aozijiang

[aozijiang]

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

The essential philosophical claim advanced in the Adventure, fantasy and science fiction anime(2009)/manga in Fullmetal Alchemist is that the “Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost.”   Powers of the Alchemist are also challenge and questioned by the author: Alchemists are new on modern technology that improves our society, but they grow from our greed but not our action, does this technology improve us? What are people willing to sacrifices to build a new or better world?

At the first glance, Fullmetal Alchemist (FMA for following) is a typical Shōnen manga, but after the cruel cost for bring back the brother’s mother, ruthless reality are bought to the audiences. In fact, the direction of the work is a typical Shōnen manga; however,  FMA “complex take on a variety of real world subjects. This ranges anywhere from racial tensions and military dominance in government to man’s place in the natural balance of the universe. The series was not afraid to tackle many social, psychological and philosophical questions.(Manduke)” These stories tackle and ask the question of humanity, showing traits of  postmodernism with its voice. Because of the overwhelming topics that FMA covers, I will be focusing on the The Gate and The Truth and The Philosopher's stone, which all ties with the biggest concept of the whole work and main plot line: “Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange.”

Alchemists have the ability, with the help of patterns called Transmutation Circles, to create almost anything they desire. Alchemists need to have the talent and training to be qualify. However, when they do so, they must provide something of equal value in accordance with the Law of Equivalent Exchange. By visiting the Gate of Truth, Edward and Alphonse tries to bring back their died mother by their power, but are punished because of the Law of Equivalent Exchange, making Edward to lose one of his arm and leg, Alphonse losing his entire body and is then trapped inside of a steel armor. Edward tries to find Alphonse bodies by using the philosopher’s stone, only later to find out that its power are human’s souls. Together, the brothers begin their journey to find their body and grow as from a teenager. They discover their inner side and identity throughout the struggles in their path.

At the beginning of the journey, Edward says “Alchemists are scientists, you see. We don’t believe in creators, and God, such. We observe the physical laws that govern this world, and purse truth.” In this line, we can tell that Alchemists’s don’t believe in the region many people; however, because of their title of Alchemists they have to believe and obey the First Law of Equivalent Exchange. Edward also says, “Funny how scientist are the ones least interested in God, and yet are the ones closest to becoming one(episode 3).” Science are not from the people’s Virtue but the sins of greed. When we apply Alchemists as scientist, the first event we encounter is the case where one Alchemists uses her daughter and dog to fuse as a chimera(episode 4). When Edward confronts with anger at the Alchemists, instead of being remorse he asked back, “Wh-What are you getting upset over? Mankind’s progress has been the result of countless human experiments right? If you’re a scientist, then...” Edward then shouts Shut up, leaving the question of what human are willing to take? “Is it not possible that science as we know it today, or a ‘search for the truth’ in the style of traditional philosophy, will create a monster?” Edward also asks, “We’re not gods. We’re only human. We can’t even save one little girl, so what good are we then?”

The failure of creating the brother’s mother are not successful even with the following ingredients. There is a reason for making the “bring back the death from the grave” act forbidden.

“Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange.” This is what Alchemist believe in, that is why Young Edward did the experiment/act. However, this first law of equivalent exchange are not always true. Because the world can not simple be calculated and rule by matters, energy, science etc. Edward’s innocent thought of the belief (which is similar to a religious belief, ironically because they believe in the First Law.) The First Law is a principle, however, “what should be” and “what actually is” could be contradiction itself. 

Throughout the journey, Edward wants to find the Philosopher's stone as a hope for bring his brother’s body back to normal, only to find out that the key ingredient to a Philosopher's stone is human lives. “The ingredients for a Philosopher's stone... are human lives. What’s worse, in order to manufacture one stone, it requires multiple sacrifices.” Knowing this fact, the brothers refuse to use the stone’s power. This all ties back into the First Law. You can have all the ingredients to make a human, but you still can’t bring the death to life. The power are contribute by another world, is this fair? Using massive amount of human lives for one or a few’s lives, is this fair? Philosopher's stone has the highest power in Alchemy, multiple Philosopher's stone can destroy the current world and create another universe. This also plays other characters inside the world, one is the human-made homunculus that are consider the villain. One of them Lust is yelled by Edward, “You can’t died, and have the power, why to you have to become a dirty sinful person?” In return, Lust responds, “you can be so cruel with words then why must you return your brother to the way he was.” Edward can scream and yell as many as they want to these homunculus that are created by the greed and sin of human, but he can’t give a convincing answer. This is also another evidence that the author is questioning and mocking the First Law itself, also asking the audiences. 

Alphonse said, “I think that in order for mankind to progress, we must seek a possibility without being bound by principles.”when asked why not just use the stone to solve the problem. The determination of hope and human spirit from Edward keeps him for finding the truth. “What is the truth we believe in?” asked by Edward to Alphonse.

At the end of the story, The Truth smiles to Edward and asks “what price are you going to pay this time to get your brother’s body back?”  Edward offers his ability “to perform alchemy and recognize the arrogance and thinking that alchemy could explain everything let alone solve all his problems.”

The Truth: “So you have came to get your brother back. But how are you going to drag an entire human out? What will you sacrifice? Your entire body?”

Edward (points to the back of the door): “There’s something huge right here that I can sacrifice.” (The Truth seems a little shock) Edward continues, “This is my Gate of Truth, which means I can do whatever I want with it. Am I wrong?”

