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From acclaimed Japanese writer/artists Masamune Shirow, the creator of Appleseed, Orion, and Dominion: Tank Police comes a new dystopian tale of tough-talking cyborgs, political intrigues, and the kind of actions best left covert! The beautiful and deadly Major Kusanagi and her crack team of internal operatives are sent to investigate a government factory with questionable labor practices. As it turns out, their labor practices aren't the only thing to be questioned when the major and her team are met by a most unwelcoming welcome wagon!
Metaphysics on Adrenaline: Pure, Smart Entertainment
| Customer Rating:  | Those of you who are major fans or followers of The Matrix may know the film received inspiration from the philosophically-intense anime, Ghost in the Shell. The 1995 film introduced the world to a smart, visually-groundbreaking adult animation, but for all the praise it received, Oshii's vision lacked the heart to make it pure entertainment, like The Matrix succeeded in becoming.
It's surprising then, when one learns of the manga on which Oshii's film is based. Not only is it smart, complex and visually appealing, but writer/artist Masamune Shirow presents his sci-fi epic with an air of wit and attitude, giving it a personality that absorbs readers, continuing to spawn new works both related and inspired fifteen years later.
The best part about Ghost in the Shell is that, unlike the film, it isn't afraid to have fun. As deep and philosophical as Shirow gets, he never strays too far from the lighter side of the picture, cracking jokes and playing around with visual gags to keep the reader entertained. The characters are also developed pretty well, or at least better than in the film...a lot regarding the characters' lives, specifically the Major, is left to the imagination. Still, the core of the cast - even the capable yet eccentric Fuchikoma robots - come alive with Shirow's writing and art, creating character's you'll actually care to follow, and not just try to comprehend.
Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell is a true treat for fans of metaphysical concepts or traditional sci-fi entertainment. Those who liked the 1995 film but found it lacking will find what they're looking for here, and anyone else looking for a smart yet amusing graphic adventure would do well to give it a shot. If the film is groundbreaking and praiseworthy, then the manga is a true literary classic in its own right. |
Super Cool Sciencey Metaphysical Comic Book
| Customer Rating: | Ghost in the Shell takes place in the future populated by cyborgs - people with mechanical parts. The stories follow a team of assasins and through their exploits we get to see the world they live in.
There are definite philosophical metaphysical concerns in Ghost in the Shell. If a person has mechanical parts at what point do they stop being human? The definition of life is dealt with from a legal standpoint by Team 9. In court cyborgs are evaluted to see if their "Ghost", the part of them that represents their inate humanity and not programming, is responsible for crimes they have committed or if the crimes are a computer malfunction. One of the plots running through these stories deals with "The Puppeteer", a computer program which has become self aware and developed a ghost.
Introducing these philosophical concerns in an action heavy plot makes for a nice balance. By making humanity a legal technicality the philosophy is made neccesary to the plot and flows well.
I also liked the sciency footnotes (and endnotes), which pepper the pages of Ghost in the Shell. They explain this or that bit of real technology which could lead to this bit of fiction being real. Basing science fiction on real science tends to be a bit silly but it is fun to see.
The graphics in Ghost in the Shell are good. Each chapter starts with a few color pages and the rest of that chapter in black and white. This makes for a nice balance where I've got my color pics but the book doesn't cost an arm and a leg. The drawings themselves are well done. I probably would like many of them much more if I were a guy though.
