The Major is back in town in her classic look, and it seems she may be sticking around for a bit. After rebooting Masamune Shirow’s iconic sci-fi manga with The Ghost in the Shell, Science Saru announced that a new project is in development for the series.
Further details, including format, staff, story specifics, and a release date, remain under wraps, but the studio will return to helm the animation. A teaser visual was also unveiled, featuring imagery from Man/Machine Interface, the sequel to the original 1989 work:
Starring Maaya Sakamoto as Mokoto Kusanagi in the Japanese dub, the anime aired for 10 episodes between 7 July and 8 September earlier this year. Moko-chan, assistant director of Dandadan, served as director, while acclaimed sci-fi novelist Toh EnJoe (Space Dandy, Godzilla Singular Point) wrote and oversaw the scripts. Shuhei Handa (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Little Witch Academia) designed the characters, and music director Taisei Iwasaki (Belle), Ryo Konishi (Journal with Witch), and Yuki Kanesaka (Dr Stone) contributed music compositions. King Gnu, as well as Millennium Parade feat. Saya Gray and Daniel Caesar, performed the opening and theme songs, respectively.
“The year is 2029, A near-future Japan, where the world has become highly information-intensive, with a vast corporate network covering the planet, electrons and light pulsing through it. But the nation-state and ethnic groups still survive. Motoko Kusanagi, a full-body cyborg, leads an elite combat unit of fellow cyborgs, including Batou. While commanding her team, Kusanagi envisions the creation of a specialised task force to preemptively strike against emerging threats. Meanwhile, Daisuke Aramaki of the Ministry of Home Affairs, who had been planning to establish a similar unit, scouts Kusanagi and her team,” reads the official description.
“Together, they begin operations as Public Security Section 9 — an aggressive tactical organisation known as “Shell Squad.” As they confront complex cybercrimes and international conspiracies, the existence of a mysterious, unidentified hacker known as ‘the Puppet Master’ emerges on the horizon of their investigation. What fate awaits Kusanagi? And what is the Puppet Master’s true objective? A new era of cyberpunk action begins.“
Other Japanese voice cast members include Kazuhiro Yamaji as Daisuke Aramaki, Hiroki Yasumoto as Batou, Yuichi Nakamura as Togusa, and Kosuke Goto as Ishikawa. The Ghost in the Shell is the 10th adaptation overall of the cyberpunk manga and sought to adhere more closely to it, with Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 film arguably the most popular.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
