User:ChrisGualtieri/Ghost in the Shell (manga)

Ghost in the Shell, known in Japan as Kokaku Kidotai (攻殻機動隊), is a Japanese seinen manga series written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. The manga, first serialized in 1989 under the subtitle of The Ghost in the Shell, and later published as its own tankōbon volumes by Kodansha, told the story of the fictional counter-cyberterrorist organization Public Security Section 9, led by protagonist Major Motoko Kusanagi, in the early 21st century of Japan.

Story
The Ghost in the Shell (攻殻機動隊 THE GHOST IN THE SHELL) begins in 2029, and features Section 9, led by Chief Daisuke Aramaki and Major Motoko Kusanagi, as they investigate the Puppeteer, a cyber-criminal wanted for committing a large number of crimes by proxy through "ghost hacking" humans with cyberbrains. As the investigation continues, Section 9 discovers that the Puppet Master is actually an advanced artificial intelligence created by a department of the Japanese government, taking up residence in a robot body. After destroying the latest host of the Puppeteer, Section 9 believes all is well, until the Major discovers the Puppet Master in her own mind. After hearing the Puppeteer's wishes to reach its next step in evolution, Kusanagi allows it to become one with her own ghost.

Characters
Motoko Kusanagi, also known as "the Major". Motoko's body was chosen by Shirow to be a mass production model so she would not be conspicuous. Her electrical and mechanical system within is special and features parts unable to be obtained in the civilian market. Shirow intentionally chose this appearance so Motoko would not be harvested for those parts.

Creation and development
While writing the manga, Masamune Shirow struggled to make it neither too complex nor too simple. He has also stated that he had always wanted the title of his manga to be "GHOST IN THE SHELL", even in Japan, but his original publishers preferred Kōkaku Kidōtai (攻殻機動隊). He had chosen "Ghost in the Shell" in homage to Arthur Koestler's The Ghost in the Machine, from which he also drew inspiration.

Shirow considers his Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface manga as a completely different kind of work and not a true sequel of Ghost in the Shell. The original manga revolved around Public Security Section 9 and Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface follows what happens to the Major after she merges with the Puppeteer. Shirow drew the color pages on computer, in which he states was difficult to due to technical issues with his computer. In the "short-cut" version of the manga, Masamune Shirow made the color darker and softer, but used more contrasting colors in the "standard" version.

Design and philosophy
Shirow's thoughts and work on Ghost in the Shell contains numerous footnotes and detailed explanations about scenes to give readers an understanding of the sociological differences or technological advances and philosophical discussion of the material. Concepts like the future of hacking techniques, in which a cyberbrain can be hacked to copy information without being detected. Shirow explains instances of spirit channeling in cyborgs with kiko energy. Shirow even wrote that this phenonomon may be related to the "hearing voices" in individuals that suffer from mental disabilities like schizophrenia. This belief is represented in Motoko's reasons for head hunting Togusa for Section 9. Shirow also notes that he believes these channelers do not speak with a human-like god, but instead tap into a phase of the universe which synchronizes with the channeler's functions. Other philosophical stances are represented such as Shirow's personal beliefs regarding death sentences and crime and punishment.

Shirow explains numerous facets of the daily life throughout his notes in Ghost in the Shell. Cyborgs are shown consuming food, but Shirow noted that early in the development would have been pills or paste substance that would have both psychological and physical functions. The Fuchikoma robots also must consume in a sense, requiring replenishment of fluid for their neurochips every two months, but Fuchikoma are not entirely bio-robots. Shirow discussed in his notes how the family of Yano received notification of his death and what would be disclosed, but also notes strategic use and premature notifications exist for various purposes. The advancement of technology in Shirow's vision of the future is rapid, but the advancements are at least partially related to than-current technology. The concepts of a 3-D viewing room was based off of "crude" golf simulator technology.

Other personal beliefs of Shirow are represented in the scenes and author's commentary, such metaphysics, religious references, and other philosophical stances that enter a range of topics including his thoughts on a rotating universe.

Censorship
The removal of a two-page sex scene in Studio Proteus's localization of Ghost in the Shell was not well received, with readers reacting negatively to the removal of the previously uncensored content that was included in the original Dark Horse release. Toren Smith commented on Studio Proteus's actions claiming that requirement of the "Mature Readers Only" would translate into a 40% lost in sales and likely have caused the immediate cancellation of the series. Shirow who grew tired of "taking flak" over the pages and opted to remove them and reworked the previous page as necessary.

