Rating: 
Summary: A great book and it will never be outdated...
Review: This book has great artwork, interesting characters and a plot which will drive you mad if you skip a page by accident. Full of humor and serious scenes, this book deals with the greatest fears and greatest gifts of mankind. Life, what is it and do I fit the mold? Masamune Shirow takes us on a ride, with Major Motoko Kusanagi, to answer this questions and much more. Of course, sometimes, like in real life and trains, we get derailed and have to be put back on track, but the subplots just add to the flavor of the setting. I loved the idea of 'Fuchikoma' and they kept me laughing. The reason I think this will never be outdated is, while much of our knowledge is advancing at a very fast rate and stuff like interfaces between organic systems and computer systems is becoming more and more steamless, I don't think we will ever be able to truly answer the question 'what is life' anymore than we can define what we mean by 'artificial intelligence'. 50 years ago my watch would of freaked half of the US military and made most scientists drool. Now its something that is tossed away if it breaks! 50 years from now my computer will be looked at as lower in 'intelligence' than the kitchen table!
Rating:
Summary: You won't regret reading this book.
Review: This book is brilliant. It is very complex, and you will enjoy it every time you read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Movie fans will want to check this out.
Review: This is an impressive manga. It has gorgeous color pictures, beautiful black and white artwork, and a deep plot. My only two problems were that the technological stuff was hard for me to understand and I couldn't really connect to any of the characters. I saw the movie years ago and don't remember much of it, so I can't tell you how this relates in regards to the film. Overall, this is a wonderful book and I urge you to buy it. And collectors, this book is getting rare, so you might want to hurry up and get a copy before it goes out of print.
Rating:
Summary: intelligent
Review: this is good stuff...reminded me of Neuromancer,also a good read...read the book before you see the movie...the movie is really good, but, of course, the book is more in depth...anyway...i recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Shirow's crowning achievement
Review: This is without a doubt Masumune Shirow's greatest manga work. By now, most you all should have seen the anime movie, but the manga is even better. (Note to all fanboy wannabes: the comic is always better than the movie it's based on!) Set in Tokyo during the mid-21st Century, a special branch of government security codenamed Section 9 helps protect against outside terrorists and foreign crimimals. Their special cybernetic agent, Major Matoko Kusinagi, and her crew patrol around in their special spider-like Fujikoma robot-mechs. Each has the ability to shield them selves in thermoptics that are transparent coverings that make them look invisible. Matoko takes on various cases dealing with "ghost-hacking" which is where people have their cyborg brains violated and reprogrammed to do crimes. One of the most ellusive of these ghost-hackers is the mysterious Puppeteer. Finally, the Puppeteer is caught, but he turns out to be a lifeform that emerged into existence inside the internet itself. After downloading himself into a cyborg body, he is captured by the government. However, it looks like he has been deleted once in for all in an attempt to escape. Matolo then gets charged with manslaughter after botching an assignment. She's to be sent to prision, but fakes her own death in a kidnapping ruse. Her partner tries to fix her up with a new body, whilst the Puppeteer show up not dead but just sunk back into the net. He convinces Matoko to merge her cybernetic mind with his to form one combined persona. Matoko agrees, and the result is someone with all of Matoko's memories and the Puppeteer's abilities. This is a lead in to the new GHOST IN THE SHELL 2 manga being released by Dark Horse. Truly, this futuristic sci-fi is the pinnacle of cyberpunk comics and intense action. You must own this!
Rating:
Summary: Japan's Neuromancer
Review: This story doesn't make any sense. The only reason that people like it is because it is hyped so much. I read it the first time when I was 13 and even then I didn't buy into the hype. Then, I went back recently and read it again at 19 just to make sure that I wasn't being stupid and immature when I thought that the story didn't make any sense and was just tedious, and no, it was as I had thought, the story still wasn't that great. All I can say is that, though this original manga and the movie were both DOGS, for some reason Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex the new TV show is really good. I commend the director and studio who could actually do something with so little to work with originally. That's because they stayed away from gratuitous nudity and such. And because they didn't waste time with that, they could actually fit in plot. Amazing how that works sometimes.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor...
Review: This story doesn't make any sense. The only reason that people like it is because it is hyped so much. I read it the first time when I was 13 and even then I didn't buy into the hype. Then, I went back recently and read it again at 19 just to make sure that I wasn't being stupid and immature when I thought that the story didn't make any sense and was just tedious, and no, it was as I had thought, the story still wasn't that great. All I can say is that, though this original manga and the movie were both DOGS, for some reason Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex the new TV show is really good. I commend the director and studio who could actually do something with so little to work with originally. That's because they stayed away from gratuitous nudity and such. And because they didn't waste time with that, they could actually fit in plot. Amazing how that works sometimes.
Rating:
Summary: corrections to description
Review: [...] Notably, this TPB edition includes the original adult-rated pages edited from the U.S. first edition, will be 6" x 9" format, and shrink-wrapped with an 18+ age advisory.
=====
Ghost in the Shell Volume 1 2nd edition TPB
By: Shirow Masamune
Genre: Classic, Action/Adventure, Manga
Format: Soft cover, 368 pages, b&w w/color, 6" x 9"
Age range: 18+
ISBN: 1593072287
* Ghost in the Shell 2nd edition will carry an 18+ age advisory and be shrink-wrapped.
Ghost in the Shell Volume 1 returns! This second edition features the original Japanese size and additional material not published in previous U.S. editions!
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.[...]
|
