The first trailer for Netflix's new Ghost in the Shell animated series reveals a new CGI look for Major Motoko Kusanagi and the cyberpunk transhumanist world she lives(?) in. It looks like Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 will be the first entry in the 30-year-old series to be rendered exclusively in CGI rather than with traditional animation, though the original seasons of Stand-Alone Complex did feature some hybrid computer-animated elements.
The brief trailer shows Kusanagi driving out of ruined city in an all-terrain vehicle. The car seems to have a turret mounted on top, but more importantly it has a tiny little Tachikoma riding in the back. The "think tanks" were AI-powered robots with network-synced memories in the first two seasons of Stand-Alone Complex, though this lil' spiderbot pal is much more diminutive than its forebears. Kusanagi slams the breaks, steps out of her car, and says it's "wonderful not to have any noise."
Here's the brief synopsis Netflix offered along with the trailer: "In the year 2045, after global capitalism has defaulted, Japan's elite Section 9 begins conducting covert cyber operations." The first season of Stand-Alone Complex took place in 2030 and the second followed a couple years later, so there will be a pretty big time jump by the time SAC_2045 begins. The Major looks like she hasn't aged a day in that time, or may be even younger than before. Kusanagi can swap her brain(?) into new robot bodies whenever she wants, so at least that tracks.
The new visual style will be an adjustment for fans of Stand-Alone Complex, especially if you were hoping it would stick closer to the designs of illustrator Ilya Kuvshinov that Netflix teased back in December.
YES, A NEW GHOST IN THE SHELL ANIME IS COMING.Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 will be directed by Appleseed’s Shinji Aramaki and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex’s Kenji Kamiyama. On @Netflix in 2020!*desire to explore the true meaning of human consciousness intensifies* pic.twitter.com/MgKzX2KydQDecember 8, 2018
On the other cybernetic-hand-that-splits-into-a-bunch-of-tiny-fingers, each individual Ghost in the Shell series has adapted a pretty unique look even as it explored similar questions of identity and loyalty in a post-human landscape. I'm excited to see more. Especially of that baby spiderbot.
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