Rating: 
Summary: Major Kusanagi is gunning for you...
Review: The year: 2029. The situation: Government Cyber-brainwashing facility out of hand. Solution: Major Kusanagi. The year: 2029. The situation: Terrorist hunting to kill Major Kusanagi. Solution: Major Kusanagi herself. Situation: Illegal cyborg production involves copying of children's minds. Solution: Major Kusanagi. Major Kusanagi is a anti-terrorist agent with a twist, she's a Ghost in the Shell. Fending off government conspiracies, terrorist vendettas and garbagemen, Kusanagi is a female cyborg to be reckoned with.
A tough read, it will take some readers twice to form any idea of continuity. Ghost in the Shell is tightly woven, and definately not a casual coffeetable book. Shirow's attention to detail and actually exciting art will make you come away with an appreciation for his work, it is immaculate.
Rating: 
Summary: Dubbing, a crime from the far future.
Review: A world of complex technology where the soul lies within the casing of a cyborg shell, people have exchanged there natural human body for a form of metal orgy, and electronic media. Where hacking is amongst the highest crimes committed by an individual. Humanity at immortalities door. This is the central core of Masamune Shirow's masterpiece: Ghost In The Shell. It is perhaps the greatest comic ever created because it glimmers with mastery at every turn, of every page. The characters are well developed and display real relationships such as when the main character, a woman cyborg owned by the government (note: this populous have bodies that have cyborg elements, but to become nearly 100% cyborg is very expensive cos of the maintennance involved. So there are a few people in this world that are nearly complete machines with only the spinal cord and brain being the only thing in them thats is flesh and tissue. In fact, the brain can't be duplicated to perfection by this society so even if one character wanted to be a complete cyborg, it would be inpossible in their time frame. The only complete mechaniize hominid in appearance are Tommies, and they're not human at all. Just androids.), Major Motoko Kusanagi, tells her men that it's time to get back to work and that after they're done she'll take them to a strip joint. Not the best example but here is a better one: near the last few pages, after you'll have to read about, Motoko, in a brain case and no way of seeing the outside world asks her #1 man,Batou to explain to her what is going on, he replies, "Some young stud is having his way with your body right now." Sorry for the implied sexual violence but you'll have to really read this comic to understand the joke behind it. Hopefully I did not break the commandment of spoon feeding plots and situations. If I did it is for a good cause since I don't know any other way to get newcomers to read this master work. Once you've read it you'll wonder why comics here are such rubbish. Even the average Japanese comic is more interesting. After all Japan is the most literate nation on th globe and they consume comics, which they call manga, from yougest age to oldest age. No shame in being thirty-five and reading comics on the subway over there. In fact manga has become a source of inspiration for some of Japan's mainstream films, and animation is usually the form it is seen in. So if the Japanes, whom probably have the highest collective IQ in the world, deem Shirow as here in the States as one of the great creators of comics, then more Americans can surely check out his work and hopefully appreciate his work. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. You're probably wondering about the sentence above: Dubbing, a crime from the far future. Well, get the comic and find out what I mean. And if you do get it, as you read it remember Deckard, remember the unicorn.
Rating:
Summary: Ideal future police of Japan?
Review: About 10 years ago (around 1990's), Successfully Shirow Masamune predicted near future of our world. Namely, major battle mode goes to terrorism.
This work do not contain magic and supernatural power. All gadget items are on possible extension of today's technology (in the head of Shirow). In this point of view, Shirow is newer generation than Otomo.
But, after I saw Ghost in the Shell volume 2 in Japanese, I have to prefer vol 2. (Reason of 4 stars)
This work is future dream of 10 years ago. But still I like this hard-boiled.
Rating:
Summary: Shirow does it again!
