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Manga Anime

Ghost in the Shell Anime Gets King Gnu OP — Premieres July 7 on Prime Video

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Science SARU’s new Ghost in the Shell anime is just 48 hours away — and today’s Anime Expo 2026 panel in Los Angeles delivered the soundtrack reveal fans have been waiting for. King Gnu will perform the opening theme “GO GHOST”, with MILLENNIUM PARADE’s “Blue” bookending every episode as the ending. Singapore fans can catch the international exclusive on Prime Video from 10:30 PM SGT this Tuesday, July 7 — no waiting for a delayed Asian release.

The near-future networked city of 2029 as depicted in Ghost in the Shell THE GHOST IN THE SHELL
Image courtesy of THE GHOST IN THE SHELL COMMITTEE

Back to Where It All Started: The Original Manga, Animated at Last

Officially titled Ghost in the Shell THE GHOST IN THE SHELL, this new TV series is the first direct anime adaptation of Shirow Masamune’s original 1989 manga — the text that launched a global franchise spanning Mamoru Oshii’s landmark 1995 film, the Stand Alone Complex TV series, and a Hollywood live-action remake. Where those productions each carved their own artistic path, this series returns to the source: Shirow’s densely plotted, visually idiosyncratic cyberpunk world, now given a full weekly TV run for the first time.

The story unfolds in the year 2029, a Japan where the internet has merged with the human nervous system and fully cyberised bodies are commonplace. Major Motoko Kusanagi — a full-body cyborg officer — leads Section 9, a black-ops police unit created to fight crimes that blur the line between human consciousness and digital network. Threading through the early episodes is the Puppet Master, a ghost-hacker who can rewrite memories and identities without leaving a trace, whose true nature becomes the series’ central philosophical mystery.

King Gnu Confirmed for “GO GHOST” — A Double Debut at AX 2026

King Gnu — the four-piece alternative rock band known for Hakujitsu, their explosive run of anime tie-in tracks, and a reputation for pairing jazz-influenced arrangement with stadium-ready hooks — will open every episode of the series. PV5, released today alongside the Anime Expo announcement, sets the track against a rapid-cut sequence of Kusanagi and the Section 9 team, and you can watch it here.

PV5 featuring King Gnu’s opening theme “GO GHOST” — via Ghost in the Shell Official Channel on YouTube

For the ending, MILLENNIUM PARADE’s “Blue” was confirmed earlier in the production cycle. Tsuneta Daiki (常田大希) is the connection between both acts: he co-leads King Gnu as its primary songwriter and founded MILLENNIUM PARADE as a separate collective project. The two groups sharing theme duties on a single anime is a first — King Gnu and MILLENNIUM PARADE have never appeared on the same series before — and the pairing gives the show a rare sonic coherence between its opening and ending moods.

King Gnu, who perform the opening theme GO GHOST for Ghost in the Shell THE GHOST IN THE SHELL
Image courtesy of King Gnu

Science SARU and a Literary Screenwriter You Should Know

Animation production sits with Science SARU, the Tokyo studio founded by Masaaki Yuasa and Eunyoung Choi, whose recent output includes Dandadan, Inu-Oh, The Heike Story, and The Cat and the Dragon. Science SARU is not a house style operation — each project looks and moves differently — but the studio consistently works with directors who lean toward expressive character drawing over photorealistic finish. For Ghost in the Shell, that orientation aligns well with Shirow’s original manga, which prioritised kinetic action and dense detail over the moody darkness of the Oshii films.

Direction is handled by Moko-chan (モコちゃん) in their TV series directorial debut. Series composition and screenplay go to Enjō Toh (円城塔) — an unusual and exciting hire. Enjō is a celebrated literary SF author: his novel collection Self-Reference ENGINE is considered one of the most formally experimental Japanese SF books of the 2000s, and his short story Dōkeshi no Chō (道化師の蝶) won the Akutagawa Prize, Japan’s most prestigious literary award, in 2012. Bringing that kind of philosophical weight to the Ghost in the Shell screenplay feels right for a franchise that has always used cyberpunk trappings to ask hard questions about consciousness, identity, and what it means to be human. Character design and chief animation direction are by Shuhei Handa (半田修平).

