Ghost in the Shell: Masamune Shirow. Mamoru Oshii: Pocket Movie Guide

GHOST IN THE SHELL

MASAMUNE SHIROW. MAMORU OSHII

POCKET MOVIE GUIDE

by Jeremy Mark Robinson

Colour Edition

This is a study of the 1995 movie Ghost In the Shell, based on the manga of Masamune Shirow (real name Masanori Ota, born in 1961, Kobe, Japan), a Japanese artist best known for the comics Ghost In the Shell, Appleseed and Dominion: Tank Police.

This is a colour edition, with over 150 illustrations, most in colour.

Masamune Shirow is one of the great creators in the world of Japanese manga and animé - his works have been the basis of several important franchises, with Ghost In the Shell the best-known. Shirow’s art is marked by futuristic, cyber-punk settings, fabulous, often eccentric designs, elaborate mecha (such as tanks and mobile suits), attractive warrior women and detailed storytelling (accompanied by his famous, sometimes arcane notes).

The impact of the work of Masamune Shirow has been immense in animé and manga: Ghost In the Shell alone led to not one but two classic movies, two outstanding TV series (plus a third, the Arise series), and spin-off movies. Add to that the live-action Ghost of 2017, and more Ghosties on the way. Then there’s the Appleseed digital animations and Appleseed cel animation, plus Black Magic, Real Drive, Ghost Hound (Unseen World) and Dominion: Tank Police. It all adds up to a remarkable presence in TV and movies.

In cinema, Masamune Shirow’s influence is easy to spot in the Star Wars prequels, in the Matrix movies, in Avatar, in Minority Report, in the Avengers series, and in many a superhero flick.

Illustrated in colour with over 150 images from Ghost In the Shell, and Masamune Shirow’s output.

Hardcover - full colour laminate cover.

Bibliography, resources and notes. 272 pages.

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