The Art of Masamune Shirow: Volume 2: Anime

THE ART OF MASAMUNE SHIROW VOLUME 2: ANIMÉ Colour Edition by Jeremy Mark Robinson This is a study of the adaptations 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 2: Animé includes a biography; chapters on Shirow’s signature works in animé – Appleseed and Ghost In the Shell – and his lesser-known adaptations, such as Dominion: Tank Police and Ghost Hound. Every adaptation of the two popular franchises based on Masamune Shirow’s work, Appleseed and the Ghost In the Shell, is discussed in detail: from the 1988 animé of Appleseed and the 1995 movie of Ghost In the Shell to the latest versions and series (such as the Arise series, the Stand Alone Complex: 2045 series, the live-action version of Ghost In the Shell, and the Appleseed animated films). Fully illustrated in colour with over 200 images from Masamune Shirow’s whole output in animation, and the neglected works, such as Black Magic, Real Drive and Pandora In the Crimson Shell. The Art of Masamune Shirow is published in three volumes: Volume 1: Manga Volume 2: Animé Volume 3 Erotica Hardcover – full colour laminate cover. Bibliography, resources and notes. 396 pages. www.crmoon.com