Netflix’s Ghost in the Shell Anime Shares New Stills

Over the last couple of years, anime fans have noticed a major shift in Netflix when it comes to its library of anime. Not only has the prominent streaming service raised its efforts in licensing in order to remain competitive with other anime focused platforms, but it has dived deeply into original productions as well. This includes notable animated adaptations for franchises such as Castlevania and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, but will also soon include a new version of Masamune Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell.

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 will be a completely CG animated take on the franchise co-directed by Kenji Kamiyama (director for Stand Alone Complex) and Shinji Aramaki (director of Appleseed) for Production I.G and SOLA Digital Arts. The details as to what we can expect from the story are still unclear as of this writing, but that’s expected to change soon as the series announced we’ll be seeing more information later this March.

Gearing up for its worldwide premiere at a currently unconfirmed date this April, Netflix has shared a new batch of images featuring the extended cast of returning characters coming to this new version of the series with designs from Birthday Wonderland illustrator Ilya Kuvshinow. Check them out:

According to a report from Anime News Network, Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 will be holding a special livestream later this month featuring directors Kamiyama and Aramaki along with returning cast members Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Ohtsuka, and Koichi Yamadera (who will be voicing their respective characters just like most of the other anime releases in the franchise). There has yet to be an official confirmation of an English dubbed release as of this writing, however.

But this new series has already confirmed two seasons with 12 episodes each. With it launching next month, it won’t be too much longer before we all figure out how this new anime will be shaking up the franchise even more than that live-action film released a few years ago. But what do you think?

How are you feeling about this new Ghost in the Shell series so far? Does a CG animated take fit this franchise? What’s your favorite release in the franchise overall? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or talk to me directly about all things anime and other cool things @Valdezology on Twitter!