GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX - Episode 24, "BARRAGE"
Barrage is a great episode. something that always stands out to me about SAC is simply how much they manage to fit into a twenty minute episode. this particular episode operates as an anticlimax of sorts, in essence a second half of episode 24.
It's quite funny to me how effortlessly Saito is apprehended - i'm sure this says something about his position relative to the Ideal Soldier of the Future. he's neither super cybered up, nor super jacked in to the internet. he and Paz are very similar in that regard.
Barrage is probably the most overtly romantic Ghost in the Shell episode, at least in the first season. You see, it's MISSION CRITICAL that Batou disobeys orders to find the Major's sole sentimental keepsake. normal coworker behavior. this is to say nothing about the intimate hiding-from-police-helicopter scene in the Major's OTHER safehouse, or how he cries out her given name(!!!) in anguish when the sniper shoots her head off.
the bit with the Tachikomas coming to his rescue of their own free will is cute too. something that I find fascinating about ghost in the shell is the contrast between Batou and Togusa as "human" characters. for the most part, the Major is entirely inhuman and operates on a cool, calculated logic and finesse that's very blatantly the product of her distance from 'humanity.' Togusa is directly meant to contrast the typical "section 9 attitude" by being a much more vulnerable character, both physically and emotionally. he's the most human character in the show. except, not really. Togusa demonstrates all of the weaknesses of 'humanity'; he is a weaker and frailer than his colleagues, he's pretty naive at times, and is a lot more easily rattled. I think the character that most represents the strengths of humanity and connect is actually Batou. both season finales regard Batou's ability to connect with other people (his ability to be human) as the thing that ultimately succeeds in saving the day. in Barrage, it's his dedication to the Tachikomas that drives them to return the favor and save him (and the Major's watch, the thing the finale is REALLY about) and later intercept the nuclear missile fired at dejima. Batou's empathy is also responsible for saving everyone on the tactical team from the sec4 ranger squad.
this is not to say the Major isn't a human character - in fact she goes to great lengths to assert her humanity, and in regards to being a human organism, she handily proves her own existence a thousand times over. her personal sense of freedom and choice are irrepressible, and that's fucking awesome. but 'being' isn't necessarily the same thing as 'doing.' Batou 'does' humanity the best out of the whole cast. And he thinks the Major's the best thing since sliced bread, and trusts her with his life. Batou is less concerned about personal freedom, but perhaps more concerned with personal responsibility. the Major says she's willing to change her entire persona at the drop of a hat if need be in episode 24, which we come to learn is partially bullshit - the persona she maintains is very much intentional and something that has great sentimental value to her. but it's not entirely bullshit. the Major is someone willing to unreservedly adapt herself to new circumstances. Her sense of self is strong enough that she doesn't fear change changing her. Batou is perhaps more reliant on structure. Jungle Cruise shows us how surprisingly regulated he is as a person. he's committed to his role in society, and considers his past selves discreet categories separate from who he is in the now. a lawman doesn't kill without orders to do so, and he's a lawman at that moment. when he's no longer a lawman in Barrage, he doesn't have any qualms with mulching the tactical team sent to intercept him at the Major's villa - something he DOES have qualms with in This Side of Justice when facing off against the sec4 rangers, as he is again a lawman. Batou is a man that, in order to remain human, needs to understand and acknowledge his limits - this is why his hobby is weightlifting.
anyways can we talk about how Togusa is the "Potential Man" of SAC? the guy's a fraud and powerscales below ever other member of Section 9.
0 masterminds apprehended
0 witnesses saved from death
"Just wait until Batou's .45 jams!" "He's just too nice!" "He has a wife and kid to take care of back home!" "he's held back by his minimal cyberization!" (ignores Saito and Paz)
If Togusa was with the Major in germany i GUARANTEE he would've somehow killed that blind girl. Goatoko Kusanagi would never...
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