The Art of Masamune Shirow. Volume 2

Джереми Марк Робинсон

This is a study of the animated adaptations of the art of Masamune Shirow (real name Masanuri Ota, b. 1961, Kobe, Japan), a Japanese artist best known for Ghost In the Shell, Appleseed and Dominion: Tank Police. Shirow is one of the great imaginations in the world of Japanese manga and animé — his works have formed the basis of several important franchises in the world of animation. Masamune Shirow’s art is marked by futuristic, cyber-punk settings, fabulous, often eccentric designs, elaborate mecha (such as tanks and mobile suits), voluptuous warrior women and detailed storytelling (accompanied by his famous notes).

The Art of Masamune Shirow includes a biography; chapters on Shirow’s signature works in animé — Appleseed and Ghost In the Shell — and his lesser-known adaptations, such as Dominion: Tank Police and Ghost Hound. Every adaptation of the two popular franchises based on Masamune Shirow’s work, Appleseed and the Ghost In the Shell, is discussed in detail: from the 1988 animé of Appleseed and the 1995 movie of Ghost In the Shell to the latest versions and series (such as the Arise series, the Stand Alone Complex: 2045 series, the live-action version of Ghost In the Shell, and the Appleseed animated films).