The Truth laughs and puts his hand on his head, “So that was your plan. But are you sure about that? If you lose your Gate of Truth, you will never be able to use alchemy again.”

Edward(looks back to the door), “Yeah. You are right, all of alchemy is on the other side of this gate. But thanks to it, I was manipulated. After having been shown the so-called truth, I was convinced I could solve everything with alchemy. But I was wrong, that was just arrogance.”

The Truth: “You are going to become an ordinary human who can’t to use alchemy?”

Edward: “I’m not going to "become” anything. I’ve always been an ordinary human from the start. I’m a puny human who couldn’t even a girl who was turned into a chimera.”

The Truth: “So you’re sure you don’t mind getting rid of that?”

(Sounds of friends saying Edward’s name in Edward’s head)

Edward: “Even if I lose alchemy, I will still have my friends.”

The Truth: “Correct, Alchemist! You have defeated me. Take everything you want! The back door is over that way, Edward Elirc.”

In conclusion, the Philosopher's Stone and First Law are common social beliefs or social acts our society have. The author uses the stone as the concept of high technology and science that are build on massive sacrifices. This is both a question for social and future. At these heavy cruel topics, the author still uses the human sprit and belief as a hope for the unfair and gruesome principles from the world. What makes a human aren’t those cheap ingredients and high advance technology, but highly morals as a human bean. Using these contemporary elements throughout the story with appropriate amounts of human spiritual believes and finding “the truth” makes FMA one of the best and successful Anime/Manga in history.

“A lesson without pain is meaningless. For you cannot gain anything without sacrificing something else in return, but once you have overcome it and made it your own...you will gain an irreplaceable fullmetal heart.” ― Hiromu Arakawa

Refrences:

https://the-artifice.com/full-metal-alchemist-science-vs-religion-2/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8uh9eIBGmE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5cga0x8Q9g

[aozijiang]

Thesis Statement for Final

The essential philosophical claim advanced in the Adventure, fantasy and science fiction anime(2009)/manga in Fullmetal Alchemist is that the “Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost.”  Alchemists have the ability, with the help of patterns called Transmutation Circles, to create almost anything they desire. However, when they do so, they must provide something of equal value in accordance with the Law of Equivalent Exchange. In the main story, Edward tries to find Alphonse bodies by using the philosopher's stone, only later to find out that its power are human’s souls. By visiting the Gate of Truth, Edward and Alphonse tries to bring back their died mother by their power, but are punished because of the Law of Equivalent Exchange, making Edward to lose one of his arm and leg, Alphonse losing his entire body and is then trapped inside of a steel armor. Together, the brothers begin their journey to find their body and grow as from a teenager. They discover their inner side and identity throughout the struggles in their path. Their power are also challenge and questioned by the author: Alchemists are new on modern technology that improves our society, but they grow from our greed but not our action, does this technology improve us? What are people willing to sacrifices to build a new or better world?

[aozijiang]

Westworld

The opening title sequence has a Western culture mix with a robot/ai feeling.

“Day breaks over an unfamiliar landscape. That’s not the sun and this is not the natural splendour of the American West. It’s the ribcage of a horse — not bred but built as an amusement park plaything. Robotic tools dance with precision, stringing piano wire and sinew alike, connecting key with hammer, muscle with bone. The horse begins to gallop, Muybridgian in its movement, picking up speed as the machines continue their work. A pale rider takes to the saddle, half-formed and half-cocked, a six-shooter in her grasp. Eyes focus, the piano plays, and two lovers embrace, exposed and unfinished. The piano continues to play, this time without its player — it’s back to the drawing board for this one.”

I think one  interesting point is the director of the open title sequence Patrick has reference from the music video “All is Full of Love” by Chris Cunningham. “The idea of digging into these robot lovers — robots who were created for the purpose of human pleasure and vice, these kind of dark human things — the idea of them sneaking off for their own romantic, sexual trysts was pretty cool and interesting. Obviously that’s where you get that “All is Full of Love” connection.”

Reference: http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/westworld/

 Episode 1. 

The narrative about reality is showcase in the repetition (because of the programing of the script) about the story, and it is mixed with the programing/ “real” side. In the first scene we see is the process that is similar to the opening title sequence, so we already know that Dolores is not real.

Dolores is asked, “Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality?”

First, have you ever questioned the nature of your reality?

No

Tell us what you think of your world.Some people choose to see the ugliness in this world. The disarray. I choose to see the beauty. To believe there’s an order to our days. A purpose.

and so on,

The significance important with his question is that the ai can’t doubt their reality, they need to believe that they are human.

This is also interesting when the little boy from one of the host group tells her that she is not a real human.

"You don't have kids at home, do you Bernard? If you did, you'd know they all rebel eventually." 

Westwood is set in a near future, in a desert that is isolate. Bernard, says that the park hasn't experienced a critical failure in 30 years. Arnold is one of the staff/engineering that looks after the host. The new updates are causing the glitches; however, after Arnold’s report to the upper level, Ford, he responses with “everything evolves from mistakes” and tells him not to worried even though the host are gaining their consciousness. Ford wants to see their limits and risk the danger of the host gaining consciousness. He is also interested in immorality, so the “mistake” was more as a intentional act.

Dolores knows about her identify from a few clues. First from the little kid that told her she is not a real human, second from his father’s warning, third at the end of episode 1 where she slaps the fly on her neck compare to the beginning where she can’t even feel the fly on her face.

