MovieChat Forums > Kôkaku kidôtai: Stand Alone Complex (2004) Discussion > Motoko's childhood? *spoilers*

Motoko's childhood? spoilers

posted 15 years ago by dragon_dance
10 replies | jump to latest

After learning about the story of the boy and girl that survived the plane crash in 2nd gig, episode 11("Affection"), I'm going to assume that the boy was Kuze and the girl was Motoko. Both their parents were killed, and Kuze had relatives that stopped coming to see him. He later gets a prosthetic body after Motoko. So after Motoko gets her prosthetic body, where does she end up? We know that Kuze has family and I think Motoko had relatives as well (I believe it was a doctor that approached one of her relatives about getting a prosthetic body), so does anyone actually end up taking care of them?

There is a big gap in between their childhood (after they are given prosthetics) and into their adulthood (if I remember, Kuze went wandering after the Peninsular War and if Saito's story is to be taken true, Motoko worked for the UN during WWIV). Obviously there is nothing really said about their childhood in the series, so I wonder if Motoko/Kuze actually had people that cared about them?

Don't run with sharp objects.

Margeary is dreaming of horses.

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ludovico_88 15 years ago

Totally bad ass paralell universe: Kuze AND The Laughing Man in Section 9! Oh well..

[–] Ezekiel_Stone 14 years ago

Do you think that Kuze knew the Major was the girl from the plane? It seems to me it was never said out loud and she just said she could fold cranes with her left hand but kuze never asked her outright.

[–] Little_Korean 14 years ago

Do you think that Kuze knew the Major was the girl from the plane? It seems to me it was never said out loud and she just said she could fold cranes with her left hand but kuze never asked her outright.

I'd like to think so. Not that we're told one way or another in the show.

When darkness overcomes the heart, Lil' Slugger appears...

[–] borisliu2000 14 years ago

They definitely knew who each other were after they've been trapped underground together. It was heavily implied.
1. Motoko asked Kuze if he knew how to fold Orgami Cranes.
2. When Batou came to rescue Motoko he saw Kuze embracing her.
3. The Major wasn't herself after Kuze's death as suggested by the final scene and the music during it. (and we later discovered that she left section 9 in the movie Solid State Society.)

[–] Little_Korean 14 years ago

They definitely knew who each other were after they've been trapped underground together. It was heavily implied.
1. Motoko asked Kuze if he knew how to fold Orgami Cranes.
2. When Batou came to rescue Motoko he saw Kuze embracing her.
3. The Major wasn't herself after Kuze's death as suggested by the final scene and the music during it. (and we later discovered that she left section 9 in the movie Solid State Society.)

Motoko definately knew, or at least suspected. Kuze, I don't know. Dude seemed off in his own little world so it's debatable whether he would have cared to ask even if he did suspect.

When darkness overcomes the heart, Lil' Slugger appears...

[–] ebrock1988 14 years ago

i'm pretty sure he cared. after all, he was still making the paper cranes.
personally, i think they both knew. WAAYYY too much hinting for it to be otherwise.
in fact, just before he died, when he said "i'll go on ahead," i think he was talking to her.

[–] dman2832 14 years ago

I've been on a spree posting this so i'll post here too. I watched SAC a second time and again it bugged me the doubts of whether the major and Kuze knew each other.

in 2nd gig the major constantly says she knows him. Kuze says when they meet in ep 25, "how many times have we met? 3, 4?" but continues to ask who she is. i would have thought that meant he acknowledged who she was... i guess not though.

She asks him if he can fold cranes left handed, he says yes with software, then asks if she can, to which she says, she has learned to. They hug after this and does that mean that they acknowledge that they have been acquainted since childhood.

To make matters more confusing, the major on the helicopter ride back with kuze in custody randomly exclaims, "I know him." Really now what is the deal... Did she not know before, did they never affirm their identities with each other. The external memory bit... Did Kuze give up his memory of his childhood to a storage lady... Want to know how that end ties up. Any answers from manga or opinions on this

Their bond was really enriching to the story. wish it could have been resolved better.

[–] ebrock1988 14 years ago

well, as we've all said, while the matter is still ultimately left to the viewer to decide, it's at least HEAVILY implied that they do know.

it seems to be implied several times that the Major's body is a standard model, in which case there might be numerous doppelgangers out there, so even if Kuze recognized her as resembling the girl he knew, it wouldn't make sense for him to assume that she was, in fact, the same person.

I'm not sure exactly what the deal is with the old lady in the shop, though a few ideas come to mind:
1. she'd supposed to be some kind of clairvoyant, based on her "psychic energy" comments.
2. prosthetic bodies retain some "imprint" of former occupants, residual memory data that isn't automatically erased when the user ugrades, and she has a knack for accessing this data. Remember what that commander said in 1st GIG when S9 blew up the empty bodies? he said to check the cyberbrains for "traces of residual use."
3. Kuze told here the story when he left the bodies with her.

[–] Unicorn_Blade 15 years ago

They ere the kids from the plane.
It is so sad, and heartbreaking, when you think that the girl survived and he never knew anything about it, even though she was by his side for such a long time.

The bon between them was so deep, although they have not seen each other for so many years, and were only connected by this plane crash.