These
cops freely quote Descartes, Confucius, and Milton. It is impressive, but their
cybernetic implants probably help. Batou has been augmented to such an extent,
he has become a full-fledged cyborg, but he is still more corporeally human
than his commanding officer, Major Motoko Kusanagi. She took what was left of
her consciousness that she could claim for herself and disappeared into the network.
However, she still has his back in Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (trailer here), which screens
during MoMA’s ongoing film series, Future Imperfect: The Uncanny in Science Fiction.
Batou’s
new partner Togusa has very few implants. He also has a family, so he is not
thrilled about the hard-charging Batou’s tactics. The days following the Major’s
disappearance have been uncertain for the Men in Black-ish Section 9, but they
are still working cases, like the one just assigned to Batou and Togusa. A new
model of specially modified gynoids (female androids) have run amok, killing
their owners and then self-destructing. Both acts clearly violate the Asimovian
principles of android programming that still apply in this world.
Evidently,
these gynoids in question have been specially designed for adult entertainment
purposes. That explains why the victims have kept things so hush-hush. The possible
involvement of the yakuza also logically follows, but a shadowy off-shore
company is the real brain behind the gynoids’ design. With the help of the ghostly
Major and his reluctant partner, Batou will try to connect the dots, while also
fending off a brain hack and caring for his beloved basset hound, Gabu (or
Gabriel, depending on subtitles).
At
the time of its production, Innocence was
one of the most expensive anime films ever, forcing Production I.G to
co-produce with Studio Ghibli. Over a dozen years after its theatrical release,
it still looks terrific. The world-building is richly detailed and often
awe-inspiring in scope. However, what remains most striking about the film is
the intriguing relationship that continues between Batou and the unseen (but
perhaps ever-present) Major. It is surely the reason for Innocence selection for Future
Imperfect.
