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Intron Depot
Intron Depot 2: Blades
Intron Depot 2: Blades is the newest full-color book from creator Masamune Shirow (Appleseed and Ghost in the Shell). It collects 209 fantasy-themed illustrations, paintings, and computer graphics created by Shirow between 1992 and May 1998, none of which have been published in the U.S. before. It also contains detailed commentary (in both Japanese and English) on each work, and an info-box that explains the techniques used to produce each piece.
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
2 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
Masamune Shirow
427 books499 followersMasamune Shirow is an internationally renowned manga
Masanori Ota, better known by his pen name Masamune Shirow (Japanese: 士郎正宗), is a Japanese manga artist renowned for his influential contributions to the cyberpunk genre. Born in Kobe in 1961, he studied oil painting at Osaka University of Arts, where he developed an interest in manga. His early work Black Magic led to the critically acclaimed Appleseed, which won the 1986 Seiun Award for Best Manga. Shirow achieved global recognition with Ghost in the Shell, a groundbreaking manga that inspired multiple anime films and series, a live-action Hollywood adaptation, and numerous video games. His stories are known for blending action with philosophical inquiries into AI, post-human existence, and the ethics of technology. He has collaborated with Production I.G on projects like Ghost Hound and Real Drive. Shirow’s distinctive style and thought-provoking narratives have left a lasting impact on manga, anime, and science fiction worldwide, influencing creators including the Wachowskis of The Matrix fame.
Masanori Ota, better known by his pen name Masamune Shirow (Japanese: 士郎正宗), is a Japanese manga artist renowned for his influential contributions to the cyberpunk genre. Born in Kobe in 1961, he studied oil painting at Osaka University of Arts, where he developed an interest in manga. His early work Black Magic led to the critically acclaimed Appleseed, which won the 1986 Seiun Award for Best Manga. Shirow achieved global recognition with Ghost in the Shell, a groundbreaking manga that inspired multiple anime films and series, a live-action Hollywood adaptation, and numerous video games. His stories are known for blending action with philosophical inquiries into AI, post-human existence, and the ethics of technology. He has collaborated with Production I.G on projects like Ghost Hound and Real Drive. Shirow’s distinctive style and thought-provoking narratives have left a lasting impact on manga, anime, and science fiction worldwide, influencing creators including the Wachowskis of The Matrix fame.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 25, 2017
This is really carry on from the work and material in Intron Depot 1 - more of Shirow's commissioned works, covers and set pieces. It only lightly touches on the anime and comic book work of his creations.
As hinted at before there is the tendency to over sexualise some of his work and there is always that fine line between art and exploitation. This series reminds me of the work of Boris Vallejo and Julia Bell - however they made no secret of the fact.
So yes I guess this series is for discerning readers - or should I say viewers as there is little text and the majority of it is in Japanese which sadly I am far from being able to read.
However as a show piece of his work it is amazing and I still cannot get over the creativity that went it so much influential work.
As hinted at before there is the tendency to over sexualise some of his work and there is always that fine line between art and exploitation. This series reminds me of the work of Boris Vallejo and Julia Bell - however they made no secret of the fact.
So yes I guess this series is for discerning readers - or should I say viewers as there is little text and the majority of it is in Japanese which sadly I am far from being able to read.
However as a show piece of his work it is amazing and I still cannot get over the creativity that went it so much influential work.
March 11, 2009
parkablogs.com)
Masamune Shirow (wiki) is the creator of Ghost in the Shell. But you won't find any concept art from that manga or anime here.
This is a large size art book containing full page coloured illustrations Masamune Shirow has created from 1992 to 1998. That includes commissions for game art, posters and other projects.
There are lots of female character illustrations done in strong manga style. Every piece is captioned to explain the project and concept.
The costume designs for the fantasy characters are extremely elaborate, detailed and unique to the point that I think is quite impossible to create in real life. That being said, the designs take away a little believability as a result.
If I am to summarize this book in a sentence, it would be this: Erotic girls in fantasy setting. The interpretation of fantasy is really out of the world.
Whether you like the book will depend on whether you like manga style.
This book was first published in 1998 and might be hard to find now.
This review was first published on parkablogs.com. There are more pictures and videos on my blog.
July 4, 2017
More artwork from the creator of Appleseed and Ghost In The Shell are collected in this volume. Not much more to say other than that Shirow Masamune draws well and digital paint has only made the work better!
January 12, 2008
Better than Intron Depot 1, less mecha which I'm not into, more cybernetics and skin, put still just a manga art book. Albeit a decent one.
Want to read
June 21, 2016FALSE
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews