In order to save this podcast from going for 4 hours, Connor and Niamh had to crash the satellite that our old Audacity files are stored on into a nuke, but it’s okay, we don’t need them anymore anyway.

Before our heroic, fiery death in the sky, we talk about things like Kuze (and not Elon Musk) as a great man of history; the incoherence and failure of the narrative structure of 2nd Gig as demonstrated by its complete disinterest in exploring what a bioroid even is; how 2nd Gig does try to explore some of the themes of the death around the Puppetmaster but as an inversion, and how this draws on the themes of ashura Noh; how 2nd Gig fumbles a lot of these themes, especially around the character of the Major; the concept of virginity as it is clumsily deployed in the show; the conclusion of the political aspects of 2nd Gig; the imagery of the cherry blossoms used in the final scenes; our plans to eventually cover all of Ghost in the Shell; a digression into NANA; and some final thoughts on how political theory and ideology is handled in the show.

By the way, if you are interested in NANA, Niamh will be back next week with a bonus episode featuring Em of Abnormal Mapping where we dig into the manga! You can also check out their guest appearance on Ornate Stairwells mentioned in the post-ED section here: https://ornate-stairwells.pinecast.co/episode/317edfc9/cure

Write into our Question Bucket at [email protected] and follow us on Twitter!

The Show: @ghostdiverspod
Niamh: @FoxmomNia
Connor: @rabbleais
Niamh’s mediamh pile: @mediamh_pile

Export Audio Network: exportaud.io
Ghost Divers: exportaud.io/ghostdivers
Ornate Stairwells: exportaud.io/ornatestairwells

Check out our official schedule at exportaud.io/divingschedule!

Works Cited in this Discussion

“The Major’s Body (10): Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd Gig” by Claire Napier (full series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

Content Warnings for this Discussion

Brief discussion of COVID
Death & suicide
Sex, sexuality, virginity, and rape
Misogyny and sexism
Alcohol & food

Find out more at https://ghost-divers.pinecast.co

This week on the podcast, 2nd Gig has started to try to bring in more of the case-of-the-week format, but some of the skill and magic of the first season is gone.

We dig into the incongruence of the few case-of-the-week episodes; 2nd Gig’s growing fascination with creating backstories for characters; the geopolitical allegory of 2nd Gig and specifically Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution and its connection to Japanese nationalism and fascism; the show finally developing the Tachikoma some more; podcasting is synchronizing your consciousnesses; the quality of the animation in 2nd Gig; more backstory on Kuze and how it relates to Noh theater and themes around death; Koestler’s theories in The Ghost in the Machine; the difficulties and problems of even the good-faith reading of what happens between the Major and the boy Chai; Niamh’s apparently inexplicable love of 2nd Gig’s Wings of Desire episode; themes around the failures of heroism and leadership, and the beginning of the end…

Write into our Question Bucket at [email protected] and follow us on Twitter!

The Show: @ghostdiverspod
Niamh: @FoxmomNia
Connor: @rabbleais
Niamh’s mediamh pile: @mediamh_pile
(Oh I did kill GarfReadAloud shortly after this, sowwy)

Export Audio Network: exportaud.io
Ghost Divers: exportaud.io/ghostdivers
Ornate Stairwells: exportaud.io/ornatestairwells

Check out our official schedule at exportaud.io/divingschedule!

Works Cited in this Discussion

The Ghost in the Machine by Arthur Koestler

“The Major’s Body (10): Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd Gig” by Claire Napier (full series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

Content Warnings for this Discussion

Sexual harassment, abuse, and rape
Pedophilia and child sexual abuse
Sex, sexuality, and sexism
Body hacking & possession
Food & alcohol

Find out more at https://ghost-divers.pinecast.co

Hey all. Just as a general note, it is very hard for Niamh to talk about episode 11 without spoiling some minor and vague details about how this relates to later episodes, so if you are especially spoiler shy, just be aware of that going in.

