Fractured in framing
Mirror: The Mountain pairs beautiful art with a rather confusing story.
the Laughing Man from GITS: SAC. As far as we know, the live-action movie is not going to focus on either, making another character, Kuze, the main antagonist instead (though we wouldn’t rule out the Puppet Master or the Laughing Man being mentioned at some point).
In the original manga, the Puppet Master is a notorious cyber-criminal who commits a large number of crimes by “ghost hacking” humans with cyber-brains, planting false memories in them, and forcing them to do his bidding. The villain turns out to be an artificial intelligence project that was created by Section 6, the Treaty Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but which became sentient and is now contemplating its own existence.
See, told you the story was deep. Unfortunately, the upcoming Hollywood movie has been plagued by criticism about the “white-washing” of the lead character. While the lead character in the manga and the anime is Major Motoko Kusanagi, Johansson’s character is actually just called “the Major”, so technically, you can’t really say she’s Major Motoko (though it would have been great to see a Japanese actress in the role, she probably wouldn’t have been able to sell more cinema tickets than Johansson).
Even the director of the 1995 anime movie, Mamoru Oshii, has come out to defend Johansson’s casting: “The Major is a cyborg and her physical form is an entirely assumed one. The name ‘Motoko Kusanagi’ and her current body are not her original name and body, so there is no basis for saying that an Asian actress must portray her,” he told online portal IGN.
“Even if her original body (presuming such a thing existed) were a Japanese one, that would still apply.”
Whether or not you agree with the casting of Johansson as the Major, there’s no denying that the character in the movie, or even the anime, is a far cry from the one in the manga.
Shirow’s original Motoko was a feisty, almost comical character, constantly berating and teasing her compatriots, getting drunk, and early on, even using her cyberbrain to force a politician to punch himself in the face.
Oshii’s animated film focused more on the Major’s search for her true self, and as a result, she was a lot moodier and even contemplative. In the GITS: SAC TV series, she is like a cross between the two: serious and downbeat, but also showing flashes of humour and humanity.
Ghost In The Shell is more than just a science fiction story – it is a masterpiece that contemplates our humanity and the consequences of allowing technology to take over our lives. Ultimately, whether Johansson does the Major justice or not is besides the point. Personally, I feel that as long as the filmmakers get the other-worldly technology and philosophical parts of Shirow’s original stories right, this is one ghost that deserves to be let out of its shell. WELCOME to Irzah. It’s a lush, beautiful asteroid that is being terraformed by mage-scientists from an organisation called the Council of Synchronia.
The asteroid has strange effects on all who visit it, most particularly animals, which become sentient and rational after being sent to test Irzah’s environmental conditions. Intrigued, the mage-scientists start conducting experiments on them in their colony, hoping to create an army of hybrid creatures to do their bidding.
Their efforts, however, may have been a little too successful. Because some of the “experiments” start to take offence at what is being done to their kind. Soon, an uprising breaks out, with humans and evolved animals on opposing sides.
Yes, at first read, Mirror: The Mountain’s story may sound like a remix of Planet Of The Apes. But rest assured, the two stories are completely different: while the Apes series is largely a war tale, this series by writer Emma Rios and illustrator Hwei Lim is more a character-driven, philosophical story that explores themes such as control, regret, and the merits of humanity.
Rios is perhaps most known for her other series, Pretty Deadly, a story of the gun-slinging daughter of Death. While that work paid homage to the Western and horror genres, Mirror: The Mountain incorporates elements of science fiction, fantasy and fable into its story.
Lim (who is Malaysian-born, by the way!) draws the Boris And Lalage Stories ,awebcomic called Hero, and is the illustrator of several children and young adult fiction books (Spirit Of The Sea, Dragonhearted).
Her artwork in Mirror: The Mountain is one of the best things about the book, and no, we’re not just saying that to be Malaysia Boleh. Lim’s lushly coloured, sparsely detailed illustrations are highly reminiscent of water-colour paintings and help create a dreamlike atmosphere for the series. And while her work on the series’s main storyline is impressive, it is in a series of mini comics included at the end of the book where her style and versatility really shines.
Story-wise, on the other hand, Mirror: The Mountain suffers a little bit. This trade paperback collects Vol 1-5 of the series, and tells the story of a large ensemble of characters. Ivan, for example, is a young mage-scientist with a strong bond to Sena, an evolved dog who is rebelling against the animal experiments. Kazbek is the enigmatic leader of the colony who may be harbouring secrets. Zun is an evolved mouse who must do some difficult things for the greater good. And Aldebaran, one of the series’s most compelling characters, is a Minotaur torn between his human and animal heritage.
All these characters find themselves involved in the animal-human conflict, and have to make tough decisions of their own. Meanwhile, disaster is brewing: the world of Irzah is about to undergo a drastic change, and a mysterious creature is stepping on stage to set things in motion....
The story’s plot must have been created by an evolved grasshopper because it jumps all over the place. Events from the past and present are blended without warning, with characters looking rather different or having very different relationships in different parts of the narrative.
This, honestly, makes it difficult to follow the story. Adding to that is the fact that the book contains many fantastical concepts (such as curses, clairvoyance, and otherworldly presences) that readers are thrown into with little explanation or context. While it is great that the book does not underestimate the reader’s intelligence, it does make for a very confusing read at times.
I have to honestly admit that my first reading of this series was like stumbling through a dark tunnel; it was only towards the end that all the puzzle pieces fit into place. The mini comics section has a helpful character and chronology guide, which made my second reading far, far more enjoyable.
So, yes, this mountain may be a difficult one to climb, but the ascent is definitely worth the time. The series raises many absorbing questions: What marks a person as truly human? Does being human give us the right to subjugate creatures we consider lesser than us? What happens when love clashes with duty? And how far should we go in the quest for knowledge?
Mirror: The Mountain invites us to take a long look at our humanity and reflect on the responsibilities that entails us.
Mirror: The Mountain is available at Kinokuniya Bookstore, Suria KLCC. Call 03-2164 8133 or e-mail ebd3_kbm@kinokuniya.co.jp or visit www.kinokuniya.com/my.