The "New" Ghost in the Shell...

... Looks like it's going to be awful. I say "looks", and that's what I mean. 

     Aesthetically, the character model for this new Motoko Kusanagi looks like a twelve year old, whereas the one from the Stand Alone Complex (S.A.C.) anime actually looks like an adult who'd get into the types of dangerous situations that Kusanagi usually gets into. In fact, I'd say one of the best parts about S.A.C. is that the physical characteristics of the characters are much more proportionally correct than most anime. Sure, the women still have awkwardly large eyes compared to their male counterparts, but it's not as pronounced (or at least I don't think it is) as it is in other anime. Let's compare the two:

The new, who looks really young and not terribly intimidating, and...

...the old, who looks like she'll rip your legs off to make sure you won't escape while she bashes your braincase in...

     As one commentor put it:

"Who the ---- is that? That's not my Major, my Major is a woman that can beat the ---- out of you. That's [the new Kusanagi] a cyborg teenager...who's about as scary as a Taylor Swift fan. So we're doing a Blood+/C thing to GitS (Ghost in the Shell)? 

I swear Japan, if it wasn't for the Sailor Moon reboot and DBZ movie coming out this year, you'd be ------- dead to me."

     On some points, I feel the same. Blood C had a very weak story compared to Blood+, and the animation was far more simplistic. The thought of this happening to GitS is disconcerting. Concerning Japan being dead to me, I'm actually skipping everything this anime season (spring 2013). I wouldn't say it's as severe as the commentor above, but nothing really caught my attention this go 'round.

     As a huge fan of the GitS series, especially S.A.C., I will have to give this new one a chance. However, will it be able to live up to the other renditions of the mythos? S.A.C. was incredibly deep psychologically, and introduced dozens of controversial topics that a cyberized world would have to deal with. There's a "thinking anime" hidden behind all that cyberpunk action. Will this new anime have intelligent commentary on a cyberized world? Or will it be full of mindless action for action's sake? We'll see...