Anime NYC – Ghost in the Shell & Bandai Namco Panels

During the Anime NYC weekend, I attended two panels: the Bandai Namco Filmworks panel and the official Ghost in the Shell panel. Both panels featured information about the Ghost in the Shell anime (2026) that is currently airing. The panels featured director Mokochan, anime producer Shuhei Shindo, and producer Kengo Abe. Ghost in the Shell follows Major Motoko Kusanagi and Daisuke Aramaki as they form a counter-cyberterrorist unit known as Public Security Section 9 to tackle political corruption, international conspiracies, and digital threats in a futuristic Japan. As the show continues, a dangerous hacker known as the Puppet Master emerges and is an overarching threat across Section 9's operations. During the panel on Friday, two standout questions were asked. The first was if there were any memorable moments or challenges that came with the adaptation. The general response was that the challenge came with adapting the original manga while creating yet another adaptation. For those that don't know, Ghost in the Shell has had many adaptations, each offering different perspectives, styles, and themes. Another question asked was about what fans should look forward to. The major thing was that the show will have some original pieces of material, things that were not present in the original manga. There will be episodes that focus more on the spirituality of the series and explore areas that have yet to be explored. Throughout the panel, an interview was conducted for all of the guests. The first question was how each of them got involved with the Ghost in the Shell series. Kengo Abe had been involved with Ghost in the Shell since the film Ghost in the Shell: Arise and SAC 2045 . In terms of Shindo, he was chosen as animation producer around the time that the Ghost in the Shell episode titles were being chosen. Mokochan then stated that this was his first-ever role as a director. Before this, he was just an animation staff member of Science SARU, previously working on Dan Da Dan and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off . When the idea of this series came to Kansai Television, the whole idea was to depict the original manga as much as possible, which really surprised Mokochan. He was surprised to see the desire to depict the original work and that Science SARU wanted to be the ones to do it. The next question was, what did they try to do differently in this adaptation of Ghost in the Shell compared to other adaptations? Mokochan expressed that the biggest difference is the theme. In past adaptations, a lot of the directors take their own liberty and express their ideas through the story. On the contrary, Mokochan really wanted to focus on staying true to Masamune Shirow's original work. According to him, if you really look closely at the 1995 film, you'll notice that although the themes are similar to the original work, you'll see some subtle differences that truly change the direction of the story. Shindo then answered the question. He stated that he wanted to be able to bring people onto the team who fully understood the theme of the series and would be able to put it on paper and then put it on screen. He also needed to find the right people who could animate the liveliness of the characters. An example of this is an experimental scene that was done during a confrontation with the Puppet Master. In order to bring this scene to life, it was important to find people who could do so, including bringing in CG artists who were able to depict the scene well. The question then fell onto Abe, who said from a producer standpoint was quite challenging, especially creating something that would bring out the essence of the original manga while differing from the iconic movie by Mamoru Oshii. After that, they were then asked if there was a specific scene or creative choice that perfectly captures the new Ghost in the Shell . Mokochan felt that the first scene in the first episode perfectly captures the atmosphere they're trying to depict. Shindo, though, believes that episode three really takes a lot of the various aspects that they wanted to show in the series. The episode starts with a very action-packed scene but then is followed up with a very case-solving, complex, mystery aspect. The expressions and characteristics of the show really showcase the various aspects that the show wants to capture. Abe then finally answered, stating that for him it would be the scene where the trash collection occurs. During the scene, a guy in pajamas shows up waiting to have his trash collected. He feels that the loose-looking depiction is something that stays true to the original Manga. After they answered these questions, they proceeded to show us the first 8 minutes of episode seven. By the time this article is up, the episode will already be released! You can watch Ghost in the Shell on Amazon Prime Video!