Summary
New adaptations of Ghost in the Shell need to be better because as a whole, the story is worth reimagining. SAC_2045 is a waste of time.
Netflix anime series Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045 season 1 was released on Netflix on April 23, 2020 — this review contains no spoilers.
After Scarlett Johansson’s Ghost in the Shell muddied the source material somewhat, angering the world with Rupert Sanders’ whitewashing techniques, you’d think we’d learn to honour the concept gracefully. But apparently not.
While watching anime action series Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045 I was suddenly reminded of Ultraman, a Netflix anime that came to the platform in April 2019. I then learned that the same directors who created Ultraman created this take of Ghost in the Shell. It all made sense.
Everything felt so familiar; a futuristic plot, plenty of action sequences and even the 3D anime looked exactly the same. Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045 has the same downfalls in the fact that it has brilliant action but serves a wafer-thin plot and characters. It is almost like the directors are children, playing with action figures, plodding around their bedroom making their own story.
And of course, Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045 does have a worthwhile premise which is repeated over and over again; It’s 2045 and after a financial crisis, the world is engulfed in an AI-driven “sustainable war”. Money is useless and Section 9 must counter cyber threats. Major is leading her team of mercenaries and Togusa takes a call from the peace-seeking Japanese Prime Minister. The world is derailed by war and violence, and whispers of “post-humans”. On paper, this sounds like a plot you can get on board with.
But Netflix anime series Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045 plods with the action, with a lifeless Togusa and dare I say it, Scarlett Johansson’s Major would pip this one in a top 10 list. It’s hard to not feel frustrated at characters you couldn’t care less about. And with action-inclined folks more likely to enjoy it, those who seek to attach themselves to a character in a series will be left disappointed.
New adaptations of Ghost in the Shell need to be better because as a whole, the story is worth reimagining. SAC_2045 is a waste of time.
