Ghost in the Shell Staff at AX: Retro Future, Hand-Drawn Humanity

Fresh convention reportage out of Anime Expo has put a sharp spotlight on Science SARU’s The Ghost in the Shell. In a post-show sit-down published this week, series director Mokochan and character designer–animation director Shūhei Handa walked through how the studio is treating the franchise less as a tech demo and more as a human story—even when every character is half machine.

Mokochan, stepping into full directorial control after assisting Masaaki Yuasa on projects like INU-OH, said the pressure of following Mamoru Oshii and Kenji Kamiyama is real—but the mandate is clear: stick to Masamune Shirow’s 1989 manga. No smartphone glow-up, no sleek LED gloss. Think CRT monitors and “retro future” cityscapes, not a 2026 reskin. Handa, whose punchy designs have turned up on Kill la Kill and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, kept Aramaki and Tokusa’s simple black-dot eyes intact rather than “hero-ifying” every face.

Both creators flagged AI as the theme that hits hardest right now, then refused to paint it as hero or villain. The Major’s lasting pull, Mokochan argued, is that Motoko Kusanagi is cool and mysterious—and stubbornly human, full of the same doubts any viewer carries. Production-wise, the answer to a cyberpunk world is still pencil and paper: hand-drawn bodies in motion, because the manga’s core question is what a person is. Asked if they’d take a cyber-brain implant, Handa said yes—immediately—and asked for a mecha drawing arm while he was at it. Mokochan’s reply was drier: it depends on the price.

For fans who caught the series’ AX energy earlier this summer, the interview is a welcome after-party: a reminder that the reboot’s biggest flex isn’t chrome or code—it’s craft, and the people still powering Section 9 from the other side of the screen.

Official: Official site · X