Releases
The original Ghost in the Shell ran from April 1989 to November 1990 in Kodansha's manga anthology Young Magazine, and was released in tankobon format on October 2, 1991. Dark Horse initially published it in English monthly into eight comic issues from March 1, 1995 to October 1, 1995 with the translation of Studio Proteus. It was later collected into a single volume in trade paperback format on early December 1, 1995. An uncensored version was later released by Dark Horse Comics on October 6, 2004. The manga was later republished by Kodansha Comics USA on October 13, 2009.

The sequel Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface was penned by Shirow later. The manga series ran in Young Magazine from September 1991 to August 1997 and was originally released in hardcover format along with the original manga in a limited edition box set titled Kōkaku Kidōtai SOLID BOX (攻殻機動隊SOLID BOX) on December 1, 2000. The box set also contained a booklet titled ManMachine Interface Inactive Module, a poster and a Fuchikoma robot action figure. Kodansha later released the standard edition in tankobon format on June 26, 2001. The SOLID BOX version added over 140 pages of new content and more changes were added to the tankobon version, such as 24 color pages and large modifications to over 20 pages. However, 200 pages from the original version that ran in Young Magazine were not included in either the SOLID BOX or the tankobon version. The manga was then distributed in English by Dark Horse Comics into 11 comic issues from January 29, 2003 to December 31, 2003. Masamune Shirow manually redrew the manga for the English version so that it could be read from left to right. It was later collected into a single volume in trade paperback format on January 12, 2005. The manga was later republished by Kodansha Comics USA on August 10, 2010.

Four chapters that were not released in tankobon format from previous releases, were later collected into a single volume titled Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human-Error Processor serving as an interquel. The manga was published in July 23, 2003 by Kodansha. It contained a booklet and a CD-ROM featuring the full stories, adding music to the manga scenes, and a screen saver. Dark Horse Comics announced an English version at the 2005 San Diego Comic-Con. The series was released as eight individual comic issues from November 1, 2006 to June 6, 2007 and was the first of the Ghost in the Shell manga released in the United States to read right-to-left. The four original titles were each split into two each, to make up the 8 in this series. It was later collected in a single volume in trade paperback format on October 10, 2007. The manga was later republished by Kodansha Comics USA on September 25, 2012.

Reception
Ghost in the Shell had received mainly positive reviews. Publishers Weekly praised the manga for its artwork: "Masamune's b&w drawings are dynamic and beautifully gestural; he vividly renders the awesome urban landscape of a futuristic, supertechnological Japan." Leroy Douresseaux of the website ComicBookBin gave the manga an A stating: "It is visually potent and often inscrutable, but its sense of wonder and exploration makes its ideas still seem fresh two decades after its debut." Peter Gutiérrez of the website Teenreads praised the manga, writing: "In short, Ghost in the Shell is hard sci-fi of the best possible sort: the type that’s so full of both undiluted artfulness and philosophy that it’s arguably a must-read even for those who don’t usually take to the genre." The website Read About Comics praised the artwork, however criticized the manga for it's story pacing and collection of short adventures stating, "I’m glad I got to experience Shirow’s artistic view of the future and am a little interested in the idea of his Intron Depot art books, but on the whole Ghost in the Shell was a massive shell game: flashy and fascinating from a glance, but ultimately empty when you decide to dive in."

Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface had sold over 100,000 copies from its initial printing in Japan. Diamond Comic Distributors ranked the manga #7 in its Top Performing Manga list of 2005. Mike Crandol of Anime News Network criticized for being too complex and overwhelming stating it is "too technical for its own good" but praised the new artwork, stating that Shirow's "canny drawing skills are supplemented by an innovative use of CGI graphics that represent the series' boldest artistic endeavor." Publishers Weekly praised the artwork as "the color and b&w graphics are stunning, brilliantly evoking the nonvisual world of data transmission" but criticized the story can be confusing.

Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human-Error Processor was ranked #10 in The New York Times Manga Best Seller List on October 19, 2012. Scott Green of Ain't It Cool News praised the manga for its footnotes that "alone are worth the price of admission. The degree to which he apparently takes every aspect seriously and the amount of information he'd like to convey verges on a disorder."