“Ghost in the Shell M.M.A. – Messed Mesh Ambitions_” second feature is published

The media project “Ghost in the Shell M.M.A. – Messed Mesh Ambitions_” is designed to contemplate and discuss various subjects facing contemporary society while actively continuing the many pioneering “questions” posed by the “Ghost in the Shell” series.

 

The theme of the second edition is “Outlaw.” It will be supervised by Tsuji Yosuke, editor of the independent web media DOZiNE, and the Kitakyushu branch manager of DOZiNE and outlaw researcher Reverse Shitone Madoka.

 

While Public Security Section 9 in “Ghost in the Shell” operates as a public security organization under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs, it functions as a sort of “outlaw” entity, adhering to a code of conduct distinct from that of the police, military, or even the government. The missions assigned to Section 9 and their methods of solving them are also extralegal. While the organization has established a chain of command with Section Chief Aramaki, followed by Major Kusanagi, members primarily execute stand-alone missions, allowing each member to act at their own discretion. In order to conduct an inquisition, the inquisitor must be well-versed in what is considered heresy. Similarly, the detective division tasked with cracking down on organized crime groups comes to resemble the very groups it seeks to dismantle. This same logic makes Section 9 an “outlaw” entity as it deals with crimes unique to the parallel world of modern Japan, where cyberization and prosthetics have advanced for the sake of technological efficiency and convenience in life.

 

In this special feature, based on the outlaw nature of the “Ghost in the Shell” series, we will not directly criticize “Ghost in the Shell.” Instead, we will focus on the stories that have not received much attention in the series and pick up on points of contention that have not been adequately addressed. Our aim is to chart an escape route to the outside (outlaw) of the principles of the series by allowing each commentator to elaborate and freely expand on a stand-alone basis. However, if we weave together the unique escape routes drawn by each commentator, a truly faithful picture of the “Ghost in the Shell” series may emerge. We hope that you won’t concern yourself too much with the body, city, gender, sex, group, family, or the entirety of the work itself. Instead, we invite you to enjoy the diverse perspectives and discussions presented by these outlaw commentators with an open mind.

 

Read the article “#01 | Outlaw” here(English version is coming soon).

 

Illustration: Heijiro Yagi