Finally, I watched "Ghost in the Shell I". The movie was made in 1995, the year I was still a young soldier. "Ghost in the Shell II" was made in 2004. There is not much difference between two movies in the quality. You then realize how excellent the first one is!
Both "Ghost in the Shell I" and "Ghost in the Shell II" discuss one topic--what defines a being? If a cyborg's memory is faked, and the memory is so real that the cyborg thinks she/he is a real human-being, is the cyborg considered a being? If a real human-being's memory is mocked with a faked memory, is the human-being a being? If a program has self-consciousness, is it a being?
Memory is important in defining a being because each being's uniqueness and self-consciousness are formed and shaped by the memory gathered by the being's own sensors. If the barrier is broken, there is no more distinction between reality and dreams.
"Ghost in the Shell" actually inspired the movie Matrix, so there shall be no surprises if what I wrote above makes you think of Matrix.
