Alternative title: Koukaku Kidoutai
Manga Adaptation by Science Saru
Streaming on Prime Video

Premise

In the near future, nanomachine and cybernetic technology have advanced to the point of becoming commonplace. Almost all humans have integrated technology into themselves. However, the world keeps turning, and governments and corporations alike jockey for control over the populace. Technology has merely allowed for new avenues of oppression and terrorism. Major Motoko Kusanagi and Public Security Section 9 are at the forefront of this new battlefield, fighting both technologically enhanced criminals as well as cyberspace hackers who lurk on the net.

Gee’s verdict: Shiny and Chrome

Science Saru is on a heater this season. The Ghost in the Shell is the latest in a long line of adaptations of Masamune Shirow’s legendary cyberpunk manga. Its claim to fame however, is an aesthetic and tone that evokes that original manga moreso than any other work in the franchise. To be reductive, Science Saru’s adaptation leans more into the pulp fiction elements of the original manga. It’s a whole lot more exaggerated than the buttoned up neo noir of Oshii’s films or the slow burn political drama of the Stand Alone Complex tv series. The Major has a lot more in common with her era appropriate peers than the silent femme fatale she’s often thought of in the modern day. She’s a bit wacky, a bit of a jerk, and has zero tolerance for your bullshit. This sentiment extends to most of the cast, who are a lot more lackadaisical. It’s a perfect fit for the new artstyle as well, that evokes the original Shirow manga while spicing it up with a sensory overload of flashy colors, crunchy CRT effects, and a love for analog retro technology. It’s an approach that makes The Ghost in the Shell feel both nostalgic and fresh. Like if a studio made an 80s sci-fi OVA in 2026. It feels familiar, but also unlike anything else currently on the air. It’s anime cool in the old-school sense.

It remains to be seen how much The Ghost in the Shell will get into the transhumanist or sociopolitical themes that have become part and parcel with the franchise’s modern identity. The first episode keeps it light, gesturing at vague government corruption and backroom deals made by unsavory bureaucrats, but doesn’t point its fingers at anything specific. It’s kind of an almost apolitical shrugging of the shoulders. It acknowledges that there’s probably injustices happening in the world, but isn’t particularly interested in details or solutions. It’s not necessarily a problem, this new entry seems primarily focused on being a piece of entertainment, and its first episode has set those expectations appropriately. If it does get into the headier stuff, I expect it to be a whole lot less subtle. And honestly that’s not a problem either. In this day and age, some people need a sledgehammer to the face. Sure, The Major might not be pontificating on the nature of the human soul, but she’s going to flip off every shitty bureaucrat she finds. What it lacks in substance it makes up for in emotional satisfaction. Sometimes you just want to tell your boss to fuck off (and hack his brain while you’re at it). Maybe that’s enough.