Ghost in the Shell README: 1995-2017 (2017)

Ghost in the Shell
README: 1995-2017 (2017)

Author: Shirow Masamune (?) | Page Count: 160

'How am I supposed to stay motivated without my bassets?' - Mamoru Oshii

Described by publisher Kodansha as 'The definitive history of the most influential cyberpunk anime of all time!', the Ghost in the Shell README is perhaps more accurately described as being little more than a cash-grab tie-in detailing the plots of the various filmed versions of Shirow's original manga.

It opens with a brief look at the 2017 live-action movie. An attempt is made to sing its praises but it seems halfhearted at best, and a failure at worst. Having viewed the film, I can understand the trouble the writer must've had, because, besides its visuals, the live-action movie is the worst interpretation that GitS has had thus far - to put it more plainly, the movie is garbage.

None of that, however, excuses the poor writing of the README. It seems like it was penned by a sixteen-year-old school kid who couldn't be bothered to apply the close reading techniques that were being taught in the classroom. What we're presented with, for the most part, isn't any kind of critical analysis of the GitS world or its various themes, it's a skimming of the surface that's padded out with a spoiler-filled summarising of each version's take on the story.

I can find no author name(s) on the front cover, back cover, spine, or the opening pages. The official Kodansha website gives Shirow Masamune as being the author, but in the STAFF list at the back of the actual book it instead credits (as writer) someone named Drillmaster, so I'm unclear as to who the actual author is. The English translation is by Kevin Steinbach.

The blurb on the same website also promises 'In-depth interviews, stunning concept art, and tales of behind-the-scenes triumphs and near-tragedies from the 22-year history of The Ghost in the Shell,' franchise. That's an overly-enthusiastic way of saying that we get:

• A two-and-a-half page interview with two of the Japanese voice cast, namely Atsuko Tanaka (Motoko Kusanagi) and Maaya Sakamoto (also Motoko Kusanagi) - it's the usual kind of respectful exchange that many Japanese actresses seem to have with interviewers, the kind that somehow comes across as partly ego-eccentric.
• The second interview, a chat with three of the series directors, namely Mamoru Oshii (the original 1995 film), Kenji Kamiyama (Stand Alone Complex), and Kazuchika Kise (Arise), is six pages long and was, for me, the highlight of the book.
• A lot of cool concept art fills up space.
• Some occasionally interesting factoids that are nevertheless few and far between.

Any fan who's immersed him or herself in the world of GitS, who's explored the concepts and theories that have become ingrained in the architecture of the works, will find little or nothing of value in reading the book. It's not even suited to introducing those same concepts to people who discovered GitS through the live-action movie because of the many, many, many spoilers.

However you choose to spin it, whether it be in agreement with the publisher's marketing or my less decorated way, in this reader's opinion the README looks pretty on the outside but is neither deep nor insightful enough on the inside to be classified as any kind of 'definitive history' of the series. Alternatively, if viewed as an art book and episode guide, then it's merely okay.