We talk through a wide variety of topics, including some of the political maneuverings in 2nd Gig; the importance of names and faces in the show; the monstrous body and anti-cyberization; Gōda’s ideology, psychology, and political goals as we understand it so far; anti-cyberization as an oppression metaphor; notions of justice in Stand Alone Complex; Niamh’s objections to the episode “Grass Labyrinth — AFFECTION” and how it illustrates what fae feels is a fundamental misunderstanding and disjointing of the Major as a character in the series more broadly; questions about how individuals relate to collectives, how individuals relate to individuals, and how collectives relate to collectives; and a little more about Noh theater.

You can see the Tarot spread from the post-ED section here: https://twitter.com/ghostdiverspod/status/1477663533164896258

Write into our Question Bucket at [email protected] and follow us on Twitter!

The Show: @ghostdiverspod
Niamh: @FoxmomNia
Connor: @rabbleais
Niamh’s mediamh pile: @mediamh_pile

Export Audio Network: exportaud.io
Ghost Divers: exportaud.io/ghostdivers
Ornate Stairwells: exportaud.io/ornatestairwells

Check out our official schedule at exportaud.io/divingschedule!

Works Cited in this Discussion

The Ghost in the Machine by Arthur Koestler

Content Warnings for this Discussion

Dental trauma and removal
Bomb implanted in body
Racism, xenophobia, and other forms of discrimination
Suicide
Identity theft including a doppelgänger
Autogynephilia & transphobia
Alcohol talk at the very very end of the post-ED section

Find out more at https://ghost-divers.pinecast.co

It’s here! It’s time! We’re watching through Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd Gig. We know that Niamh doesn’t like is as much as the first season, but will Connor agree? Only time well tell…

In this episode, we discuss topics such as how 2nd Gig differs structurally from the first season of Stand Alone Complex; the explicit inclusion of politics into the story; discontinuity and homage in 2nd Gig; the handling of sexuality and sexism; the significance of names; Noh theatre; the historicity of 2nd Gig’s Japan; and more!

Write into our Question Bucket at [email protected] and follow us on Twitter!

The Show: @ghostdiverspod
Niamh: @FoxmomNia
Connor: @rabbleais
Niamh’s mediamh pile: @mediamh_pile

Export Audio Network: exportaud.io
Ghost Divers: exportaud.io/ghostdivers
Ornate Stairwells: exportaud.io/ornatestairwells

Check out our official schedule at exportaud.io/divingschedule!

Content Warnings for this Discussion

Violence
Cyberbrain hacking / possession
Depictions of sex work
Sexism, misogyny, and sexual harassment
Disability and disformity
Anti-immigrant and anti-refugee politics

Find out more at https://ghost-divers.pinecast.co

Glyph Catchers are back with a brand new podcast, Dumpster Divers! We’re watching bad movies and just really razzing on them, you know? Just really kickin the snot out of them. Just totally sticking our tongues out all like “Pllrrbbbttttt!” as we really take the piss out of these real stinker movies. These real garbage can, dumbo, no good movies. We love to devote hours and hours of our lives watching movies we hate and making fun of them for you to laugh at, because you also hate the movies too. We are bonded in our shared desire to just dislike everything.

This is justice. This is what we were built for. Criticism doesn't define us. What we hate defines us. We know who we are and what we're here to do. And that's to really pants Ghost in the Shell (2017) and give it a swirly for April Fool's Day.

Write into our Question Bucket at [email protected] and follow us on Twitter!

The Show: @ghostdiverspod
Niamh: @FoxmomNia
Connor: @rabbleais
Niamh’s mediamh pile: @mediamh_pile

Export Audio Network: exportaud.io
Ghost Divers: exportaud.io/ghostdivers
Ornate Stairwells: exportaud.io/ornatestairwells

Check out our official schedule at exportaud.io/divingschedule!

Content Warnings for this Discussion

Alcohol
Racism & orientalism
Sexism & brief discussion of sexualized violence

Sorry to people who really hate April Fool's Day. The actual episode will be out at the regularly scheduled time, we just decided to try doing an episode on the 2017 movie, but wanted to mostly keep it secret in case we did it and ended up hating the result. 2nd Gig starting on April 1st ended up just being a perfect excuse to do this.

Find out more at https://ghost-divers.pinecast.co

Hey all, I know you all might be a little confused here seeing something called Ghost Divers in your feed when you were expecting another episode of hit Pokémon podcast Glyph Catchers, but, well… I’ll let you just listen to the episode to see why we decided to change the podcast. I hope you all will join us on this new adventure.

