in the shell

Is Batou's dog Gabrielle a he or a she? Because when I went to a screening of Innocence last month, it consistently said "he" in the subtitles. However, everyone seems to be calling it a "she". Gabrielle is a unisex name, although for some reason I've heard it slightly more on men (but it is a fairly uncommon name anyway). Because of seeing the film (haven't read that novel people talk about), I think of the dog as a "he"...

It could be a misread and they're getting Gabriel and Gabrielle confused? Other than that I can't think of anything.

The name is Gabriel, like reads on the side of the music box. However, since it's based on Oshii's dog, it's most likely a she.

But in the subtitles they refer to it as a "he". I just wondered where everyone was getting "she" from (if it was something else I hadn't seen or read). Er... and what's the difference between the spelling? Can't you use either one regardless of sex?

Sylphisonic wrote:I just wondered where everyone was getting "she" from (if it was something else I hadn't seen or read).

Just the fact that Oshii's dog, which all these doggies appearing in his films are based on, is female. "Him" is the neutral pronoun, when the actual gender isn't known.

Er... and what's the difference between the spelling? Can't you use either one regardless of sex?

Normally Gabriel is male name and Gabrielle is female. In the case of Oshii's dog, the name is Gabriel but the actual gender is female.

Every time I see the title to the thred it reads Dodgy Question to me... Damn annoying.. and now it's going to happen to you!

james_sb wrote:Every time I see the title to the thred it reads Dodgy Question to me... Damn annoying.. and now it's going to happen to you!

Way to spam the topic James.

Well, in french, there's a great deal of difference between Michel and Michelle, Ariel and Arielle, Frederick and Frederique, Simon and Simone and I'd think no one would like to bear a name suited for the opposite sex. I'd say it's about as weird as calling a girl Thomas or a boy Tania...

In the book Gabriel (le) is a she, and he refers to her as Gabu. (which is why I named my emoticon of her gabu) If you havent read it you should, its good.

is that the same dog thats on the bridge in the first movie? or do they just like basset hounds in futuristic japan?

Oshii likes basset hounds. Even the garbage man in the first movie has one. You see them everyhwere in Oshii's work, even Patlabor.

simon's ghost wrote:Even the garbage man in the first movie has one.

Actually he doesn't - there just happens to be one in his photograph. You see the dog's leash, but the garbage guy isn't holding it. But yeah, Oshii loves to put his dog everywhere he can.

Is that so? Never noticed he didn't hold the leash, but didn't his appartment hold some kind of indication that he had a dog? Food boxes or cans or something like that...

simon's ghost wrote:Never noticed he didn't hold the leash, but didn't his appartment hold some kind of indication that he had a dog? Food boxes or cans or something like that...

None that I can remember. We only get a short flash of the place, not enough to see details like that, as far as I can tell. You might be associating it in your mind with Batou's place from Innocence.

In After the Long Goodbye, the Innocence novel, and as well on the really old site that was up for Innocence, it's said that Gabu is female. Batou calls his dog a she in the novel, and also since it's based on the dog Oshii owns, it's definatelly a she. She even voiceacted for the character. I wish I could have seen it!


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