A new Ghost in the Shell anime series is slated to air on the Kantele/Fuji TV Nationwide Network, on Tuesdays at 11:00 p.m. in the “Hi-Anibal!!” Block in 2026. The Ghost in the Shell (GITS) series is based on the eponymous original manga by Shirow Masamune and was serialized by Kodansha in Young Magazine. The series is being produced by studio Science SARU, and directed by Mokochan.
I loved the 1995 animated movie, The Ghost in the Shell–directed by Mamoru Oshi— but it was the series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex that had me seriously fascinated with the franchise (we will not speak of the 2017 abomination of a live action version). The GITS OAVs that followed, streaming on Netflix, were great works, but in my opinion, the only other work that compares to GITS SAC is the 2004 animated movie Ghost in the Shell: Innocence–also directed by Mamoru Oshi– which. by the way, is one of my favorite soundtracks of all time.
My love for GITS has everything to do with the main character, Major Motoko Kusanagi. As anime characters go, the Major left one of the deepest impressions on my mind. Motoko Kusanagi is highly intelligent, and her prosthetic body and cyber-brain give her an added physical and intellectual advantage that I can only describe as nothing short of enviable.
Motoko is a bold and beautiful badass. She is tough as nails but still inherently feminine and she revels in that feminine allure and sensuality.
Gender aside, she is a kick-ass leader who guides her pack unerringly, talks trash with her subordinates, and wields some awesome weaponry to boot.
What draws me in, more than anything else, is her complexity of character. Despite having lost her physical human body at a very young age, Motoko maintains a firm grasp on her sense of self. I think that this can be attributed to her flexibility when it comes to defining that which constitutes reality, humanity, and sexuality.
Motoko’s innate fluidity allows her to walk between the physical and digital worlds and explore disparate ideologies without restraint. She questions her own humanity but she never quite loses her innate individuality.
I am very much looking forward to the new Ghost in the Shell series–and must now go find and re-watch GITS: Stand Alone Complex. I already have GITS: Innocence on DVD, so I won’t need to look far for that. I wonder though, if I’d be able to find it on Blu Ray.
More updates and on the exact air-date and additional information on the new Ghost in the Shell anime will be forthcoming from the GITS global website and social media accounts.