I think Bernard whisper to Dolores “These violent delights have violent ends”– Romeo and Juliet (2.6, 9)

In the case of Abernathy and Dolores, he seems to be telling her that the violence the guests so relish inflicting on the hosts will eventually lead to violent reprisals from the machines.

His father has this dialogue:

Dr. Ford: What is your itinerary? Peter: To meet my maker. Dr. Ford: Ah. Well. You're in luck. And what do you want to say to your maker? Peter: A most mechanical and dirty hand [laughs]. I shall have such revenges on you...both. The things I will do, what they are, yet I know not. But they will be the terrors of the earth. You don't know where you are, do you? You're in a prison of your own sins.

When his father was put in before the storage the programmer whisper something to his ear but I can’t really heard it.

“The corporation’s real interest in this place goes way beyond gratifying rich assholes who want to play cowboy.”

I’m not sure about the Man in Black’s actual mission, he might be checking the west world or searching the secret plan?(assuming he found out a scalp map)

Keep in mind that this was only the first episode so I am assuming that there will be major twist and reveal of anybody that we assume is a human actually a robot, Or vice versa.

[aozijiang]

Black Mirror - Playtest

In Playtest, Cooper uses the game as a device to simulate his imagination. We can not only use the footage of what we see to determine what actually happened to let all of the loop-holes to justified our assumptions, in other words, we also need to use our imagination as a simulation to support our ideas. At the end, Cooper thinks that he went back home and saw her mother(which is actually also “fake” according to the “real” timeline), but did he really went back? I think the director and the creators of this story wants the audience to find the standard answer, but to forget there is no standard in our reality. Wrong or right, black or white, fake and real are base on the human’s perspective and views, not from the world. Using physical, augmented, and hyper reality, the storytelling uses high technology concept to justify the possibilities of the three scenarios. However, theses similar situations are also in our world.

Physical reality and Augmented reality

Saito’s game lead to the physical reality Cooper experienced. Coopers sense gradually becomes stronger as time and location switches, as he moves to the bigger house from the white room. Real objects are added into the fake world, in this case, the game. Adding the reliable of our senses. When the physical senses are not longer true, Cooper can not feel and know what’s/who’s real and fake because he felt it. One example is when Sonja stabbed him and he felt all the details and the experiences. The sense are not reliable. He had to doubt everything because he could not trusts his own mind.

Hyper reality

After the first “wake up” from the bigger house, the creator of the game asks him why do people feel afraid after playing horror games, and responds “it’s because you are alive.” afterwards. This might also be a speed that plants in the memories later. In the last door upstairs, Cooper applies his father’s memory of Alzheimeronto his own and believes that it was Katie’s false. The fear of death, and not living might be the reason of his “final death.” But at the same time, the 0.04s death where Katie said “Every synapse of his brain lit up at once.” doesn’t claim anything, Cooper might still be inside of the game. And at the end, the phone interference was the cause, or was it because of the game. 

Like the simulation and the dream argument: “I often have perceptions very much like the ones I usually have in sensation while I am dreaming. There are no definite signs to distinguish dream experience from waking experiences, therefore, it is possible that I am dreaming right now and that all of my perceptions are false.” The AR game that Saito created altered the brain’s perception of the real world. It if was then it was the phone that caused the death but not the crazy AR part where all the 0.04s happened because it might not even have happened.

How do these layers affect cognition? Both the characters and our own?

After closing watching the timeline and plot of the story, there are bugs that can not be disregard.

Such as: At the beginning, when Cooper was inside of the white room to get his first injection, the black case has moved multiple times. Did the phone turn off? Are the cameras real? Did Cooper actually died in the end? The clock in the white house. How did Cooper even know who Saito and meet in person when he doesn’t even know how he was.

After answering these questions, we can distinguish the real and fake.

BUT, if we think like that, our mind set becomes the same as Coopers’. In the story, Cooper has images like the spider and the bully from his imaginations, and slowly can’t tell the difference between real and fake because of the three realities. When the audience wants to understand the truth of the plot or timeline, there is already a subjective mind set. There are millions way to interpret the details and truth from the plot. Many of the these mind set makes us believe that we are correct/right. We uses the timeline as a guideline to search for the truth, but in the world that was fake, timeline is not a reliable source. Those plot holes that were un-rational could just be a trick the creator wants us to have. The conclusion of the analyze about the truth is irrelative and unimportant, how it affects our own cognition are worth thinking. Can we tell the difference between what’s real and what’s fake?

References:

Playtest's Actual Timeline - Black Mirror

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DCCCPI1sRg

Black Mirror Analysis: Playtest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw_mvCHjGi0

Black Mirror Season 3: Playtest Analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9QOfq6RJNA

Black Mirror season 3, episode 2: “Playtest” is a sinister look at how we treat life like a video game

https://www.vox.com/culture/2016/10/21/13322892/black-mirror-season-3-playtest-recap

Black Mirror Season 3, Episode 2 Recap: "Playtest"

http://www.refinery29.com/2016/10/127093/black-mirror-season-3-episode-2-playtest-recap

[aozijiang]

Simulacra and Simulations

Jean Baudrillard believes that modern culture are filled with simulations. The line between reality and unreal is blur. Simulacra are reflection of unreal object, not like untraditional copy. Because of this, society today is filled with places that are hyperreal. He critics that Simulacra and Simulation from media and new technology are filling up.

