The staff behind the new Ghost in the Shell television anime series has announced that the first two episodes will receive their global premiere at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival. The special screening event, titled “Dive into ‘THE GHOST IN THE SHELL’,” is scheduled during the festival, which runs from June 21 to 27 in Annecy, France. The series itself will debut in July on the new “Ka-Anival!!” anime block airing Tuesdays at 11:00 p.m. on Kansai TV and Fuji TV.
Mokochan, known for storyboarding and key animation work on titles such as DAN DA DAN, The Heike Story, and Tatami Time Machine Blues, is making his directorial debut with the project at Science SARU. Toh Enjoe, who wrote the novel The Empire of Corpses and scripted episodes of Space Dandy and Godzilla Singular Point, is handling series composition and overseeing the scripts. Shūhei Handa, whose credits include Little Witch Academia, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and Spriggan, is responsible for character design and chief animation direction. Taisei Iwasaki (BELLE) serves as music director, composing alongside Ryō Konishi and Yuki Kanesaka.
Original manga creator Shirow Masamune shared a comment on the new adaptation:
“Anime adaptation-wise, this new THE GHOST IN THE SHELL marks the fourth version following those by [Mamoru Oshii], [Kenji Kamiyama], and [Kazuchika Kise]. Alternatively, if we separate GHOST IN THE SHELL and Innocence, categorize the S.A.C. series into Seasons 1, 2, and Solid State Society, divide ARISE into its own series along with The New Movie, and split SAC_2045 into Seasons 1 and 2, this would be the tenth adaptation overall. Considering the shift in production staff, one could even consider this the first installment of a second generation. The original manga is quite old, so I ask for your understanding on that point (sorry!). That said, I sincerely hope this will once again be an enjoyable visual experience in some form.”
A producer for the project stated at Anime Expo last July that the series will remain faithful to the original manga.
The production committee consists of Bandai Namco Filmworks, Kodansha, Science SARU, and Production I.G. Bandai Namco Filmworks first announced the new series in May 2024.
This latest Ghost in the Shell anime follows the November 2023 theatrical release of Kōkaku Kidōtai SAC_2045 Saigo no Ningen, the compilation film for the second season of the SAC_2045 series. Voice actress Atsuko Tanaka, who famously voiced Motoko Kusanagi across multiple adaptations, passed away in August 2024 at age 61.
The Annecy screening offers fans an early chance to experience the new direction for the long-running franchise before its regular television broadcast begins in July. Additional details on the full cast and further staff will likely be revealed in the coming months as the premiere approaches. So stay tuned for more!