The manga is amazing. Although I've seen the movies and series first, I never expected this to be so awesome. Anyone who have seen either one of the movies or episodes, know that the story is actually quite serious with a few, small, sarcastic jokes. Now.. the manga.. I tell you, I laughed my ass off (don't worry, there is plenty of thrilling action left).

What I like about the whole manga, it's kind of unexpected of me as well.. is the comedy it has. It's kind of a slapstick. The last mission under the Home Affairs Minister has a great ending XD

There are actually 2 story lines, one is the same as the first movie The Puppet Master Case (although different played), and another.. which is later named in the series as The Laughing-Man Case (also this story is played differently). Although you can make an easy distinction between the 2, there are also chapters that aren't actually bounded to neither of them.

The Artwork is typically not of the 21st century. That's because it's release was in 1991. Masamune Shirow has done a remarkable. It's just too bad that Dark Horse decided to flip the pages for US and EU readers (if they'd ever publish the manga in it's original for.. than it's mine). Although you won't see it in the text on t-shirts or signs. You WILL see that suddenly there driving on the left side in Japan, everyone is left handed and Saito has his Eagle-Eye on his right eye instead of the left. And that not even all, check out some of the bad guys.

What people might not know, is that Masamune Shirow's trade mark, is the physics and the animal/insect like robots/vehicles through out the book. His detailed descriptions aren't just for show. It shows you and lets you understand why they use a particular type of metal for instance. The chapter that Motoko is the witness of a body swap of a full body cyborg friend is intriguing. He tells you not only tell you what some body parts are fore, but also explains why he choose it. Not because of the logics, more of the reliability or cost effectiveness of the part.

Positives: - Comedy - Story Line - Explanations - Artwork

Downsides: - US version is mirrored

MPrometheus also recommended: Ghost In The Shell 1.5, Ghost In The Shell 2.0,
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