One curiosity heading into the premiere: as of today’s announcement, no voice cast has been revealed for any character — a rare degree of secrecy for a show less than 48 hours from air.

Major Motoko Kusanagi with glowing red eyes in Ghost in the Shell THE GHOST IN THE SHELL by Science SARU
Image courtesy of THE GHOST IN THE SHELL COMMITTEE

When and Where to Watch in Singapore

Prime Video holds the international streaming rights as an exclusive, with episodes dropping simultaneously alongside Japan’s TV broadcast. Episode 1 streams from 10:30 PM SGT on Tuesday, 7 July 2026. New episodes will follow weekly in the same slot. The series airs in Japan in the late-night “火アニバル!!” (Tuesday Anival) slot on Kantele and Fuji TV.

For more of this season’s anime highlights, our full anime coverage has everything currently airing and confirmed. The official Ghost in the Shell anime site (Japanese) will carry updates on the still-unannounced voice cast and weekly episode information going forward.

Manga Anime

Ghost in the Shell 2026 Anime Premieres 7 July on Prime Video — Science SARU Takes the Helm

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One of anime’s most legendary franchises gets a fresh start this week: 攻殻機動隊 THE GHOST IN THE SHELL premieres on 7 July 2026 on Fuji TV in Japan — and simultaneously on Amazon Prime Video in Singapore and more than 240 countries worldwide. Science SARU, the studio behind Dandadan and Inu-Oh, is taking the helm. The Summer 2026 season has not been short on big premieres, but this is the one that has the broadest conversation going.

Why This Ghost in the Shell Is Different

Ghost in the Shell 2026 Motoko Kusanagi official poster art
Image courtesy of Science SARU / Bandai Namco Filmworks

Every previous Ghost in the Shell anime adaptation has lived in the shadow of Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 film — the muted palette, the slow philosophical pacing, the rain-soaked existentialism that influenced a generation of filmmakers from the Wachowskis to James Cameron. Science SARU is not making that series. Director Mokochan and character designer Shuhei Handa have explicitly returned to Masamune Shirow’s original 1989–91 manga aesthetic — brighter, more kinetic, with Major Motoko Kusanagi rendered closer to Shirow’s own drawings than the Oshii film version most international audiences know.

The script is by EnJoe Toh (円城塔), an award-winning hard science-fiction novelist — not a veteran anime scriptwriter. That left-field choice signals a production pushing for genuine sci-fi prose rather than standard procedural anime plotting. The story follows Kusanagi and the combat unit she leads at Section 9 against a hacker known as the Puppet Master, across a near-future city where cyberbrain technology has reshaped crime, identity, and humanity.

Official Promotional Video 2 — via Ghost in the Shell Official Channel on YouTube (Japanese)

Science SARU: The Right Studio at the Right Moment

Ghost in the Shell 2026 anime scene from Section 9
Image courtesy of Science SARU / Bandai Namco Filmworks

Science SARU was co-founded by Masaaki Yuasa, and while Yuasa is not directing here, the studio’s commitment to handcrafted, design-led animation is well established. Their work on Dandadan — which delivered one of the most visually inventive anime seasons in years — proved they can handle high-energy, action-forward material without losing aesthetic integrity. Ghost in the Shell demands both technical precision and a strong visual identity; Science SARU has demonstrated it can deliver both.

At the world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on 22 June 2026, director Mokochan explicitly stated that zero generative AI was used in production. That commitment, made publicly at the industry’s largest animation gathering, has been a widely noted talking point since — and in an anime industry where AI-in-production debates are intensifying, it positions this series clearly.

Music is from Taisei Iwasaki, Ryo Konishi, and Yuki Kanesaka. The ending theme — titled “Blue” — is performed by Millennium Parade featuring Saya Gray and Daniel Caesar. That combination of Japanese art-pop production and international collaborators should pull listeners well outside the usual anime-music audience.

