Yesterday, the 7th episode of the new animated Ghost in the Shell series released on Prime Video. The new animated series is produced by Science SARU, based on Masamune Shirow’s 1989 manga series. The series began airing on 7th July on a simultaneous global release schedule, with weekly episode drops, giving the worldwide community the chance to discuss the series episode by episode.

In the last few episodes, the series had moved away from the Puppet Master arc introduced early on, and we got a string of self-contained episodes, featuring rampant cyborgs, corrupt government officials, and international terrorists.

Episode 7 brings us back to the Puppet Master story arc. It begins with The Major and Aramaki investigating an incident at a synthetic organ workshop, where the machines seemingly went rogue and created a fully functioning cyborg body, which then escapes. However, a vehicle ploughs into it, damaging the body pretty significantly. At this point, it seems as though it will be another stand-alone episode.

They retrieve the body, and after investigation determine that it may have its own ghost. Some people then arrive from Section 6, demanding to see what is inside the cyborg body. After some analysis, it is announced that the body is, in fact, the Puppet Master! The team have already previously believed they’d apprehended the Puppet Master, so at this point, Aramaki is understandably dubious. The representatives reveal, however, that as part of a plan, they managed to destroy the Puppet Master’s body, and effectively forced it into this one.

The Puppet Master demands asylum, but there is an attack on the facility, and the body disappears in the commotion. Batou gives chase, and it is determined that it is actually Section 6 who are stealing the body. The escaping car is incapacitated, but an explosion damages the body of the Puppet Master even further. They attach a battery to the failing body, and The Major dives into the body’s mind to gain intel. 

This is where the episode gets very existential. The series has been very much leading up to this point, with a lot of questions asked about the nature of the ghosts, how they interact with cyborg bodies, and where the line sits between organic and synthetic. 

The Puppet Master reveals it is not merely an AI program, but was effectively an immaculate conception of sorts, born out of the matrix of data. This is an evolution of the concept of synthetic intelligence, suggesting a moment of singularity. With its body failing, and no network to jump into, the essence of the Puppet Master finds a new, hitherto unknown option, and effectively ascends to a different plane of existence.

These heavy concepts are difficult to put across visually, but the animators of the series have a damn good try at it. During this sequence the visuals are in turn abstract, beautiful, vague, overwhelming. 

The Major weeps as she witnesses all this from within, and it is looking like the beginnings of an existential crisis for the character, someone who had already been questioning the nature of her existence. It is an almost religious moment in a series about technological processing. Has the Puppet Master ascended to a spiritual dimension, or does this new form of existence still sit within the realms of science and technology? What effect will this experience have on The Major going forwards? With only three episodes left now, the series has asked some big questions, and now needs to stick the landing if we’re to be provided with satisfying answers.

What did you think of episode seven? Are you glad to see the series returning to the Puppet Master arc, and the existential questions at the heart of the series? Or were you enjoying the more straightforward, stand-alone episodes? Let us know in the comments.

You can watch the new Ghost in the Shell series on Prime Video with a valid subscription, and episodes will be released every Tuesday. You can enjoy the show’s opening sequence below –