"Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface" had sold over 100,000 copies from its initial printing in Japan. Diamond Comic Distributors ranked the manga #7 in its Top Performing Manga list of 2005. Mike Crandol of Anime News Network criticized the manga for being too complex and overwhelming stating it is "too technical for its own good" but praised the new artwork, stating that Shirow's "canny drawing skills are supplemented by an innovative use of CGI graphics that represent the series' boldest artistic endeavor." "Publishers Weekly" praised the artwork as "the color and b&w graphics are stunning, brilliantly evoking the nonvisual world of data transmission" but stated that the story can be confusing.