Book Description
Deep into the 21st century, the line between man and machine has been inexorably blurred as humans rely on the enhancement of mechanical implants and robots are upgraded with human tissue. In this rapidly converging landscape, cyborg super-agent Major Motoko Kusanagi is charged to track down the craftiest and most dangerous terrorists and cybercriminals, including "ghost hackers," capable of exploiting the human/machine interface by re-programming human minds to become puppets to carry out their criminal ends. When Major Kusanagi tracks the cybertrail of one such master hacker, the Puppeteer, her quest leads her into a world beyond information and technology where the very nature of consciousness and the human soul are turned upside-down and inside-out.
Customer Reviews:
good from a noob point of view.......2007-08-01
a few color pages every chapter. i find it kinda hard to fallow in some places. the art is good. idk for about story wise how it compares to the orignal.
The ultimate Ghost in the Shell ^_^.......2007-01-15
This is the ultimate Ghost in the Shell manga! The 2nd edition has 18+ rating and so it includes original adult content :-) Also it's printed on a really quality paper with A5 dimensions so it's quite handy and nice. For GitS fans who don't have the 1st edition this is a must buy. Go for it you won't be disappointed ^_^
Great read.......2007-01-15
This book excellent. The author uses great choice of words. Overall, this is a great read.
Good, and uncensored..........2007-01-06
Well, what can I say... If you're a Ghost in the Shell fan, and you don't like getting your mangas censored (as in, entire pages removed), then get this edition of the Ghost in the Shell manga. It's much easier to follow when compared to the second manga (man machine interface) - which actually has very little to do with the first one. I'm not going to go over the story as I'm sure most of you who are looking at this item have seen either the movie or the TV series, and now wish to read the original work. So I thought I'd be a little more technical with my review, firstly, I would say that the paper is awesome quality, not the standard dull paper which is normally used for paperbacks, in terms of color pages, unfortunately, that's where the second manga kills the first, the second manga had so much in color (about half) it was almost hard to believe, this manga is for the most part just black and white with the occasional 3 color pages thrown in here and there. I've given this 4 stars because I think it is not as enjoyable as some of the other mangas I have read, but overall, not a bad purchase, do note that the drawing style is quite old, don't expect the same style as the second manga as that is much newer than this one.
BE HUMAN.......2006-02-06
Ghost in the Shell is more of an accumulation of stories printed over several years by the mysterious Shirow Masamune instead of a deftly plotted piece, so it reads more like an anthology than a series. Major Kusanagi is the lead operative for "Section 9", a covert anti-cyberterrorist unit in 2029 Japan. In this somewhat realistic future, the bodies of humans can be modified with cyborg implants, or even more extreme, the "ghost", or soul can be moved to a fully robotic body of various shapes and sizes. Even the most normal humans can communicate with each other through the net through receptors placed inside them. The big problem this world is having is the blurring of what is machine and what is human. Another one is that because we are connected over the net, viruses and hackers can actually take over the human will and force them to commit crimes. That's where Section 9 comes in. They have to deal with political assasinations, suicidal/homicidal cyborgs, criminals who can change bodies, and machines that want the same rights as us! And they have to deal with all this behind the scenes without bringing any attention to themselves or the public will cry murder.
While the art of Ghost in the Shell can be offputting at times because of its cartoonish style, (for example, most of the male characters look like simians), once you get used to the art, you can find real beauty in it. Masamune draws attractive women particularly well, and in this second edition, some more erotic elements enter into the fray. The artist is at his best when Ghost is in more traditional action mode instead of when Shirow descends into psychobabble about the nature of consciousness. As evidenced by the voluminous notes on his sources, I'm sure HE knows what he's talking about, but does the average reader? But the notes do help on some of the plot points. The design of the book is exquisite and it makes me wonder why Dark Horse did not put out this edition originally instead of making us buy two copies.
I would highly recommend the excellent Stand Alone Complex anime, which focus more on the action elements. The two films, on the other hand, deal with the psychobabble and are inferior to the manga and the TV show.
Book Description
March 6, 2035. Motoko Aramaki is a hyper-advanced cyborg, a counter-terrorist net security expert heading the investigative department of the giant multi-national, Poseidon Industrial. Partly transcending the physical world and existing in a virtual world of networks, Motoko is a fusion of multiple entities and identities, deploying remotely controlled prosthetic humanoid surrogates around the globe to solve a series of bizarre crimes. Meanwhile, Tamaki Tamai, a psychic investigator from the Channeling Agency, has been commissioned to investigate strange changes in the temporal universe, brought about by two forces, one represented by the teachings of a professor named Rahampol, and the other by the complex, evolving Motoko entity. What unfolds will be all in a day's work...a day that will change everything, forever.
