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mxunsmiley's review against another edition
3.0
Mixed bag. It is quite compelling in a few places, with a lot of head-scratchers, and some interesting political/philosophical commentary, but I think it's inundated with too many half/fully-naked ladies (you wanted some booty and nipple shots? Look no further), some crass humor, and convoluted plot points. Having watched the animated film first, it was extremely surprising to see such a different characterization of Major Kusanagi; she becomes more akin to her animated counterpart in the very last issue with the Puppeteer.
kcrouth's review against another edition
3.0
With the upcoming release of the live action film version of this story, i decided to read this manga beforehand. Ghost in the Shell is an interesting tale, somewhat hard to follow, and a little dated. But it does explore some interesting concepts of existence and reality, individuality and society. Some cool stuff to think about, for sure. Next, i'm going to watch the 1995 animated version of the story to see how closely the two story lines align. Good stuff.
nolansmock's review against another edition
4.0
I took around a year to read this since it's so short. Often feels more like an encyclopedia of cyberpunk than a comic and because of that isn't totally great at being either. Still, essentially textbook for the genre if you're into that, but I wish it was more punk, less cop.
jennyalexandra's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
cordiaelly's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
supersuccessfulauthor's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
rolenl's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
songwind's review against another edition
4.0
Ghost in the Shell is a classic of manga. It contains stylized art, political maneuvering, action, and metaphysics. As is typical of the genre, the metaphysics frequently don't make sense objectively, but the internal consistency is superb.
cthulhu_calamari's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Gun violence, Death, Murder, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Sexual content, Classism, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror
Minor: Car accident, Medical trauma, Drug use, Bullying, Cursing, and Alcohol
unladylike's review against another edition
2.0
I knew this series was somewhat legendary when I finally picked it up from the library. I had seen the TV series and movie 8 years earlier while waist deep in 20th century "continental" philosophy and enjoyed it. When I read the book, I nearly came to the conclusion that no matter how much I love reading about interesting theoretical or actual scientific developments and their social, philosophical, and environmental implications, the cyberpunk genre, or at least its representation in Ghost in the Shell, just doesn't do much for me. I felt the storytelling was choppy and difficult to follow, and so much of the personal and philosophical potential was obscured by the author's detailed notations of the science behind the story. I wanted more punk and less cyber. Or at least I wanted to be led deep into the cyber aspects *because* of the compelling "punk" philosophies. Instead I felt that an obsession with cybernetics and nanotech were prerequisite for fully enjoying this miniseries.