Review: Absolutely brilliant. The story is complex and always interesting. The art is beautifully done. Like many of Shirow's other works, this book really makes you ponder some things. If you liked the movie, you'll love the book. Even if you didn't like the movie, the book has so much that the movie left out, like many other plotlines, and... humor. ^_^ Also, the art is much more vibrant and detailed, and the characters look more human than their movie counterparts. Like much of Shirow's other work (Dominion, Black Magic, Appleseed, etc...) he uses technology that is mostly possible, (and some in it's infant stages today,) yet strange enough to create a really cool overall effect. Altogether a great piece with a lot of re-reading value. Well worth the price.
Rating:
Summary: This won't let you down, guaranteed
Review: After seeing the movie, I simply expected the comic to be better than anything could possibly be. Kinda funny, since it didn't let me down. It was better than I could have imagined. Shirow tells a story containing beautiful cyborg women, cute fuchikomas, complex political incidents and thoughts about the meaning of owning a ghost.
Rating:
Summary: What else could you ask for?
Review: An incredible and astonishing work for those of us who like science fiction to be more "science" than "fiction". Masamune Shirow has created a masterpiece with GITS, the intricate plot, the detailed drawings that turn simple and humoristic when the moment calls for it, the delicate political system, the deep personality of characters and their relationships with their environment; the explanation of futuristic technology and the more than serious research done on it, turns this manga into something so deep you will have to read it a few times to understand how complex the story really is. In a future where cyborgs have a human brain, the question still remains: "what defines life?" "What is it that makes us humans?" All of this paired with the discussed possibility of "life" emerging from a "sea of information" makes Ghost In The Shell a work of art that will put your mind to work.
Rating:
Summary: What else could you ask for?
Review: An incredible and astonishing work for those of us who like science fiction to be more "science" than "fiction". Masamune Shirow has created a masterpiece with GITS, the intricate plot, the detailed drawings that turn simple and humoristic when the moment calls for it, the delicate political system, the deep personality of characters and their relationships with their environment; the explanation of futuristic technology and the more than serious research done on it, turns this manga into something so deep you will have to read it a few times to understand how complex the story really is. In a future where cyborgs have a human brain, the question still remains: "what defines life?" "What is it that makes us humans?" All of this paired with the discussed possibility of "life" emerging from a "sea of information" makes Ghost In The Shell a work of art that will put your mind to work.
Rating:
Summary: An outstanding addition to the Cyberpunk genre as a whole
Review: An outstanding tour-de-force. You won't find anything better in mainstream SF literary Cyberpunk, or even from William Gibson himself. The science is accurate and comprehensive, with several pages of footnotes in the back indexing the various references he makes in the novel, and the artwork is incredible. This book has true attitude, following the exploits of a female cyborg police officer tracking an international hacker. It explores the question of where humanity begins and ends, and what defines "alive" and "sentient". A recommended purchase for any cyberpunk fan, even if you're not into manga/anime, and for any manga fan for its outstanding artwork and unusually detailed plot, as well as its length. Personally, I'd recommend it over the movie version any day.
Rating:
Summary: If you Love Ghost in The Shell, don't give up hope looking!
Review: At a trip to Newbury Comics today, I happeded across Ghost in the Shell. I'm fairly new to Anime & Manga, but had seen the Movie in stores and decided to spring for it. I started reading and was blown away by the art and the story. If you liked the movie and are looking for the Manga, don't give up looking for it. It still might be in stores.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: Fans of the film will want to read this one. Even though this book is much less 'spiritual' than the film, it is still the first to present many of the intresting concepts presented in "GHOST in the SHELL". As I've said before, this book tends to explain a concept, and then tosses it aside for some action sequences. The film took out the rampant AI of the book to make the Puppetmaster a much more important and symbolic charactor, and tends to explore the concepts rather than jumping to action sequences, which is why I like Mamoru Oshii's film version better. Not that there's anything wrong with the book, since this is just my own taste. Most anime/manga fans like the book better than the film. This is a great, science fiction manga that will keep the reader intrested and entertained.
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