A “MAJOR” TRANSITION

The movie “Ghost in the Shell” will be released very soon for audiences around the world. The movie’s plot is centered on the Major, who is a special ops, one-of-a-kind human cyborg hybrid who leads an elite task force known as Section 9. Section 9 is devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists. The film has drawn attention for many controversial reasons since the release of its trailer. The movie is based off of a manga of the same name by Masamune Shirow. Manga is often considered a niche part of entertainment, so a well funded, well supported movie based off of it has sparked discussions among fans as well as outsiders to the genre. Something that has also brought attention to the upcoming film is the casting of Scarlett Johansson as the main character. The main character of the manga, Major, was Japanese, so some people see the casting as whitewashing. The director of the movie, Rupert Sanders commented on the controversy of the casting and more specifically on Scarlett Johansson herself by saying “There are very few actresses with 20 years’ experience who have the cyberpunk ethic already baked in. I stand by my decision — she’s the best actress of her generation.” The movie has the potential to either make the world hate manga based movies or gain interest in them. “Ghost in the Shell” could very well decide the fate of a genre of movies.