The dialogue is dense with technical, political, economic and philosophical jargon. Frankly, I found it impossible to tell what's going on in the story at any given moment. If figuring out Motoko's motivation for going someplace or doing something is that difficult, I can forget about wrapping my head around the overarching plot. The author's notes that frequently pop up in the margins help a little bit, but they're an inelegant solution at best.
For a series known for its badass weapons, shootouts and fight scenes, there's disappointingly little action to be found here. Most "action" scenes simply feature Motoko's naked, ephemeral body floating through cyberspace while she barks out orders about viruses, mazes and attack barriers. And this goes on for page after page. If the artist wanted to create a visual depiction of hacker battles in the year 2035, he succeeded, but the end result isn't very exciting or compelling.
Masamune's art still holds up wonderfully today, but with the gift of hindsight, I will admit that his anatomy is a tad wonky; Rob Liefeld-esque waistlines abound and so many panels are perfectly framed to capture a butt or crotch. Take that however you will. Masamune was clearly one of the earlier adopters of computers in the manga-making process, so you'll see a lot of CG models and coloring. Some of it works, but the rare black-and-white pages are more of a treat.
I'm not a huge Ghost in the Shell fan, but I've always been curious enough to dabble in the series here and there. And in my limited experience, this is one of the weaker entries. It has its strong points, but it'll probably be a few years before I attempt to decipher it again.
