I know that Shirow is one of the well-respected creators of manga, and that Ghost in the Shell is like Akira in that it's one of those anime and manga that even the most casual fan has seen. Allow me to then reveal myself as a philistine by saying that I just don't get it. I haven't seen or read the initial Ghost in the Shell (even though my wife has a copy), so perhaps some of my confusion results from that, but I suspect instead that it is Shirow's style that I find so confusing. He immerses the reader in an alien world and dumps a whole lot of concepts on us, and by the time I was about halfway through, my eyes were glazing over. The book looks beautiful, even if the computer-generated and traditional art doesn't always blend perfectly, but it honestly makes very little sense to me.
It's interesting to note that Shirow clearly has the entire world of Ghost in the Shell worked out in his head. The various explanatory footnotes seem to indicate that he has thought through the way technology, military organization and other social aspects of his world works. I can't fault him the groundwork for the story, and it seems like he knows details that he hasn't ever revealed (and may never reveal) to his readers. It's a shame that this imaginative and well-constructed background doesn't translate to a more well-structured story.
As far as I can tell, the plot this issue involves the heroine, Motoko, being hired by a less-than-trustworthy ally who offers her information and technology in exchange for jobs. Unfortunately, I can't quite work out how she does the jobs, or even exactly what the job entails. Her abilities would seem to extend to control of a network of robots, but at the same time she has a physical prowess and physical form that you'd expect from a standard action hero as well.
The artwork by Shirow is quite beautiful. There's an elegance to his character designs, and while the women are overly sexualized, it's generally not done in a pandering or lascivious way. In addition, though the computer backgrounds and objects are definitely jarring and noticeable, they're well-designed and detailed, and so both halves of the artwork look great together, even if they don't necessarily look as if they belong together. Shirow's panels are also so crowded together, and packed full of objects, that I can't always tell what's meant to be going on.
In the end, Ghost in the Shell 2 appears to me as more of an art object than a storytelling device. It's beautiful to look at in an abstract way, but when you try to focus and get closer to read the story, it seems like the story never quite appears. Given my inexperience with the initial story and manga in general, I can't judge whether this is a disappointing follow-up or just a case of my tastes not matching up with Shirow's style, but either way, I doubt very much I'll be going back for another issue.
