When you’re preparing to move, you can find yourself faced with a lot of paper documents. Holiday cards, leases, letters, tax documents, notes, doodles – whatever – can really stack up over time. If your choices are only “keep” or “trash,” it can be hard to let go, even if you choose one of the more responsible ways to get rid of your stuff. Digitization makes these decisions easier by adding a third option: create a virtual version for safekeeping and say goodbye to the physical paper.
These days, digitization only requires a smartphone or a tablet, but you’ll want to optimize the process while reducing the risk of data loss.
Decide what to do with your papers
In my experience – and I’ve been digitizing boxes upon boxes of documents for the past six months – there are only a few types of records worth keeping on hand after creating a digital version. These are original government documents, legal agreements such as a will or a current lease, items that might lose their form or meaning when reduced to images on a screen, and anything you may want to display in your home.
Of course, there will be exceptions. Maybe you decide to toss every birthday card but keep the one your grandmother sent before she died. Or maybe you just feel better retaining hard copies of every tax document, even though the IRS says it’s generally okay to scrap them after three years. You do you.
What you’ll need to start
After you’ve decided your documents’ fate, you can get to work. At minimum, you’ll need a mobile device and a flat, clean surface like a tabletop. While that’s technically enough to do the job, I recommend also having a computer, a way to transfer files between your devices (like a cable, AirDrop, or cloud storage), image editing software, and at least one backup drive.
If you have a truly overwhelming stack of papers, you may want to consider buying or borrowing a scanner to help. A scanner that comes with a feeder can quickly scan a bunch of documents at once rather than doing one at a time, and most scanners can save images directly to your computer or to your cloud storage. Home scanners that are meant mostly for documents can run about $100 to $500, depending on their features and capacity. Scanners that handle high-quality images may cost considerably more.
Personally, having used scanners in domestic, professional, and academic settings, I think they’re great for archival work, but are overkill for most people’s digitization needs. I’ve used my phone for my own digitization project and have no regrets.
Digitizing with your phone camera
There are three easy ways to capture a digital image of any paper using your phone: with your camera app, a built-in scanning app, or a third-party scanning app. I use whatever is most appropriate, depending on what my plans are for the digitized copy.
While you’re likely most familiar with your camera app, it’s not great for text documents and particularly cumbersome for multi-page ones. That said, I like to use my usual camera app for cards and art because it creates editable image files that I can organize with tags.
Scanning apps, meanwhile, usually only output PDFs. I use this method for text-heavy documents like leases and financial records. Both iOS and Android include built-in scanning tools that are quite capable of turning any document into a PDF. On an Android phone, you use the Drive app; with an iPhone, you can use either the Files or the Notes app. All of these allow you to simply hold your phone over the paper and wait; the app outlines the page and automatically creates a file.
There are also a number of third-party apps that offer additional features for capturing, editing, and storing PDFs. If you want more options than Drive, Notes, or Files can provide, it may be useful to check out what’s out there.
Best way to digitize images
Lay your document flat in a well-lit space with no shadows. Weight it down if necessary, but try not to block anything important.
An encyclopedic knowledge of camera angles won’t matter here. Hold your phone flat and level over your document, without casting shadows onto the page. I also recommend cropping your pics immediately to save time and make the images easier to see in previews when you’re organizing. If you’re capturing cards, you can photograph the cover and interior separately, then use image editing software to combine them into a single file.
If you’ve built a repository of digitized documents on your phone and are thinking of leaving them there — don’t. That’s like stashing your birth certificate in a folder at an open window and trusting it won’t blow away. To mitigate risk, transfer your digitized documents to a computer, a backup drive, and / or cloud storage. Despite advancements in storage technology, data loss still happens, and it’s safer to keep your important files in at least two locations in case something happens to one of them.
If you use Google Drive to scan your documents, you’ve already automatically backed them up to the cloud. To send those documents to another device that doesn’t have access to your Google Drive, you can download them using Google Takeout.
If you use Files or Notes on iOS, you can check to make sure that your files are being backed up to iCloud by going to Settings > [your name] > iCloud. If you’re using Files and want to send those files elsewhere, tap the three dots in the top right, hit Select, pick the files you want to transfer, and touch the share icon in the bottom left (a box with an upward-pointing arrow). If you use Notes, tap the note you want to transfer and select Share Note. Then choose your preferred sharing method and ship ‘em out.
