caragnafog dog wrote:I really liked this too, though that comes as no surprise (I like Oshii in general).
Even Innocence? I have a hard time liking GITS2. I felt more of a deep sense of appreciation than entertained or thought-provoked. The movie was bogged down dramatically by just too many flaws that could have been avoided with just a little less self-indulgence.
caragnafog dog wrote:What do you make of the ending? Cynical? Ambiguous? The bit after the credits is giving me trouble too; Kusanagi greeting the replacement (ostensibly the clone, although how that works I'm not sure) in a warmer fashion would seem encouraging only because it's different from what happened the last time.
The ending is very interesting, as it solidified the anticipation I had. There was foreboding that they were in this kind of circle, but that Oshii spelled it out with so much dry humor conjured a smile on my face. I don't think the punchline was cynical... It somehow felt a little bit hopeful to me. Because no matter how much they fucked up, they could get it remotely right next time. As Kusanagi said, this war is a game.
BTW (This might be the only Oshii movie I know with a very good sense of humor. It never felt wrong or took away from the gravitas of the story. It just made everything a little bit laid back and thus more believable. Yes, the setting was nice).
caragnafog dog wrote:Whatever the answers to those questions may be, I'm a little down now. It's a separation sadness of a movie I liked, but couldn't rationalize some of the events within, not to the degree I'd like to anyway. If I give it some time I'll probably figure out whether those questions in the spoiler are even the ones worth asking or not. I'm a bit jumbled.
This is very interesting, because all in all the movie felt incredibly straight forward to me (at least for a movie by Oshii). But please, don't hesitate to ask whatever questions, I certainly would not rule out the possibility that I've missed some important stuff!
And yes, THE VOID hurts every time it hits after some good fiction. I feel with you.