Kodansha Comics has the “definitive” first Ghost in the Shell hardcover manga release from Masamune Shirow coming up on January 31st, 2017 and there’s a lot of excitement about getting this out ahead of the new movie. The release is being done in the original, right-to-left format with Japanese sound effects for the first time and will have new bonus content. It’s also being released simultaneously with deluxe editions of The Ghost in the Shell 1.5 and 2.
But, that nagging question is always out there about the uncensored version that always seems to keep some fans using it as a reason not to actually own the release. Which is understandable, to a degree, but there’s also this simple fact that’s revealed (again) by Kodansha Comics when asked about it this week.
Plot concept: Deep into the twenty-first century, the line between man and machine has been blurred as humans rely on the enhancement of mechanical implants and robots are upgraded with human tissue. In this rapidly converging landscape, cyborg superagent Major Motoko Kusanagi is charged to track down the craftiest and most dangerous terrorists and cybercriminals, including “ghost hackers” who are capable of exploiting the human/machine interface and reprogramming humans to become puppets to carry out the hackers’ criminal ends.