No matter where your files are — a computer, mobile device, or cloud storage — you really should organize them so you can find them later. If you have a system that works for you already, great. But if you need a strategy, I recommend creating top-level folders like “cards” and “records” that describe the broadest categories within your collection. Within these, make more specific folders, like “leases” and “identification.” When you get to the bottom-level folders where the actual files live, try to name them consistently. If you really want to go hard, you can add tags and other metadata to your files.
It’s important to understand that the goal here is not to completely eliminate anything that could be considered clutter — it’s to find an efficient solution to managing the items we accumulate as we live our lives. It’s okay to hold onto meaningful items and make a measured assessment of their value from time to time. After all, drowning in a sea of paperwork might be bad, but living a life devoid of meaning and mementos might be even worse.
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![‘The Ghost in the Shell’ Director, Character Designer on Keeping Motoko True to the Manga
Dan Da Dan anime studio Science SARU’s adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell is finally streaming on Prime Video, and its pilot episode looks like a ’90s anime fever dream in the best way possible. Major Motoko Kusanagi kicks all the ass, its soundtrack is a bop, and its action sequences are a chef’s kiss. Don’t just take our word for it; check out the trailer below and see for yourself how Science SARU cooked once again. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahZn4dVCbvs[/embed] Ahead of its premiere, io9 got to chat with director Mokochan and character designer Shuhei Handa at Anime Expo about how their vision for Masamune Shirow’s seminal cyberpunk manga came to be, as well as a couple of pointed fandom-centric questions for fans who’ve been dying to see Major Motoko Kusanagi realized in all her goofy glory. Left: Shuhei Handa, right: Mokochan. © Isaiah Colbert/io9 This interview was edited for clarity. Isaiah Colbert, io9: From Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Devilman Crybaby, Inu-Oh, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and Dan Da Dan to Sanda and Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia, Science SARU has built an impressive portfolio and reputation for making bold, expressive, and experimental anime. What about The Ghost in the Shell made it feel like a natural fit as the studio’s next project?
Mokochan: For all of the works done by Science SARU, using animation to do storytelling is very important. That’s why we use a lot of hand-drawn animation in it. For The Ghost in the Shell, the most important thing is to use the visuals to capture its world. It’s the same policy with other series as well.
TVアニメ「#攻殻機動隊 THE GHOST IN THE SHELL」⋱ご視聴ありがとうございました⋰ ◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢ 第01話より草薙素子と荒巻大輔の出会い 👩🏻 🐵迫力の原画を大公開！ 原画｜小島崇史 さん ◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢https://t.co/wICYD3OlUm pic.twitter.com/6rNlJdXZZk — サイエンスSARU (@sciencesaru) July 7, 2026 io9: From the jump, The Ghost in the Shell marks a stark tonal shift—a return—towards Masamune Shirow’s lighter, more mischievous vision of the cyberpunk epic. What led Science SARU to pivot away from the austere, military tone that Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 film would go on to cement as the franchise’s vibe for decades? Mokochan: We didn’t intentionally try to change the tone from how director Mamoru Oshii did previously because the concept for making this new series is to base it on the original manga, so we already had our own way of making this one.
© Masamune Shirow/Kodansha io9: In an era when people often use AI to cheaply mimic retro anime aesthetics, the new Ghost in the Shell feels like a deliberate rejection of AI’s pervasiveness in the arts—where every frame in the trailers looks unmistakably hand‑crafted. It’s a phenomenon that’s certainly paradoxical, considering that the manga prophesied how such technologies would be utilized in the not-so-far-off year of 2029. What’s Science SARU’s stance on AI, and what specific animation techniques did it use most to capture the show’s aesthetic through the power of collective human artistry? Mokochan: One of the concepts of the original manga is about the mysterious part of the human being. So we wanted to honor how the original creator captured the world and how we express all of the story in the original manga. So we wanted to follow the same concept using the same method to show humanity by using hand-drawn art. We prefer to just use our arms to draw all of the animation. Handa: It’s because the main concept is about the human body, so that’s why we prefer hand-drawn art over AI.
