{"rewrite":{"id":"r_203b1b7d023fa7bc73196456","clusterId":"c_851834b53c84d19bc0b57456","slug":"ghost-in-the-shell-director-mokochan-on-retro-future-and-ai","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"Ghost in the Shell Director Mokochan on Retro Future and AI","summary":"At Anime Expo, The Ghost in the Shell director Mokochan and character designer Shūhei Handa discussed the new Science SARU series. Mokochan said it is based on the original 1989 manga and aims for a retro future feel, not modernization. Handa called AI the most relevant theme, presented as neither positive nor negative.","whyItMatters":"The interview clarifies that the new Ghost in the Shell series will deliberately avoid modernizing its source material, instead leaning into a retro-future aesthetic that matches the original manga's 1989 setting.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eMokochan, making his feature directorial debut with Science SARU\u0026#39;s The Ghost in the Shell, told Anime Expo attendees that the new series is \u0026#34;completely based on the original manga\u0026#34; and that the team deliberately avoided modernizing it. He noted that the manga, created in 1989, predates mobile phones and featured CRT monitors, so the production aimed to capture that era\u0026#39;s feel rather than update it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCharacter designer Shūhei Handa, whose credits include Kill la Kill and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, pointed to AI technology as the most relevant element of the story today. Both creators said the series presents AI as neither positive nor negative, but dependent on how it is used.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Ghost in the Shell director Mokochan says the new Science SARU series is based on the original 1989 manga, aiming for a retro future feel, not modernization. Character designer Shūhei Handa calls AI the most relevant theme, presented as neither good nor bad.","twitterPost":"Ghost in the Shell director Mokochan: new Science SARU series is based on the 1989 manga, aiming for a retro future feel. Character designer Shūhei Handa says AI is the most relevant theme, shown as neither positive nor negative.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"The Ghost in the Shell director Mokochan and character designer Shūhei Handa spoke at Anime Expo about the new Science SARU series. They emphasized a retro-future aesthetic based on the original 1989 manga and discussed AI as a central, morally neutral theme.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2026/all-the-news-and-reviews-from-anime-expo/loading-into-cyberpunk-the-ghost-in-the-shell-director-mokochan-character-designer-shuhei-handa/.239697\",\"title\":\"All the News and Reviews from Anime Expo 2026 Loading into Cyberpunk: The Ghost in the Shell Director Mokochan, Character Designer Shūhei Handa\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4774,"outputTokens":615,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1786373676,"createdAt":"2026-08-10T14:48:12.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-10T14:51:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-10T14:48:12.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_851834b53c84d19bc0b57456","canonicalTitle":"All the News and Reviews from Anime Expo 2026\nLoading into Cyberpunk: The Ghost in the Shell Director Mokochan, Character Designer Shūhei Handa","representativeArticleId":"a_1ecf400c5d9f7aa68af21c8e","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"Ghost in the Shell\"],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"Mokochan\",\"Shūhei Handa\"],\"type\":\"event\",\"domain\":\"anime\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-10T13:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-10T13:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-10T14:51:45.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2026/all-the-news-and-reviews-from-anime-expo/loading-into-cyberpunk-the-ghost-in-the-shell-director-mokochan-character-designer-shuhei-handa/.239697","title":"All the News and Reviews from Anime Expo 2026\nLoading into Cyberpunk: The Ghost in the Shell Director Mokochan, Character Designer Shūhei Handa"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["Ghost in the Shell"],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":["Mokochan","Shūhei Handa"],"type":"event","domain":"anime","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}