Rating: 
Summary: Where does the Machine End?
Review: First created in 1991, 'Ghost in the Shell' is Masamune Shirow's vision of a future world, complex and dysfunctional peopled by humans, robots and cyborgs. Best known in this country as the Anime film of the same name, it has had an unexpected influence on manga, anime, and the world to come. Like Phillip Dick's 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,' is asks questions about the essence of life and the validity of a society where it is an artifact that can be installed instead of something innate. The Film was my first sight of what anime was capable of, and this book was my first introduction to manga, the unique Japanese form of the graphic novel.The action of the story centers on a security team led by Major Matoko Kusinagi. Kusinagi, like almost all of her team, are highly modified humans, or highly humanized machines, depending on your viewpoint. They are shells, biomechanical miracles, in which a human brain and spinal column have been places. However, unless you see one of them being made, or notice their cable contact points, they seem utterly human. The team investigates possible cases of government wrongdoing. Their paths often bring them into contact with the less reputable side of human and cyborg traffic. Shirow uses these contacts, robots in revolution, berserk cyborgs, illegal memory copying, etc., to gradually shift the story from hard science fiction to a semi-metaphysical deep dive into the significance of the information net and alternate life form possibilities. The question, of course, is not just 'what is human?' but 'what is intelligent life?' Where exactly is the boundary between the shell, whether it be bioengineered or flesh. The last third of the book, which comprises most of the film, is Major Kusinagi's quest to bring down a 'hacker' called the puppeteer. This goes awry in unexpected fashion and Kusinagi finds herself confronted by the impossible rather than the criminal. What effect this has on her, and the possibilities is creates are Shirow's answers to his own questions. Like the rest of the book before them, they raise as many issues as they resolve. Masamune Shirow's imagination has built a finely detailed world. To complete the picture the artist/writer provides countless notes and commentaries about his technology and society. Unable to do this, the film simplified the plot to make it digestible. While it succeeded, the reader will find that manga is much richer and engaging. Given the longer format, Shirow is able to spend his time setting the scene, focusing on the interactions of the characters, and at exactly the right time, pulling the trigger. Working in both color and black and white, his artwork is a mixture of high tech detailing and unembarrassed sensuality. The manga and the subsequent film created a whole new era for the Japanese storybook. For many people in the US such as me, 'Ghost in the Shell' is the anime production that made them fans. The themes validated it as a literary form, and the images forced readers to acknowledge that manga was art rather than artifice. Masamune set a standard for manga, which has rarely been surpassed. If you are genuinely interested in understand this art form, 'Ghost in the Shell' is the place to start.
Rating: 
Summary: Its a high class manga, but it needs more variation.
Review: Ghost in the shell is a very high quality manga with a few flaws. It's style is superb and the characters are varied, but its not the funniest book in the world(except for the fuchicomas!)and it can be a little complex at times. It's action packed and well worth a read if you like manga, although i suggest you buy the video instead. Then buy the book if you like it.
Rating:
Summary: Japan's Neuromancer
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Nice material from the master of manga!
Review: Ghost in the Shell is decent, but sometimes the book seems to wander off in favor of keeping the plot straight and focused, resulting in a very lengthy adventure/drama. As always, the stories Masamune Shirow writes are top-notch, and are primarily aimed at intelligent people. This is no different, and this book features some of Masamune Shirow's best artwork yet. Not all of the book is in color, but the sections that are showcase what Masamune Shirow does best, along with his BEAUTIFUL covers. Although this definitely wasn't my favorite book by him, it will undoubtably appeal to many others, so why should i give less than a 5 star rating? The story is awesome, and no one knows his female anatomy better than Shirow.
Rating:
Summary: A massive work
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Masasume Shirow--Pure Genius!
Review: Ghost in the Shell is the best work by far. The story line is superb and the artwork is well done. Cyborgs, political mayhem, backstabbings, and more are found in this Graphic Novel. You will not be able to put it down--that I promise you because I didn't the first time I read it. (Ends up that my favorite Character is Major Motoko Kusanagi--you'll read why. :> )
Rating:
Summary: Super Cool Sciencey Metaphysical Comic Book
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but confusing. Go with the movie first.
Review: Ghost was good manga. And (unlike the movie) had a very interesting ending that disturbed me more than I thought that it would. However, the plot was confusing at times, but I should read it a few more times. Its worth getting but I would suggest buying the DVD or VHS (subtitled version) first. If you decide that you like the thought provoking nature of G.I.T.S. in DVD, get this Manga. Personally, I like the discussion that both movie and manga present about how technology changes everything about us even our definition of "life."
Rating:
Summary: Excellent japanese cyberpunk manga
Review: GITSh is a book about the dark side of cybernautics technology.
Taking place in the near future, 2030, it tells the story of conflicting viewpoints of what conscioussness means. Technology has become so advanced that a human soul, ghost,
can be transpanted into a cyborg body, shell. There are many robots in the world that look human, and behave human
with the aid of AI, but only cyborgs with ghosts are truly
considered alive. Major Motoko Kusanagi is one of those cyborgs. She is the leader of a covert actions team, in a section of the Shinahama Police. Related incidents lead her
into an encounter with a life form known as the puppeteer, a
software program that claims to call itself a ghost. What is a soul, and what exactly is life then? The ensuing events
are facsinating, up to the book's climatic ending, leaving the reader wondering what the soul really is. GITSh is beatifully drawn by one of the best Japanese Manga Artists,
and has several full color pages to complement the rest of the black and white ones. The english translation has been censored by Shirow, and Dark Horse, therefore I can only give it a 9, instead of a 10 for the original.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent japanese cyberpunk manga
Review: GITSh is a book about the dark side of cybernautics technology.Taking place in the near future, 2030, it tells the story of conflicting viewpoints of what conscioussness means. Technology has become so advanced that a human soul, ghost, can be transpanted into a cyborg body, shell. There are many robots in the world that look human, and behave human with the aid of AI, but only cyborgs with ghosts are truly considered alive. Major Motoko Kusanagi is one of those cyborgs. She is the leader of a covert actions team, in a section of the Shinahama Police. Related incidents lead her into an encounter with a life form known as the puppeteer, a software program that claims to call itself a ghost. What is a soul, and what exactly is life then? The ensuing events are facsinating, up to the book's climatic ending, leaving the reader wondering what the soul really is. GITSh is beatifully drawn by one of the best Japanese Manga Artists, and has several full color pages to complement the rest of the black and white ones. The english translation has been censored by Shirow, and Dark Horse, therefore I can only give it a 9, instead of a 10 for the original.
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