© Science SARU io9: Major Kusanagi has long been read as a bisexual icon in the West, especially because of Shirow’s famous island-escapade chapter with her gal pals, which has been lost in some Western reprints of the original manga. She’s also considerably goofier in the manga, a trait fans lovingly call a “bisexual disaster.” In what ways was it important for Science SARU to depict Kusanagi’s inherent goofball nature and her queerness in this adaptation, and what does portraying that side of her mean for a global audience in 2026? Mokochan: During the process of making the new series, we were actually very surprised by it because, compared to the original manga, a lot of the thoughts about sexuality are very advanced, exploring many possibilities. It’s not just about sexuality; it’s also about the human being, technology, and many other things. [The manga] accepts everything in the world. That was a very big surprise. We didn’t intend to modernize the content to make it fit the new era.
© Science SARU [The Ghost in the Shell producers’ note in regard to Science SARU’s adaptation of Motoko’s vacation scene from the original manga: “We had to adjust the depictions in the original work to match the rating.”] Handa: When we portray Kusanagi’s character, we like to bring out all the comical parts because they’re in the original manga. It’s kind of different how director Oshii portrays her in the previous series because, in those series, Kusanagi was not that expressive. We prefer to keep the authentic parts of the original manga, so we thought we definitely needed to keep the comical parts in the character, so that’s why we included that content. © Science SARU © Science SARU © Science SARU © Science SARU io9: As a fan of the series, I’ve seen Ghost in the Shell go through different iterations, reinterpretations, and reboots. And in that, Motoko’s design has changed in a way that reflects how different people interpret her. But while her outer shell is different, the themes—the ghost in the original story—remain in each adaptation. For Science SARU’s newer adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell, which themes from the original manga feel more prescient now than when it first came out?
Mokochan: Because the original intent of this project is to follow the original manga—not just Kusanagi, but also all the content and the world’s concept—we didn’t try to modernize any part of it. The creative team, all of whom are also big fans of the original manga. So, for the world, the story, the characters, and the theme, it’s all the same because we want to honor the original manga. ｳｵｵｵ攻殻機動隊1話にLOと作画監督で参加させていただきました！憧れの攻殻機動隊に関わることができて感激です🔥LOはセンターの子供が撃たれるあたりから脱走するところまで、作監は冒頭からOP前あたりまでです。少佐かっこよくて可愛かった〜！こちら担当LOのうちの1カットです🙏🏻#攻殻機動隊 pic.twitter.com/zUlxgD9fin — 宮かなえ (@miyakanae_) July 7, 2026 The Ghost in the Shell is streaming now on Prime Video. io9 is on the ground at Anime Expo 2026. We’ll be bringing you updates on all the biggest panels, screenings, and announcements, plus exclusive one-on-one interviews with the people behind some of the best and most popular anime around. You can check out all of io9’s Anime Expo coverage here. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Ghost #Shell #Director #Character #Designer #Keeping #Motoko #True #MangaAnime,Anime Expo,Science Saru,The Ghost in the Shell](https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/07/The-Ghost-in-the-Shell-Mokachan-Shuhei-Handa.jpg "‘The Ghost in the Shell’ Director, Character Designer on Keeping Motoko True to the Manga
Dan Da Dan anime studio Science SARU’s adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell is finally streaming on Prime Video, and its pilot episode looks like a ’90s anime fever dream in the best way possible. Major Motoko Kusanagi kicks all the ass, its soundtrack is a bop, and its action sequences are a chef’s kiss. Don’t just take our word for it; check out the trailer below and see for yourself how Science SARU cooked once again. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahZn4dVCbvs[/embed] Ahead of its premiere, io9 got to chat with director Mokochan and character designer Shuhei Handa at Anime Expo about how their vision for Masamune Shirow’s seminal cyberpunk manga came to be, as well as a couple of pointed fandom-centric questions for fans who’ve been dying to see Major Motoko Kusanagi realized in all her goofy glory. Left: Shuhei Handa, right: Mokochan. © Isaiah Colbert/io9 This interview was edited for clarity. Isaiah Colbert, io9: From Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Devilman Crybaby, Inu-Oh, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and Dan Da Dan to Sanda and Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia, Science SARU has built an impressive portfolio and reputation for making bold, expressive, and experimental anime. What about The Ghost in the Shell made it feel like a natural fit as the studio’s next project?
