Ghost in the Shell 2 Ani - Manga: Innocence (Ghost in the Shell 2 Ani-Manga) (Paperback)

by Mamoru Oshii (Author, Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In 2032, the line between humans and machines has been blurred almost beyond distinction. Humans have forgotten that they are human, and those that are left coexist with cyborgs and dolls. Batou is a cyborg. His body is artificial: the only remains left of his humanity are traces of his brain...and the memories of a woman called the Major.

A detective for the government's covert anti-terrorist unit, Public Security Section 9, Batou is investigating the case of the "gynoid" - a hyperrealistic female robot - who malfunctions and slaughters her owner. As Batou delves deeper into the investigations, questions arise about humanity's need to immortalize its image in dolls. The answers to those questions lead to the shocking truth behind the crime...and quite possibly, the very meaning of life.

About the Author
Born n 1951 in Tokyo, Mamoru Oshii has in the last ten years become the anime director who has most impacted world cinema. While working under what are indie budgets by the standards of Hollywood, Oshii has won the extensive praise of Titanic's James Cameron and was an acknowledged influence on The Matrix. Oshii's fascinating style comes from his ability to fuse the dynamic and the mystic - the action and style of science-fiction blockbusters with a pervading sense of mood, mystery, and surrealism. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, is the seventh anime feature from this versatile director, who has also made five live action films.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; 1 edition (March 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591168295
• ISBN-13: 978-1591168294
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.3 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #742,581 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars its cool but not that cool, January 1, 2006

By	Kathy Foss "midgetwarrior" (TX, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

for starters to put it in a nut shell this is a direct paper print of the movie Ghost in the Shell 2:Innocence, every page contains exact frames from the movie, so if you have seen the movie this ani-manga box set is NOT going to offer you anything new, when it comes to the story...

moreover there's a lot of un-translated sound effects...so you will get to read what the characters said in the movie but the stuff as the word BOOM or Clank, is left in Japanese...and there are pages upon pages of landscape shots from the movie that have these sound effects all over them..also there are a good 3 pages or so of credits slides from the move too...and there in Japanese..

moreover..the only real value this thing has is collectors value..the box is nicely made and durable ..and the 4 mini-mangas are awesomely printed *very high quality* and have the smoothest covers on the planet...

overall this ani-manga is cool but not that cool, without offering anything new to the movie..and short changing the sound-effects..when the main printed dialogue is in English?!?!?!...the product falls short of expatiation for its price..MOREOVER...it also fails recreate the experience that the movie generates....

in short if you really wanna experience Ghost In the Shell 2:Innocence, GO WATCH THE MOVIE, only buy this as a supplement if you are a collector of Shell Memorabilia

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dont go through the trouble of the DVD, February 4, 2006

By	Silent Killer - See all my reviews

This box set is awesome. So what if you cant understand onomontapias? BIG DEAL! Dont be a big baby and complain about the onomontapias you cant understand. The captures from the movie is very detailed and the best part about it is that your reading it in english! Who wants to keep looking down at subtitles on the DVD when you can just buy this manga version? The screencaps make it just like your watching the movie itself. People, do yourself a favor and just buy the manga. absolutely worth it.

5.0 out of 5 stars "An Action Flick for Scholars", March 17, 2009

By	Sniff Code "www.sniffcode.com" (Somewhere out there) - See all my reviews

I recently came across a great line that describes "Innocence" to a T: "It's an action flick for scholars." Yes. Not that I'm a "scholar", ahem. But the intellectual musings including the philosophical quoting motifs are the elements that I appreciated most from this movie. That's exactly why the Manga is a must have. There are several moments in the movie where I had to hit pause and think about what I had just seen or read in the sub-titles. There are many frames in the movie that carry tons of symbolism that pass by too quickly, but that can be looked at, like art, in this manga. A prime example being the Tree Image on Aramaki's wall. It wasn't until staring at the pages on the Manga that I realized the potent symbols that lay at the base of the tree.

Also, moments between Batou and the Major are particularly poignant and required more time that I was able to absorb from the pages moreso than the movie.

Yes, the panels in the Manga are frames extracted from the movie. I don't think I would have wanted it any other way. I didn't buy the Manga to see a recreation of the amazing art. I bought it so that I could absorb the story and the text at a page by page rate. As far as I'm concerned, the Manga is an excellent supplement to the film.