THE ART OF MASAMUNE SHIROW

VOLUME 1: MANGA

by Jeremy Mark Robinson

This is a study of the art of Masamune Shirow (real name Masanori Ota, born in 1961, Kobe, Japan), a Japanese artist best known for Ghost In the Shell, Appleseed and Dominion: Tank Police.

Masamune Shirow is one of the great creators in the world of Japanese manga and animé - his works have been the basis of several important franchises, with Ghost In the Shell the best-known. Shirow's art is marked by futuristic, cyber-punk settings, fabulous, often eccentric designs, elaborate mecha (such as tanks and mobile suits), attractive warrior women and detailed storytelling (accompanied by his famous, sometimes arcane notes).

The impact of the work of Masamune Shirow has been immense in animé and manga: Ghost In the Shell alone led to not one but two classic movies, two outstanding TV series (plus a third, the Arise series), and spin-off movies. Add to that the live-action Ghost of 2017, and more Ghosties on the way. Then there's the Appleseed digital animations and Appleseed cel animation, plus Black Magic, Real Drive, Ghost Hound (Unseen World) and Dominion: Tank Police. It all adds up to a remarkable presence in TV and movies.

In cinema, Masamune Shirow's influence is easy to spot in the Star Wars prequels, in the Matrix movies, in Avatar, in Minority Report, in the Avengers series, and in many a superhero flick.

The Art of Masamune Shirow: Volume 1: Manga includes chapters on Shirow's two signature works, Appleseed and Ghost In the Shell, and his lesser-known comics, such as Dominion: Tank Police, Orion, Black Magic and Neuro Hard; entries on his early comics; a biography; Shirow's relation to the Japanese manga industry; how Shirow's comics have been adapted for television and movies; and themes such as cyberculture and cyber-punk fiction. The Appleseed comic (four volumes plus supplementary stories) and the three Ghost In the Shell comics are explored chapter by chapter. The stories of Shirow's are described in detail.

Fully illustrated in colour, with over 230 images from Masamune Shirow's whole output, the neglected and early comics, and Shirow's other works in print publishing, such as the Intron Depot series.

The Art of Masamune Shirow is published in three volumes:

Volume 1: Manga

Volume 2: Animé

Volume 3 Erotica

Hardcover - full colour jacketed laminate cover (bound in hardcover, with a colour flyleaf).

Bibliography, resources and notes. 384 pages.

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