Mokochan: For all of the works done by Science SARU, using animation to do storytelling is very important. That’s why we use a lot of hand-drawn animation in it. For The Ghost in the Shell, the most important thing is to use the visuals to capture its world. It’s the same policy with other series as well.
TVアニメ「#攻殻機動隊 THE GHOST IN THE SHELL」⋱ご視聴ありがとうございました⋰ ◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢ 第01話より草薙素子と荒巻大輔の出会い 👩🏻 🐵迫力の原画を大公開！ 原画｜小島崇史 さん ◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢https://t.co/wICYD3OlUm pic.twitter.com/6rNlJdXZZk — サイエンスSARU (@sciencesaru) July 7, 2026 io9: From the jump, The Ghost in the Shell marks a stark tonal shift—a return—towards Masamune Shirow’s lighter, more mischievous vision of the cyberpunk epic. What led Science SARU to pivot away from the austere, military tone that Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 film would go on to cement as the franchise’s vibe for decades? Mokochan: We didn’t intentionally try to change the tone from how director Mamoru Oshii did previously because the concept for making this new series is to base it on the original manga, so we already had our own way of making this one.
© Masamune Shirow/Kodansha io9: In an era when people often use AI to cheaply mimic retro anime aesthetics, the new Ghost in the Shell feels like a deliberate rejection of AI’s pervasiveness in the arts—where every frame in the trailers looks unmistakably hand‑crafted. It’s a phenomenon that’s certainly paradoxical, considering that the manga prophesied how such technologies would be utilized in the not-so-far-off year of 2029. What’s Science SARU’s stance on AI, and what specific animation techniques did it use most to capture the show’s aesthetic through the power of collective human artistry? Mokochan: One of the concepts of the original manga is about the mysterious part of the human being. So we wanted to honor how the original creator captured the world and how we express all of the story in the original manga. So we wanted to follow the same concept using the same method to show humanity by using hand-drawn art. We prefer to just use our arms to draw all of the animation. Handa: It’s because the main concept is about the human body, so that’s why we prefer hand-drawn art over AI.
© Science SARU io9: Major Kusanagi has long been read as a bisexual icon in the West, especially because of Shirow’s famous island-escapade chapter with her gal pals, which has been lost in some Western reprints of the original manga. She’s also considerably goofier in the manga, a trait fans lovingly call a “bisexual disaster.” In what ways was it important for Science SARU to depict Kusanagi’s inherent goofball nature and her queerness in this adaptation, and what does portraying that side of her mean for a global audience in 2026? Mokochan: During the process of making the new series, we were actually very surprised by it because, compared to the original manga, a lot of the thoughts about sexuality are very advanced, exploring many possibilities. It’s not just about sexuality; it’s also about the human being, technology, and many other things. [The manga] accepts everything in the world. That was a very big surprise. We didn’t intend to modernize the content to make it fit the new era.
© Science SARU [The Ghost in the Shell producers’ note in regard to Science SARU’s adaptation of Motoko’s vacation scene from the original manga: “We had to adjust the depictions in the original work to match the rating.”] Handa: When we portray Kusanagi’s character, we like to bring out all the comical parts because they’re in the original manga. It’s kind of different how director Oshii portrays her in the previous series because, in those series, Kusanagi was not that expressive. We prefer to keep the authentic parts of the original manga, so we thought we definitely needed to keep the comical parts in the character, so that’s why we included that content. © Science SARU © Science SARU © Science SARU © Science SARU io9: As a fan of the series, I’ve seen Ghost in the Shell go through different iterations, reinterpretations, and reboots. And in that, Motoko’s design has changed in a way that reflects how different people interpret her. But while her outer shell is different, the themes—the ghost in the original story—remain in each adaptation. For Science SARU’s newer adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell, which themes from the original manga feel more prescient now than when it first came out?
