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Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Anime Reveals Main Character Stills

The staff of Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045, the new 3D CG Ghost in the Shell anime, revealed six stills of the anime's main characters on Thursday.

In addition, staff announced that directors Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki will appear with cast members Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Ohtsuka, and Kōichi Yamadera for a livestream on March 21. The "Netfli Anime Special Nama Haishin #Kimi o Egao ni Suru Anime" livestream will reveal more information about the anime.

The anime will debut on Netflix worldwide in April.

Tanaka, Ohtsuka, Yamadera, Yutaka Nakano, Tōru Ohkawa, Takashi Onozuka, Tarô Yamaguchi, and Sakiko Tamagawa are all reprising their respective roles as Motoko Kusanagi, Batou, Togusa, Ishikawa, Saito, Paz, Borma, and the Tachikoma from previous anime installments in the franchise (only Ghost in the Shell Arise had different cast members voicing the characters). Osamu Saka is returning from the various Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex anime as Daisuke Aramaki.

Nobuko Toda (Sweetness & Lightning, The case files of Jeweler Richard) and Kazuma Jinnouchi Busou Shinki: Moon Angel) are composing the music. Toda is best known for composing the music of the Metal Gear Solid series alongside Harry Gregson-Williams, and Toda and Jinnouchi collaborated on the Ultraman anime last year. The pair also composed the soundtracks for the Halo 4 and Halo 5 games.

Millennium Parade, the new creative team led by King Gnu member Daiki Tsuneta, is performing the opening theme song "Fly with me." Vocalists on the track include ermhoi, HIMI, Cota Mori, and Kento Nagatsuka (WONK). Mili are performing the ending theme song "sustain++;."

Kodansha and Production I.G announced a new anime based on Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell manga in April 2017. Kamiyama and Aramaki are directing the project at Production I.G and Sola Digital Arts. Production I.G. USA president Maki Terashima-Furuta previously stated during an interview that the anime would have two 12-episode seasons, with Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) directing one of the seasons, and Aramaki (Appleseed) directing the other. Russian illustrator Ilya Kushinov (The Wonderland) is the character designer.

Production I.G produced Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence films in 1995 and 2004, respectively, as well as the 2002 Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex television anime and its TV sequel, original video anime (OVAs), and film. In 2013, Production I.G adapted the material into the Ghost in the Shell Arise prequel OVA, which it later remixed into a television series. Most recently, the studio debuted Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie in 2015 and the Ghost in the Shell VR Diver smartphone video in 2017.

Dark Horse Comics and later Kodansha Comics published Shirow's original 1991 manga and its sequels in North America.

DreamWorks and Paramount's live-action film adaptation starring Scarlett Johansson opened in the United States in March 2017, and opened in Japan in April 2017.

Aramaki and Kamiyama also directed the anime of Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi's Ultraman manga, which premiered on Netflix globally in April 2019. Netflix announced a second season at Annecy in June. Additionally, the two will also co-direct an upcoming Blade Runner — Black Lotus anime series based on the Blade Runner 2049 film. Kamiyama and Aramaki will work on Blade Runner — Black Lotus after Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045.

Source: Press release