Watch It in Singapore From Day One

Ghost in the Shell 2026 anime cyberpunk cityscape visual
Image courtesy of Science SARU / Bandai Namco Filmworks

Prime Video is available in Singapore, and the series launches globally on 7 July — meaning Singapore fans can watch the same day as the Japanese broadcast, no waiting, no searching for streams. Just log into your Prime Video account. The series is available in over 240 countries and territories, with the only notable exceptions being China, Russia, and Vietnam.

This is also the first Ghost in the Shell anime title produced outside Production I.G., which had held the anime rights for more than thirty years — from the 1995 Oshii film through the Stand Alone Complex TV series and beyond. Science SARU stepping in is a genuine creative handoff. Notably, Bandai Namco Filmworks, Kodansha, and Production I.G. itself are all in the production committee, confirming this is a franchise succession rather than a licensing side project.

Whether you are a long-time fan of the franchise who remembers Section 9 from Stand Alone Complex, or someone who has only encountered the Ghost in the Shell name by reputation, 7 July is the date. Same day as Japan. Prime Video. For Singapore, there is no easier on-ramp to one of the most anticipated anime of 2026.

Keep up with more Summer 2026 anime on GameTrader.SG.

Manga Anime, News

Ghost in the Shell Returns on Prime Video This July 7

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For the first time since the franchise became an anime in 1995, a studio other than Production I.G. is animating Ghost in the Shell. That studio is Science Saru — the house behind Dandadan, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and Tatami Time Machine Blues — and THE GHOST IN THE SHELL premieres on Amazon Prime Video in over 240 countries this Tuesday, 7 July 2026, Singapore included.

THE GHOST IN THE SHELL 2026 key visual poster featuring Major Motoko Kusanagi
Image courtesy of THE GHOST IN THE SHELL COMMITTEE

Science Saru Takes Over — and Why That Is a Big Deal

Production I.G. has been synonymous with Ghost in the Shell animation since Mamoru Oshii’s landmark 1995 film. The studio went on to direct Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, both seasons of Stand Alone Complex, and the theatrical Arise series. Production I.G. remains in the production committee for this 2026 series — alongside Bandai Namco Filmworks and Kodansha — but the animation itself now belongs to Science Saru.

Science Saru was co-founded by Masaaki Yuasa and has built its reputation on visually expressive, high-fluidity work that stands apart from conventional TV-anime house styles. Directing the new series is Mokochan, making his feature directorial debut after working as assistant director on Dandadan. Character design and chief animation direction is handled by Shuhei Handa, whose credits include Dandadan, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and Spriggan. Series composition comes from sci-fi novelist EnJoe Toh, known for the metafictional Self-Reference ENGINE — a choice that hints at a grittier, more literary approach.

Official Japanese trailer for THE GHOST IN THE SHELL — via Ghost in the Shell Official Channel on YouTube

A Straight Line Back to Masamune Shirow’s Manga

Rather than continuing any existing anime continuity, the 2026 series returns to Masamune Shirow’s original Ghost in the Shell manga, first serialised in Young Magazine from 1989 to 1991. The story follows Major Motoko Kusanagi leading Public Security Section 9 through cybercrimes and a conspiracy surrounding a spectral hacker known as the Puppet Master — the same premise as Oshii’s 1995 film, but adapted from the source material rather than from the film’s more abstract interpretation.

The creative team describe the aim as being closer to the manga’s own tonal blend of hard sci-fi, dry humour, and political thriller, rather than the heavy philosophical weight of Oshii’s take. Given EnJoe Toh’s background in literary science fiction, that ambition seems credible.

THE GHOST IN THE SHELL 2026 promotional image from Science Saru
Image courtesy of THE GHOST IN THE SHELL COMMITTEE

English Dub Cast and Global Availability

Amazon Prime Video is rolling out the series with a full English dub across its global release. Suzie Yeung (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Overtake!) voices Major Kusanagi; Bill Butts plays Batou; SungWon Cho voices Chief Aramaki; and Nick Apostolides takes on Togusa. The English dub cast was confirmed by Anime News Network. In total the series launches in eight dubbed languages alongside the Japanese original.