Anyway, we watched Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence and talked about such topics as how to pronounce Unown; the Seel and Spheal evolutionary lines; Ghost-type Pokémon; the animation style of Innocence and how it relates to thematic elements of the narrative; PS2 graphics and Digital Devil Saga; the intentional imperfections and ugliness of the character designs; the influence of Noh theater on Ghost in the Shell; the location of the ghost and modes of embodiment; the mind/body duality and the alienation of the self from the self; the dichotomy of dolls and gods as the only perfect means of existence, and how the movie complicates this idea; beauty and ugliness and the aesthetics of wabi-sabi; the interrelation between dolls, pets, and children; the role of the Major in this film; and more!

Next time, we will be back to discuss Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2nd Gig with episodes 1–6!

Write into our Question Bucket at [email protected] and follow us on Twitter!

The Show: @ghostdiverspod
Niamh: @FoxmomNia
Connor: @rabbleais
Niamh’s mediamh pile: @mediamh_pile

Export Audio Network: exportaud.io
Ghost Divers: exportaud.io/ghostdivers
Ornate Stairwells: exportaud.io/ornatestairwells

Check out our official schedule at exportaud.io/divingschedule!

Works Cited in this Discussion

Fūshikaden (A Mirror of the Flower / The Transmission of the Flower Through the Forms) by Zeami Motokiyo

Content Warnings for this Discussion

Sex trafficking
Child sexual abuse
Dolls and corpses
Cannibalism
Body horror
Trapped in bodies

Find out more at https://ghost-divers.pinecast.co

Welcome to the overstuffed Ornate Stairwells / Ghost Divers crossover event! Niamh watched Ghost in the Shell (1995) and recorded a Stairwells episode about it with Autumn, then a few days later recorded a Ghost Divers episode about it with Connor. Then fae stitched both conversations together. It’s a whole lot of Niamh and a whole lot of Ghost in the Shell. It's also, hopefully, two interestingly different but connected looks at the same work.

Next week Niamh and Autumn will be back to talk about Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.

Don't forget that Ghost Divers will be recording the Question Bucket for Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence soon. The deadline to write into our Question Bucket for this series is March 11, 2022. You can write into ghostdiverspod@gmail and follow us on Twitter!

///////Credits for Ornate Stairwells (00:00:00):

You can follow Niamh on twitter @FoxmomNia and listen to faer other podcast, Ghost Divers, by going to exportaud.io/ghostdivers

You can follow Autumn on twitter by going to @Autumnal_Coffee and listen to all of their podcasts by going to exportaud.io.

You can see how we rated this stairwell and all the other stairwells by going to exportaud.io/stairwellquality

///////Credits for Ghost Divers (02:24:24):

The Show: @ghostdiverspod
Niamh: @FoxmomNia
Connor: @rabbleais
Niamh’s mediamh pile: @mediamh_pile

Export Audio Network: exportaud.io
Ghost Divers: exportaud.io/ghostdivers
Ornate Stairwells: exportaud.io/ornatestairwells

Work Cited in Ghost Divers: “Ghost in the Shell: the Major’s Body (1)” by Claire Napier (full series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

Content Warnings for this Discussion: Depression, suicide, body horror, dyadism, sexism

You can also get listen to Ornate Stairwells (and could've listened to this episode of Ghost Divers) a week early by giving us a dollar on the patreon!!!

Find out more at https://ghost-divers.pinecast.co

“In that fleeting moment when Connor and I were facing off against the Major, we envisioned the outcome of our discourse, and the hairs on the back of our necks stood on end. After assessing the situation and taking all the factors into account, our experiences as podcasters led us to one conclusion: we were about to die.”

