Ghost in the Shell Movie Praised by Anime Director Mamoru Oshii

The live-action Ghost in the Shell movie has been met with some resistance from fans, mostly due to its Hollywood makeover of the Japanese Manga/Anime series' world - and having Scarlett Johansson in the starring role didn't help matters. Ghost in the Shell is the latest Asian-inspired Hollywood film to be accused of "white-washing" the material - which is why this new featurette was released.

The behind-the-scenes video offers us some new raw footage of director Rupert Sanders' (Snow White and the Huntsman) directorial vision, which is unique and intriguing, all things considered. However, the real attraction for hardcore GITS fans will be appearance of the Anime films director, Mamoru Oshii!

Oshii was clearly trotted out to share his endorsement of both Sanders and Johansson's work on the film. However, it's not just a simple PR-friendly "thumbs up" that Oshii gives; rather, he claims Sanders' vision is the best he's seen for GITS thus far, presumably including his own groundbreaking 1995 anime! To any hardcore anime fan (especially of a certain age), that is a big claim.

We're still waiting on the full Ghost in the Shell trailer to debut, but now fans will be watching with more scrutiny than ever to see if Oshii's claims are true. Could we really be getting the best version of Ghost in the Shell yet?

MORE: GITS Trailer Preview / Scarlett Johansson BTS video / The Cast Defends Character Changes / Movie Storyline Revealed

Ghost in the Shell hits theaters on March 31, 2017.