“Ghost in the Shell” is regarded, I believe, as a landmark work in manga, and there are some definite strengths here. Shirow creates a compelling futuristic world, peopled with androids, cyber communicators and other augmented humans.

For his story, he presents an anti-terrorism squad on a series of loosely linked jobs. The tension is real, as is the “realpolitik” of their barely sanctioned work. The art is excellent, with branching circuits and beautifully detailed cityscapes. “Ghost in the Shell” is an easy work to immerse yourself in.

At the same time, the storytelling can be disjointed and difficult to follow. While Shirow states that he doesn’t like exposition, it’s easy to become lost in the stories, losing track of identity of characters or the relationships between larger political entities.

It’s admirable that he wants to use his story to explore the ramifications of artificial intelligence. (Is a sufficiently advanced robot different from a human? He doesn’t seem to think so.) However, the last chapters stray from the strength of the shadowy world he’s created in favor of armchair metaphysics, with large sections that prove to be skippable. The story ends very far from where it began, and this transition is to the detriment of the book.