Mokochan: Because the original intent of this project is to follow the original manga—not just Kusanagi, but also all the content and the world’s concept—we didn’t try to modernize any part of it. The creative team, all of whom are also big fans of the original manga. So, for the world, the story, the characters, and the theme, it’s all the same because we want to honor the original manga. ｳｵｵｵ攻殻機動隊1話にLOと作画監督で参加させていただきました！憧れの攻殻機動隊に関わることができて感激です🔥LOはセンターの子供が撃たれるあたりから脱走するところまで、作監は冒頭からOP前あたりまでです。少佐かっこよくて可愛かった〜！こちら担当LOのうちの1カットです🙏🏻#攻殻機動隊 pic.twitter.com/zUlxgD9fin — 宮かなえ (@miyakanae_) July 7, 2026 The Ghost in the Shell is streaming now on Prime Video. io9 is on the ground at Anime Expo 2026. We’ll be bringing you updates on all the biggest panels, screenings, and announcements, plus exclusive one-on-one interviews with the people behind some of the best and most popular anime around. You can check out all of io9’s Anime Expo coverage here. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Ghost #Shell #Director #Character #Designer #Keeping #Motoko #True #MangaAnime,Anime Expo,Science Saru,The Ghost in the Shell")
![‘The Ghost in the Shell’ Director, Character Designer on Keeping Motoko True to the Manga
Dan Da Dan anime studio Science SARU’s adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell is finally streaming on Prime Video, and its pilot episode looks like a ’90s anime fever dream in the best way possible. Major Motoko Kusanagi kicks all the ass, its soundtrack is a bop, and its action sequences are a chef’s kiss. Don’t just take our word for it; check out the trailer below and see for yourself how Science SARU cooked once again. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahZn4dVCbvs[/embed] Ahead of its premiere, io9 got to chat with director Mokochan and character designer Shuhei Handa at Anime Expo about how their vision for Masamune Shirow’s seminal cyberpunk manga came to be, as well as a couple of pointed fandom-centric questions for fans who’ve been dying to see Major Motoko Kusanagi realized in all her goofy glory. Left: Shuhei Handa, right: Mokochan. © Isaiah Colbert/io9 This interview was edited for clarity. Isaiah Colbert, io9: From Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Devilman Crybaby, Inu-Oh, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and Dan Da Dan to Sanda and Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia, Science SARU has built an impressive portfolio and reputation for making bold, expressive, and experimental anime. What about The Ghost in the Shell made it feel like a natural fit as the studio’s next project?
Mokochan: For all of the works done by Science SARU, using animation to do storytelling is very important. That’s why we use a lot of hand-drawn animation in it. For The Ghost in the Shell, the most important thing is to use the visuals to capture its world. It’s the same policy with other series as well.
TVアニメ「#攻殻機動隊 THE GHOST IN THE SHELL」⋱ご視聴ありがとうございました⋰ ◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢ 第01話より草薙素子と荒巻大輔の出会い 👩🏻 🐵迫力の原画を大公開！ 原画｜小島崇史 さん ◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢https://t.co/wICYD3OlUm pic.twitter.com/6rNlJdXZZk — サイエンスSARU (@sciencesaru) July 7, 2026 io9: From the jump, The Ghost in the Shell marks a stark tonal shift—a return—towards Masamune Shirow’s lighter, more mischievous vision of the cyberpunk epic. What led Science SARU to pivot away from the austere, military tone that Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 film would go on to cement as the franchise’s vibe for decades? Mokochan: We didn’t intentionally try to change the tone from how director Mamoru Oshii did previously because the concept for making this new series is to base it on the original manga, so we already had our own way of making this one.
© Masamune Shirow/Kodansha io9: In an era when people often use AI to cheaply mimic retro anime aesthetics, the new Ghost in the Shell feels like a deliberate rejection of AI’s pervasiveness in the arts—where every frame in the trailers looks unmistakably hand‑crafted. It’s a phenomenon that’s certainly paradoxical, considering that the manga prophesied how such technologies would be utilized in the not-so-far-off year of 2029. What’s Science SARU’s stance on AI, and what specific animation techniques did it use most to capture the show’s aesthetic through the power of collective human artistry? Mokochan: One of the concepts of the original manga is about the mysterious part of the human being. So we wanted to honor how the original creator captured the world and how we express all of the story in the original manga. So we wanted to follow the same concept using the same method to show humanity by using hand-drawn art. We prefer to just use our arms to draw all of the animation. Handa: It’s because the main concept is about the human body, so that’s why we prefer hand-drawn art over AI.
