I had the good fortune of seeing the first two episodes of the latest instalment of the Ghost in the Shell franchise in a cinema. The animation studio Science Saru (who have recently adapted the series Dandadan to much acclaim) are very passionate about the project. The extra behind-the-scenes featurette that played once Episode 2 ended provided a lot of insight into their motivations for the series. In addition to the animation and music, the interviews also made it clear the staff have very different connections to the wider franchise and for many of them it is a life-long fascination. Script writer EnJoe Toh in particular loves not just Masamune Shirow’s original 1989 comic series but also the author’s other works as well (other members of staff reference Appleseed as their first exposure to Shirow’s style). EnJoe’s approach seems to be to not just adapt the original manga but also try to keep it in harmony with Shirow’s other works. Does this mean later episodes will draw influence from Black Magic? Are Science Saru quietly signalling to the world they want to keep adapting Masamune Shirow once they finish The Ghost in the Shell? We can certainly speculate and hope so.

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