Ghost in the Shell

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This article is about the manga and anime franchise. For other uses, see Ghost in
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Ghost in the Shell

Ghost in the Shell.jpg
Front cover of the Ghost in the Shell, volume one, second edition.
?????
(Kokaku Kidotai)
Genre Science fiction, Cyberpunk
Manga
Written by Masamune Shirow
Published by Kodansha
Demographic Seinen
Magazine Young Magazine
Original run 1989 � 1997
Volumes 3
Anime film
Directed by Mamoru Oshii
Written by Kazunori Ito
Music by Kenji Kawai
Studio Production I.G
Released November 18, 1995 (Japan)
December 8, 1995 (United Kingdom)
March 29, 1996 (United States)
Runtime 80 minutes
Anime and Manga Portal

Ghost in the Shell (????? Kokaku Kidotai?, literally "Mobile Armored Riot Police")
is a Japanese multimedia franchise composed of manga, animated films, anime series,
video games and novels. It focuses on the activities of the counter-terrorist
organization Public Security Section 9 in a futuristic, cyberpunk Japan (Hong Kong
in the movie).

The first entry in the franchise was Shirow Masamune's Ghost in the Shell manga,
first published in 1989 in Young Magazine. A sequel, Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-
Machine Interface, was released in 2002, and a serialized manga, Ghost in the Shell
1.5: Human-Error Processor, which contained material that was planned for but not
included in the sequel, was released in 2003.

The manga series has been adapted into two anime films, Ghost in the Shell and
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence; two anime television series, Ghost in the Shell:
Stand Alone Complex and Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG; an OVA sequel of the TV
series, Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society; and three video games: one
PlayStation game, one PlayStation 2 game, and one PlayStation Portable game. The
films and anime were produced by Production I.G.
Contents
[hide]

1 Setting
 2 Media
2.1 Manga
2.2 Films
2.3 Anime series
2.4 Video games
3 Impact and influence
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Setting
Cyborg shell
Main articles: List of Ghost in the Shell characters and World of Ghost in the
Shell

Ghost in the Shell is a futuristic police thriller dealing with the exploits of the
cyborg Motoko Kusanagi, a member of a covert operations division of the Japanese
National Public Safety Commission known as Section 9. The unit specializes in
fighting technology-related crimes. Although supposedly equal to all other members,
Kusanagi fills the leadership role in the team, and is usually referred to as "the
Major" due to her past rank in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. She is capable of
superhuman feats, and bionically specialized for her job � her body is almost
completely mechanized; only her brain and a segment of her spinal cord remain
organic.

The setting of Ghost in the Shell is cyberpunk or postcyberpunk, similar to that of

William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy. Kusanagi and her colleagues face external threats
and also suffer internal conflict over their own natures.
[edit] Media
[edit] Manga
Main articles: Ghost in the Shell (manga), Ghost in the Shell 2: Man/Machine
Interface, and Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human-Error Processor

The first entry in the franchise was Shirow Masamune's Ghost in the Shell manga,
first published in 1989 in Young Magazine. A sequel, Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-
Machine Interface, was released in 2002, and a serialized manga, Ghost in the Shell
1.5: Human-Error Processor, which contained material that was planned for but not
included in the sequel, was released in 2003.
[edit] Films
Main articles: Ghost in the Shell (film) and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

The manga was first adapted into a theatrical anime film adaptation in 1995, titled
Ghost in the Shell, directed by Mamoru Oshii. The film was followed by a theatrical
film sequel, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, produced in 2004, which was also
directed by Oshii and places the character of Batou in the lead role. Both were
based on storylines from the first manga. The original film was redone in 2008,
updating the computer graphics and re-recording the sound in 6.1 surround sound,
though some members of the cast had to be changed. The new version premiered on 12
July 2008 in Japan as "Ghost in the Shell 2.0".[1]

As of 2008, DreamWorks acquired the rights to produce a live-action film adaptation

of the original manga with Steven Spielberg. Avi Arad and Steven Paul are confirmed
producers; Jamie Moss was originally hired to adapt the manga into a screenplay,[2]
but in October 2009 it was announced that Laeta Kalogridis had replaced Moss as
writer.[3][4] Kenji Kamiyama's new anime film, Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid
State Society 3D will be streamed live on October 4th.[5]
[edit] Anime series
Main articles: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C.
2nd GIG, and Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society
The series has been adapted into an anime series with a total of two seasons and
one epilogue film. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex was written and directed
by Kenji Kamiyama and produced by Production I.G, airing on Animax from 1 October
2002 to 25 March 2003 with a total of 26 episodes. The second season titled Ghost
in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG was also written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama and
produced by Production I.G. 2nd GIG aired on Animax from 1 January 2004 to 8
January 2005, with a total of 26 episodes.

A film called Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society, was created after the
anime series and directed by Kenji Kamiyama, premiering on the SKY Perfect
satellite television network on September 1, 2006. Solid State Society is a sequel
to the TV anime series storyline, and so takes place in a separate continuity. It
does not connect with either of Oshii's works. Solid State Society was later
released in 3D on March 25, 2011.
[edit] Video games
Main articles: Ghost in the Shell (video game) and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone
Complex (video game)

A PlayStation game was released in 1997, developed by Exact and published by THQ. A
second game bearing the anime TV series title Stand Alone Complex was released in
November 2004 on PlayStation 2, developed by SCEJ and Cavia and published by
Bandai. A game of the same name developed by G-Artists and published by Bandai was
released in 2005 for PlayStation Portable, but this is a sequel to the PlayStation
2 game, with a completely different storyline, setting, and gameplay.
[edit] Impact and influence

The Wachowskis, makers of The Matrix trilogy, have commented on the influence of
the first Ghost in the Shell film, directed by Mamoru Oshii, on The Matrix.[6]
Producer Joel Silver also stated in an interview on The Animatrix DVD that he was
shown the Ghost in the Shell movie during a pitch from the Wachowski brothers to
indicate the style and look of the film they wanted for The Matrix.
[edit] References

^ Anime News Network, Anime News Network, article on 2.0 version

^ Variety.com, Variety Magazine, Linked Article.
^ Variety.com
^ SFX.co.uk
^ [1]
^ WarnerVideo.com, Interview with the Wachowski Brothers, Warner Brothers
Studios, Official Website.

[edit] External links

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex official website (Japanese)

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex official English website
Ghost in the Shell (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
Ghost in the Shell (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
Ghost in the Shell at Rotten Tomatoes

[hide]v � d � eGhost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow

Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the Shell (manga) � 2: Man-Machine Interface � 1.5: Human-Error Processer
� Ghost in the Shell (film) � 2: Innocence (film) � Ghost in the Shell (video game)
Stand Alone Complex
Episodes � 2nd GIG (Episodes) � Solid State Society � Stand Alone Complex (video
game) � Music
Characters
Public Security Section 9 (Motoko Kusanagi � Batou � Togusa � Saito) � Puppet
Master � Laughing Man � Kazundo Goda � Hideo Kuze
Other
Philosophy � World (Tachikoma � Operator � Seburo)
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Categories:

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Ghost in the Shell
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