Customer Reviews:
Terrible.......2007-08-26
This book is terrible. While I enjoyed the first Ghost in the Shell, I was hugely disappointed in this "sequel." The storyline is convoluted, confusing, and just about makes no sense. It is chock full of technobabble that I suppose a hardcore cyberpunk fiction fan might comprehend but for an average anime fan, just goes way over my head. At least with the first GITS you could understand what was happening. Not so here. The characters are flat, lifeless, and devoid of any humanity, despite being very sexily drawn. All in all, this story is a colossal bore and a chore to read through. The only redeeming quality is the visuals, with truly outstanding hand and computer rendered art. If it weren't for the visuals I would give this book one star. All this shows that style does not make up for a lack of substance. This book is a piece of junk that I couldn't even sell for a lousy 3 bucks. I guess other people have caught on to how bad this clunker is. Avoid this title at all costs!
Ditto.......2007-07-03
The art and graphics are wonderful but the story is difficult to stay into, if you like hot manga chicks with wild sci fi visuals get this but just expect the story to be very dense.
Pretty computer graphics, but really no story.......2007-02-07
The original "Ghost in the Shell" was a watershed graphic novel that defined the standard for the genre, but this sequel just doesn't hold a candle to the original. A huge disappointment.
The original explored cybernetics, cyborgs, the nature of consciousness in the body, and tossed in such political realities as government-sponsored wetwork, supersoldiers, and intragovernmental infighting.
In this wan and thin sequel, Motoko fights computer viruses and mentally joins with a new silicon-based life form.
Frankly, that COULD be an interesting story, but it's pretty slow, tedious going here. We get page after page of Motoko shouting anti-virus commands to her robot assistants while we gaze up her skirt.
Oh, and Motoko regularly shifts her consciousness between bodies. But don't worry, all of the bodies are Manga Barbie-dolls with pneumatic boobs and Shirow gives you an gynecological exam of each one.
Shirow uses a LOT of computer generated and enhanced graphics in this book, and also there's a greater percentage of colored pages than the original, but it doesn't help.
A lot of the images from the original book have glued themselves securely in my mind because of their outrageousness and verve, but after about forty up-the-skirt shots of Motoko's various android twats in this book, I'd had enough.
Shirow has unfortunately dumped this series right into the "Vampirella Reborn" genre.
The overall effect is like a swimsuit issue of a magazine. Nice to look at, but you'd feel pretty slimy going back for a second look.
this is GREAT.......2006-07-13
I don't care if the format of the pages is not in full comic book page size. I don't care if the story is unusefully intricated and totally ununderstandable (at least for a common human being with only one bachelor....) : Masamune Shirow is THE MASTER and his ART is GREAT. You look at the computer colored pages: they're GREAT. You look at the b&w pages: they're even BETTER! The details and the design is amazing! I hope soon a fully large format b&w pages will be edited!
Important and beautiful, but confusing - and too many crotch shots.......2006-04-17
A dense work that gets a little bogged down in techno-cyber talk and descriptions of the intricacies of computer virus defense software rather than story or character. The constant switching of the heroine's physical form is a neat plot element, but it does make it hard to identify with anyone in the story. There are just too few handholds to guide the reader through the stories. And, the endless sexy crotch-shot drawings of the heroine's various android bodies in mid-karate-kick actually became a little uncomfortable for me when my girlfriend was in the room.
Customer Reviews:
Thank you, Mr. Yamada.......2006-09-19
Mr. Yamada, thank you for writing this book. No other book has brought tears to my eyes from just reading the prologue. While you considered this book to be a hard-boiled detective story, I found it to be the quest of a cyborg for his dog, and also the search to find out if a cyborg has a soul.
This is really an excellent little book. I wish that Masamune Shirow had writing chops like Yamada. The author is an excellent writer, and now I'm going to have to see if there are other books of his in translation.
The author explores some of the aspects of Shirow's postulated future, with e-brains, cybernetic enhancements, way too much connectivity and too little information. The only downside to the book is that it is short.
