The databook consists mostly of art similar to what you would find in Appleseed, but with the noted example of what might be considered an early Tachikoma. It's pretty clear that overall, much of the GitS SAC universe was pulled from Appleseed, and this book here probably represents the closest form to Ghost in the Shell that anything in Shirow's work has come to this point. Chapter 26 reads essentially as GitS reads, with a noticeable reduction in the technological nonsense language that filled Appleseed. It also has shifted much closer to that pure "elite" police force, anti-terrorism style story, and even Deunan begins toread less like a stereotypical female romance character, and more like the hardened cop like Motoko.

I probably enjoyed this significantly more than Appleseed, despite reading them back to back, and I'm not exactly sure why but it was just a cleaner read overall.