Image courtesy of FlyingDog, Inc. ?Masamune Shirow?Production I.G/Kodansha? Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Production Committee

Source: FlyingDog, Inc. press release Official Site: ghostintheshell-sac2045.jp (Japan), Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 | Netflix (US)

Photo courtesy of FlyingDog, Inc. ?Masamune Shirow?Production I.G/Kodansha? Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Production Committee

GHOST IN THE SHELL: SAC_2045 (????? SAC_2045, K?kaku Kid?tai SAC_2045), the latest entry in the classic sci-fi series GHOST IN THE SHELL, is scheduled to release worldwide on Netflix on April 23, 2020. The anime’s opening theme “Fly with me” will be released as a single on April 22. Two-time Grammy-nominated DJ/Producer Steve Aoki has created a remix of this song, which will be included as a bonus track. Steve Aoki’s track is titled “Fly with me - Steve Aoki Neon Future Remix.” The original “Fly with me” is a song produced by millennium parade, a creative team led by the talented musician Daiki Tsuneta, who is also a member of the rock quartet King Gnu. Steve Aoki has a long history with the GHOST IN THE SHELL series. He first discovered the anime in his teens and has publicly stated that his album “Neon Future” was influenced by it. He also remixed the theme song for the 1995 Hollywood release of GHOST IN THE SHELL (?????, K?kaku Kid?tai).

Steve Aoki. Photo courtesy of FlyingDog, Inc.

Steve Aoki released the following comment: Hello, everyone in Japan! Steve Aoki here! I’m really honored to be able to do a remix of Millennium Parade’s new song “Fly with me”! “Fly with me” is the theme song for the upcoming Ghost in the Shell series. I am a huge fan of GHOST IN THE SHELL and was very excited to be involved with this project. I hope everyone is looking forward to it just as much as I am. Please check it out! On April 22, two “Fly with me” titles will be released simultaneously. The first, released by FlyingDog (Victor Entertainment), is titled “millennium parade × ghost in the shell: SAC_2045” and will include Steve Aoki’s remix. The second, released by Sony Music, is simply titled “millennium parade” and will include “millennium parade Live2019” from the group’s first Tokyo-Osaka tour. There are two box art designs: a collaboration version (FlyingDog) between GHOST IN THE SHELL: SAC_2045 and millennium parade and a millennium parade version (Sony Music) featuring the artist. Both were designed by PERIMETRON, who have also worked on King Gnu and millennium parade’s artwork and music videos. The CD single comes with a bonus DVD containing a talk session between Director Kenji Kamiyama, Director Shinji Aramaki, Daiki Tsuneta, Shu Sasaki (PERIMETRON), and Yuhei Kobe (PERIMETRON). This DVD is a must-have for fans of millennium parade and GHOST IN THE SHELL! Product Information GHOST IN THE SHELL: SAC_2045 Opening Theme Title: Fly with me Artist: millennium parade × ghost in the shell: SAC_2045 Release date: April 22 Tracks: 1. Fly with me Lyrics: ermhoi, Composition, Arrangement: Daiki Tsuneta 2. Fly with me - Steve Aoki Neon Future Remix Lyrics: ermhoi, Composition: Daiki Tsuneta, Arrangement: Steve Aoki Product no.: VTZL-174, POS:4582575380948 Price: ¥1,800 ? Bonus DVD GHOST IN THE SHELL: SAC_2045 Special Talk Session Participants: Kenji Kamiyama, Shinji Aramaki, Daiki Tsuneta, Shu Sasaki, and Yuhei Kobe ? Distribution Available on streaming services and major download sites such as the iTunes Store, RecoChoku, and mora from April 22. Streaming services: Apple Music, LINE MUSIC, Amazon Music Unlimited, AWA, KKBOX, Rakuten Music, RecMusic, Spotify, YouTube Music, ANiUTa, and mora qualitas. About millennium parade

Photo courtesy of FlyingDog, Inc. ?Masamune Shirow?Production I.G/Kodansha? Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Production Committee

An up-and-coming creative group led Tokyo producer/songwriter Daiki Tsuneta. Consisting primarily of millennial-generation digital natives, it includes musicians, video directors, CG creators, designers, illustrators, and other professionals. The group is based on the concept of “Hyakki Yagyo,” a term from Japanese folklore that refers to a horde of supernatural creatures marching forward in a procession. Under the theme “Tokyo as seen by the world,” they seek to give the world a fun yet realistic look at the chaotic capital city. Tickets to their first concert, which was held as a launch party in May 2019 and featured extensive use of 3D visuals, were sold out almost immediately. Competition to acquire tickets for their subsequent tour of Tokyo and Osaka was fierce. Although a mysterious group that hasn’t yet been around for a very long time, they are drawing attention as advocates of new values. millenniumparade.com ? Recording Members Vocals: ermhoi Vocals: HIMI Vocals: Cota Mori Vocals: Kento Nagatsuka(WONK) Chorus: Shu Sasaki Trumpet: Yohchi Masago Guitar/Sax: MELRAW Violin: Shuntaro Tsuneta Keyboard: Ayatake Ezaki (WONK) Bass: Kazuki Arai (King Gnu) Organ: Jun Miyakawa Drums: Shun Ishiwaka Drums: Yu Seki (King Gnu) About GHOST IN THE SHELL: SAC_2045 GHOST IN THE SHELL, the gold standard of near-future science fiction. A vision of the future of the year 2045 from Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki. Public Security Section 9, under the command of a full-body prosthetic cyborg named Motoko Kusanagi, rises up once again to fight cybercrime.

Key art courtesy of Netflix. ?Masamune Shirow? Production I.G/Kodansha? Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Production Committee

Cybercrime is rampant in a near future where advances in technology allow people to augment their minds with “cyberbrains”. Full-body cyborg Motoko Kusanagi commands the crime-fighting organization known as Public Security Section 9. A wide variety of material based on Shirow Masamune’s Ghost in the Shell comic has been released in the years following its publication in 1989, such as the animated film and Hollywood live-action adaptation GHOST IN THE SHELL. This gold standard in near-future science fiction, with its edgy aesthetic and compelling worldbuilding and visual expression that has influenced creative talent around the globe over the years, is about to offer up a new vision of the future. Kenji Kamiyama (GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX series) and Shinji Aramaki (APPLESEED series) will jointly direct, and the original cast of GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX, including Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Otsuka, and Koichi Yamadera, are all returning. An all-new story featuring dynamic cyberpunk action and Motoko Kusanagi and her team is about to be told. The animation is by Production I.G and SOLA DIGITAL ARTS. The Netflix original anime series GHOST IN THE SHELL: SAC_2045 begins exclusive worldwide streaming (excluding China) on April 23, 2020. ? Staff Original story: Shirow Masamune Directors: Kenji Kamiyama, Shinji Aramaki Series composition: Kenji Kamiyama Character design: Ilya Kuvshinov Music: Nobuko Toda, Kazuma Jinnouchi Opening theme: Fly with me by millennium parade × ghost in the shell: SAC_2045 Ending theme: sustain++; by Mili Music production: FlyingDog Production: Production I.G × SOLA DIGITAL ARTS Production: Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Production Committee ? Cast Motoko Kusanagi: Atsuko Tanaka Daisuke Aramaki: Osamu Saka Batou: Akio Otsuka Togusa: Koichi Yamadera Ishikawa: Yutaka Nakano Saito: Toru Okawa Paz: Takashi Onozuka Borma: Taro Yamaguchi Tachikoma: Sakiko Tamagawa Purin Ezaki: Han Megumi Standard: Kenjiro Tsuda