Ghost in the Shell as a series is frequently, and likely understandably, always overshadowed by its adaptations. The seminole 1995 Mamoru Oshii adapatation is an absolute masterclass and classic in the medium that would go on to influence not only future generations of anime, but works in the Western atmsophere of art in the likes of "The Matrix" and other adjacent works. Not only the film, but also the fantastic Anime show "Stand Alone Complex" that is, once again, something of a classic and widely loved by fans alike. It truly saddens me, given these contexts, that the original manga is not so much talked about or references in the grander scheme of things. I had went into this with the interenal question, was it inferior? Bad? Corny? I had zero clue, and so I dived head in to Shirow's original work, the origin of this incredible series. What I got? Absolute excitement.

Yeah this thing is awesome. Back to back anthology, hype 80's sci-fi bangers with an incredibly engaging main cast and philosphical undertones that climax by the end of the volume. Each chapter is a new vignette that brings some sort of fresh sci-fi idea to the table, while also showing off Motoko as an absolute babe, the rest of Section 9 as loveable badasses, and incredible pace that keeps everything together. Motoko is hilarious, sexy and badass... Batou, Saitou, Tachikawa, everyone is here and making a lasting first impression. Its no wonder that this manga was more so used for Stand Alone Complex rather than the darkly atmospheric seminole 90's film. It's so much fun. Shirow crafts this manga with just enough goofy energy, raunchy imagery, gore and action to make every chapter worthwhile. Nothing feels more at home than this manga's unparalleled comfortablity and excitement for its own stories. The fantastic art bleeds "80's" from every pannel and exciting anthology format makes all of its components stick out more and more. Theres is so much to love from just this original book; all of its characters have cute and memorable banter with each other and set pieces are never wasted to bring forth explosive and eager action that is as stylish as it is exciting. Exciting truly feels like the name of the game here, but its not without its moments that really call forth what this series would be known for through the eyes of its films.

Throughout these stories aren't only pulp-esc fun and science fiction, but a relatively well situated spread of speculative ideas that go about nicely with the core of the manga. These more speculative scenarios are laced throughout each chapter, and make up for fascinating speculation that would go on to be more of a core for the franchise in later adpatations and installments. It more so keeps its foundation of pulp science fiction, but it refuses to limit itself from its more insightful visions on politics and speculative science fiction. When Shirow decides to slow the pace down, the manga can quickly divulge into socio-politics and philosophy that aren't too long winded but dense enough to raise questions that further raise the manga's sort of thematic. Its shots and stances regarding countries like Israel, AI, and even work culture are not understated and are rather un-subtle but work in the context of this exponentially spurratic and stylistic 80's work of manga cannon.

All things considered I truly belive this is a must read for anyone that loves "Stand Alone Complex" specifically, or even the larger Ghost in teh Shell series as a whole. While not quite what its film adaptation is known for, it has enough DNA that gets shared into both Oshii films that careful readers will catch onto and appreciate. I truly love this manga and believe it to be an underrated work of science fiction action and a definite classic of the 80's. There is much to get from here that's more than just Motoko having a lesbian orgy, I promise!