Michelle Curie's Reviews > Ghost in the Shell

I enjoyed the ideas of this far more than the story itself. This is a classic after all, but it's one first published thirty years ago, too and therefore definitely shows signs of wear.



Set in the middle of the 21st century (snap), Ghost in the Shell introduces us to a world where the line between the human and the machine has become indistinguishable: humans now rely on robot enhancements, while machines are upgraded with human tissue. In this world, we follow the story of cyborg super-agent Motoko Kusanagi, who is out there to hunt cybercriminals and hackers who try to abuse this new technology.

The ideas of this were fascinating, albeit not entirely new reading from today's perspective. A lot has happened within the genre in the last couple of decades, so reading this for the first time now robbed me of its novelty. I still loved the idea of ghosts being contained in these artificial shells and I think the manga is strongest when it gets quieter and allows for those unavoidable questions of what's human and what's considered equal.



It took me ages to get into the actual story. The problem was mainly, that despite charming footnotes that have been added as an editorial feature and that often comment on the mainly serious plot points with a humorous and nerdy tone, the general adventures of Kusanagi felt simplistic to a degree where I at no point felt properly engaged. Another thing that is going to be strange to see with the eyes of a 21st-century-Westerner is how heavy on sexualised female bodies this is. Kusanagi's shell has received an impressive, irrelevant pair of boobs as a feature that will be shown at every occasion and depictions of random orgies felt hilariously forced that I couldn't but feel amused.



All in all, I think this is a great read if you care for the genre and are like me, interested in its beginnings. Despite or maybe because of it's age, this is an impressive piece of work on the visionary front. I still consider Akira the slightly more fun work.