Battle Angel

Work Title: Battle Angel
Medium: Film
Episode Title:
Year: 1993
Writer(s): Yukito Kishiro
"Original" Writer: Yes Writer(s):
"Original" Writer: Own work?: No

Summary:

This movie takes place in a distant future, and is the story of a the young cyborg Gally, who is found on a scrapheap by the Cyberdoctor Daisuke Ido, who rebuilds her and becomes her surrogate father. Gally has no memory of her past, but soon displays remarkable fighting skills. She starts working as a bounty hunter and meets a young boy Yugo, who has the impossible dream of going to Zalem. A giant satellite floating above the city. Not realising that Yugo's dream can only end in misery Gally sets out to help him.

- Written by Thomas B Mikkelsen in IMDB


Era/Year of Portrayal: distant_future

Distinctive characteristics of the world in portrayal:

Most of humans are replaced to humanoids and live upper city, but they do not know they are humanoids.
A few remaining humans live lower city and admire humans who live upper city.
There are all sorts of lies and frauds in regards with humanoid bodies and tickets to the upper city.


Technology

  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: Humanoids.
  • Description of the technology: Humans' brains are transferred to computer processors of humanoids.

    Humanoids have infinite power sources, but they need some regular maintenance.

    Humanoids have the same sensory and bodily interfaces that humans have.

    Ultimate quality of robotics. All the upper and lower city'people believes that upper city's citizens are humans. Even for people who have partial or full robotic bodies believes that at least their brains are real. But, in fact, their brains are replaced to computer processors.

    A scientist who know all the secrets controls the entire world by this technology. The scientist also replaced his brain to computers as well.
  • Nature of task or activity: They live together.
  • Performance of the Technology: Humanoids body parts and brain chips are fixable and replaceable, and works as intended.
  • Description of creator(s): A mad nano-tech scientist.
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): The scientist wants to do interesting experiments, and to control the word to get subjects and materials for his experiments.
  • Description of users of technology: The main character is a young female humanoid, and discovers she is humanoid soon. It is hard to distinguish real humans among all humanoids.
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: social_presence
  • Description of presence experience: It questions what is humans. Characters fight for being themselves and for existence. There are suicidal or self-destructive acts on upper side citizens who realized their brains are replaced into chips. On the other hand, there are other humanoids that destroy and steal other humanoids to live forever.
  • User awareness of technology during experience: They can not realize the technology until they see their brain. On the other hand, there are some humanoids that already know their brains are computerized.
  • Valence of experience: They live with humanoids.
  • Specific responses: There are different types. 1) hate being humanoids 2) admire to being humanoids 3) desperate to payoff their mechanic body price 4) trying to being a human when they realize that they are humanoids.
Long-term consequences:

Robots are acting more like a human, but humans are doing inhuman behaviors. The ending was endless fights and questions for being humans.

Other:

Director James Cameron has rights to the film adaptation of Battle Angel in US, but he is working on Avatar sequels before starting Alita.

Cameron's producer Jon Landau says “I am sure you will get to see Battle Angel. It is one of my favourite stories, a great story about a young woman’s journey to self-discovery. It is a film that begs the question: What does it mean to be human?' Are you human if you have a heart, a brain or a soul? I look forward to giving the audience the film.”

http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=35136

Coder name: Hocheol Yang
Coder email: visions@live.com
Coder affiliation: Temple University