© Science SARU io9: Major Kusanagi has long been read as a bisexual icon in the West, especially because of Shirow’s famous island-escapade chapter with her gal pals, which has been lost in some Western reprints of the original manga. She’s also considerably goofier in the manga, a trait fans lovingly call a “bisexual disaster.” In what ways was it important for Science SARU to depict Kusanagi’s inherent goofball nature and her queerness in this adaptation, and what does portraying that side of her mean for a global audience in 2026? Mokochan: During the process of making the new series, we were actually very surprised by it because, compared to the original manga, a lot of the thoughts about sexuality are very advanced, exploring many possibilities. It’s not just about sexuality; it’s also about the human being, technology, and many other things. [The manga] accepts everything in the world. That was a very big surprise. We didn’t intend to modernize the content to make it fit the new era.
© Science SARU [The Ghost in the Shell producers’ note in regard to Science SARU’s adaptation of Motoko’s vacation scene from the original manga: “We had to adjust the depictions in the original work to match the rating.”] Handa: When we portray Kusanagi’s character, we like to bring out all the comical parts because they’re in the original manga. It’s kind of different how director Oshii portrays her in the previous series because, in those series, Kusanagi was not that expressive. We prefer to keep the authentic parts of the original manga, so we thought we definitely needed to keep the comical parts in the character, so that’s why we included that content. © Science SARU © Science SARU © Science SARU © Science SARU io9: As a fan of the series, I’ve seen Ghost in the Shell go through different iterations, reinterpretations, and reboots. And in that, Motoko’s design has changed in a way that reflects how different people interpret her. But while her outer shell is different, the themes—the ghost in the original story—remain in each adaptation. For Science SARU’s newer adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell, which themes from the original manga feel more prescient now than when it first came out?
Mokochan: Because the original intent of this project is to follow the original manga—not just Kusanagi, but also all the content and the world’s concept—we didn’t try to modernize any part of it. The creative team, all of whom are also big fans of the original manga. So, for the world, the story, the characters, and the theme, it’s all the same because we want to honor the original manga. ｳｵｵｵ攻殻機動隊1話にLOと作画監督で参加させていただきました！憧れの攻殻機動隊に関わることができて感激です🔥LOはセンターの子供が撃たれるあたりから脱走するところまで、作監は冒頭からOP前あたりまでです。少佐かっこよくて可愛かった〜！こちら担当LOのうちの1カットです🙏🏻#攻殻機動隊 pic.twitter.com/zUlxgD9fin — 宮かなえ (@miyakanae_) July 7, 2026 The Ghost in the Shell is streaming now on Prime Video. io9 is on the ground at Anime Expo 2026. We’ll be bringing you updates on all the biggest panels, screenings, and announcements, plus exclusive one-on-one interviews with the people behind some of the best and most popular anime around. You can check out all of io9’s Anime Expo coverage here. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Ghost #Shell #Director #Character #Designer #Keeping #Motoko #True #MangaAnime,Anime Expo,Science Saru,The Ghost in the Shell](https://i0.wp.com/gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/07/The-Ghost-in-the-Shell-Mokachan-Shuhei-Handa.jpg?ssl=1 "‘The Ghost in the Shell’ Director, Character Designer on Keeping Motoko True to the Manga
Dan Da Dan anime studio Science SARU’s adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell is finally streaming on Prime Video, and its pilot episode looks like a ’90s anime fever dream in the best way possible. Major Motoko Kusanagi kicks all the ass, its soundtrack is a bop, and its action sequences are a chef’s kiss. Don’t just take our word for it; check out the trailer below and see for yourself how Science SARU cooked once again. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahZn4dVCbvs[/embed] Ahead of its premiere, io9 got to chat with director Mokochan and character designer Shuhei Handa at Anime Expo about how their vision for Masamune Shirow’s seminal cyberpunk manga came to be, as well as a couple of pointed fandom-centric questions for fans who’ve been dying to see Major Motoko Kusanagi realized in all her goofy glory. Left: Shuhei Handa, right: Mokochan. © Isaiah Colbert/io9 This interview was edited for clarity. Isaiah Colbert, io9: From Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Devilman Crybaby, Inu-Oh, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and Dan Da Dan to Sanda and Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia, Science SARU has built an impressive portfolio and reputation for making bold, expressive, and experimental anime. What about The Ghost in the Shell made it feel like a natural fit as the studio’s next project?
