Ghost in the Shell has received multiple spin-offs and adaptations, almost too many to keep track of, but Netflix’s upcoming Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 will be a visually memorable one. Matoko Kusanagi is still the protagonist, but she’s CGI-ed. And of course, everything else is CGI’ed too.
The CGI style is not surprising since Netflix has pushed a variety of CGI shows in their original anime programming. (Beastars and Leviathan are two examples.) But to apply CGI to a classic like Ghost in the Shell and an iconic character like Matoko Kusanagi is a striking decision on Production I.G. and Sola Digital Art’s parts.
SAC_2045 will also still follow the exploits of Public Security Section 9. In the final trailer (and past trailers), it appears the Major and her team’s mission is to take down a guy who’s a “post-human” and an organization with a thirst for anarchy. Tonally, the final trailer suggests that the show won’t carry the grittiness and quiet unease of previous entries in the franchise. The soundtrack is upbeat, colors bright, and the characters, as pointed out by the video comments, look younger than the originals.
The 1995 Ghost in the Shell film, based on Shirow Masamune’s manga of the same name and directed by Mamoru Oshii, received great acclaim and is considered one of the greatest anime films of all time. One of the directors of SAC_2045, Kenji Kamiyama, has had prior experience with adapting the franchise. He’s directed the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex anime, Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG, and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society.
Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 will be released April 23 on Netflix.