THE GHOST IN THE SHELL 2026 key visual showing Section 9
Image courtesy of THE GHOST IN THE SHELL COMMITTEE

When and Where to Watch in Singapore

THE GHOST IN THE SHELL is available on Amazon Prime Video in Singapore from 7 July 2026. An active Prime or Prime Video subscription is all you need. New episodes drop weekly — in Japan they broadcast on Fuji TV and Kansai TV every Tuesday at 23:00 JST (midnight SGT on Wednesday), with the Prime Video stream expected around the same time. The July 7 premiere date was confirmed via Anime News Network in June.

If you want to revisit the original mythology ahead of Tuesday, Oshii’s 1995 film and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex are available across multiple platforms. Find more anime season previews and news on GameTrader as the summer 2026 lineup gets into gear.

The Ending Theme: MILLENNIUM PARADE, Saya Gray and Daniel Caesar

The ending theme, titled “Blue”, is performed by MILLENNIUM PARADE featuring Saya Gray and Daniel Caesar. MILLENNIUM PARADE is the avant-pop project led by Daiki Tsuneta, the frontman of King Gnu — whose music has previously appeared across anime soundtracks. Saya Gray is a Japanese-American indie singer-songwriter; Daniel Caesar is a Grammy-winning Canadian R&B artist. The pairing feels deliberately trans-Pacific, which suits a franchise that has always occupied the intersection of Japanese cyberpunk and Western science-fiction imagination.

Manga Anime, News

Ghost in the Shell Anime Drops on Prime Video 7 July — Science SARU at the Helm

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One of anime’s most iconic cyberpunk franchises is coming back — and this time, it lands directly in Singapore’s living rooms. Ghost in the Shell is getting an all-new TV anime adaptation from Science SARU (the studio behind Dandadan and Inu-oh), and it premieres on Prime Video on 7 July 2026, simultaneously in more than 240 countries — Singapore included, with no separate regional rollout date to wait for.

Ghost in the Shell new anime 2026 — official promotional image
Image courtesy of Prime Video / Science SARU

What Is the New Ghost in the Shell Anime?

The series is a fresh adaptation of Shirow Masamune’s landmark manga, first serialised in 1989. That original work — set in a near-future where cyberbrain implants blur the line between human and machine — is the source that inspired Mamoru Oshii’s landmark 1995 theatrical film, which in turn shaped modern cyberpunk and influenced everything from The Matrix to contemporary science fiction. A Hollywood live-action remake arrived in 2017, but anime fans have long wanted a true return to Shirow’s vision.

The new TV series follows full-body cyborg Motoko Kusanagi as she builds a specialised counter-cybercrime task force alongside Daisuke Aramaki from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Together they form Public Security Section 9 — codenamed Shell Squad — and are quickly drawn into a web of international conspiracies. On the horizon: a mysterious, unidentified hacker known only as the Puppet Master.

Official teaser trailer — Ghost in the Shell Official Channel on YouTube

Science SARU: The Studio Behind the Shell

The production is in the hands of Science SARU, one of the most exciting animation studios in Japan right now. Their output in recent years has ranged from the Golden Globe-nominated theatrical film Inu-oh to the critically acclaimed The Colors Within, but it is Dandadan — a gloriously chaotic mix of alien sci-fi, supernatural horror, and romance — that put them on the radar of mainstream anime fans worldwide.

Directing the new Ghost in the Shell is Mokochan, who served as a key director on Dandadan. The script comes from EnJoe Toh, the writer behind Godzilla: Singular Point — another hard sci-fi anime that rewarded attentive viewers with a layered, intellectually demanding story. On paper, that pairing of a visually inventive director and a writer who takes speculative fiction seriously is one of the most exciting creative combinations Ghost in the Shell has had in any format.

Ghost in the Shell 2026 anime — Science SARU production still
Image courtesy of Prime Video / Science SARU

How Singapore Fans Can Watch on Prime Video

Ghost in the Shell premieres on Prime Video on 7 July 2026. The global rollout covers more than 240 countries and territories. Singapore is firmly in that window, meaning no separate regional launch to wait for — if you have Prime Video access, it is in your library from day one.

Prime Video is included with an Amazon Prime membership. If you are already a subscriber in Singapore, nothing extra is required. New subscribers can check the local Amazon website for current membership pricing and any available trial period.