Mokochan: For all of the works done by Science SARU, using animation to do storytelling is very important. That’s why we use a lot of hand-drawn animation in it. For The Ghost in the Shell, the most important thing is to use the visuals to capture its world. It’s the same policy with other series as well.
TVアニメ「#攻殻機動隊 THE GHOST IN THE SHELL」⋱ご視聴ありがとうございました⋰ ◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢ 第01話より草薙素子と荒巻大輔の出会い 👩🏻 🐵迫力の原画を大公開！ 原画｜小島崇史 さん ◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢https://t.co/wICYD3OlUm pic.twitter.com/6rNlJdXZZk — サイエンスSARU (@sciencesaru) July 7, 2026 io9: From the jump, The Ghost in the Shell marks a stark tonal shift—a return—towards Masamune Shirow’s lighter, more mischievous vision of the cyberpunk epic. What led Science SARU to pivot away from the austere, military tone that Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 film would go on to cement as the franchise’s vibe for decades? Mokochan: We didn’t intentionally try to change the tone from how director Mamoru Oshii did previously because the concept for making this new series is to base it on the original manga, so we already had our own way of making this one.
© Masamune Shirow/Kodansha io9: In an era when people often use AI to cheaply mimic retro anime aesthetics, the new Ghost in the Shell feels like a deliberate rejection of AI’s pervasiveness in the arts—where every frame in the trailers looks unmistakably hand‑crafted. It’s a phenomenon that’s certainly paradoxical, considering that the manga prophesied how such technologies would be utilized in the not-so-far-off year of 2029. What’s Science SARU’s stance on AI, and what specific animation techniques did it use most to capture the show’s aesthetic through the power of collective human artistry? Mokochan: One of the concepts of the original manga is about the mysterious part of the human being. So we wanted to honor how the original creator captured the world and how we express all of the story in the original manga. So we wanted to follow the same concept using the same method to show humanity by using hand-drawn art. We prefer to just use our arms to draw all of the animation. Handa: It’s because the main concept is about the human body, so that’s why we prefer hand-drawn art over AI.
© Science SARU io9: Major Kusanagi has long been read as a bisexual icon in the West, especially because of Shirow’s famous island-escapade chapter with her gal pals, which has been lost in some Western reprints of the original manga. She’s also considerably goofier in the manga, a trait fans lovingly call a “bisexual disaster.” In what ways was it important for Science SARU to depict Kusanagi’s inherent goofball nature and her queerness in this adaptation, and what does portraying that side of her mean for a global audience in 2026? Mokochan: During the process of making the new series, we were actually very surprised by it because, compared to the original manga, a lot of the thoughts about sexuality are very advanced, exploring many possibilities. It’s not just about sexuality; it’s also about the human being, technology, and many other things. [The manga] accepts everything in the world. That was a very big surprise. We didn’t intend to modernize the content to make it fit the new era.
© Science SARU [The Ghost in the Shell producers’ note in regard to Science SARU’s adaptation of Motoko’s vacation scene from the original manga: “We had to adjust the depictions in the original work to match the rating.”] Handa: When we portray Kusanagi’s character, we like to bring out all the comical parts because they’re in the original manga. It’s kind of different how director Oshii portrays her in the previous series because, in those series, Kusanagi was not that expressive. We prefer to keep the authentic parts of the original manga, so we thought we definitely needed to keep the comical parts in the character, so that’s why we included that content. © Science SARU © Science SARU © Science SARU © Science SARU io9: As a fan of the series, I’ve seen Ghost in the Shell go through different iterations, reinterpretations, and reboots. And in that, Motoko’s design has changed in a way that reflects how different people interpret her. But while her outer shell is different, the themes—the ghost in the original story—remain in each adaptation. For Science SARU’s newer adaptation of The Ghost in the Shell, which themes from the original manga feel more prescient now than when it first came out?