The Show: @ghostdiverspod
Niamh: @FoxmomNia
Connor: @rabbleais
Niamh's mediamh pile: @mediamh_pile

Export Audio Network: exportaud.io
Ghost Divers: exportaud.io/ghostdivers
Our Diving Schedule: exportaud.io/divingschedule
Ornate Stairwells: exportaud.io/ornate stairwells

Release Schedule

[S1E1] Intro: February 18, 2022
[S1E2] Ornate Stairwells Crossover Event: Ghost in the Shell (1995): March 4, 2022
[S1E3] Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence: March 18, 2022
[S1E4] Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd Gig, eps. 1–6: April 1, 2022
[S1E5] Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd Gig, eps. 7–13: April 15, 2022
[S1E6] Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd Gig, eps. 14–19: April 29, 2022
[S1E7] Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd Gig, eps. 20–26: May 13, 2022
[S1E8] Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society: May 27, 2022
[S1E9] Question Bucket: June 10, 2022

Works Cited

“The Major’s Body (10): Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd Gig” by Claire Napier (full series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

The Ghost in the Machine by Arthur Koestler

Content Warnings for the Anime

Gore / Head Trauma / Dental Trauma
Violence / State Violence
Suicide (especially episodes 12 & 13)
Torture
Domestic Violence
Sexual Harassment / Abuse
Dyadism / Sexism
Sexuality / Partial Nudity
Depictions of Sex Work and Exploitation
Pedophilia / Child Sexual Abuse (especially episode 17)
Ableism
Rapid Flashing / Loud Noises / Rapid Gunfire

Find out more at https://ghost-divers.pinecast.co

We are joined again by Autumn Blake to talk a little about the Utena manga and answer all your emails! We also have some updates about our new diving schedule with official announcements of our planned guests for future series Baccano!, Serial Experiments Lain, Paranoia Agent, and Kino’s Journey.

For the manga, neither Connor nor Autumn had the chance to read all of it, so Niamh gets a little into her takes but we move on pretty quickly to your wonderful emails. Highlights include good shōjo pulls; the gang mostly not knowing Homestuck; why we all love Nanami; Niamh’s well-documented hatred of all ATLUS games; how Connor and Autumn apparently just wish Utena was Yu-Gi-Oh!; an extended diversion into the best cooking competition show ever made, MasterChef Australia; tucking; Revolutionary Girl Pootana, poo; and which Utena character is a toxic gamer.

You can write into future Question Buckets at [email protected] and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!

The Show: @ghostdiverspod
Niamh: @FoxmomNia
Connor: @rabbleais
Autumn: @Autumnal_Coffee
Niamh’s mediamh pile: @mediamh_pile

Export Audio Network: exportaud.io
Ghost Divers: exportaud.io/ghostdivers
Our Diving Schedule: exportaud.io/divingschedule
Ornate Stairwells: exportaud.io/ornate stairwells

Content Warnings for this Discussion

Grooming, rape, sexual abuse, and sexual assault
Alcohol and drug use
Sex and sexuality
Animal death

Find out more at https://ghost-divers.pinecast.co

It’s time for what if Magic Knight Rayearth was Redline!

We talk about the relationship of the movie to the show; look at some of the characters that only briefly appear in the movie; the unreality and unreality of Adolescence of Utena; our different reads on the movie, which honestly might just be our attempts to describe the same unified read but fractured through our own perspectives in the same way different characters speak of eternity, that which shines, miracles, or the power to revolutionize the world; the outsized presence of Shiori in the movie compared to some of the other minor (and even major) characters from the show that barely appear in the movie; what the hell is going on with Touga; the image of liberation at the end of the movie and how it relates to ideas of potentiality rather than the promise of utopia (including a call back to our least favorite series we covered last year); and more.

Also, don't forget that we will be recording the Question Bucket soon. The deadline to write into our Question Bucket for this series is January 29, 2022. You can write into ghostdiverspod@gmail and follow us on Twitter!

The Show: @ghostdiverspod
Niamh: @FoxmomNia
Connor: @rabbleais
Autumn: @Autumnal_Coffee
Garfield Read Aloud: @GarfReadAloud

Export Audio Network: exportaud.io
Ghost Divers: exportaud.io/ghostdivers
Ornate Stairwells: exportaud.io/ornatestairwells

Content Warnings for this Discussion

Rape
Sexual abuse
Grooming
Sexual exploitation
Sex and sexuality
Pedophilia
Child abuse
Violence
Suicide
Drowning
Homophobia

Find out more at https://ghost-divers.pinecast.co