Director of The GHOST IN THE SHELL Anime Says He Prayed to Masamune Shirow While Adapting the Manga
Taking on the Ghost in the Shell is no small assignment for anyone. The manga has influenced generations of creators, and the 1995 anime film remains one of the most celebrated sci-fi anime movies ever made.
So when it came time for director Toma Kimura, who works professionally as Mokochan, to bring a new adaptation to life, he looked for guidance in a pretty unexpected place.
Instead of turning to storyboards or reference books alone, Mokochan says he found himself having what he describes as a spiritual conversation with an imaginary version of original manga creator Masamune Shirow.
Speaking with WIRED Japan, the director explained his unusual creative process: "I would pray to this imaginary version of Shirow that emerged from my reading of the manga.
“Then, after about three days, the answer would just quietly appear. At that point, it no longer mattered whether the answer came from my own inner thoughts or from my interpretation of the source material. That’s what I mean by spiritual communion."
It's certainly not the kind of answer you'd expect from a filmmaker discussing pre-production, but it also speaks to the enormous respect Mokochan has for Shirow's work. Rather than trying to reinvent Ghost in the Shell, it sounds like he wanted every creative decision to stay connected to the spirit of the original manga.
Shirow first introduced readers to Ghost in the Shell in 1989, creating a cyberpunk world that would go on to influence everything from anime to Hollywood science fiction.
The franchise reached an even larger audience with Mamoru Oshii's landmark 1995 animated film, which is still widely regarded as one of the greatest anime movies ever made. As for the live-action adaptation starring Scarlett Johansson, well... that's probably a chapter of the franchise most fans would rather leave in the past.
According to the official synopsis, the latest version of Ghost in the Shell takes place in a near future "where information networks envelop the world and advanced cyborg technology has enabled the creation of a cyberbrain" and tells "the story of the full-body cyborg Motoko Kusanagi and the combat unit she leads in the fight against cybercrime."
That story is as fascinating today as it was decades ago, exploring the intersection of technology, identity, and humanity through one of anime's most iconic protagonists. If Mokochan's comments are any indication, this new adaptation was crafted with a deep appreciation for everything Shirow originally created.
Ghost in the Shell is streaming now on Prime Video, giving longtime fans and newcomers another opportunity to dive into one of science fiction's most influential worlds.