in the shell

Pazu and Boma intrigue me greatly.

They seem to be shadows of other members in their roles within the team.
Pazu along with Togusa appear to be the detectives of the team,working leads on the ground.We know that Togusa is an ex-cop,but I got a theory that Pazu is ex-yakusa (in which case I wonder how he was recruited).

Boma has even less screen time than Pazu,but seems to be Ishikawa's shadow,working the net digging up evidence.Also in a episode he defuses an atomic bomb,one of the bomb disposal guy asks him how he knew how to do it,he answers that he used to PLANT them.Makes me think that he's maybe a goverment trained black op's/counter intelligence agent.

This is only guesswork of course,unless the writers had said otherwise.
But I find these characters interesting because so little is known about them.

Anybody got any other thoughts?

I have never given Boma much thought: you're right, he gets so little screen time. Even Pazu got a showcase ep, where he confronts his crazygonuts ex lover. I think Pazu is more intriguing because he is quiet and broody, whereas Boma comes off as a real average joe. I'd forgotten about that bomb-planting line: it's a very enticing line, but it goes by so fast, I think a lot of people, like me, missed it. He has shown himself to be competent: maybe he also doesn't stand out because he isn't pulling anything silly, barking with bravado or complaining about things. He's mellow.

it's strange that Boma gets so little dialougue and screentime, but I like it like that. They should keep his character a little bit mysterious, it makes it more suprising when they use him for some unexpected role; e.g. the car crash assasination and his sapper thang he did defusing the bomb.. like they say, it's always the quiet ones

The creators definetly seem to favor pre stand alone complex G.I.T.S. characters over those created for stand alone complex. However I think they do this because the fans enjoy it that way more. Would you rather see more Bolma and Pazu and less Batou or Togasa or the major? I doubt alot of fans would say yes. Personally I think they should get a tad more screen time, not alot, just enough so they feel like real Section 9 members and not stand alone add ons. I mean all we know about Bolma is he is Section 9's bomb expert and also seems to be Ishkawa's part time dive room underling and Pazu's unofficial partner. And Pazu's episode didn't really tell us anything about how he came to be Section 9's informate (nor did it disspell rumors of Yakusa ties) it just showed us he is worthy of the tittle enigma, as is Bolma.

Both Paz and Borma appear in the original GitS, but they get barely any speaking roles - I'm not sure if Paz says a word in the entire volume. Borma makes a couple of comments, at least. Saito, too, gets very little screentime. He at least makes a cameo in the first movie, though his face is left unseen.

Lightice wrote:Both Paz and Borma appear in the original GitS, but they get barely any speaking roles - I'm not sure if Paz says a word in the entire volume. Borma makes a couple of comments, at least. Saito, too, gets very little screentime. He at least makes a cameo in the first movie, though his face is left unseen.

Saito got quite a bit of screen time.

They were in the original manga? Thanks for pointing that out. Having never read the original manga, I only assumed they were new based upon their treatment in SAC and the fact that they are the only SAC team member's that appear in neither movie (I think).

AJB2K3 wrote: Saito got quite a bit of screen time.

In the movie? He doesn't say anything - Aramaki just commands him to get the assault squad ready. In the manga he makes some comments, but I wouldn't call his appearance exactly lengthy.

Saito got a showcase ep in Vol 4 of the DVD's, where he relates how became part of the team. The Ep "Poker Face" is almost all Saito, and told from his POV. So, he's had time int he series, if nothing else.

I've always wondered how much of Saito's story was true. A lot of stuff doesn't make sense, especially the part where the major recruits him instead of killing him or taking him captive. In a lot of ways he is still an enigma.

On a related note, I wonder if he and the other less prostheticized members of section 9 would eventually be forced to adopt more prosthetics, possibly go full cyborg, as time passes and the technology becomes more effective, safe and easy to implement, etc. and increases the disadvantage they face with ordinary flesh and blood parts. One of the whole themes of ghost in the shell is the increasing transformation of man into machine, both in terms of physical parts and what their minds are capable of and how the mechanization and synchronization of human minds through the net and cyberbrains affects individuals and society.

The Stand Alone Complex series does a great job of starting down the road of possibilities, but I want to see the end game that all this mechanization will lead to. This would probably be a difficult subject to envision or concoct a good story about, but somebody ought to try it.

Elmo wrote:it's strange that Boma gets so little dialougue and screentime, but I like it like that. They should keep his character a little bit mysterious, it makes it more suprising when they use him for some unexpected role; e.g. the car crash assasination and his sapper thang he did defusing the bomb.. like they say, it's always the quiet ones

I forgot who Boma went after in the car crash assassination. Who was it?

douyang wrote:
On a related note, I wonder if he and the other less prostheticized members of section 9 would eventually be forced to adopt more prosthetics

Are you talking about Saito? I thought he and everyone besides Aramaki and Togasa were highly cyborized (at the very least 50%). The Major is 100% and Batou is probably 80% but you really think Saito is significantly less cyborized than them?

As far as I know, only Saito's left eye and right arm are cyberized. Of course, he also has a cyberbrain (that's gotta be a given.) Togusa and Aramaki only have cyberbrains, as far as I have been able to glean. Borma has the eyes and cyberbrain, and the extent to which Paz, Borma, and Ishikawa are cyberized is unknown. I would say that Ishikawa is not very cyberized, due to injuries that he took in certain episodes. The Major and Batou, I think are the only ones in Section 9 who are fully cyberized, ie 100% mechanical, except for a few remaining brain cells. It's possible that Borma is also 100% cyber, but that's deduction and speculation.

Indeed, in the Stand Alone Complex Saito is the least cyberized member after Togusa. In the manga Major is the only full-prosthetic cyborg in the team, but in the movie, or at least in Innocence Batou has gone full-cyborg, as well. Other's are left less clear, but I largely agree with Neuromancer's decuctions.

There is a small mistake near the end of the 2nd Gig, though - there's a scene that shows almost all the members of Section 9 doing the "cyborg jump", including Saito, although no mention has been made of him increasing the number of his implants. Though since we only saw it by glimpse, it's possible that someone else was assisting him.

I see. I could have swore I read everyone minus Togasa and Aramaki are 50% cyborg. I'll post if I find a solid source for this statement but what you guys are saying seems to be the truth.