Just looking at Appleseed, Dominion, and Ghost in the Shell, his most widely known works, it becomes readily apparent that Shirow loves writing police tales, probably as much as he likes drawing gorgeous women. This isn't to say that he doesn't write in other settings, though it certainly seems that way sometimes. Looking at the variety of projects he's done, you can tell that he isn't afraid to experiment. From the textless tales of Exon Depot, to the worldbuilding of Neurohard, to the sheer amount of effort put into Man-Machine Interface, he is always finding new ways to challenge himself while bringing his wonderful stories to us.
Shirow's artistic and writing styles have evolved considerably over the years, to the delight of some and the dismay of others. Until sometime in the mid-90s, Shirow's art was almost completely done by hand, coloring and all, something fans have been used to for many years. Sometime there in the 90s, Shirow started to experiment with computer-rendered graphics, mainly playing with 3D backgrounds, but this wasn't really a factor with his manga yet. The sequel to Ghost in the Shell had seen its run in Kodansha's Young Magazine before he really started doing anything with computers, but when it was finally released in a collected format, many were shocked to see that the story was entirely redone and heavy on the rendered graphics. One thing that hasn't really changed though is the glacial pace at which he puts out new stories, and I sadly doubt that we'll ever see anything any quicker that we currently do.
While his pace is glacially slow compared to pretty much any other author in the business, when he does release something new you can rest assured that it will be amazing to look at, filled with Shirow's sense of humor, and an obsession over detail(for things real and imaginary) that very few others even begin to approach. With that, take your pick from the choices below and read on.
» Appleseed
» Black Magic
» Dominion
» Exon Depot
» Ghost in the Shell
» Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human Error Processor
» Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface
» Gun Dancing
» Neurohard
» Orion
» Pile-Up
