****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Before you read on, bear in mind that I'm writing this review in comparison to the first "Ghost in the Shell". While Shirow does mention that this book is not a continuation of the first, there are some major differences in style.Let's start with the artwork. As I've noticed with Shirow's work, all the ways from Appleseed, his style has matured with each work and is at a very advanced level, in my opinion, among top comic book artists in the world. He has a certain style of coloring that, to me, is really unique in how subtle, lifelike, and tactile he makes fabrics and skin. While only roughly 35-40% of the book is colored, it is done so fantastically.In addition, Shirow has a supreme mastery of the female body form. It's simply stunning to see how beautifully he can render the female body, especially with the dynamic energy he brings to his characters. While he renders many of the panels with the female characters in the buff, he does not render "R" nudity, but rather "PG-13" nudity, except in one panel). (As a sidenote, parents of younger readers should perhaps consider this an "R" rated book. While none of the nudity is gratuitous, it can be a little too much for some).As fans of Shirow have noticed, he has been experimenting with integrating 3D, rendered environments and objects with his 2D artwork. He shows his mastery of this technique in many of the panels, where it seems seemless; you feel as if the character is really a part of the scene. Then in others, it seems poorly done (for example, he renders pigs in a sequence of panels and the pigs just look weird). I'd also offer some criticism of his rendering of "virtual space", as it quickly becomes cluttered and very difficult to navigate, visually, especially in the low-res, black and white lineart panels.As with all Shirow works, there is certainly enough cool technobabble and gadgets to get your geek juices flowing. From exoskeletons that envelope and "swallow" the pilot, to oddly constructed androids, to the techno-metaphysical discussions of reality, life, existence, and justice.My main criticism with the work is the incontinuity *within* the plot itself (I fully understand and accept that this is not a continuation of the first). Without going deeply into the plot, there are some scenarios where he will start what seems like an arc, but then the arc disappears, without entering into the plot again. It seems like whole parts of the book were created just for the sake of showing artwork, and not progressing plot (to me, plot should always come first in a written work, which this is, despite the medium). It feels like the recent Star Wars movies in that they are really a showcase for Lucas's technique with fully rendered set and have lost any semblence of a cohesive plot and great acting (especially Harrison Ford) that made the first three the classics that they are. Yes, while I do appreciate the eye candy, this is still a graphic novel, and, as such, I expect a cohesive plot and not random interjections of this and that and whatever.Some fans will also find the lack of action (compared to the first book) a bit disappointing. The first book was far grittier and more action packed than this book. It also had a richer cast of characters. "Man-Machine Interface" really only features one character (albeit in various bodies and forms) and thus loses some of the dynamic interactions between characters. Shirow never gets a chance to fully developer the chief of Poseidon police and his crew.Overall, this book is excellent if you simply love Shirow's beautiful artwork, mastery of the female body form, and creative techno-gadgets. The plot, especially the ending, will leave you sorely disappointed. Whereas the first ended on a revelation of a metaphysical type, this book ends in a fizzle.Masamune Shirow is a genius!Okay, I got that out there. I cannot complain about his drawing, his grasp of technology, his vision of the future, or his intricate plotlines. His dystopian Japan seems plausible and believable, his characters pretty much solidly rooted in their time. He is able to draw out issues relevant to now, but set in the future.So I'm almost embarrassed to say I'm almost bored by his lead character, Motoko Kusanagi, or whichever incarnation is involved.She's too damn good. There's only so many pages I can take of her coming up on some intricate trap, problem, or puzzle, and have her simply identify it and literally solve it with a virtual wave of her hand. I can't even say I'm exaggerating for effect. The only relief you get from her near-constant omniscience are occasional drops into chibi form for comedy.If the point is that she's Shirow's ideal woman, okay, I get that. She's physically hot, no doubt about it, lovingly curved with a panty-shot and cleavage in nearly every frame. There's a time and place for everything. But she's so disconnected from people that it's hard to relate her as more than a plot device, an excuse to advance the story from point to point.So, good stories, good artwork. I can't even say Kusanagi is a bad character, just not ultimately interesting, but a good narrator. She'll lead you on, but at the end all you'll get is the end of the story.Yea this book is very cool, graphics wise: very well done!!!!however, for those of you looking for a direct sequel to the first book, this isn't it, its a very weird story that is actually very confusing until the end, motoko becomes a hyper advanced ghost on the net and downloads her self into multiple bodies,the story featured here, follows the journey of one of these motoko copies to its very demise. However, the story at the end dose come back to the original motoko and section 9...sorta, batu and aramaki are in this story but only in the beginning and at the end, and it dose end story wise as if it were going to sequel.other than that the only bad thing about this is that its printed in a slightly larger "Manga" size. its not like the first book, where it was a 300pg full size graphic novel, no the book is significantly smaller in dimension and has 307 pages, the text is smaller *8pt font MAX*, and this time about 1/2 of is in full *CG* color,so yea its a must have for all diehard shell fans..but for new comers and not so diehards alike, this book may be a bit of a let down....Let me start by saying that I originally got drawn to GitS from the original anime, and consequential series. I knew that they were drawn upon from Masamune Shirow's manga. Before I bought the book, I read the reader reviews on Amazon. Most of them left me disappointed. There isn't much of a cohesive storyline, most said. Some said that the art is good, but busy, or overwhelming. I had my own general idea of what to expect, so I bought the book anyway.There is a good story here, but it's pure tech. "Man-Machine Interface" is named this way for a reason. Motoko is corporate, this time. Not military. If you're looking for a continuation of Masamune's first manga, you won't find it. What you will find is layers of Shirow's version of the internet, and one person's expert manipulation of the data within. Which is actually what the story IS about. Data mining, and applying that data to the best advantage of the company Motoko works for. And if you follow the story correctly, you discover, like she does, that there's quite a bit of similarity and uniqueness to life, both digitally, and physically. It took me a couple of readings to see that, myself.Buy the book for the art. Buy the book for the tech. But if you're looking for a Section 9 adventure, you might be disappointed.Great condition. Unfortunately not the uncensored Japanese version, even the sticker but, still has the extra panels.Man Machine Interfaceの洋書版。比較的、印刷や製本が良いのでおすすめです。この作品は、日本語と英語の両方で読まないとなかなかに、理解しにくい点があると思います。前作のようなアクションが減り、電脳戦中心になったことへの批判がありますけど、まず作者本人が、それを自覚していることと、次に、Ghost in the Shellの続きが出るとしたら、こうした形しかなかったのではないか、と思うので、2と銘打つには、この形が結果的に良かったと思います。もし、3作品目がありうるとしたら、同じ考えを持つ同位体が増加し、徒党を組んで対立しあう集団戦闘、というクローン戦争のような形にならざるを得ないと思います。あるいは、超人ロックでは掘り下がらなかった、珪素生命体の周辺から中心にかけて、改めて掘り下げるか、ですね。こちらは、確証が得られないのでファンタジーになってしまいますけど。そうした方向などに続編がありえるのかどうかは、別として、電脳コイルやRD 潜脳調査室、などという日常における方向性も楽しいものだと思います。テクノロジーの発展が古典SFの領域を超えてしまう勢いがあり、フィクションとしての新世代SFが生まれるには、新たに生まれたフロンティアの土壌がまだ若い時期、に差し掛かっている21世紀初頭という感じがしますね。not the Japanese edition English version again its a con not the japan version so not good not happy a
