Masamune Shirow Explained
, better known by his pen name, is a Japanese manga artist.[1] Shirow is best known for the manga Ghost in the Shell, which has since been turned into three theatrical anime films, two anime television series, an anime television film, an anime ONA series, a theatrical live action film, and several video games. As well as being a key figure in the development of cyberpunk aesthetics and themes in Japan during the 1980s and 1990s.[2]
Life and career
Born in the Hyōgo Prefecture capital city of Kobe, he studied oil painting at Osaka University of Arts. While in college, he developed an interest in manga, which led him to create his own complete work, Black Magic, which was published in the manga dōjinshi Atlas. His work caught the eye of President Harumichi Aoki, who offered to publish him.
The result was best-selling[3] manga Appleseed, a full volume of densely plotted drama taking place in an ambiguous future. The story was a sensation, and won the 1986 Seiun Award for Best Manga. After a professional reprint of Black Magic and a second volume of Appleseed, he released Dominion in 1986. Two more volumes of Appleseed followed before he began work on Ghost in the Shell. His work has been cited as an influence on The Wachowskis and the development of the popular Matrix film series.
In 2007, he collaborated again with Production I.G to co-create the original concept for the anime television series Ghost Hound, Production I.G's 20th anniversary project. A further original collaboration with Production I.G began airing in April 2008, titled Real Drive. His work often explores the philosophical themes of cyberpunk such as the nature of post-human existence, AI and the ethics of biotechnology, human–machine relations, multiculturalism, and globalism.
Bibliography
Manga
series:
- (1985–1986)
- "Dominion: Phantom of the Audience" (1988), short story
- (1995)
series:
- (1989–1990)
- (1991–1996)
- (1997)
Stand-alones:
- (1983)
- (1985–1989)
- (1986)
- (1987)
- (1990–1991)
- Exon Depot (1992)
- (1992–1994)
- (2007–2008)
- (2008)
Art books
A substantial amount of Shirow's work has been released in art book or poster book format, some being hentai. The following is an incomplete list.
- Intron Depot 1 (1992) (science fiction–themed color illustration art book collecting his work from 1981 to 1991)
- Intron Depot 2: Blades (1998) (fantasy-themed color illustration art book featuring female characters with armor and edged weapons)
- Cybergirls Portfolio (2000)
- Intron Depot 3: Ballistics (2003) (military-themed color illustration and CG art book featuring female characters with guns)
- Intron Depot 4: Bullets (2004) (color illustration art book collecting his work between 1995 and 1999)
- Intron Depot 5: Battalion (2012) (game & animation artwork covering the period 2001–2009)
- Intron Depot 6: Barb Wire 01 (2013) (illustrations for novels 2007–2010)
- Intron Depot 7: Barb Wire 02 (2013) (illustrations for novels 2007–2010)
- Intron Depot 8: Bomb Bay (2018) (illustrations 1992–2009)
- Intron Depot 9: Barrage Fire (2019) (illustrations 1998–2017)
- Intron Depot 10: Bloodbard (2020) (illustrations 2004–2019)
- Intron Depot 11: Bailey Bridge (2020) (illustrations 2012–2014)
- Kokin Toguihime Zowshi Shu (2009)
- Pieces 1 (2009)
- Pieces 2: Phantom Cats (2010)
- Pieces 3: Wild Wet Quest (2010)
- Pieces 4: Hell Hound 01 (2010)
- Pieces 5: Hell Hound 02 (2011)
- Pieces 6: Hell Cat (2011)
- Pieces 7: Hell Hound 01 & 02 Miscellaneous Work + α (2011)
- Pieces 8: Wild Wet West (2012)
- Pieces 9: Kokon Otogizoshi Shu Hiden (2012)
- Pieces GEM 01: The Ghost in The Shell Data + α (2014)
- Pieces GEM 02: Neuro Hard Bee Planet (2015)
- Pieces GEM 03: Appleseed Drawings (2016)
- W-Tails Cat 1 (2012)
- W-Tails Cat 2 (2013)
- W-Tails Cat 3 (2016)
- Greaseberries 1 (2014)
- Greaseberries 2 (2014)
- Greaseberries 3 (2018)
- Greaseberries 4 (2019)
- Greaseberries Rough (2019)
Galgrease
Galgrease (published in Uppers Magazine, 2002) is the collected name of several hentai manga and poster books by Shirow. The name comes from the fact that the women depicted often look "greased".
The first series of Galgrease booklets included four issues each in the following settings:
The second series included another run of 12 booklets in the following worlds:
After each regular series, there were one or more bonus poster books that revisited the existing characters and settings.
Minor works
- "Areopagus Arther" (1980), published in ATLAS (dōjinshi)
- "Yellow Hawk" (1981), published in ATLAS (dōjinshi)
- "Colosseum Pick" (1982), published in Funya (dōjinshi)
- "Pursuit (Manga)" (1982), published in Kintalion (dōjinshi)
- "Opional Orientation" (1984), published in ATLAS (dōjinshi)
- "Battle on Mechanism" (1984), published in ATLAS (dōjinshi)
- "Metamorphosis in Amazoness" (1984), published in ATLAS (dōjinshi)
- "Arice in Jargon" (1984), published in ATLAS (dōjinshi)
- "Bike Nut" (1985), published in Dorothy (dōjinshi)
- "Gun Dancing" (1986), published in Young Magazine Kaizokuban
- "Colosseum Pick" (1990), published in Comic Fusion Atpas (dōjinshi)
Other
- Design of the MAPP1-SM mouse series[4] (2002, commissioned by Elecom)
- (2012), original concept
- Design of the EHP-SH1000 and EHP-SL100 headphones[5] (2016, commissioned by Elecom)
Adaptations
Anime
Film
OVAs and ONAs
- Black Magic M-66 (1987) by Hiroyuki Kitakubo and Shirow Masamune (this is the only anime in which Shirow played a direct role in the production)
- Appleseed (1988) by Kazuyoshi Katayama
- Dominion (1988) by Takaaki Ishiyama and Kôichi Mashimo
- New Dominion Tank Police (1990) by Noboru Furuse and Junichi Sakai
- Landlock (1995) by Yasuhiro Matsumura (character and mecha designs only)
- Gundress (1999) by Junichi Sakai (character and mecha designs only)
- Tank Police Team: Tank S.W.A.T. 01 (2006) by Romanov Higa
- W Tails Cat: A Strange Presence (2013)
- (2013) by Kazuchika Kise
- (2020) by Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama
Television
Live action
Video games
PC Engine
Super Famicom
- Appleseed: Oracle of Prometheus
Nintendo DS
PlayStation
PlayStation 2
PlayStation Portable
Microsoft Windows
Further reading
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: MSHD: About Shirow Masamune . 2009-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170724204348/http://www.takotech.net/mshd/shirow/ . 2017-07-24 . dead .
- Book: Fifty key figures in cyberpunk culture . 2022 . Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group . 978-0-367-54917-6 . McFarlane . Anna . New York . 194-196 . Murphy . Graham J. . Schmeink . Lars.
- Book: McCarthy, Helen . Helen McCarthy . 2009 . 500 Essential Anime Movies: The Ultimate Guide . Harper Design . 42 . 978-0061474507.
- MAPP1-SM mouse series
- EHP-SH1000 and EHP-SL100 headphones
- News: Pandora in the Crimson Shell Manga Gets Event Anime in December . Anime News Network . October 23, 2015 .
