Yes, the Ghost in the Shell Changes Do Matter

All the changes made to Ghost in the Shell for its American remake may not seem that important, but one video has summed up why they do matter.

The American remake of Ghost in the Shell won’t have Major Motoko Kusanagi as we’ve come to know her in the decades since the manga first debuted and when the first movie came out in 1995. We already know that Scarlett Johansson will play the main role, and that her name will be Mira, as evidenced by a clip released last week.

Here’s the thing: that matters. Not even just for the sake of accuracy to the original material — but for the point of representation.

Still not sure about that? With a hat tip to io9, check this video by Chewy May and Jes Tom out. You don’t even need headphones. Just your eyes.

Here’s the story told: an Asian girl discovers Ghost in the Shell. She picks up the graphic novel featuring none other than Motoko Kusanagi.

We then see her, clearly grown up, taking a look at the poster for the new movie, featuring Scarlett Johansson, and we then see her as a little girl again, affected heavily by this change.

Johansson might be a pretty bankable actress and has talent, to be sure. This video isn’t a knock on her. It instead makes a point a point about trying to change something that didn’t need to be changed and ruining a chance to see an Asian heroine on the big screen.

The short video ends with a simple sentence: “Movies aren’t real, but they affect real people.”

Motoko Kusanagi is a cyborg in a world that doesn’t exist, but she’s also a badass heroine, and we need more characters who look like her and act like her now more than ever.

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In less than two and a half minutes, this video has summed up the major (pun intended) problems with Ghost in the Shell. The movie premieres later this month.