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abookwormspov's review against another edition
Not in the mood. Maybe try again later.
balletbookworm's review
3.0
I think I like this? The cyberpunk Blade Runner/Judge Dredd/MI-5 combination was a definite plus but it took a long time before I managed to figured out how the team worked, what the Kuchikomas were/how they were used (the mini-issue where the Kuchikomas discussed the Revolt of the Robots was hilarious), and where the plot might (?) be going. Didn't like the hoochie-pants garters-and-lingerie-plus-giant racks on all the female "characters" - the aesthetic grates after a while.
caitcoy's review against another edition
3.0
As a big fan of cyberpunk, I probably should have read this a lot sooner. As it was, it was mostly the arrival of the live-action movie that finally drove me to get to it. To be honest, I'm really not a fan of manga. Elements of how it's generally drawn as well as a general lack of interest has led to staying away from that style for the most part. Ghost in the Shell is a little difficult to rate as I enjoyed parts of it (particularly the nuanced thoughts on identity and the line between machine and man) but got bored/annoyed by the weird digressions into the details of the tech and science behind it and the first section in particular is really rough. Probably worth reading if you're a fan of the cyberpunk genre and haven't previously picked this up.
Full review here
Full review here
ellbo_oks333's review against another edition
3.0
2023 aapi month book #9
i get that this manga is a classic, but I had no idea what was happening half of the time...
i get that this manga is a classic, but I had no idea what was happening half of the time...
obnorthrup's review against another edition
4.0
The GitS franchise is notable because all of its adaptations are reinterpretations, rather than copies. This manga isn't my favorite iteration, but it's still an excellent collection of thought-provoking stories.
neilrcoulter's review against another edition
2.0
I'm late to all of this—too late, probably—but I recently watched Ghost in the Shell (the 1995 animated film, not the more recent one with Scarlett Johansson). I tried it first with the English dub, which was just awful. Then later I watched the whole thing in Japanese with subtitles, which was better. I know some people just love the film, but I felt kind of cold toward it. The animation style is interesting, particularly the lingering shots of cityscape, but I don't find it beautiful. Also, I didn't really understand a lot of what happened in the movie, which made me feel dumb.
Looking at reviews online, I noticed several that recommended reading Masamune Shirow's original graphic novel, which helps understand the movie. So I eagerly checked it out from the library and read it.
And I didn't understand a lot of what happened in the book.
In fact, I probably didn't-understand the book more than I didn't-understand the movie, so I'm not sure I've come out ahead in all of this. The movie, I now see, does a nice job of streamlining the seemingly disparate stories and plots of the book into a single, coherent (more or less) narrative focused on the Puppeteer. Those were the most interesting parts of the book, for me—and I'm sure mostly because I'd already seen the film, so those were the parts that most connected. The graphic novel includes many other plots, most of which don't seem to relate directly to the Puppeteer arc. That's fine, of course, except that I had no idea what was going on most of the time. I often felt like pages must be missing.
The other obstacle for me is that I disagree with Shirow's philosophical outlook on life and the universe. He so firmly believes that his conclusions, given the data, are airtight and obvious. But I disagree. His exploration of what is basically the "infinite web of referents" of semiotics is solid, but the conclusion need not be "therefore, there is no God." There are many other conclusions that are equally valid and reasonable. Shirow's geeky arrogance in his notes throughout the book was unappealing to me (and often didn't help me understand the story at all anyway).
I guess my final conclusion is that Ghost in the Shell, whatever the format, is not for me. I like all the elements of cyberpunk, but I've yet to see them come together in a way that I love.
Looking at reviews online, I noticed several that recommended reading Masamune Shirow's original graphic novel, which helps understand the movie. So I eagerly checked it out from the library and read it.
And I didn't understand a lot of what happened in the book.
In fact, I probably didn't-understand the book more than I didn't-understand the movie, so I'm not sure I've come out ahead in all of this. The movie, I now see, does a nice job of streamlining the seemingly disparate stories and plots of the book into a single, coherent (more or less) narrative focused on the Puppeteer. Those were the most interesting parts of the book, for me—and I'm sure mostly because I'd already seen the film, so those were the parts that most connected. The graphic novel includes many other plots, most of which don't seem to relate directly to the Puppeteer arc. That's fine, of course, except that I had no idea what was going on most of the time. I often felt like pages must be missing.
The other obstacle for me is that I disagree with Shirow's philosophical outlook on life and the universe. He so firmly believes that his conclusions, given the data, are airtight and obvious. But I disagree. His exploration of what is basically the "infinite web of referents" of semiotics is solid, but the conclusion need not be "therefore, there is no God." There are many other conclusions that are equally valid and reasonable. Shirow's geeky arrogance in his notes throughout the book was unappealing to me (and often didn't help me understand the story at all anyway).
I guess my final conclusion is that Ghost in the Shell, whatever the format, is not for me. I like all the elements of cyberpunk, but I've yet to see them come together in a way that I love.
neon_capricorn's review against another edition
3.0
It was okay. I enjoyed the book enough to finish it, but I don’t really think I’d recommend it to people simply because I feel the 1995 anime adaptation is superior to the manga.
thecolourblue's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Collection of the full original Ghost in the Shell manga run (issues #01-11).
This is a manga classic. Truly one of the greats of cyberpunk. I will say, this is one of those rare cases where I like the film adaptation more than the manga - I think the story just works so well in animation with a fantastic soundtrack, and the film tells a tighter, more philosophically engaging account of the story. That said, I still really enjoy this story, characters, and the over-arching plot of the Puppeteer.
There is a sequal run (Man-Machine Interface) and a shorter intermediary 1.5 run (Human-Error Processor) but I like the ending of the first run so much that I kind of want that to be where I leave it.
This is a manga classic. Truly one of the greats of cyberpunk. I will say, this is one of those rare cases where I like the film adaptation more than the manga - I think the story just works so well in animation with a fantastic soundtrack, and the film tells a tighter, more philosophically engaging account of the story. That said, I still really enjoy this story, characters, and the over-arching plot of the Puppeteer.
There is a sequal run (Man-Machine Interface) and a shorter intermediary 1.5 run (Human-Error Processor) but I like the ending of the first run so much that I kind of want that to be where I leave it.
storyphile's review against another edition
Found it confusing and just wasn’t interested in the story.
motokosmos's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5