The divine irreference of images 

he outlines the four stages of simulacrum:

 -It is the reflection of a basic reality

 -It masks and perverts a basic reality

 -It masks the absence of a basic reality

 -It bears no relation to any reality whatever: it is its own pure simulacrum

For example, the digital world has tools or imagery that are production of the real life. It bases on a initial real object, but it is no longer the initial object. For example: 3D models like MAYA can make a game scene that is base on real life environment and product. The product of these creations (which are all simulacrum) are reflections and needs to be rely on a original object.

Simulation starts with a dream like form, which he argues the distinctions of real and fake are similar to dreams. “Why couldn't the "work" of the unconscious be "produced" in the same way as any other symptom in classical medicine? Dreams already are (page).” A mode like this can design all the object and show the untrue, similar to the black mirror(series 3, episode 2 entitled Playtest.)

Hyperreal and imaginary

He believes that what we live in is a hyperreal world. Because it is too real, the line between physical object and the appearance no longer exists. However, these hyperreal imagery or world are built on a close-up system, and these systems do not reference the outside world/reality. This is also interesting because he also said: “L'hypperréalité est morte. Vive l'hyperréalité !” in this later years, which means “hyperreal is already dead, so, hyperreal long lives.”

On page 6 he says, “Disneyland is a perfect model of all the entangled orders of simulation.”He believes that the mechanical system and event schedule in Disneyland are parallel to the outside world. It reflects the idealism of American lifestyle. However, at the same time, it hides the truth: the real America is actually Disneyland itself. Disneyland wants the audience to let us believe that it is a fake world, and outside is the real world: inside is childish and outside is the real life. However, the mechanical structure and schedule of disneyland mirrors and is a complete reflection of the daily life of every Americans. Americans live their lives like Disneyland, the outside world is the one that is actually more childish, In older worlds, the reason of exist for Disneyland is to hide that America = Disneyland. Disneyland, as a simulator, blurs the difference between the reality and unreal.

Baudrillard’s view brings a new point of the Disney phenomenon. First of all, Disneyland is built from copying/reflection the real world to make a theme-park like world/space. However, after the creation the Disneyland, the outside world continues to follow to step of the land, and makes the whole environment themed.

More examples I can think of is, Las Vegas, outside we have fake alfred towell and different themed-hotels. These are all examples of hyperreal simulations that are based inside the real life space. Some of these theme environment are real, or fake. In other worlds, fake and true are not enough to distinguish these simulations, just like Disneyland.

[aozijiang]

Monster Culture

First, I think Cohen’s monster was taking about human’s creation(vampire, werewolf, weird creatures, frankenstein, Edward scissors’ hands etc.) or reaction to certain group of people(race wise, to aileen the outliers and the people that lived near the borders), which are said as “monstrous history” by historians. They just can’t own what the human beings can do real monstrous things to other human beings and call it monstrous history.

How I define monster equals to how do I feel about it. A physical monster or monstrous thing needs to be scary and dangerous. It shouldn’t be a day to day thing I can see, and could be weird or gross.Traits and qualities that are usually negative are associate with monster, unless it’s a used in a praise term, such as someone that breaks out of the norm fiercely.

“The monster’s body is a cultural body” I think what he meant was it all depends on the person’s view, since he talked about monster could be personal, so usually the marginalized groups are the targets. One may thing something is physically monster in appearance, but not psychologically. I agree with the definition where he said “The monster is transgressive, perversely erotic, a lawbreaker; and so the monster and all that it embodies must be exiled or destroyed.”  which he also said I agree). The political-cultural monster, the embodiment of radical difference, paradoxically threatens to erase the difference in the world of its creators, to demonstrate the potential for the system to differ from its own difference, in order words not to be different at all, to cease to exist as a system....” and so on.

When he talked about the Jews, race(African Americans) and Native Americans. The first thing I think about is what he said, because although the group is innocent and does not deserve what they got, the people that wants to destroyed them does look at them as monsters and treats them as so. When you think about lynching or (I forgot the groups name) but when people locked up and treat other with huge hips like a monster and didn’t consider the right or humans (same goes as equal but segregated). Which is exactly what he said in Thesis IV, “Through all of these monsters the boundaries between personal and national bodies blur. To complicate this category confusion further, one kind of alterity is often written as another,so that national difference(for example) is transformed into sexual difference.” He then continues with “From the classical period to the twentieth century, race has been almost as powerful a catalyst to the creation of monster as culture, gender, and sexuality.” (continues with African being the first because of their skin color in western.)

I think I agree with almost everything what he says... 

He also ends this conclusion with the topic of evil/slave

(Prospero: Mark but the badges of these men, my lords, Then say if they be true. This misshapen knave— His mother was a witch. . . . These three have robb'd me, and this demi-devil— For he's a bastard one—had plotted with them To take my life. Two of these fellows you Must know and own;)this thing of darkness I Acknowledge mine.

(Caliban:) I shall be pinch'd to death.

“The monster ask us how we perceive the world, and how we have misrepresented what we have attempted to place. They ask us to reevaluate our cultural assumptions about race, gender, sexuality, our perception of difference, out tolerance towards its expression. They ask us why we have created them.”

I think the monster he is referring to are the incidents that what people create monsters that are not really monster; since thinking something/somebody is a monster(then eliminate them) are usually all not really correct. I think people just can’t help themselves to create “monsters” that aren’t really monsters.

[aozijiang]

Memento

Christopher Nolan used fragmented and non-chronological plot, to bring the audience into the main character’s mind, with a lot of visual codes to let the audience figure out what’s happening. Christopher is known to show audience perspective in truth, reality in his other movies such as The Prestige, Inception, Dark Night, Interstellar (all after Memento).

