Fans of Masamune Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell manga are at odds with 1995 film adaptation truthers after Science Saru’s 2026 Prime Video anime sparked a heated debate in the community.
If you’ve been keeping up with the summer anime season, you’ve probably heard all about the newest Ghost in the Shell adaptation (titled The Ghost in the Shell, to be clear). It’s one of many, and it’s arguably the closest to the source material — but that’s where things get sticky.
The original 1989 manga features a decidedly less gritty artstyle than Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 movie, which, like myself, was many folks’ introduction to the franchise. Oshii’s take on Masamune’s work transformed it from the cartoony, oftentimes slap-stick affair that contrasted heavily (and purposefully) from the high-concept cyberpunk material at its core to a dark, brooding, and haunting tale that left young viewers in a chokehold, setting the tone for the property from then on out.
That’s why, when the first episode of Science Saru’s anime dropped on Prime Video this summer, Ghost in the Shell fans were split; some lauded its faithfulness to Masamune’s original manga, while others were left pining for Oshii’s special sauce that defined the franchise for so long. Those who prefer Stand Alone Complex seem to land somewhere in the middle, though it’s basically agreed upon that SAC is fantastic in its own right.
The central debate here isn’t whether or not Science Saru’s 2026 anime is the definitive take on the manga — that’s indisputably true — but if it’s better than Ghost in the Shell’s very first screen adaptation.
While the answer is completely up for debate and a matter of personal taste, that hasn’t stopped the internet from doing what it does best: arguing. One of the central hubs for this argument has taken place on X/Twitter, where two clips from both the 1995 film and the 2026 series were placed side-by-side, showcasing the difference in style between Production I.G. and Science Saru and how each studio handled telling the same part of Motoko’s story.
Camouflage scene in ‘Ghost in the Shell’
1995 vs 2026 pic.twitter.com/9hKxFaG8QJ
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) July 10, 2026
As you can probably guess, the reactions have been animated, to say the least. “Why’s it the old versions are usually better than the new ones?” one viewer wrote, while another remarked that they “love how the new Ghost in the Shell is close to the original manga.”
Yet another posted a GIF from Guardians of the Galaxy showing Starlord telling Drax the Destroyer, “It’s worse. It’s so much worse.”
“The 1995 version is still untouchable,” yet another argued.
It depends on whether or not your idea of “better” is up to art direction or faithfulness to the original material, and begs the question — can adaptations, famous for generally making things worse, actually make them better?
In my opinion, the answer is: sometimes, yes. And in the case of Oshii’s 1995 Ghost in the Shell movie, it certainly did. On top of being first to the finish line, it eschewed the manga’s cartoonish style and bawdy humor in favor of a more realistic art style and darker tone throughout when, combined with its brooding dialogue and chilling music, make it a clear winner on both writing and style points.
An X user named ‘Banksy’ puts it best: “I know this new one is closer to the manga, but the sheer aura of the original movie is unbeaten. Every other adaptation seems worse compared to it.”
But that’s just like, my opinion, man. Let us know how you feel in the comments below, and be sure to check out Prime Video’s Ghost in the Shell series if you haven’t already.
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.
