The new Ghost in the Shell anime hits Prime Video this July

Prime Video Japan has dropped the full trailer for the Ghost in the Shell. The new series premieres on July 7.

I have said many times that Ghost in the Shell is my favorite IP. I cannot wait for this. Oh my god, the music in the new trailer is great. You really need to watch it just to hear the soundtrack.

My favorite IP gets a reboot

The series is officially titled The Ghost in the Shell. It will hit the streaming service on Tuesday, July 7. Prime Video Anime confirmed the episodes will stream immediately following their terrestrial television broadcast in Japan. This is a major new production for the long-running franchise.

The debut trailer outlines a completely new staff. Mokochan is directing the project. EnJoe Toh is handling the script. Shuhei Handa is responsible for character design. Taisei Iwasaki is composing the music.

An award-winning science fiction author

EnJoe Toh is a fascinating choice for the script. He is an award-winning Japanese science fiction author known for complex narratives. His background fits the existential cyberpunk themes of the original manga perfectly. He previously contributed to the script for Godzilla Singular Point. That show was heavy on theoretical physics and philosophical dialogue. He also won the Akutagawa Prize in 2012. Bringing a dedicated novelist on board suggests the show might lean heavily into the hard science fiction elements of the source material.

Shuhei Handa previously worked on character designs for Little Witch Academia. He brings a distinct visual style to the table. His work here contrasts heavily with the hyper-detailed realism of the 1995 Mamoru Oshii film. It also looks very different from the sleek CGI of the Stand Alone Complex television series.

Stepping away from 3D

The dialogue gives us a few hints about the direction. A voiceover mentions "Project 250" and notes that "living things need change." It also drops a classic philosophical line about identity. The narrator states that what you think of as yourself is not actually you.

The visuals show a stylized, almost graphic-novel approach to the animation. This steps away from the fully 3D computer-generated style seen in the recent SAC_2045 series on Netflix. Fans have asked for a return to traditional 2D animation for years. The new art direction looks incredibly fluid.

We have seen a lot of different interpretations of Major Motoko Kusanagi over the last thirty years. Production I.G has historically handled the animation for the series. They set a high bar with the original movie and the subsequent television runs. The franchise has bounced from theatrical masterpieces to television procedurals. There was even a live-action Hollywood attempt. This new Prime Video project seems to be aiming for a complete visual reset.

The July 7 premiere date is coming up fast. The release is currently confirmed for Prime Video Japan.