Brain-Diving Batou

If the world were a just place, the director Oshii Mamoru would be hailed as the next great cinematic visionary for his latest feature film, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004). A sequel to the original Ghost in the Shell film, which was in turn based on the manga by Shirow Masamune (an alternative romanization of the Japanese name Shiro Masamune), Ghost in the Shell 2 dispensed with much of the action and characterization of the first film in favor of visual ruminations on the nature of humanity, love, and technology. Despite the film's breathtaking visuals, some reviewers have argued that the film falls short in terms of the story, which consists mainly of a murder investigation very loosely held together by a few narrative threads. However, a film like Ghost in the Shell 2 should not be viewed for such mundane details as plot or dialogue: it is through the visual elements of the film that Oshii tries to communicate his meaning.

How then should one approach Yamada Masaki's novel Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence: After the Long Goodbye? Although Oshii's film is a wonder of visual style over plotting and narrative, on the printed page Yamada does not have such artistic recourse. After the Long Goodbye is a prequel to Oshii's second Ghost in the Shell film and takes place immediately before the events depicted in the film. The novel follows the adventures of Batou, a cop with the elite Section 9 police force who is also the film's main character, and the mysterious events that surround him.

After the Long Goodbye occupies a unique position in relation to Oshii's film. The novel was originally serialized in the Japanese animation magazine Animage, which has a long-standing relationship with Oshii—it is where Serafimu~2-oku 6661-man 3336 no tsubasa (1994-95, Seraphim: 266,613,336 wings), his manga collaboration with Kon Satoshi, was serialized, as was his monthly film column "Mamoru Oshii's Visual Diary" (Oshii Mamoru no eizō nikki). Yamada's novel began its serialization in Animage before Ghost in the Shell 2 was released in Japan, serving as both a lead-in to the story as well as an advertisement for the film's impending release. Th is means that some fans of the Ghost in the Shell universe in Japan would have gone into screenings of Innocence already aware of the events that transpired in After the Long Goodbye. In this way, the novel serves as a building block for an understanding of the film—of course, one can be enjoyed and understood without the other, but taking the two works in conjunction creates a well-rounded pairing of the printed word and the visual image.

The novel begins with Batou having dreams of a son, an impossibility since he is a cyborg and incapable of biological reproduction. His life is relatively well contained—since Major Kusagani left for parts unknown in the first Ghost in the Shell film, Batou has turned inward, occupying his time with his job and taking care of his dog Gabu (short for Gabriel). One evening on his way home from a shopping trip to pick up dog food, Batou gets into a mysterious car accident that could have killed him many times over. He escapes relatively unscathed, but during the accident his e-brain was forced to reformat itself so he could keep functioning. When Batou gets back home, Gabu behaves oddly toward him; a little bit later when a postman comes to the door to deliver a package, Gabu slips out of the apartment while Batou is distracted.

Batou goes off to look for her, but she seems to have disappeared completely. Although seemingly a personal crisis for Batou, Gabu's disappearance begins to merge with events taking place in Batou's working life. As he investigates more deeply, Batou begins to discover clues linking...