Decline of the meta-narrative:

If the movie was in chronological order, the plot is pretty simple: Leonard wants to revenge for his wife. A few years ago, he got into an accident, his wife was killed by robbers. After that incident, he can’t remember anything after for more than 10 minutes. Memories before the incident are complete but after his memories are fragment. He writes down messages on paper or tattoo them on his body.

Hyper reality & Confusion over time and space& Fragmentation:

Just like parts of the movie, our view is confused like Leonard’s, because of his disorder, the non-chronological plot is similar to what Leonard is experiencing. Leonard can forget why he is running in the middle of running, he often doesn’t know why he is at a place and what he is doing what he is doing. Nolan used Color part as the flash back, black and White is sequential narrative, the two lines connect together at the end to show the truth. In the first scene, the scene is a reverse murder scene with color, then jumps into black and white, telling the audience that this is a story that starts from the ending. Because of the confusion of time and space, the audience are clueless like Leonard.

Truth is relative: 

People will only believe in what they believe. Leonard can’t believe, so he chooses to twist the truth and reality and construct a reason to continue to live. “I have to believe a world that is outside my own mind, I have to believe in my actions still have meaning. And if I can’t remember them, I have to believe that when my eyes are closed, the world is still here. Do I believe the world is still here? Is it still out there? Yea, our own memories reminds of who we are. I’m no different.” Through out the whole movie, you don’t know who to believe, Leonard believes “truth”, which is what he sees and heard(his writing), and doesn’t believe others easily. People that know Sammy is not the murder of his wife. The truth is always in front of you, it’s just that you didn’t saw it. Leonard has already forgot about the truth: after being rapper, his wife was still alive, it was him that killed his wife. He only kept what he wanted to remember and mixed his story with Sammy’s story.

Irony: Leonard’s memories are inaccurate, there were two people that rapped his wife, one of them is called J.G, but both of them are already died. Teddy helped Leonard to find them, but Leonard burned the photos that which he killed and wrote don’t trust Teddy (Don't believe his lies). Natalie also used Leonard’s disorder to let Leonard to kill Dodd. After killing the murder of his wife, he doesn’t have a reason to live anymore, then even killed Teddy, who helped him to lie to himself. Leonard doesn’t even really remember the murder scene of his wife’s, he even needs other people to recreate the scene to let him not forgot what had happened. Leonard’s self-deception makes him a dangerous man.

BUT then because Leonard’s memories are not reliable(truth is relative)...

was his wife really rapped? was there two murderer? Sammy is Leonard.

Nolan’s technique in fragment and non-linear narrative are common in post-modern literature. Time and reality are not certain.

“The memory can change the shape of a room, it can change a color of a car. Our memories can be distorted. It’s just a interpretation and not a record, and will be irrelevant without the facts.”

[aozijiang]

REMIX ASSIGNMENT: Ghost in the Shell & its remixes

reference link:

Ghost in the Shell(1995) & The Matrix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mTmj_Q1mhQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi7lXUv4lgA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3tF7TL0Qh4

Ghost in the Shell(TV/Manga/Movies/Spin offs) & Ghost in the Shell(2017)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpsfXLa2g-s&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5U_xvnfQEY&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KosBvDyWgnA&feature=youtu.be

http://www.businessinsider.com/original-ghost-in-the-shell-movie-influence-2017-3

COPY TRANSFORM COMBINE

Comparisons between

Ghost in the shell(original and the 1995 movie) and The Matrix:

Since hollywood decided to reaching their hands to Ghost in the Shell, I think it’s the best time to talk about Ghost in the Shell as a remix(adapt) piece. Ghost in the Shell’s backstory(1989′s Manga, 1995′s movie, 2002 and 2004′s TV, ovas and more...), not only visuals and everything else is still stunning in it’s region in anime/manga in now days, similar to Akira(1998, also cyberpunk) and EVA(1995, related in sci-fi). The most amazing thing is that it was almost 30 years ago, and has inspired many many western movies.

As shown above, there are many scenes from the Matrix that are literally transformed the same on to the scene from Ghost in the Shell. There is a difference between salute to the original piece and copy cat, like CD examples from the Everything is a Remix Remastered (2015 HD); Even though the directors from The Matrix are huge fans of Ghost in the Shell and literally “100% copy” from it, and they did not really credit it, so I think the 100% scenes could fall in as copy cat, but The Matrix does has it’s own voice compare to the superior original Ghost in the Shell.

Matrix and Ghost in the Shell have shared similar and relevant background in science and technology setting in the same strain, the characters and scenes are “copied”; however, the rest have differences, both movies are deep in their own ways(though I still like Ghost in the Shell better). The most difference is Ghost in the Shell’s philosophy is science’s extent to philosophy, political science, sociology, the subject is science. On the other hand, The Matrix used science as a tool to study philosophy, not like Ghost in the shell, it’s main focus in philosophy. We need to know that Ghost in the Shell is hard cyberpunk, in the 1990s, it talked about 3D printing, large datas, clouds and globalization, after 20+ years, these all have become true. The location of 1995′s movie Hong kong(the base setting of the future city) shows that the society and sociology plays in as a major roll. Hong kong has always been the political isolated land in sci-fi world. Ai has been so over-use by many many films now days. In one of the episode of Ghost in the Shell(TV), it takes about nature vs nurture and it’s not the choice of human, ai will get “ghost” at the end of the day. In the 1995 movie, it’s more direct: the internet program, which is “borrowed” by the Matrix and has a scene where the ai says I’m built with 1 and 0 codes and human’s are built on DNA’s, what’s the differences? The Matrixs(first)has the same level as Ghost in the Shell, the second as the same, but the third turns into only fi- and no sci-, it’s more about hype than the meaning it had from the previous two movies. On the plot, Ghost in the Shell doesn’t have a huge development in all these years, but it is the first that says so(is it though?)

