Original anime ‘Ghost InThe Shell’ released ahead of live action adaptation

New edition of “Ghost in the Shell” was released by Mondo x Steelbook and Anchor Bay ahead of the live-action adaptation starring Scarlett Johansson (Major). The latest edition features the art of Kilian Eng from a 25th anniversary poster from Mondo, which was first seen during the San Diego Comic Con in 2014.

Director Mamoru Oshii adapted the manga story by Masamume Shirowa and turned it into an anime film that followed complex concepts about existence and ghosts, per Bleeding Cool. Meanwhile, Paramount Pictures unveiled an image generation website for the fans. The website, iammajor.me, allows fans to create a graphic by uploading their photo their choice and applying the text, “I Am.” It features Johansson’s character, saying, “I am hunted. I am the hunter. I am fearless. I am coming for them. I am Major.”

Johansson’s character in the film is a cyborg that leads an anti-terrorist group called Public Security Section 9. The film is slated to hit Japanese theatres on April 7 while it is expected to hit the US big screens in March 31.

The Japanese media franchise was initially published as a seinen manga series of the same name. Masamune Shirow wrote and illustrated the said manga series. Animation studio Production IG produced a number of various anime adaptations of the franchise, including the 1995 film of the same title. The film followed the story of Section 9's investigation of the Puppet Master.

In 2002, a television series titled “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” followed. The series followed a different story as it featured Section 9's investigations of corruption in the government.

The original manga ran in Japan from April 1989 to Nov. 1990 via Young Magazine, Kodansha's manga anthology. In 1991, the original manga series was released in a standalone (tankobon) book volume.

“Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface” was also released on the same magazine in 1997 for 9 issues. It was collected in “Ghost in the Shell: Solid Box.” “Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human-Error Processor” includes four stories from Man-Machine Interface that were not publicised in tankobon format.

A recompilation of the series took place in 2015 as the TV series, “Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Alternative Architecture,” which aired with additional two episodes. In 2015, an animated feature film titled “Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie” was released. Release date of the live-action film in Australia will be on March 30.