Ghost in the Shell README: 1995-2017 (The Ghost in the Shell)

I'm a huge fan of all things GITS. I thought I'd take a chance on this as having a bit more information (in English) than many of the Japanese books I own (with Japanese text). This is clearly a cheap cash grab by this publisher. The page paper weight is so thin that the images on the reverse side show through... even when the page is lying flat, not held up with light coming through the other side as it would be when turning a page. Disappointing. The picture I included here shows how much of the reverse page imagery shows through... It feels like a children's book in hand... not because of the page count... but because the pages are so thin that the overall book thickness is very thin as a result. Cheap.

I'll summarize by seconding pretty much everything all the other reviewers have said about the book's quality in both content and visual presentation and physical construction. More than just an art book, this includes not only art but also detailed write-ups of lore and behind-the-scenes information, as well as interviews with cast members and directors. This book is a steal at $24.99. I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the GitS anime films and series.I will also recommend this book to people whose introduction to GitS was the 2017 live-action film starring Scarlett Johansson, and are curious to know more about the GitS franchise but don't know where to start. (See the final paragraph for more details.)Here I’ll provide a fairly detailed summary of what this book contains:What this book offers is a comprehensive overview of the GitS anime franchise. This is its main selling point, because up until now there has not been a publication that brings all of these works together in one place and considers them both individually and in relation to each other.The book divides the GitS anime franchise into three "Ghosts" according to the three directors who have helmed its various films and series:- Mamoru Oshii's "Ghost" (the 1995 "Ghost in the Shell" film and its 2004 sequel "Innocence")- Kenji Kamiyama's "Ghost" (the 2002 "Stand-Alone Complex" series, its 2004 "SAC: 2nd Gig" sequel series, and its sequel, the 2006 "SAC: Solid State Society" feature-length film)- Kazuchika Kise's "Ghost" (the 2013 "Arise" OVA series, the 2015 "Arise: Pyrophoric Cult" TV series that re-edited the 2013 OVAs into eight episodes and extended the story with two additional episodes, and their sequel, the 2015 "Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie" feature-length film)Each film or series has a chapter devoted to it that follows a set format:- An introduction and summary of the story and characters.- Character and vehicle/weapon/gadget design discussion.- Background art design discussion.- A focused look at the film's/series' conclusion.- A "mysteries and answers" section that singles out some of the biggest questions people might have about that particular film's/series' plot. (I must say I'm amused that the book's creators decided to include this sort of section, because GitS is rather notorious for its head-scratch-inducing plots.)- The TV series also have complete episode lists and synopses.- Most (all but the "Arise" chapter) also have a "column" that discusses some additional topic. This usually ends up being an alternate version of the film or series, such as the "2.0" version of the 1995 film, or the OVA re-edits of the two SAC series, "The Laughing Man" and "The Individual Eleven." The other columns look at some of the characteristic things each of the three directors brought to their contributions to the GitS franchise.- Some chapters also have extra sections that spotlight something else ("Cybernetic Bodies," "Tachikoma," etc.).In addition to these main chapters, there are two roundtable interviews: one with Atsuko Tanaka and Maaya Sakamoto, the two actors who have voiced Motoko Kusanagi; and one with the three directors, Oshii, Kamiyama, and Kise.All in all, this provides a wealth of content for GitS fans to enjoy. Now, a lot of this content won’t be new to hardcore fans, having been revealed in previous publications, documentaries, and interviews. (I actually doubt that there is much “new” to reveal about GitS, being one of the most thoroughly discussed anime franchises in existence.) But the value of this book is not in the novelty of its content (though I would still say there is much in it that is new) but in the way it brings it all in one place, allowing all of the GitS animes to “speak” to each other in a way that they haven’t done in any previous official publication. This sense of “bringing everything into dialogue with each other” is reflected in the roundtable interviews: Just as Tanaka and Sakamoto, the two voices of Kusanagi, get to speak to each other in one interview, the various “ghosts” of the GitS franchise get to speak to each other in one book.Though the book begins with a discussion of the live-action film starring Scarlett Johansson that was released earlier this year (and clearly the motivation for creating this book), this is brief and only serves as an introduction to the main part of the book, which deals only with the various anime films and series. So if you're looking for lots of detail on the live-action film, this isn't the book for it. (The "Art of Ghost in the Shell" book looks to be filling that role, though I don't own so I can't recommend it one way or another.) Masamune Shirow’s original manga and its sequels are not featured in the book at all either (though they are mentioned here and there). But if you are coming to GitS from the live-action film, you will probably appreciate this introduction for the way it contextualizes that film within the franchise as a whole, pointing out its visual and thematic connections to the previous GitS works.I'd also like to think that people who have been introduced to GitS through the live-action film and are intrigued to learn more could use this book as a gateway to the franchise as a whole. The GitS franchise has become about as complicated as its plots, and this can make it intimidating to get into. (How are all of these films and series related to each other? In what order should I watch everything?) Because it provides such a comprehensive and well-organized overview of the anime franchise (which represents by far the largest and most significant part of the entire GitS franchise), I think this book would be a great way to get into GitS. Of course, the book is spoilers galore, so if you’re like me and are violently allergic to spoilers, this might not be the avenue you want to pursue into GitS fanhood. But if spoilers don’t matter to you, I think this book is a perfect introduction to GitS.

My copy came a little dented, but still readable, as a fan of GITS, this is a pleasure to read, and I expect I will browse it from time to time.

This is a great comprehensive book about all things ghost in the shell.great pictures and drawings about the various shows.

If you don't know any of the trivia (like I do) or don't know any of the lore behind the stories (like I do), it's okay. The problem is, there's parts of the lore and parts of the stories that have been created that have been airbrushed out and this would be the sort of place where it could be talked about. But, it wasn't.

This book really covers just about everything you couldn't figure out or couldn't confirm. This really touches everything you could imagine for the most part and I highly recommend anyone that's a big GITS fan to pick this up.

Great book for collectors

Beautiful and thorough book. Ideal for any GITS fan.

It's fine but I am a little disappointed. I'd hoped for more full-page artwork, a look into the process of making the films/series and more concept art etc. What it actually is is rather cheaply produced fan companion book with profiles, vehicle specs etc. Hoped this would take pride of place among my sci-fi art reference books but has more in common with a "Beano" Anual.

This book has given me additional info on the GITS manga & anime films & SAC TV series. Good enough that I have ordered the deluxe book set as well as the dvd collection in total.

Well laid out and illustrated. Covers all the anime and the live action Hollywood screw-up (which they were very polite about). All the usual detail plus conversations with the directors invoved. Anyway if you are a GITS fan then this has to be on your shelf.

Answers all those issues with all the issued movies and the and the now obvious timelines. Excellent publication full clour and direct to the point explanations.

Brilliant, loads of new material.