I highly recommend Ghost in the Shell. It was fun to read and cleverly written. I hope it never goes out of print. |
A massive work
| Customer Rating:  | | Ghost in the Shell is peak era Shirow material. Without doubt the culmination of his science fiction work. The story takes place in the classic "near future" cyber-punk setting [much like that of William Gibson's Neuromancer with a dash of Appleseed] and focuses on Section 9 a kind of domestic Rainbow 6. The art is mind-blowing. Shirow's ability to capture movement is superior among comic artists anywhere. His action sequences are breath taking. Good enough to keep you starring at the page long after you've read the content. Most of the characters are classic military/para-military types. Batou is my favorite. He is bold, reckless and overly aggressive but never particularly serious. Kusanagi works well as the main character, calculating and insightful. The story itself is difficult to summarize. The cases [and/or case?] move at a phrenetic pace -- it may take two or three times reading a section to understand what happens. The shear complexity and scale of this work is truly impressive. So much so you will still find additional plot details re-reading it. Even with the TV series and two movies based on the story there is still plenty of material in the graphic novel to tell more. The plot however is more intelligent than deep. Exploring the intricacies of technology and shooting people isn't deep thinking no matter what people tell you. Cyber-punk as a whole just isn't deep stuff and Ghost in the Shell is no exception. If you want "deep" read the Bible this story isn't deep -- it is intelligent. Ghost in the Shell rarely touches on morality or true philosophy. Questions are asked but conclusions aren't often drawn and if so the answers are not clear. Shirow himself seems to take for granted the reader understands the technology of the story and rarely takes time out to explain things outside the scope of the story itself. There is an Index of sorts in the back and you are best off reading it first. All in all this is a seriously good piece of work and will survive as such long after the genre itself is dead. |
influenced
| Customer Rating: | hey ,it inspired mamoru oshii to make ghost in the shell, the cult classic anime film,which also inspired the wachowski brothers-the dropping green digits at the begining and the landing and breaking roof scene,may ring your bell- to make the hit movie the matrix,reloaded and the up coming revolutions.and it's all thanks to this man masamune shirow.
the book is an action comedy,a lot of comedy,unlike it's film,with the same theme of the film though,should we consider an A.I. and cyborgs a life form,plus more detailed stories of the cyborg cops routine life.there are even some cameo from other shirow's characters from his other books,like the appleseed characters in page 21 and the cat sisters ,from dominion:tank police,page 161.
influential,fun ,informative and enjoyable book.and it's all illustrated and written by one person.nice
p.s. check out the fifth panel in page 161,a small box,written on it"masamune shirow's original artwork,all you can carry 100 yen"funny. |
Japan's Neuromancer
| Customer Rating: | | Ghost in the Shell is a written and artistic masterpiece - wonderfully written, beautifully drawn, and very deeply researched (read the Author's notes and see what I mean @_@). It seriously is not far away from the same realm that the likes of Neuromancer had treaded several years before it. Several decades into the future (2030, to be exact), medical, computer and robotic advancements have placed humans completely dependent on technology to survive. Humans are often augmented with robotic/cybernetic parts, or even completely converted into robots, retaining only their brain (the main character, Motoko Kusanagi, is all robotic except for her spinal cord and parts of her brain). Because of this, the meaning of a human soul is even more skewered than before, now called a "ghost" for ethical reasons and just being politically correct. If necessary, the person can still look just like a normal human being - the only thing distinguishing them from a regular human is their weight (aside from tearing them apart and peeking at their insides). What's ironic, though, is that the highly-trained technicians building and maintaining these robots are mostly sexy nurses in very... "revealing" outfits. This may be Shirow's style after all, but I find it really funny in the end XD Since the world is still far from perfect, there is still law enforcement and military forces around to keep the civil from the uncivil. This is where Section Nine of Shinhama's Public Security comes in - the highly secretive and covert team which most of the characters are employed and involved with. They deal with the usual terrorists and cybercriminals (hackers and such), but when they start to get on the track of the Puppeteer (one of the worlds' most notorious hackers), things start to really get dicey, and not just with the people inside the book. You'll really get a thorough mind-bending when you're done with this (I'm wondering how many times Shirow had to re-write the ending because of how deep it really is). Which is where I come to it's only bad part: the orderlyness. Shirow throws out these new plotlines and story figures at whim, confusing the reader to no end. Let's not even forget the explanations to everything, especially at the very end. I HIGHLY recommend reading this a few times to get the gist of everything - you are DEFINITLY going to need it. But that is only a minor scratch to the finely crafted diamond that is the final product. I would recommend this manga to any person who even has a REMOTE interest in science fiction, and even if they haven't read or watched anything from Japan. I wouldn't be suprised if this would become required reading for a highly-esteemed University class. |
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