Tankpot

Ghost in the Shell is one of those franchises that just keeps on going. From the original manga way back in 1989 to now, there have been three full manga volumes, three animated movies, one live action movie, four seasons of tv and a tv movie, not to mention video games and hundreds of other instances of licensed merchandise. Hell, at one point you could get Ghost in the Shell airsoft guns. It’s not surprise that a movie as seminal as Ghost in the Shell (1995) would spawn a plethora of sequels, prequels and moneyspinners. Look at literally anything that is both well regarded and commercially successful, especially for something that did as well on the home video market as GitS ’95 did. What’s surprising is how consistent, barring a couple of notable exceptions, the quality of Ghost in the Shell as a franchise has been. What’s really surprising is how, for a cyberpunk property originally released in the late 1980s, it has tried to remain prescient and relevant. Without going too

+++ Taken From Essays On Humanity: Vol. CCXI Speaker: Brother Lieutenant Abrahim Sahn, Ultramarines Third Company. Transcription begins +++ It has a lot to do with memory, I think, how we remember… being. I remember, years ago, during a moment of personal doubt, Chaplain Durin asking me what my humanity meant to me. I told him that it gave me something to fight for, gave me purpose. He made an odd sound, I recall. I realise now that I wasn’t talking about my humanity, but humanity in general. The species. I hadn’t actually answered his question, you see. But, in a way, I had. I would have liked to talk to him about it more, but he fell in battle thirteen years ago. Such is the way of things. If I could speak to him now, how would I answer the question? What does my humanity mean to me. Hmm. Well, I think now, I would ask him back, what is it to be human? I am older. I have fought alongside humans of all stripes for decades. And every single time, regardless of who they are, I h