Mokochan: Because the original intent of this project is to follow the original manga—not just Kusanagi, but also all the content and the world’s concept—we didn’t try to modernize any part of it. The creative team, all of whom are also big fans of the original manga. So, for the world, the story, the characters, and the theme, it’s all the same because we want to honor the original manga. ｳｵｵｵ攻殻機動隊1話にLOと作画監督で参加させていただきました！憧れの攻殻機動隊に関わることができて感激です🔥LOはセンターの子供が撃たれるあたりから脱走するところまで、作監は冒頭からOP前あたりまでです。少佐かっこよくて可愛かった〜！こちら担当LOのうちの1カットです🙏🏻#攻殻機動隊 pic.twitter.com/zUlxgD9fin — 宮かなえ (@miyakanae_) July 7, 2026 The Ghost in the Shell is streaming now on Prime Video. io9 is on the ground at Anime Expo 2026. We’ll be bringing you updates on all the biggest panels, screenings, and announcements, plus exclusive one-on-one interviews with the people behind some of the best and most popular anime around. You can check out all of io9’s Anime Expo coverage here. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Ghost #Shell #Director #Character #Designer #Keeping #Motoko #True #MangaAnime,Anime Expo,Science Saru,The Ghost in the Shell")
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.jpg?ssl=1 "These New Smart Glasses From Solos Come With a Privacy Shield for the CamerasSmart glasses company Solos has long focused on audio-only smart glasses. On Tuesday, it announced two new pairs of glasses, one of which has a camera—but you can buy a separate accessory to hide the camera for privacy’s sake.Solos’ new smart glasses are the audio-only AirGo A6 and the second iteration of its camera-enabled glasses, the Solos AirGo V2. The latter was first announced last year as an effort to directly “outshine Meta.” These 9 glasses do just about everything you’d expect from Meta’s new 9 Meta Smartglasses, including photo and video capture, playing music, and interacting with an AI-powered assistant that can see what you see. They can be fitted with prescription lenses and have a 10- to 12-hour battery life.The AirGo V2 glasses can also be paired with a new Privacy Kit, a set of clip-on accessories that let wearers control what their camera glasses can access. The clip-on privacy shield blocks the cameras from view and from recording the world, allowing you to keep wearing the glasses in audio-only mode. There’s also a clip-on polarized lens, and the full kit of modular options costs .Selling a privacy kit as a clip-on accessory is perhaps not the most effective way to stave off concerns about people running around with small, discreet cameras on their faces. Having to buy a separate item, then clip it on and off every time you want to use or disable the camera, is a lot of extra steps that will likely keep people from bothering with privacy at all. Also, there isn’t anything stopping bad actors from removing the clip-on blockers later in an interaction—say, after entering an event that prohibits camera recording.Courtesy of Solos SmartglassesSolos’ first camera-enabled glasses, the Solos AirGo Vision, launched in 2024. WIRED put them in the “Don’t Bother” section of our Best Smart Glasses gallery, citing some decent design choices, albeit ones held back by middling media capture quality, frustrating touch controls, and a power-hungry app that demands too many permissions. All in all, the glasses haven’t quite reached the standard Meta has set with its popular smart glasses.Meta has been the dominant force in the smart glasses market, but other big companies are trying to fill in the cracks. Google and Samsung have a partnership to build out Google’s Android XR platform, with new glasses arriving later this year from eyewear brands Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Apple has reportedly been building its own smart glasses as well.Some smaller companies are adjusting their target markets to counter Meta, like Even Realities and its camera-free glasses. Solos’ reemphasis on privacy comes after a period of widespread criticism of Meta’s glasses. The devices have been called creepy “pervert glasses” and were criticized after the company silently added face recognition code to its glasses, then quickly removed it after public outcry following a WIRED report. Meta hasn’t done itself any favors since then, announcing last week that it will start charging for features on its smart glasses that have previously been free.Meta has acknowledged that a market for audio-only smart glasses exists, as CTO Andrew Bosworth said in a private Q&A session with media that he thinks there is “market demand for that product for sure.” But Meta hasn’t moved away from its camera-forward spectacles yet. It may very well make audio-only glasses in the future. Until then, companies like Solos are eager to chip away at that market.#Smart #Glasses #Solos #Privacy #Shield #Camerascameras,design,smart glasses,wearables,artificial intelligence,meta")
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