, better known by his

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

, is a Japanese

manga artist A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...

. Shirow is best known for the manga ''

Ghost in the Shell ''Ghost in the Shell'' is a Japanese cyberpunk media franchise based on the seinen manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. The manga, first serialized in 1989 under the subtitle of ''The Ghost in the Shell'' ...

'', which has since been turned into three theatrical

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

films, two anime television series, an anime television movie, an anime

ONA Ona or ONA may refer to: Anthropology * Ona people, an indigenous people of southern Argentina and Chile ** Ona language, a language once spoken in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego * Ona, a pre-Aksumite culture in Sembel, Eritrea Geography * On ...

series, a theatrical

live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...

movie, and several

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

Life and career

Born in the

Hyōgo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...

capital city of

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

, he studied oil painting at

Osaka University of Arts is a private arts university located in Kanan, Osaka, Kanan, Minamikawachi District, Osaka, Minamikawachi District, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The university was founded in 1945 as , changing its name to in 1957, and then to in 1964. The univers ...

. While in college, he developed an interest in

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

, which led him to create his own complete work, ''

Black Magic Black magic, also known as dark magic, has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes, specifically the seven magical arts prohibited by canon law, as expounded by Johannes Hartlieb in 145 ...

'', which was published in the manga ''

dōjinshi , also romanized as ', is the Japanese term for self-published print works, such as magazines, manga, and novels. Part of a wider category of '' doujin'' (self-published) works, ''doujinshi'' are often derivative of existing works and created ...

'' ''Atlas''. His work caught the eye of Seishinsha President Harumichi Aoki, who offered to publish him. The result was best-selling 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 The is a Japanese speculative fiction award given each year for the best science fiction works and achievements during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by , the awards are given at the annual Nihon SF Taikai, Japan Science Fict ...

for Best Manga. After a professional reprint of ''Black Magic'' and a second volume of ''Appleseed'', he released ''

Dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

'' in 1986. Two more volumes of ''Appleseed'' followed before he began work on ''

''. In 2007, he collaborated again with

Production I.G is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise, founded on December 15, 1987, by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa and headquartered in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. The letters I and G derive from the names of the company founders: producer Mitsuhisa Ish ...

to co-create the original concept for the anime television series ''

Ghost Hound is an anime television series, created by Production I.G and Masamune Shirow, noted for being the creator of the '' Ghost in the Shell'' series. The original concept and design was first developed by Shirow in 1987. It is Production I.G's 2 ...

'', Production I.G's 20th anniversary project. A further original collaboration with Production I.G began airing in April 2008, titled ''

Real Drive is an anime TV series created by Production I.G and Masamune Shirow (known for the ''Ghost in the Shell'' and ''Appleseed (manga), Appleseed'' franchises) under the directorship of Kazuhiro Furuhashi, produced in collaboration with broadcast ...

''.

Bibliography

Manga

series: # (1985–1986) # "Dominion: Phantom of the Audience" (1988), short story # (1995) series: # (1989–1990) # (1991–1996) # (2019), with Junichi Fujisaku # (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 Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects. Overview Artists' books have employed a ...

or poster book format. The following is an incomplete list. * ''

Intron Depot 1 is a collection of Masamune Shirow's full color works. The volume itself is 148 210 mm x 285 mm pages. It encompasses 226 illustrations from 1981 to 1991, 193 of which are in full color. It is a wide ranging collection, as one might ...

'' (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 erotic 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: * ''Wild Wet West'' (

Wild West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

-themed) * ''Hellhound'' ( Horror-themed) * ''Galhound'' (Near-future

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

–themed) The second series included another run of 12 booklets in the following worlds: * ''Wild Wet Quest'' (A ''

Tomb Raider ''Tomb Raider'', also known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British gaming company Core Design. Formerly owned by Eidos Interactive, th ...

'' or ''

Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. In 1984, a prequel, '' Th ...

''–style sequel to ''Wild Wet West'') * ''Hellcat'' (

Pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

-themed) * ''Galhound 2'' (Near-future

–themed) 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 (2002, commissioned by

Elecom is a Japanese electronics company and founded by Junji Hada in Osaka, Japan in 1986. The company introduced an oval mouse in 1988 that became a global standard design. They manufacture office and other furniture for using with electronics, comp ...

) * '' Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn'' (2012), original concept * Design of the EHP-SH1000 and EHP-SL100 headphones (2016, commissioned by Elecom)

Adaptations

Anime

Film

* ''

'' (1995) by

Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including ''Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer'' (1984), ''Angel's Egg'' (1985), ...

* '' Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence'' (2004) by Mamoru Oshii * '' Appleseed'' (2004) by

Shinji Aramaki is a Japanese anime director and mechanical designer from Fukuoka Prefecture. He graduated from Fukuoka Prefectural Fukuoka High School and Okayama University. He was a member of Artmic and is currently the Chief Creative Officer (CCO) at SOLA ...

* '' Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society'' (2006) by

Kenji Kamiyama is a Japanese anime director. Career Kamiyama has worked regularly with the anime studio and production enterprise Production I.G, such as his work on '' Jin-Roh'', ''Patlabor'', '' Blood: The Last Vampire'', and for whom he has directed the '' ...

* ''

Appleseed Ex Machina ''Appleseed Ex Machina'', also known as in the original version, is a 2007 Japanese animated CG science fiction film and is the sequel to the 2004 ''Appleseed'' film, similarly directed by Shinji Aramaki, and was produced by Hong Kong director ...