For fans who want to watch alongside Japan’s broadcast schedule, episodes will also be available via Prime Video Japan every Tuesday from 7 July at 23:30 JST — that is 22:30 SGT. Vietnam is the only country in the region explicitly excluded from the global launch.

Ghost in the Shell anime 2026 — second promotional video
Image courtesy of Prime Video / Science SARU
Promotional Video Vol. 2 — Ghost in the Shell Official Channel on YouTube

Why This Ghost in the Shell Matters

The original 1989 manga and the 1995 Oshii film are foundational texts for an entire generation. Motoko Kusanagi’s central question — what makes a being conscious, and where does the machine end and the person begin — has only grown more relevant as the real world grapples with artificial intelligence, surveillance networks, and human augmentation. A new adaptation in 2026 has the potential to hit differently than any previous version of this story.

The decision to give Science SARU the keys is a genuine statement of intent from Prime Video. This is not a studio that plays it safe; their visual style is bold and their storytelling is rarely conventional. Whether that energy suits a franchise historically defined by atmospheric restraint is the question every fan will be debating until 7 July. Either way, Singapore gamers and anime fans will not have to wait long to find out.

Catch up on more manga and anime news at GameTrader.SG, including new season announcements, streaming guides, and the latest from Japan’s animation studios.

Manga Anime

Ghost in the Shell (2026) Is Coming to Prime Video — 7 July

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Science SARU has unveiled the fourth promotional video for its upcoming Ghost in the Shell anime series — and alongside it comes the reveal of the ending theme, a three-year cross-border music collaboration that is arguably as exciting as the show itself. Premiere date: 7 July 2026, streaming on Amazon Prime Video worldwide — which means Singapore fans are in from day one.

Ghost in the Shell Promotional Video #4 | 7 July 2026 — via Ghost in the Shell Official Channel on YouTube

Science SARU Takes On the Original Manga

This is not a sequel, prequel, or alternate-universe retelling. The Ghost in the Shell is a direct adaptation of Masamune Shirow’s original manga — the 1989 cyberpunk classic that seeded every version of the franchise since. Science SARU, the studio behind Dan Da Dan, Devilman Crybaby, and the Golden Globe-nominated Inu-oh, is leading animation production in collaboration with Bandai Namco Filmworks, Production I.G., and Kodansha.

Direction is handled by Mokochan — assistant director on Dan Da Dan and making her solo directorial debut here. Character design and chief animation direction falls to Shuhei Handa, whose character sheets draw closely from Shirow’s linework. Series composition and scripts are by novelist and critic Toh EnJoe, with music by Taisei Iwasaki, Ryo Konishi, and YUKI KANESAKA.

Ghost in the Shell 2026 key visual
Image courtesy of Ghost in the Shell

The Ending Theme Is Blue by MILLENNIUM PARADE

PV4 debuted the ending theme: Blue, performed by MILLENNIUM PARADE featuring Saya Gray and Daniel Caesar. The track has been quietly in production for around three years — MILLENNIUM PARADE founder Daiki Tsuneta (also of King Gnu) began working on it with Canadian-Japanese artist Saya Gray before Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Daniel Caesar joined the project to complete what the team describes as a cross-border collaboration.

It marks MILLENNIUM PARADE’s second contribution to a Ghost in the Shell production, following their work on SAC_2045. In the context of PV4, Blue accompanies footage the creative team describes as an emotional piece focused on the inner lives of characters surrounding protagonist Motoko Kusanagi — suggesting the series has a human-drama register alongside the cyberpunk action the franchise is known for.

Where and When to Watch in Singapore

The Ghost in the Shell premieres in Japan on 7 July 2026, in the Ka-Anival!! block on Fuji TV and Kansai TV. On the streaming side, Amazon Prime Video holds worldwide rights excluding Russia and China, with Japan receiving an early exclusive window. That means Singapore Prime Video subscribers get access from launch day.

Bandai Namco Filmworks will also screen episodes 1 and 2 at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles (2–5 July), with director Mokochan and character designer Shuhei Handa attending for a panel and autograph session. A separate premiere screening is scheduled at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival (21–27 June in France).

