First announced nearly two years ago, Masamune Shirow‘s iconic Ghost in the Shell manga series is getting a new television anime adaptation from the team at Science SARU in July. Headed by animator and storyboard artist Mokochan, The Ghost in the Shell marks the ninth time Shirow’s seminal work has been put to screen. While each iteration has had to establish itself in the shadow of Mamoru Oshii‘s equally influential 1995 film, fans have embraced Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex while rejecting the maligned live-action film by Rupert Sanders.

Jumping into a franchise with a long-established fanbase is tricky business, but The Ghost in the Shell television series producer Kōhei Sakita is confident. And he should be; Science SARU‘s productions hit a high with The Heike Story and haven’t come down. The studio has curried favor with mainstream and niche hits, but more so than that, they’ve gained the trust of Ghost in the Shell creator Masamune Shirow.

Thank you so much for meeting with me, Kōhei Sakita-san. I’m really happy to meet with you here and talk about the brand new The Ghost in the Shell television series. As a producer, what makes you most excited to work on The Ghost in the Shell anime series?

Kōhei Sakita: So I myself am a big fan of the original The Ghost in the Shell manga. In fact, everyone working at Science SARU is well acquainted with this franchise. My starting point was the 1995 animated film directed by Mamoru Oshii. Then I went back to read the manga. That was how I got into this franchise. The entire Science SARU team was involved with prior Ghost in the Shell entries. But it’s really exciting to now build something from scratch with Director Mokochan.

How closely is Masamune Shirow working with Science SARU on the new anime, and how closely will it follow the new manga?

SAKITA: We shared the script and storyboard with Shirow-sensei. He checks up on us but also trusts us with the creative process and acting. Considering the franchise, Shirow-sensei has prior experience with his manga getting adapted. We make sure to stay in good communication with him. If we have questions on how to proceed, all we need to do is ask. I think we have a very trusting relationship with Shirow-sensei.

So when it came time to assemble the staff for this new TV series, what were you looking for as far as a director? How did you get in touch with Toh Enjoe-san, and what led the animator Mokochan to direct the series?

SAKITA: Director, Mokochan (Tōma Kimura), works in-house at Science SARU. This will be his directorial debut. He’s an animator, so he draws his own cuts. He trained under director Masaaki Yuasa. He also has experience working under directors Naoko Yamada, Shingo Natsume, and Abel Góngora. He mainly did storyboards, but he was also an assistant director on DAN DA DAN. As a big fan of Ghost in the Shell, he was very passionate about taking on this project.

Enjoe Toh is a well-established writer over in Japan, winning many awards, including the Akutagawa Award for Literature. He was also the scriptwriter for the anime Godzilla Singular Point. That had me really curious whether heâ d be interested in our project. When I found out that he wrote for the Ghost in the Shell Anthology Novel, I thought he would be perfect for writing the script for this series.

What do you think keeps The Ghost in the Shell series relevant almost 40 years after the manga was published?

SAKITA: When the studio received this offer, we sat down and decided to re-read the manga to have a better understanding of the story. Shirow Masamune seems to have deep insight into philosophy. We all agree that the manga offers more than just entertainment as a science fiction story; it also serves as a human drama, with each character involved in Public Security [Section 9]. The manga also tackles political agendas and existential questions. “What defines your life?” You just look at the story, it’s so deep, and that’s what makes the manga very attractive. And then look at the main character, Motoko. We can see how she grows as a human, and that’s really interesting. It’s an ever-present theme in its human drama.

The title artist who designed the title…Hajime Sorayama. I’m a little familiar with him because he designed a robot for the rock band Aerosmith. What does Sorayama’s style bring to the series?

SAKITA: Well, you gotta admit, this logo is really cool. It was beyond anything we could’ve imagined. When he came in with this logo design, we were all kind of speechless. It really speaks to the essence of the series so well. I wouldn’t be surprised if eventually it becomes a very iconic font. There are certain series that have a certain feel, like if you think of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, you know the font when you see it. And it’s iconic in that way.

Do you have a message to share with longtime Ghost in the Shell fans? And what about new fans who haven’t experienced Ghost in the Shell before?

SAKITA: As a legendary manga, many great creators have been a part of this franchise. We don’t want to lose the essence of what those prior creations brought. We can’t say too much about our new animated series. But as time goes by, we will reveal more little by little. So please look forward to this exciting new anime.

The Ghost in the Shell anime’s first two episodes will have their global premiere as a screening event at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France. The television series will then premiere in July.