About

Ghost In The Shell: SAC 2045 is a 3D-animated series in the Ghost In The Shell franchise which premiered on Netflix in 2020. It is set in the Stand Alone Complex sub-continuity of the series.

History

Netflix announced the development of a new Ghost In the Shell anime on December 8th, 2018.^[1] The series is directed by Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama. The first trailer for the series released on January 29th, 2020 (shown below). The series premiered on April 23rd, 2020 and was renewed for a second season three days prior to its release.

Reception

The series was met with a lukewarm response from critics and fans of the franchise. In particular, the 3D CGI art-style proved a negative for most viewers. AV Club's^[2] Toussaint Egan wrote, "If you were at all put off by SAC_2045’s CG art style when it was first announced, the show itself will do nothing to convince you otherwise," and called the series' action sequences, "weightless and plodding, with overactive camera cuts doing more of the work than the characters on-screen." The Cinemaholic^[4] also wrote the animation was disappointing but did praise other aspects of the series. The series has a 6.90 on MyAnimeList.^[3]

Online Presence

Online, the show received a heavy amount of criticism for its animation. Several threads on 4chan highlighted action sequences that looked goofy out of context.^[6]^[5] YouTubers also posted videos mocking the animation in the series (examples shown below).