It has been announced that the official art book for the exhibition "The World of Shirow Masamune Shirow~ Masamune Shirow in the Shell and the Path of Creation~" by Shirow Masamune, a manga artist known for works such as "Ghost in the Shell", entitled "Masamune Shirow Exhibition Official Art Book Shirow Masamune Artworks in the Shell" (Kodansha), will be released on April 11th. The "MESSED MESH AMBITIONS" project (commonly known as MMA), which is currently being serialized on the official global site for "Ghost in the Shell", will also be made into a book and released on the same day as "Ghost in the Shell MESSED MESH AMBITIONS".
The official art book includes over 260 carefully selected illustrations from the vast amount of analog and digitally printed color manuscripts that Masamune Shirow prepared for the exhibition. It covers Shirow Masamune's work spanning over 40 years, including his early works "Black Magic," "Appleseed," "Masamune Shirow in the Shell," "Dominion," and "Senjutsu Choukaku ORION," as well as illustrations for games and novels. Some illustrations will not be exhibited at the exhibition, and the book is priced at 6,000 yen.
"Ghost in the Shell MESSED MESH AMBITIONS" is a book of over 600 pages that selects articles, interviews, dialogues, essays, etc. published on the "Ghost in the Shell" official global site "Ghost in the Shell MESSED MESH AMBITIONS" from October 2023 to April 2025. Masamune Shirow will also contribute his own unique perspective on modern science and technology. The price is 4,500 yen.
The exhibition will be held at the Setagaya Literary Museum (Setagaya-ku, Tokyo) from April 12th. With a focus on "Ghost in the Shell," it will trace the history of the series from early works "Black Magic" to "Appleseed," "Dominion," "Super Ghost in the Shell Orion," and up to the present. Kei Sakawaki and Hiroaki Tobitaka will be in charge of graphic design, while Torafu Architects will be in charge of spatial composition. The exhibition will run until August 17th.