Don't miss this "quiet" release!.......2006-03-25
I'm a Ghost In The Shell fan. I enjoyed the films and LOVE the SAC series.
I'm a science fiction fan. William Gibson is easily one of my top 3 authors, I really enjoyed Stephenson's "Snowcrash", and read and enjoyed "cyberpunk" voraciously until it became a rather tired genre.
So how I missed this wonderful novel until now, I'll never know! "After the Long Goodbye" is a very worthy addition to the GitS universe, and by the nature of its setting, has a cyberpunk feel to it, but it's so much more mature and thoughtful than much of that genre.
It wrestles some big questions, and even poses some interesting answers. It's written in the 1st person from Batou's POV, which surprised the heck out of me in the first two pages, but Yamada has done a wonderful job of putting the reader in the big guy's head without betraying what we've seen on the big and small screens. It's also surprisingly free of the techno-pron I'd expected. I expected almost excruciating detail about weapons, cyborgs and so on but, as Batou himself says, he's "no otaku". There's easily as much philosophy and technology in this novel, as befitting the GitS universe.
Strangely, after the first few pages, I sort of gave up on it being a "GitS novel". Little reference to Section 9, a few token appearances of Togusa, no Aramaki, and of course no Motoko... it does not seem like an unaired episode of GitS. However, by the end of the novel, all of the threads come together and you realize that, yes, it's very much a GitS story, one bigger than the television screen, but perhaps too quiet for the big screen. If you read it, perhaps you'll know what I'm trying to say.
By the way, it's a quick read, only 180+ pages. Also, the afterward "interview" with Yamada and "Innocence" director Mamoru Oshii is a treat, and offers some fascinating insights into their approaches to this universe, and the "Innocence" film itself.
Highly recommended, and required for GitS fans.
A Great Piece of Literature in its Own Right.......2006-02-21
I picked up After the Long Goodbye during a quick stop at Borders Bookstore for something to read on a long road trip later that day. While browsing around, I just happened to notice the book cover with Batou and his Basset Hound. I was very intrigued, since I had heard nothing about a novel coming out for Ghost in the Shell.
At first, I was afraid that it would read very poorly, either due to a bad translation or because of some defect in original source material (since it is a tie-in to the movie). However, I was completely wrong on both counts. This novel is very sophisticated in its language and reads extremely well. Like some other reviewers, I hope that people won't disregard this title just because it's based off of an anime/manga series. I normally take a very long time to get through any novel, but this was a hard book to put down. I definitely recommend it to anyone that is either a fan of the series or sci-fi/cyberpunk in general. The ways in which most things are written here, from the characters to the action and intrigue, were definitely handled with care. Kudos to the translators and the original author.
Souls, friends and dogs........2006-01-28
This book is all about Batou - and the many questions he has. Does he have a soul? Why did Gabriel go? Fighting tanks, the yakuza, fast food, racing hounds, homeless guys and the question of where love comes from.
This is set before the second Ghost In The Shell movie, Innocence, and also has a bonus discussion between the director, Mamoru Oshii, and the author, Masaki Yamada.
There's gun fights, advanced science, philosophy and surreal scenes of the 21st Century.
Surprisingly good.......2006-01-27
Yeah, it's a tie-in. Get over it.
What we have here is a well-written and thoughtful take on Philip K. Dick territory in a William Gibson world. What does it mean to be human, to love, to feel empathy? As more and more of your body and even your brain are replaced by machinery, how much of your humanness remains?
It may help to have some familiarity with the two Ghost in the Shell films, but it probably isn't necessary. The novel does a fine job of setting the scene, describing the characters, and explaining the future tech and philosophical questions that drive the movies. There's action, of course, suspense, intrigue, science fictional ideas explored, but at its heart the book is character-driven, following a cyborg who doesn't dream of electric sheep because he almost never dreams at all.
I expected this to be a quick, fun cyberpunk read in an interesting SF world. It's a lot more than that, and it shouldn't slip past the SF-reading world unnoticed.
Book Description
The year is 2030. Advances in robotics and cyberbrain technology have transformed the world into a miraculous place where almost anything is possible — even the melding of humans and machines. In this not-too-distant future, the crimes of flesh and metal are investigated by Section 9, an elite counterterrorist squad headed by Chief Aramaki and his cyborg first-in command, Major Motoko Kusanagi. When dead bodies, drained of blood and with two bite marks on their necks, start turning up on the streets of Tokyo, it isn’t long before the entire city is in a panic. As Major Kusanagi and the other members of Section 9 investigate the killings they begin to wonder — is the killer a real vampire or something much worse? In a dark world of murder, where cyberbrain hacks and treacherous conspiracies reach to the furthest heights of government, Section 9 is all that stands between the people and anarchy.