'' (2007) by Shinji Aramaki and

John Woo John Woo Yu-Sen SBS (; born September 22, 1946) is a Hong Kong filmmaker, known as a highly-influential figure in the action film genre. He was a pioneer of heroic bloodshed films (a crime action film genre involving Chinese triads) and the gun fu ...

* ''

Appleseed Alpha ''Appleseed Alpha'' (also styled as ''Appleseed α'') is a computer-animated military science fiction cyberpunk film. The English version's voice cast includes Luci Christian (Deunan Knute), David Matranga (Briareos) and Wendel Calvert (Two Horn ...

'' (2014) by Shinji Aramaki and Joseph Chou * '' Kōkaku no Pandora - Ghost Urn'' (2015) by

Munenori Nawa is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist, and director. Anime involved in *''Metal Fighter Miku'': Key Animation *''Tenchi Universe'': Key Animation (ep 12) *''Slayers Gorgeous'': Assistant Animation Director *'' Digimon: The Movie'': Key Animat ...

* '' Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie'' (2016) by Kazuya Nomura

OVAs and ONAs

* ''

Black Magic M-66 is a cyberpunk manga written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. It was first published as a ''dōjinshi'' in 1983, and was later reprinted in ''tankōbon'' format by Seishinsha in 1985. The series was later adapted into an OVA in 1987 whi ...

'' (1987) by

Hiroyuki Kitakubo is a Japanese director, animator, and screenwriter. Kitakubo began work in the anime industry as a teenager, having worked on the 1979 ''Mobile Suit Gundam'' television series. He debuted as a director with the ''Cream Lemon'' episode "Pop Chas ...

and Shirow Masamune (this is the only anime in which Shirow played a direct role in the production) * '' Appleseed'' (1988) by

Kazuyoshi Katayama is a Japanese animator and director who directed ''The Big O'' and the '' King of Thorn'' film. Filmography * Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie (1982) (animation) * Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) (assistant director and production a ...

* ''

'' (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 In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...

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) * '' Ghost in the Shell: Arise'' (2013) by

Kazuchika Kise is a Japanese director, animator, and character designer. He started working in the anime industry in 1989 with '' Patlabor: The Movie''. In 2015, he made his directorial debut with '' Ghost in the Shell: Arise''. Biography Kazuchika Kise was bo ...

* '' Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045'' (2020) by

and

Television

* '' Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex'' (2003) by

(also called ''Alone on Earth'' or ''GitS:SAC'') * '' Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG'' (2004) by Kenji Kamiyama (second season of ''GitS:SAC'') * ''

'' (2007) by

Ryūtarō Nakamura was a Japanese director and animator, best known for directing the landmark anime series ''Serial Experiments Lain'', and for his collaboration with Masamune Shirow and Chiaki J. Konaka on ''Ghost Hound''. Death In 2009, it was announced that h ...

; original concept in collaboration with

* ''

'' (2008) by

Kazuhiro Furuhashi is a Japanese anime director and supervisor. He is amongst anime's most foremost directors, having directed and helmed the ''Rurouni Kenshin'' series (including the original television series, and its subsequent much-lauded OVA iterations), '' Z ...

; original concept in collaboration with Production I.G * ''

Appleseed XIII is a 2011 Japanese CGI anime adaptation of Masamune Shirow's science fiction manga series '' Appleseed''. Composed of 13 episodes, the series retold the exploits of E-S.W.A.T. member Deunan and her cyborg partner Briareos. The series was ...

'' (2011) by

Takayuki Hamana is a Japanese animator and director known for directing ''The Prince of Tennis''. Career Upon graduating high school, Takayuki Hamana joined Ajia-do as an in-between animator for four years. Hamana left Ajia-do and joined I.G Tatsunoko, where ...

* '' Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Alternative Architecture'' (2015) by Kazuchika Kise * '' Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn'' (2016) by

, original concept for the source manga

Live action

* ''Ghost in the Shell'' (2017) by

Rupert Sanders Rupert Miles Sanders (born 16 March 1971) is an English film director. He has directed the movies ''Snow White and the Huntsman'' (2012) and ''Ghost in the Shell (2017 film), Ghost in the Shell'' (2017). In 2021, he directed the pilot episode of ...

Video games

PlayStation

* ''

'' * '' Yarudora Series Vol. 3: Sampaguita'' * '' Project Horned Owl'' * ''GunDress''

PlayStation 2

* '' Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex'' *'' Appleseed EX''

PlayStation Portable

* '' Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex'' * '' Yarudora Series Vol. 3: Sampaguita''

Microsoft Windows

* '' Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - First Assault Online''

References

External links

* * *
Masamune Shirow
at Media Arts Database

a
Baka-Updates Manga
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shirow, Masamune 1961 births Living people Japanese animators Japanese erotic artists Osaka University of Arts alumni People from Kobe Hentai creators Manga artists from Hyōgo Prefecture Cyberpunk writers Pseudonymous artists

Life and career

Bibliography

Manga

Art books

Galgrease

Minor works

Other

Adaptations

Anime

Film

OVAs and ONAs

Television

Live action

Video games

PC Engine

Super Famicom

Nintendo DS

PlayStation

PlayStation 2

PlayStation Portable

Microsoft Windows

References

Further reading

External links