Today, November 23rd, is the 64th birthday of famed manga artist Masamune Shirow, one of the artists most responsible for making manga and anime famous in the West. His amazing Ghost in the Shell changed how the world viewed anime overnight. Let’s celebrate his career in this blog post, and rank his most important works!
Happy New Year from your Friend in Japan, J-List! We hope 2026 is a year of happiness and peace for you. To get things off right, we’re having a huge site-wide New Year’s Sale through Jan. 6, giving you 15$ off all in-stock products. Start browsing now!
Shirow Masamune Biography: How Did He Become Japan’s Most Famous Manga Artist?
Masanori Ota was born in 1961 in Japan’s port city of Kobe. While attending Osaka University of Arts, he joined the “manga research” club and started drawing. The result was Black Magic M-66, which he released in doujinshi format. His art caught the eye of publishing house Seishinsha, and Shirow got his first contract as a professional artist. This led to his professional debut with Appleseed.
He soon moved on to his magnum opus, Ghost in the Shell, which would have a big impact both inside and outside of Japan. The combination of Cyberpunk themes and sexy art really opened a lot of minds at the time, and the film by Mamoru Oshii changed how the world perceived anime instantly. (We’ve sold the bilingual edition for years, and still have it in stock here. And it’s the uncensored version!)
What Are the Top Works by Masamune Shirow? Let’s Rank Them!
The Original Ghost in the Shell 1995 Film
It can be hard to say too much about the impact the original Koukaku Kidoutai — Ghost in the Shell film had on anime. Set in the far-off “future” of 2029, the film follows Major Kusanagi, a cyborg agent who does battle with an evil hacker. Director Mamoru Oshii, the genius behind the popular film Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer, departed greatly from the original manga by Shirow Masamune. But no one can argue with the results! The film directly inspired The Matrix films, including “bullet time.”
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
As amazing as the OG Ghost in the Shell film was, we got a great follow-up with two seasons of Stand Alone Complex. The series was directed by Kenji Kamiyama, who worked on such works as Jin-Roh and Higashi no Eden. It was so good, I was positive we’d never see a better cyberpunk anime — until Cyberpunk Edgerunners came along.
Other Ghost in the Shell Projects
There were quite a few other Ghost in the Shell series released, some outstanding, others merely good. I even enjoyed the CGI-based series, and I’m not usually a fan of computer-generated animation.
Sadly, Motoko Kusanagi’s voice actress, Atsuko Tanaka, passed away from an illness after wrapping up voicing Flamme from Sousou no Frieren.
Appleseed Helped Put Shirow Masamune on the Map
Arguably, the work that helped make Shirow one of the most famous artists from Japan (alongside Akira’s Katsuhiro Otomo) was Appleseed. The manga was filled with amazing themes of cybernetic warfare and guns set in a post-WWIII world.
Do You Remember Dominion Tank Police?
Another fun late-80s anime was Dominion Tank Police. It had cute characters! Tanks! And some of the first sexy catgirls ever seen in anime! We were enthralled, watching it at our monthly anime club meeting back in the late ’80s. (Without subtitles, of course.)
What Do You Do When You’ve Become Japan’s Most Celebrated Artist? Draw Hentai, of Course!
After Shirow Masamune basically did everything he wanted to do, he made an amazing pivot — to creating super sexy artwork! He generally focuses on female-female erotic scenes, giving the reason that “Readers probably do not want to see men in these scenes.”
His artbooks have always been popular with J-List customers, and we have lots in stock for you here!
In addition to his artwork and mecha design, he designs sci-fi-esque computer mice for the Elecom company. We don’t stock these anymore, but you can always request one through our Megumi Express proxy buying service!
Thanks for reading this blog post celebrating the birthday of famed Japanese artist Shirow Masamune. When did you discover his amazing works? Tell us in the comments below!
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Happy New Year from your Friend in Japan, J-List! We hope 2026 is a year of happiness and peace for you. To get things off right, we’re having a huge site-wide New Year’s Sale through Jan. 6, giving you 15$ off all in-stock products. Start browsing now!