Customer Reviews:
whats to say.......2007-04-06
if you like the anime you should like this to because it was not a story in the anime series it is it's own story. but i got to warn you it was written by one of the writers of the anime and it reads like it to. you should also read the first two books also.
Good concept, poor execution.......2007-04-02
These novels, based on the films and manga Ghost in the Shell, illustrate how hard it is to translate from Japanese to English. To do so successfully, especially in fiction, the translator must also be a good writer. Unfortunately Camellia Nieh, the translator, is not and the novels come across as what the industry used to call "Juveniles" or books targeted at high school age kids.
The publisher probably has a contract with this translator to do the entire series, I wish they would put them through a rewrite after Camellia finishes with them, it would make these novels much better.
This is a review of the listing, not the book.......2006-12-30
I wish the listings made it clearer which of these are manga and which are novelizations. I enjoy the first, but dislike the latter, and wouldn't have bought this if I'd known it was a novel.
Vampires?.......2006-12-22
White Maze by Junichi Fujisaku is a novel based in the Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex universe. It seems that very important people among the government's elite are being killed. By vampires. Of course nobody within Section 9 believes a word of it. But when they start running into people with fangs and brainwashed minds, they start to wonder what is going on?
Another novel with plots within plots, wheels within wheels, a great book with Motoko, Batou and Togusa. Plus S&M, the wild Tachikomas and lots of combat action.
Average customer rating:
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No Ghost Just A Shell
Kathryn Davis ,
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Manufacturer: Walther Konig
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ASIN: 3883756644
Release Date: 2003-05-02 |
Book Description
AnnLee is an avatar, a virtual being made in Japan for the animated film industry. She was intended as a third-rate character, one with few personality traits, designed to lead a brief life. In 1999, French artists Pierre Huyghe and Philippe Parreno bought the rights to her, gave her a name, and initiated a project to fill the empty entity AnnLee with stories and ideas generated by other artists and writers, including Liam Gillick, Dominique Gonzales-Foerster, Richard Philips, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Molly Nesbit and Hans Ulrich Obrist.
Book Description
In the not-too-distant future of 2032, the frontier dividing humans and machines has been crossed. Crimes committed by flesh-and-metal cyborgs are investigated by Section 9, an elite counterterrorist squad run by Chief Aramaki and his cyborg assistant, Major Motoko Kusanagi. Section 9 has faced countless adversaries in the real world and in cyberspace, but none like “The Awakened.” It is believed that this lethal group of terrorists can take over the minds and bodies of almost anyone. Used as tools to commit crimes against the state, the victims are unaware of who or what is controlling them. When Major Kunasagi captures one of the victims, she hacks into his cyberbrain to learn the ringleader’s identity — what she discovers leads her on a journey deep into the heart of cyberspace, a journey that shakes her to the core.
Customer Reviews:
A very entertaining story. Must have for GITS fans.......2007-09-20
I bought this book a few days ago and I almost finish it. What I like thi most about it is that I can imagine every scene as I read through the pages. The story is as complex as what you would expect from an episode of the SAC series.
Basically this is just like another chapter of the series, but in the form of a book; it even mentions the Laughing Man case.
The book has some typos in it, but it's not a big thing. For example, one of the characters name is Shikawa, at some point the book uses this name to refer to Ishikawa, obviously a typo.
Other than that, I have no complaints whatsoever about this book. I'm glad I bought it. I ordered the other books, so I'm waiting for them to arrive. I highly recommend it to GITS fans.
Great compliment to the animated series.......2007-01-11
It's like reading another chapter of the Stand Alone series. If you like it, you will probably enjoy the reading, if you're waiting for some mind bending phylosophy story, you will be disappointed. It could be a little longer too, and the ending is a little predictable, but the book is very fun to read and I recommend it.
If you are the fan of SAC............2006-12-03
I had little hope about this book when I purchased it from amazon.com. I never had a good luck with Japanese-English translation book when it comes to translation, and this book also disappointed me in that area. (what the heck is 'totaled'? Is that even a word?)
However, putting aside the translation issue, this book is nevertheless a great gift for us GITS fans. All of our favorite characters are here, and those who loved the first season of GITS TV series won't be disappointed. The plot is great, pace is great, and most of all, it has great characters.
Better than the average series tie-in novel........2006-07-19
When I originally started watching Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex on Adult Swim, I was rather pleasantly surprised to find a tightly-plotted political drama. GitS:SAC is very much not the average anime, so I was pleased to find out that the tie-ins marketed around it were a bit left of center as well.
Taking up the tradition started by Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence: After The Long Goodbye, The Lost Memory is a prose novel that takes the reader a little bit deeper into the GitS world. This novel focuses on suicide bomber teenagers and their possible threat to a world peace leader. (The theme of teenagers as a group being such a cause of alarm to the greater populace seems to be paralleled from the film Battle Royal. Being from a Western country, it is interesting to take note of the small but telling and important differences in philosophy and social tension.)
Unlike After The Long Goodbye, The Lost Memory is sheer adventure fun. It is set during the series' first season and generally does a great job of building on the show's established universe. The characters are spot-on (helped, I'm sure, but the author being one of the series writers), and the prose is above average for other media tie-ins that I've encountered. Basically, it's worth the $9 to revisit the GitS:SAC universe.
I very much plan on buying the other books and hope there are quite a few of them. The series is addictive and intense, and if the rest of the books are on par or better than this one, I shall be a happy, happy girl.
What they used to call a juvenile .......2006-07-02
This would be far more interesting as a manga, as a prose book it is a good illustration of how difficult it is to translate from Japanese to English. In order to do so the translator must be a good writer as the japanese version will only serve as an outline. The translater of this book is definitely not a good writer so this is not a very good book. If you are a real GITS fan, then go ahead and buy the book. If not I would advise you to skip it because it is writen with grade school level prose. I hope that for subsequent novels in this series the publisher finds a better translator or a better editor, beaause I really like Ghost in the Shell.
Recomended only if you are a real Ghost in the Shell fan.
Book Description
2030 Tokyo: While patrolling Tokyo's post-World War III refugee zones Togusa, the newest member of Section 9, discovers that one of the most powerful cyber-criminals his squad has ever faced has plans to kill their leader, Section 9 Chief Daisuke Aramaki, in one of three stories in this collection, and it will take all of the members of Section 9 to stop him. The action heats up in the stories "Double Targets," "First Love, Last Love" and "Revenge of the Cold Machines."
Customer Reviews:
Good short stories.......2007-01-11
This volume is a little smaller than the previous one, but it's fun to read nonetheless. If you enjoy Stand Alone Complex animated series, you will probably enjoy this book. I only wish the stories were a little longer.
false advertising.......2007-01-03
Book was sold as a 2nd novel...After several delays from the original publication date the book (now a collection of short stories) arrived...I had pre-ordered a third advertised novel but when the notice of it's delay arrived I cancelled the order.
Three stories in one book.......2006-10-03
Revenge Of The Cold Machines by Junichi Fujisaku are three stories set in the Ghost In The Shell universe, sometime around the first part second season or just before it. The refugee problem is in the background, just starting to boil, and the Laughing Man case is talked about in one of the stories. The first story is about an assassin being hired to take out a member of Section 9. The second story focuses on the interaction between a police officer and a Tachikoma told from the point of view of the tank itself. The third deals with military cyberbodies in the wrong hands.
Yet as you read page after page you start to see the same names and realize all the stories are linked together. Like some episodes from the series these stories are not Stand Alone but part of a Complex single story. There are even links to the television episodes, if you look hard enough.
Amazon.com
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!
Book Description
In a world in which the human mind can be programmed like a computer, where does the human soul end and the cybernetic machinery begin? What does it mean to be human? From Masamune Shirow, the creator of Appleseed, Orion, and Dominion: Tank Police, comes an epic, dystopian tale of politics, covert actions, and cyborgs with too much attitude!
This title contains: Ghost in the Shell #1-8
Customer Reviews:
Metaphysics on Adrenaline: Pure, Smart Entertainment.......2005-04-02
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.
Re-visiting the archive.......2004-11-09
I came to the Dark Horse Comics version of Ghost in the Shell a little late in the game - so it is like I am coming home. In this edition we familiarize ourselves with the key characters and the evolution of Section 9. We are introduced to Aramaki rather early on - who heads Section 9 and of course to cyborgs Major Motoko Kusanagi and Batou as well as the all too human Togusa. I was effectively visiting the archive where it all began. As evidenced in both Making The Matrix, in The Matrix DVD and Scrolls to Screen: The History and Culture of Anime -- in the Animatrix DVD; we hear Producer Joe Silver uttering that the genesis of The Matrix, in large part, can be found in anime -- in particular Oshii Mamuro's anime of this, Shirow Masamune's manga Ghost in the Shell. Manga is sometimes confused with anime. Effectively, to the uninitiated, manga is the Japanese word for Graphic Novel. Manga and anime are intrinsically interrelated, as artists regularly cross-pollinate, as do the characters they create - case in point this Ghost in the Shell manga transformed into the ever-popular anime standard and its subsequent sequel Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. More often than not, the manga is produced first, and if the popularity merits it is transformed into anime - as was the case here. In examining the movie I articulated that Ghost in the Shell was Kazunori Ito's futuristic vision - now I am certain that it all feeds in really from Shirow and not anyone else. In Shirow's manga begin to see the development of the confluence where the body (the shell) and the ghost (the mind) meets cyborg technology. The manga, I hope is aimed at adults. I am still wondering about all the nudity and violence playing to a particular theme. My sense is that the intimate nature of man and machine and the particular threat that cyborg technology poses is considered real and immediate. In the world of Ghost in the Shell, however translated and articulated through this very hyper sexualized forms and extremely violent episodes, lies a very profound question waiting to be answered - when machines learn to feel who decides what it is to be human.
Miguel Llora
Super Cool Sciencey Metaphysical Comic Book.......2004-09-30
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.......2004-01-15
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.......2003-10-07
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.
Book Description
·All 120 fans revealed
·All secret content revealed -- how to unlock unlimited ammo, new costumes, better weapons
·Detailed boss-beating strategies
·Rundown of all weapons and gear so you know the best tools for the job
·Bios of the entire Section 9 team, an elite counter-terrorist organization
·Complete walkthrough strategies for all missions
Customer Reviews:
Get it!.......2004-12-27
This game is pretty hard, so this book is highly suggested.
Good luck! [...]I have more info there....
Average customer rating:
- A tour guides opinion
- Visual Feast
|
Ghost in the Shell: Photography and the Human Soul, 1850-2000
Robert A. Sobieszek
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
History
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Photo Essays
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Portraits
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
History of Ideas
| Historical Study
| History
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0262692287 |
Book Description
Ghost in the Shell takes as its premise the idea that the outer person is a reflection of the inner. Tracing the modern photographic portrait over the past 150 years, the book reveals the many ways the photographic arts have investigated, represented, interpreted, and subverted the human face and, consequently, the human spirit. Artists have used the genre not only to convey familiar emotions such as fear, love, sadness, and anger, but also to explore complex subjective states such as passionate individuality and psychological withdrawal. Different avant-garde movements have enlisted farce, masks, and masquerade in their charting of the human character, and many postmodern works employ irony and ambiguity to deal with issues of identity, gender, and dissociation.
The book, which accompanies an exhibition opening at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in October 1999, is organized roughly chronologically around the traditional, modernist, and postmodernist views of the face, although the primary approach of one period often appears in the others. The artists discussed include, among others, Diane Arbus, Julia Margaret Cameron, Edward Curtis, Salvador Dali, Duchenne de Boulogne, Dorothea Lange, Annie Leibowitz, Bruce Nauman, Orlan, William Parker, Irving Penn, Lucas Samaras, Cindy Sherman, Andy Warhol, and Edward Weston.
Published in cooperation with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Customer Reviews:
A tour guides opinion.......2000-12-28
As a former tour guide for the Ghost in the Shell exhibit, i can honestly say that this book is a grat compilation of the works. While the pictures alone show the depth and richness of the exhibit, the text is used well and provides a great source of info for the reader. It is a great addition to any colletion of art books.
Visual Feast.......2000-04-02
I found this book to be a very rich and inspiring perspective on the historic use of photography. Wonderfully illustrated with examples from the beginnings of photo-experimentation to masters like Richard Avedon, this tome is worth buying for the illustrations alone. If you like this comprehensive analysis of the frisson between representation and being, I also recommend "Pictures of the Body, Pain & Metamorphosis" by James Elkins.
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- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Books Index
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Ghost In The Shell Volume 2: Man-Machine Interface (Ghost in the Shell)
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