Ghost in the Shell 1.5

[bsu legato]

This weekend I had the chance to sit down and read through the first three issues of Dark Horse's release of GITS 1.5, and something amazing happened. For the first time since I read the original Ghost in the Shell in the early 90's, I found myself enjoying a Shirow manga! Given his miniscule output in that area in the last 15 years that's not saying much, I know. But compared to the disappointment of Man Machine Interface, Human Processor Error takes you back to the days when his manga were not only engrossing to read but were also fun. While not a slapstick comedy like Dominion, GITS 1.5 certainly is on par with Appleseed and the original GITS, where Shirow wasn't too proud to end a page with a little superdeformed charicature doing a double take, or sticking his or her tongue out.

But not only is there humor, but there's also plot! Plot that you can comprehend! Imagine that. Thus far the story has focused on Togusa and a new character named Azuma, with cameos by Batou, Saito, Aramaki and even the Major herself. A brief scene in one issue shows Kusanagi (now calling herself Motoko Aramaki) already in the role of a "private contractor," as we see her in MMI. The difference here being that reading the scene isn't like being struck in the face by a heavy textbook.

Also of note is the fact that somebody finally managed to print a Shirow manga in the unflipped format. This comes just in time for the re-release of DH's entire Shirow catalog in unflipped format, but for those of us who've had our TPB's for some time, it seems a tad too late for that. Only a crazed, unashamed Shirow like EXO wouldn't blink at re-buying all four volumes of Appleseed, two volumes of Dominion, as well as Black Magic and Orion again. Personally, I'll stick with my filthy gaijin flipped editions.

[sketchley]

Wasn't this originally released on CD-ROM? The copy that I've seen had sound effects, and rudementary animation. I wonder how Dark Horse/Studio Proteus worked a manga out of that...

[bsu legato]

Wikipedia says that the CD rom you're thinking of was only published in 2003, while the manga stories themselves were published over several years in the mid 90's.

THIS version contains both the manga version, and the CD rom version.

[drifand]

I bet it was just like hitting the black and white segment in the middle of all that CG eye candy in MMI... pure RELIEF! Panels where you can actually focus on the action because Shirow had to THINK about what he wanted to draw instead of relying on Photoshop layers to composite his figures over half-assed backgrounds and shading everything with a motion-blur filter. I'll definitely be looking out for this one in the local Kinokuniya. :-)

[bsu legato]

I bet it was just like hitting the black and white segment in the middle of all that CG eye candy in MMI... pure RELIEF!

In all honesty, that was about on par with my expectations for GITS 1.5. But without exaggeration, I can say that it easily surpassed that. Human Processor Error is good, old fashioned Shirow goodness, the likes of which we haven't seen since the original GITS was published.

[sketchley]

Wikipedia says that the CD rom you're thinking of was only published in 2003, while the manga stories themselves were published over several years in the mid 90's.

THIS version contains both the manga version, and the CD rom version.

Just got the book/CD-ROM set yesterday. It's a great print - though I'm finding that it's easier to read a softcover manga collection than a hardcover one... Anyhow, aside for one or two incorrectly drawn characters (I have a faint feeling that Masamune Shirow was rushing through some of the art on this one... not sure why) it's great, and brings one right back to the original GiTS in feel and action.

Though, I should add: some of what I thought were original ideas in the SAC and SAC II series are truly original Shirow ideas, as they crop up in this manga. Interesting. I can also see some of the characters that show up in GitS II appearing for the first time in 1.5.

It's a bit expensive at ￥2500, and I'd probably prefer a softcover without the CD-ROM. Nevertheless, a good investment.

At the same time I picked up another groovy Shirow art collection - http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E5%A3%AB%E9%83%8E...E/dp/4063646645

Check out the groovy pictures inside. The two "books" come as a set, with basically the same girls - the difference is that in one set, the girls are clothed, the other - well, good ol' Masamune Shirow goodness.

Edited January 22, 2007 by sketchley

[Akilae]

Ha! For YEARS I've been saying that GITS had another manga out other than 1 & 2, none of my friends believed me!

Man, Fat Cat was my first introduction to GITS... good memories...