This is interesting because the original name Ghost in the Shell and idea of the whole philosophy are borrowed from Ghost in the machine(1949) by British philosopher Gilbert Ryle's description of René Descartes' mind-body dualism.

 “The official doctrine, which hails chiefly from Descartes, is something like this. With the doubtful exceptions of idiots and infants in arms every human being has both a body and a mind. Some would prefer to say that every human being is both a body and a mind. His body and his mind are ordinarily harnessed together, but after the death of the body his mind may continue to exist and function.”

The Matrix used Ghost in the Shell’s ideas and turned itself as a new platform. The Matrix is not the original idea of that concept, but it has it’s own adaptions/ideas that are acceptable and unique.

Comparisons between

The (TV, Manga, Movie etc.)Ghost in the Shell and Ghost in the Shell(2017)

Since the 2017 is an adaption, I would like to talk more than the plot than the scenes even though the 2017 did recreated a lot of stunning CGIs base from the bases.

Character Setting: Because of time limit and to target a larger audience(that did not watch the original series) the plot/story is limited to open and there are fewer character that are described.

Motoko/Major’s character: In the 2017 movie, she finds herself, digs back to the past, transforms(義体化)and finds her motions. Her setting is different than all the previous films, but has a lot of shadows from the previous’ majors settings, like a puzzle of all the majors. In the original manga, Major’s personally is more feminine and young(but not stereotypes) and is funny and has interesting personal life stories, this is reflected in the 2017 than the 1995. However, because in the Major in 2017 is brain-washed and then realizes after, the whole atmosphere is rather depressing, and even not as independent as she is in the manga, having lack of leadership and charisma. However(again), in the manga, Major also will talk about soul and ai related problems with others, this is similar to the movie when Major wants to find her human traits. There are still 100% original setting, such as Major’s mother, in the TV, both of her parents are killed by a plane crash and only her and another same age boy survived because of the Ai body and they both have a sad and romantic ending. In the 2017 movie, major has a more tragic setting similar to S.A.C. 2nd GIG(2004 TV). GIG’s usage of storytelling is far deeper than the 2017 movie. 

Daisuke Aramaki’s character: because the major focus in on The Major, the movie didn’t really touch into political, which doesn’t really show Aramaki’s power. Aramaki rarely has face to face situation in the manga, but in the 2017 movie, he did. Aramaki’s character is about precise,controlling the larger picture and trusting his subordinates, which the 2017 did not portrait.

Batou’s character: in all the original, Batou is literally Motoko’s loyal alley. Loyal is also talked trough out the entire series. In S.A.C, Batou's character doesn’t have a big change, but the setting is changed to Major’s senior... In the last scene of 2017 Batou just says “Are you ok?” instead of “MOTOKO!!!” which is a bit odd, at the last Batou finally knows Major’s name and the “Say something good” “What’s your name” is really cringe... They did add the original backstory of his eye, which helps the plot(lets Major to say Yeah I trust you)

The plot itself: There really needs to be more development on Major’s inner description if the 2017 movies choice to let Major finds herself. There are so many elements and plots from the previous series to “recreate” a new story. So, it’s not really fair to compare the 2017 to the previous ones since it’s not really “new-new and ground-breaking” in the plot development... And the Ghost part is not really digging to deep, but there are time restricts so what can you ask more? Where is my Tachikoma and where is my cars... I mean it’s more about action than the “ghost”.

visual: very stunning using solograms, CGIs references to 1995 and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence(2004) the fast scene cuts(aspect-to-aspect) from the previous series did not really transferred well into the Hollywood-style, the visuals are stunning but the space and time aspect are not elevated. Props are good, fighting scenes as well. The original series already had set the high standards as realistic scenes(also borrowed by The Matrix), but the 2017 doesn’t have the details that 1995 had.

music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIVgSuuUTwQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rFW2Df5iRs

from the originals

I mean, I wasn’t excepting a good music collections from the 2017 so

Conclusions:

100%remix of the originals. I never think it would be better than the originals, but it is a good promotion to the new coming new TV series and the whole series to a broader audience. At the same time, because all of these restrictions and to appeal to more people, it will always not be the good/better one because there isn’t the“ghost” in the “shell”.

Just a whisper. I hear it in my ghost. (1995)

[aozijiang]

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Opening Title Sequence

Informations and links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY4f_83t_rw

The opening sequences was made by Blur Studios:

http://www.blur.com/work/project/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo/

blur’s official websites

“Featuring Trent Reznor’s and Karen O’s visceral cover of “Immigrant Song,” the main title for David Fincher’s portrayal of the internationally acclaimed bestselling books is a glimpse into the psyche of heroine Lisbeth Salander. A fever dream / nightmare that foreshadows the entire Millennium series, the sequence is a non-linear impressionistic story featuring breathtaking imagery and fx.”

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo/

about the scenes

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In the opening title sequence of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, director David Fincher used symbols from the plot of the movie to lead the audiences into the world of Lisbeth(the main character). The usage of lighting and moving abstract elements are ironically beautiful and violent at the same time. Although the whole piece is CG based with hard-to tell time and space, it still had a hyperreality look because of it’s features that people could still see the connections of the character(human)with their surroundings in the title sequence.

