For the first time in over a decade, there's a brand-new Ghost in the Shell anime, and it's streaming right now. The Ghost in the Shell premiered Tuesday on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories, with new episodes arriving every Tuesday. Episode 2 lands July 14th.
Science SARU, the studio behind Devilman Crybaby and DAN DA DAN, is the first studio other than Production I.G to make a Ghost in the Shell anime in the franchise's roughly 30 years on screen. It's also a manga-first adaptation: rather than continuing Mamoru Oshii's films or the Stand Alone Complex continuity, the series goes back to Masamune Shirow's original 1989 manga, quirky humor and all.
Shirow himself has blessed the approach, calling the show potentially "the first installment of a second generation" in an interview with Anime News Network. Director Mokochan, making a series-directing debut after working as assistant director on DAN DA DAN's first season, has said the team built the show with zero generative AI.
The cast carries some emotional weight. Maaya Sakamoto voices Motoko Kusanagi, taking over after longtime Major Atsuko Tanaka passed away in 2024, with Hiroki Yasumoto as Batou and Yuichi Nakamura as Togusa. The script comes from novelist EnJoe Toh, King Gnu handles the opening theme "Go Ghost" (which we covered when it dropped), and Millennium Parade closes each episode with Daniel Caesar and Saya Gray guesting on "Blue."
Early word is strong. Anime News Network's preview guide called the premiere "an astonishing triumph, combining the novelty of Masamune Shirow's original style, Science SARU's brilliantly bold animation, and a marvelously thrilling jazz soundtrack," while Forbes found it "gloriously goofy and very faithful to the manga." The one divide worth knowing going in: if your Ghost in the Shell is the cold, contemplative Oshii film, this is a very different flavor. It's faster, funnier, and much closer to how Shirow drew it.
A little perspective on the drought this show just ended: Shirow's manga debuted in 1989, Oshii's landmark film hit in 1995, and Stand Alone Complex arrived in 2002. The last new Ghost in the Shell anime was the Arise era over a decade ago, so this is the franchise's first fresh screen take in roughly 12 years.
A couple of housekeeping notes: the total episode count hasn't been announced yet, the first two episodes premiered at the Annecy festival back in June, and the show streams dubbed in eight languages out of the gate. In Japan it airs Tuesday nights on Fuji TV.
Have you watched the premiere yet? Where does manga-flavored Motoko rank against the Oshii and Stand Alone Complex versions for you?
Let us know in the comments below!
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