Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirowby Masamune Shirow
Ranked 9 of 9 graphic novels by recommenders
Recommended for dense, maximalist cyberpunk ideas and author footnotes that expand on the story. One critic finds its sexual content off-putting and did not enjoy it much.
Recommended for dense, maximalist cyberpunk ideas and author footnotes that expand on the story. One critic finds its sexual content off-putting and did not enjoy it much.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 2
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 67%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 2 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 2 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Packed with interesting ideas
“It's packed with interesting ideas and author footnotes that the 1995 hints at but has no time to elaborate on.”
Comment from 26 Jun 2026 in “The Disappearance of Japan's Animators” Dense, maximalist, metaphysical writing
“Man-Machine Interface is dense, maximalist, metaphysical, and sometimes abstract”
Comment from 9 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Sexual content put off a critic
“Shirow's manga is horny though, partly why I dislike it.”
Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “Cyberpunk Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels” Did not enjoy it much
“I didn't like the manga all that much”
Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “Cyberpunk Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels”
Other graphic novels people recommend
The four most recommended other graphic novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persepolisby Marjane Satrapi | 16 | 1 | 94% | 1 | — | — |
| Transmetropolitanby Warren Ellis | 5 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| Logicomixby Apostolos K. Doxiadēs and Christos H. Papadimitriou and Alecos Papadatos | 5 | 1 | 83% | 1 | — | — |
| Gender Queerby Maia Kobabe | 4 | 3 | 57% | 2 | — | — |
| Ghost in the Shellby Masamune ShirowThis page | 2 | 1 | 67% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Shirow's manga is horny though, partly why I dislike it.”
“I didn't like the manga all that much”
“It's packed with interesting ideas and author footnotes that the 1995 hints at but has no time to elaborate on.”
“Man-Machine Interface is dense, maximalist, metaphysical, and sometimes abstract”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.