The video proposes is essentially postmodern: Lisbeth internal struggle of her past, whether you have seen the original book or not, the title sequences lets the audience have open interpretations of what the plot will be. Lisbeth Salander has a very tragic childhood and a complex characteristic. She has the intelligence of a hacker and has an anti-social like personality towards most of the people round her. She choose to revenge the rapist by tattooing “I AM A RAPIST PIG”on his chest instead of finding the police. She is a victim and a revenger. Lisbeth is open to sexuality and has always battles against violent and sadistic men physically and battles against political men for her own right. She is a strong women character that is a Feminist Hero. The sequence shows her silence screams and pain.

Description of the clip:

As the video begins with a flash to show what’s in the frame: something black and blur, I can’t really tell what the object or scene is. Second flash with a image of black oil surface. Third flash that is by the beat: some window folder with black oil dipping on top. Then there are scenes of scale which actually comes from a dragon. The whole lighting is very dark and monochrome-tone. There are some water or oil drops moving down a leather-like surface, it also has a scale-like pattern but smaller than the previous shot. Dark water floating with ripples on the top with only a little doomed light on the surface. Then black oil or water emerging on a cylinder object. Then there are oil splashing from the bottom to the top on metal pieces with leather(maybe motorcycle?). Oil dripping from the dark wall from the left side and there is a wire-like piece on the right side of the frame. Rocky surface with oil black drops sliding from left to right and back to forth. Another oil splashing effect to the leather piece again.The tire-like pattern surface cylinder is covering up by oil from right to left.

(the screenshots are not in order of the video, but with the same object or scenes, the video have arranged these different elements into different time)

Then there is a scene of water/oil going on top of a stamp that has a steel surface(top left)? and follows by a series of oil ring growing on a lighter dragon illustration. Then the music starts having the lyrics of “Ahh! Ahh!” with the title THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO on the screen with dark oily substance wrapping around the title. After the the fluid there is a top view of a screen where a human is struggling, possibly tied up and shaking, her mouth is restricted by a piece of cloth, she has a neckpiece like a dog collar. She is trying to be free out of the black oil and seems like suffocating. Then there are large keyboards with oil moving from the bottom to the top, then it flashes back to the human again, this time with a more close up side view, she is still struggling to be free. 

It then flashes back to the keyboard with the oils again and with several oil dipping down in some canal then spilling out to a human’s mouth, like blood bleeding, but still with dark oil. There is a piecing on the right side of her mouth. The lyrics are

We come from the land of the ice and snow (where the character lives) From the midnight sun Where the hot springs blow

After the mouth scene there is a scene of the same wire-texture like from the back view, I think now I can say it is definitely a wire that is dripping black oil. And there is oil dripping from a face, we can only see the lips and the end of then nose, we can not see the eyes. Then we see a oil cap that is slipping oil

lyrics: The hammer of the gods

Then there is the repeated scenes of the oil with the window like fans.

Then there is a side-view of the face where shows there is a piecing on her eyebrow, oil is surrounding her for-head and she finally opens her eyes.

lyrics: Will drive our ships to new lands

The it flowers with a women and a man connected with oil at first like a whole group then extracted, electrical-USB like devices are connected to the something.

lyrics:

To fight the horde (there is a scene of a torch lighted with fire) Sing and cry Valhalla, I am coming

meanwhile a match falls down in the pupil, two of the faces are burned and in pain with all the USB wire connecting into a piece of ball and twisting

lyrics:

On we sweep with threshing oar Our only goal will be the western shore

The women is reaching behind the man’s back, vines are coming out from the pupil, there is a phoenix rising. lyrics: Ahh! Ahh!

vines and flowers are coming out from the pupil.

lyrics:

We come from the land of the ice and snow From the midnight sun Where the hot springs blow

Then we see three scenes or the man drowning, the girl with the dragon tattoo transforming into a dragon, the man’s face coming up from the black oil.

lyrics:

How soft your fields so green Can whisper tales of gore Of how we calmed the tides of war

We are your overlords (the dragon screams, a eye crying with black oil)

a fist and a pupil, the fist punches into the women multiple times with scenes of a wasp flying out of the pupil

lyrics:

On we sweep with threshing oar Our only goal will be the western shore

lyrics: Ah!(climax) flashing figure of the women and a child.

Flower are blooming, the hands are surrounding into the face of the women. Flowers with struggles of the women and the man. Wasps flying out of the women’s mouth, needle breaking through spilling oil, bloods from the mouth, a hand reaching from the bottom like a cliff, then camera zooms into her mouth.

lyrics:

So now you'd better stop And rebuild all your ruins For peace and trust can win the day Despite of all your losing

Analysis:

Lighting: very dark and shinning because of the oil element.

Camera Angles: many extreme close up and micro shots of the object of person that makes it hard to tell what the audience is actually seeing.

Facial features and human: the women has piercings and a dragon tattoo, she is struggling to be free and is been violated by man, she is painful. the man is just like a ordinary man, but has a important connection with the women.

Animals and symbols/objects: dark oil throughout the entire piece, wasp, flower, wire, technology(keyboard, USB), fire, leather, dragon, tattoo, piercing, hands.

Music: Classic metal, edgy and dark.

