Ghost in the Shell Episode 5 Preview: Motoko Tracks Sagawa Electronics Corruption
The episode visual initiative, which commissions alternative-design posters for each episode, is a notable promotional strategy that extends the anime's visual identity beyond the animation itself, as highlighted by both GAME Watch and Real Sound.
Key Facts
- Ghost in the Shell: The Ghost in the Shell episode 5, titled PHANTOM FUND, airs on August 4 at 23:00 in the Hi Anime Bar!! slot on Kansai TV and Fuji TV's national network.
- Episode 5 streams on Prime Video on August 4 at 23:30, with other streaming services following on August 5 at 23:30.
- The episode visual for PHANTOM FUND was designed by Daiya Tanabe of maxilla.
- The anime is directed by Moko-chan, with series composition by Tow Ubukata, character design by Shuhei Handa, and animation by Science SARU.
- The opening theme is GO GHOST by King Gnu, and the ending theme is Blue by MILLENNIUM PARADE.
Reporting from 2 sources: GAME Watch (Impress), Real Sound Anime.
The TV anime Ghost in the Shell: The Ghost in the Shell has released preview stills, a synopsis, and an episode visual for its fifth episode, titled PHANTOM FUND. The episode is scheduled to air on August 4 at 23:00 in the Hi Anime Bar!! slot on Kansai TV and Fuji TV's national network, with a same-day streaming release on Prime Video at 23:30. In PHANTOM FUND, Motoko and her team head north to monitor the combat cyborg Coil Krasnov. To expose Coil's objectives and the corruption hidden behind Sagawa Electronics' underground factory expansion, Motoko goes to Sagawa Electronics headquarters while Batou and the others head to the underground factory. The episode visual is part of a special initiative that produces alternative-design posters for each episode, with the fifth episode's design by Daiya Tanabe of maxilla. The anime, based on Masamune Shirow's original manga, is directed by Moko-chan, with series composition and scripts by SF novelist Tow Ubukata, character design by Shuhei Handa, and animation production by Science SARU.
The episode visual initiative is one of several promotional layers around the broadcast. The fifth episode's design is by Daiya Tanabe of maxilla, and the project commissions a new alternative-design poster for each episode, extracting each episode's concept and theme. GAME Watch describes the approach as graphics that go beyond the animation frame to deliver the series' world from multiple angles.
Real Sound adds production context that the summary did not carry. Director Moko-chan previously served as assistant director on Dandadan and worked on numerous Science SARU productions; this is her directorial debut. Series composition and scripts are by SF novelist Enjo Toh, whose credits include Godzilla Singular Point and Self-Reference ENGINE. Character design and chief animation direction are by Shuhei Handa, who worked on Netflix's Scott Pilgrim Takes Off and the Spriggan TV anime.
The voice cast includes Maaya Sakamoto as Motoko Kusanagi, Kazuhiro Yamaji as Daisuke Aramaki, Hiroki Yasumoto as Batou, Yuichi Nakamura as Togusa, and Kanae Oki as the operator. The opening theme is King Gnu's "GO GHOST" and the ending theme is MILLENNIUM PARADE's "Blue."
Real Sound also notes the franchise's lineage: Masamune Shirow published the original manga in 1989 in Kodansha's Young Magazine Kaizokuban, and the series has since included Mamoru Oshii's 1995 film Ghost in the Shell and a Hollywood live-action adaptation.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- GAME Watch (Impress) アニメ「攻殻機動隊 THE GHOST IN THE SHELL」第5話の先行カットとあらすじが公開。エピソードビジュアルも
- Real Sound Anime 『攻殻機動隊 THE GHOST IN THE SHELL』第5話先行カット 素子らが佐川電子の汚職を追う