Episode 10

Everyone's Reactions

The finale just wrapped up, and I’m feeling all sorts of emotions deep in my chest. It was so thrilling to see Major Kusanagi, reduced to just her head without an义体 (prosthetic body), think 'This is death,' only to find out her backup had actually rotted away! Watching Motoko become an 'isotope' after merging with the Puppeteer, I felt a mix of bittersweet sadness and hope as she said that copies would delay extinction. Seeing those classic lines from the manga—'Life bears fruit on the branches' and 'The Net is vast'—was worth the long wait. A heartfelt thank you to Science SARU! This series didn’t offer the straightforward, comforting clarity of the Oshii films; instead, it captured that wonderfully dense, hard-to-pin-down essence of Masamune Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell. I’m a bit sad that the spin-off manga is starting, but knowing I can meet the Major again whenever I log into the Net gives me some comfort.