Story
[left] Info: The setting of Ghost in the Shell is cyberpunk or postcyberpunk. It is a futuristic police thriller dealing with the exploits of the cyborg Motoko Kusanagi
, a member of a covert operations division of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission known as Section 9
. The unit specializes in fighting technology-related crimes. Although supposedly equal to all other members, Kusanagi fills the leadership role in the team and is usually referred to as "the Major", due to her past rank in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. She is capable of superhuman feats, and bionically specialized for her job.
The first entry
in the franchise was Shirow Masamune's Ghost in the Shell
manga, published by Kodansha
and was released on October 5, 1991. The English version was then published and released on December 1995 by Dark Horse Comics / Studio Proteus.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
follows an alternate and separate storyline from that of Mamoru Oshii's theatrical film adaptations. The TV series expounds further on the careers of Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9 and also retains more elements from Masamune Shirow's original manga than Oshii's feature films.