![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783531570_262_0x0.jpg\")
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This new ‘Ghost in the Shell’ anime is far closer tonally to the manga than ever before.<\/p>\n
Bandai Namco, Kodansha<\/p>\n
The latest anime adaptation of Masamune Shirow\u2019s manga Ghost in the Shell<\/a> is finally here, and it\u2019s probably the most faithful version to date.<\/p>\n For most people familiar with Ghost in the Shell, you\u2019ll have either watched the anime movies<\/a> or the series, Stand Alone Complex. If you\u2019ve only watched the live-action movie<\/a>, then you have my heartfelt condolences.<\/p>\n In my case, I started with Ghost in the Shell back with the original Shirow manga<\/a>, so for me, this new series feels like the first accurate adaptation to date, but for everyone else, it may be a tad confusing.<\/p>\n To explain, in the normie version, you have a very serious and somber Major Motoko Kusanagi<\/a> heading up Section 9<\/a>, a government task force that tackles cybercrime, where hackers can directly attack people\u2019s brains and fry their souls, which in this world is called a \u201cghost\u201d.<\/p>\n The anime movies took a somewhat mysterious route with the nature of artificial intelligence, whereas Stand Alone Complex treated that as part of the background and kept all the politics and intrigue pretty dry and analytical.<\/p>\n Most of that has no bearing on the original manga.<\/p>\n While the Major is still here, as is Section 9, her original and goofier demeanor has been retained, not to mention the more ad hoc aspect of Section 9\u2019s creation and who they answer to. <\/p>\n The Fuchikomas<\/a>, yes, finally the actual Fuchikomas, are also artificially intelligent, and much of the prior navel gazing surrounding this subject is thankfully absent, in favor of whiplash-inducing high-speed combat.<\/p>\n Shirow\u2019s original manga took a more grounded approach to how futuristic cybercrime would play out and how the Major would dance around the bureaucracy in order to make a meaningful impact.<\/p>\n This was all backed up with a wonderfully playful art style, which I can also say that this anime version wonderfully recreates.<\/p>\n That\u2019s sort of the point here: the real world has finally caught up with Shirow\u2019s take on the future, and so we don\u2019t need the manga to be messed around with and sanitized to \u201cmake sense\u201d.<\/p>\n The result is one of the most enjoyable anime episodes I\u2019ve seen in a long time, and it was suitably engaging with it.<\/p>\n It is also worth mentioning here that with Atsuko Tanaka passing away in 2024, the Major has had to be recast. Thankfully, Maaya Sakamoto, of Hitomi from Escaflowne<\/a> fame, has done a really good job of taking on the role. While the Major is more irreverent now, her Tanaka-infused sternness and cadence remain, with the final performance being an excellent fit.<\/p>\n Obviously, Sakamoto already voiced the Major in Ghost in the Shell: Arise, but that was a very different version of the character, so at the very least, it\u2019s clear that Sakamoto has some solid range.<\/p>\n The animation is also great and handled really well by Science Saru, of Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!<\/a> and Dan Da Dan<\/a> fame, and it\u2019s sort of mad to think it took this long for the manga to get adapted properly like this.<\/p>\n In any case, I\u2019m loving this new anime version of Ghost in the Shell, and I strongly recommend you read the original Shirow manga<\/a>, at least so you can keep up with this anime\u2019s blisteringly fast pace.<\/p>\n The Ghost in the Shell is available to watch via Amazon Prime Video<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow me on X<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> , and YouTube<\/a>. I also manage Mecha Damashii<\/a> and am currently writing a regular column in Japanese about mecha games for Game*Spark<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This new ‘Ghost in the Shell’ anime is far closer tonally to the manga than ever before. 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