Ghost in the Shell lends itself to remakes more perhaps than any other manga to date.
The original story, written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow, is set in a world where identity and consciousness are no longer defined by the physical. Technology in this cyberpunk future has developed to the point where people now possess cyberbrains that allow them to interface with various networks and therefore inhabit different artificial forms, remoulding themselves each time.
The same is true of Mamoru Oshii's 1995 movie adaptation which arrived in theaters five years after the manga ended. Considered a box-office failure upon release, the film has since been heralded as a sci-fi classic, even though it deviated wildly in tone from the story that inspired it.
While Shirow's original work was funny and even goofy at points, this energy was redirected into a quieter, philosophical meditation on the meaning of life itself in the film. Subsequent adaptations largely stuck to this tone, including Oshii's more ponderous sequel, although Kenji Kamiyama's Stand Alone Complex dived further into political intrigue. The less said about Netflix's poorly-conceived SAC 2045, the better.
Fluidity is as integral to this franchise as wires and circuitry are to its dystopian future, yet even within this constant state of evolution, it took hitting a hard factory reset to now give us what might be the best version of Ghost in the Shell yet.
A new approach
Like previous adaptations, the vast sci-fi world of Science Saru's new Ghost in the Shell is centred by Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg who leads the elite tactical unit Public Security Section 9 in their fight against cybercrime and terrorism. With help from a fellow cyborg named Batou, Kusanagi eventually comes into conflict with a mysterious hacker known as the Puppet Master who can control the cybernetic minds of others from afar for his own nefarious gains.
This fundamental wiring connects every version of Ghost in the Shell, no matter where their thematic emphasis might lean, but the most radical take on Kusanagi yet is the one that ends up being most faithful to the original story.
Leaning into the manga's spiritual roots, Science Saru draws heavily from the humor and lighthearted tone that initially defined this world in their new adaptation, giving us a new take on Ghost in the Shell that's never been seen on screen before.
The weighty existentialism that's become the default for this franchise has now taken a back seat in favor of jokes and even some slapstick comedy. While that might sound like an affront to what Ghost in the Shell has become known for, watching Kusanagi and her team bicker mid-firefight actually grounds this series with a newfound humanity which speaks to themes around identity in a very different, yet no less relevant way.
Key to this is how the remake rewires Kusanagi herself, transforming our introspective, incredibly serious lead into someone far more spunky in her approach to crimefighting.
This version of Kusanagi isn't afraid to tell you what she thinks, quick to crack jokes or blow up when things aren't going her way. "This is why I hate letting insensitive jerk wads into my brain," she says at one point, teasing her bestie Batou. Play your cards wrong and Kusanagi might even hack your ghost to make you punch yourself in the face.
But there's a lot of love there for her team still, and episode two even throws some physical loving her way, sexualising Kusanagi in ways that give her agency rather than just ogle at her body from afar (as has so often been the case in previous adaptations).
Although some areas of the fandom might be less than willing to embrace such change, this is far from a betrayal. Science Saru were in constant contact with the creator of Ghost in the Shell, regularly asking Shirow questions to ensure that the story was in line with his original vision.
That's also true of the animation, which harkens back to the manga with exaggerated features and retro vibes that feel like they've been lifted directly from the pages of Young Magazine Zōkan: Kaizokuban (where Ghost in the Shell first appeared circa 1989).
Human nature
The character work is more expressive, matching the new energy this remake brings, and the colors are far more vibrant too. Early on in episode one, there's a scene where bright red robotic devices shine under the sun that streams through branches of cherry blossom trees as they shed their petals overhead, creating a gorgeous vista that's miles removed from the cold tech-noir cityscapes this franchise is usually known for. Those still exist though, of course. It's just that the remake brings more variety and intriguing use of light to its palette.
And it's not like the serious undertones of Kusanagi's mission are absent entirely. Those bursts of color sometimes come with bursts of pixelated blood in a series where violence remains intrinsic to said mission. The members of Public Security Section 9 regularly fight for their lives in explosive gunfights where death, be it the death of a human or the destruction of their cybernetic shell, is commonplace throughout.
This again brings into question what it means to be a human, how technology can lead us further from our essence, or our "ghosts", if you will. Such concerns are threaded into wider, even more timely issues around corruption, human experimentation and the abuse of AI, which, while always present in the franchise, are accentuated further here. So this is very much a Ghost in the Shell story still, perhaps more so than any other adaptation so far given Science Saru's dogmatic faithfulness to the original text.
Such an approach doesn't automatically guarantee success though. Where the remake succeeds most is in how it balances all this so well, finding humor within dystopia without sacrificing the tension and extreme violence that's inherent to this property. Like they've done so effectively in Dandadan, Science Saru brings seemingly disparate tones together with what feels like ease, enhanced of course by the world-class visuals and voice-acting you'd expect from a studio of such repute.
Who knew that a humorous take on Ghost in the Shell would turn out to be one of this year's biggest and best surprises? And even more surprisingly, who knew that this would turn out to be one of the rare remakes that justifies its existence by being more faithful to the original, not less? Ghost in the Shell continues to subvert expectations even now, 37 years after Shirow first put pen to paper, but that's incredibly fitting for a franchise long defined by change.
Ghost in the Shell episode 1 is out now on Prime Video. Make sure you don't miss a moment with our The Ghost in the Shell release schedule. We've also got a list of the best shows on Prime Video to keep you busy too.