I have watched the opening title sequences and the movie multiple times, the opening title sequences lead me into the original books. After finishing the books and revising the scenes from the open title sequences, there are so many important clues and symbols from the books(all three). The whole mood of the piece also sets the entire movie: dark and violent

The movie is about Crime, Drama, Mystery. There are a lot of detail scenes in the piece, but the audience can’t really tell unless they really pause and take the time to see all the details because of the jump cuts and sudden movements. The woman seems to be edgy and cool but also vulnerable. The man is also trapped and struggled unless stereotypical strong man against women. There are also more scenes of the women that suggests she is fighting against something, such as her surroundings. Wasp and Dragon are not really animals that are related to a female, which is not a stereotype of a woman. In fact, she looks more like the opposite type of a stereotypical women, even though she still gets beat up and is struggle, that does not mean she is not strong. This puts the audience’s mind set into “ok this is not a female character I had seen before.” The bodies of both the man and woman are open, suggesting that the bodies and sexuality are not closed. The song itself is not clear and rather mysterious. The lyrics has connections to mythology and God. It takes about the location of ice and snow to sun and spring. “The song's lyrics are written from the perspective of Vikings rowing west from Scandinavia in search of new lands. The lyrics, such as "Fight the horde, sing and cry, 'Valhalla, I am coming!'" make explicit reference to Viking conquests and the Old Norse religion. (Lewis, Dave (1994). The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin. Omnibus Press.)” The song fits will with the images, I think the characters are struggling to become normal or to fit into society, their world is dark and painful, they want to be free and join the spring like the green grasses and flowers. I think the scenes  show the characteristic of the two main character, especially the heroine of Lisbeth. Since she has the characteristic of both female and male traits, shying away from the image of a stereotypical women character in a crime/horror film: the one that is stupid and always scream (which is exactly the opposite of Lisbeth). The director left open interpretations to the audience to think about these two characters of the film from the start of the movie.

[aozijiang]

Blog Assignment #1  - Devolution

I agree on mostly what the author has to say and his claims, but I don’t see a need to be revolution for western civilization to grow or avoid decline. The article was written in January 2012, there are already some minor changes or claim that are different from now, but the past’s style have been revamping according to the history (which are a lot of society things that heavy effects the styles), when you compare it to the “lazy and not so innovated” 20th styles that the author claims we are.

The author discusses about “the First Great Paradox of Contemporary Cultural History” and criticizes that while technology has changed our world, the appearances of the products are not innovation. I agree on this, one example the author brings later is the Iphone. The company makes some minor changes and vamp it each year and call it new and best designs. This is not very exciting for me, so I hardly pay too much attention.

“The modern sensibility has been defined by brief stylistic shelf lives, our minds trained to register the recent past as old-fashioned.” At the same time, it is interesting to have the cycle of old styles in nowadays fashion styles. Which I think is interesting because you can see mix-matching styles from different cultures frequently in fashion bloggers/lifestyles nowadays. A person wearing “vintage/old fashion” piece from western clothing matching with eastern accessories, mixing matching gender pieces and so on. This some what contradicts with “A man or woman on the street in any year in the 20th century groomed and dressed in the manner of someone from 27 years earlier would look like a time traveler, an actor in costume, a freak.” He claims that “We were thinner, and fewer of us had tattoos or piercings. And that’s about it,” which are not considered big revolutions since these are only a few exceptions. I think that the author did not take internet/information/culture/art connections in to considerations.

One example is Harajuku fashion, though the culture set is different so it doesn’t really apply to the western side. “Go deeper and you see that just 20 years also made all the difference in serious cultural output. Movies and literature and music have never changed less over a 20-year period.” In the Nostalgic Gaze, he argues that“they never used to remake old TV shows”, and now the sequences fever from Hollywood movies and Disney are rapidly increasing by the years. “We are clinging as never before to the familiar in matters of style and culture.” The majority of the people would just follow the crowd and don’t think too much... I agree with “the more certain things change for real (technology, the global political economy), the more other things (style, culture) stay the same.” At the same time “more people than ever before are devoting more of their time and energy to considering and managing matters of personal style.” I think the reason is because everyone(majority?) “wants to be cool” and follow with the coolest and newest trends which I find so stupid, this also ties into the capitalism with the big company brand he discusses later. Fast fashion comes into play and trends will eventually come back with a few minor changes.The general people follow the big brands and become “amateur stylists”. I think people are not only aware of their styles regarding in what they use/wear/buy whether they think for themselves, but also follow icons that portraits these type of lifestyle.

I find this concept somewhat interesting because of my major: Graphic Design. Many people say that good design fits the target audience and is solving problem, such as branding. I personally think that graphic design can also be self-express like the “fine art” path (which many designers and artist does not believe in.) Think about the big revolutions of conceptual artist and so many other eras of we have in art histories, what is new to bring to the future? For now even in design classing we have tasks like: do a re-branding to make this event cooler or bring a “new and interesting” concept to let the audience be engaged. These are full-filling the needs of some one else and not necessary making revolution moves in art or history.

“Meanwhile, why are Republicans unexcited by Mitt Romney? Because he seems so artificial, because right now we all crave authenticity.” which is so ironic that people want changes, and now we have Donald Trump in 2017.

“We seem to have trapped ourselves in a vicious cycle—economic progress and innovation stagnated, except in information technology;” YES, I agree with these general claim; however, I’m not really sure we need a huge revolution to make western civilization continues to grow, or if western culture needs to be the majority and lead of the world. When you think about the last 20 years, which is the era the author claims to be lacking revolution and development, there are not many big social revolutions. Many “old” styles in women and men are because of the history and era.