too brash, too simple and explanitory.  rumours that mamoru oshii was pretty much forced to make this film have become more believable.  jin-roh and even avalon to a certain extent, are spiritual works – a continuation of the ideas, feelings and moods presented in ghost in the shell, but innocence seems out of character for him.  avalon wasn’t at all anywhere near as emotional or spiritual as ghost in the shell and jin-roh, but it did have heart, and that is what innocence lacks.

i have ranked innocence: ghost in the shell bellow both final fantasy: the spirits within and wonderful days, with final fantasy being ranked the highest of the three.  regardless of hardkore ff fan’s and film-watcher’s opinions of the storyline and plot content, i absolutely love it.  final fantasy: the spirits within is not about ghosts, nor is wonderful days about polution and saving humanity.  unfortunately innocence is about humans and a.i. controlled cyborgs and robots – whether or not robots have ghosts (souls), and how the two relate to one another.  this may have been presented in the first ghost in the shell, but ghost in the shell clearly has so much more to say, while ultimately innocence only looks good.

it’s only my opinion – you didn’t make the film, get over yourself.  i never said you weren’t allowed to like it.  if you have any perception skills, you’d know i liked it too.  i just didn’t think it was up to top tier anime standards, technical achievements aside.  like games, it isn’t all about the graphics you know.  not at all.

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Commentary
March 28, 2010

Good god; this already has commentary.
Having duly admonished myself, I won’t do it again.
I love Innocence. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t seen things when I was young and stupid, but I guess it’s a reversal of a concept I very much believe in about sowing seeds. If I hadn’t had seen some of these films prematurely, I may never have returned to them and had such wonderful experiences and insights in the face of my first impressions. I just wish I didn’t write entries like this one which just make me look stupid. It might be because back then, I was stupid.