Last words

The last full Ghost in the Shell TV anime was Ghost in the Shell: Arise in 2015 — making this return more than a decade in the making. Science SARU’s track record with emotionally charged source material makes this one of the most anticipated anime of this summer season. If you have a Prime Video subscription, 7 July is a date worth marking.

Manga Anime, News

Ghost in the Shell Anime Premieres 7 July on Prime Video — Ending Theme Revealed

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Science SARU’s highly anticipated Ghost in the Shell anime just dropped its fourth promotional video — and with it, the reveal of an ending theme nobody saw coming: “Blue” by MILLENNIUM PARADE, featuring Canadian-Japanese artist Saya Gray and Grammy-winner Daniel Caesar. With the premiere locked in for 7 July 2026 on Amazon Prime Video worldwide, Singapore fans have less than four weeks to wait.

Ghost in the Shell — 4th Promotional Video｜via バンダイナムコフィルムワークス チャンネル on YouTube

What the New Ghost in the Shell 2026 Anime PV Reveals

The fourth PV centres on the emotional and psychological core of the story. Set in 2029, the series follows Motoko Kusanagi — a full-body cyborg officer — as she and her newly formed Public Security Section 9 come up against the Puppet Master, a mysterious hacker capable of overwriting human memories. The promo hints at the identity drama that made the original manga and 1995 film so enduring: just how much humanity remains in a mind that can be copied, hacked, or replaced?

Director Mokochan and Science SARU are leaning hard into a retro, manga-faithful aesthetic — rugged linework, dense urban cityscapes, and action sequences that feel closer to Masamune Shirow’s original 1989–1991 manga than to the painterly melancholy of the Mamoru Oshii film. The Fuchikoma AI tanks (called Tachikoma in later entries) are back in their original four-legged form.

Ghost in the Shell 2026 — Section 9 crew key visual by Science SARU
Image courtesy of Science SARU / Bandai Namco Filmworks

“Blue” — An Ending Theme That Spans Three Continents

The ending theme is a genuine surprise. MILLENNIUM PARADE is the creative collective of Daiki Tsuneta, frontman of King Gnu and a musician with existing ties to the Ghost in the Shell universe — MILLENNIUM PARADE previously contributed music to Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045. The track “Blue” features Saya Gray, a Canadian-Japanese multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter who formerly toured as bassist for Daniel Caesar, and Daniel Caesar himself, the Grammy Award-winning Canadian R&B artist.

According to the official Ghost in the Shell global site, production on “Blue” began around three years ago with Tsuneta and Saya Gray, with Daniel Caesar joining the collaboration later. The result is an ending theme that crosses Japanese pop, R&B, and indie-soul — fitting for a series asking big questions about identity and borders.

Ghost in the Shell 2026 — Motoko Kusanagi key art by Science SARU
Image courtesy of Science SARU / Bandai Namco Filmworks

When and Where to Watch — Singapore Included

Ghost in the Shell premieres on 7 July 2026 in Japan (Fuji TV / Kansai TV broadcast, with an early Prime Video window in Japan ahead of the TV airing). Amazon Prime Video holds worldwide streaming rights — excluding Russia and China — meaning Singapore subscribers should be able to watch from day one. Prime Video Singapore has not issued a separate local announcement at time of writing; if that changes, we’ll update this post.

Before the streaming launch, the first two episodes make an early world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival (21–27 June, France). A second early screening is set for Anime Expo in Los Angeles on 4 July 2026, with director Mokochan and character designer Shuhei Handa present for a Q&A — for those of you making the trip.

The Team Behind It

The series is produced by Science SARU alongside a production committee that includes Bandai Namco Filmworks, Kodansha, and Production I.G — the studio that co-produced the original 1995 film. Series composition and scripts are by EnJoe Toh. Check out our other anime coverage if you’re building your summer 2026 watchlist.

Last Words

Ghost in the Shell has a long history with Singapore fans — the 1995 film is one of those titles that quietly changed how a generation here thought about anime as a serious medium. Science SARU’s track record (Dandadan, Devilman Crybaby) and the ambition of the ending theme point to a production that wants to earn that legacy, not just trade on it. Pop it into your Prime Video watchlist and set a reminder for 7 July.