Here’s a quick breakdown of the core staff:

• Director: Mokochan
• Script: EnJoe Toh
• Character Design & Executive Animation Director: Shuhei Handa

While Mokochan may be a newcomer in the director’s chair, he arrives with a glowing recommendation from Dan Da Dan director Fuga Yamashiro, who vouched for his vision and drive. Joining him and scripting the project is EnJoe Toh, whose resume is stacked with literary honors. From Harlequin’s Butterfly (winner of the Akutagawa Prize) to Code Buddha (Yomiuri Prize for Literature) and The Empire of Corpses (Nihon SF Taisho), Toh’s mastery of high-concept science fiction makes him an inspired match for Ghost in the Shell’s cerebral core.

Handling character designs is Shuhei Handa, known for his work on Spriggan and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. His animation pedigree also includes KILL la KILL and Little Witch Academia. Still, here he’s channeling something different: an homage to the unreleased rough cover art from Masamune Shirow’s original manga.

Although the script is nearly complete, the team is deep in the storyboarding and art board phase, refining the tone and visual storytelling. They’ve also begun refining the development materials that define the color palette of each shot. Based on what we saw, this version of Ghost in the Shell will be vivid, electric, and unafraid of bold contrasts.

Even the logo breaks tradition. Designed by artist Hajime Sorayama (Sexy Robot), it’s sleek, metallic, and entirely different from anything the franchise has used before.

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SPOILER AHEAD! You’ve been warned! 

A Fun Tie to Ultraman

On hand for the event were series director Fugu Yamashiro and English voice actors for Abby Trott (Momo), A.J. Beckles (Okarun), and Aleks Le (Jiji). A discussion was first held about the inspiration for the awesome new opening for Season 2 in which Yamashiro revealed that many of the “villain” silhouettes for Season 1’s opening were inspired by the classic Ultraman opening, and that those silhouettes were hidden in Season 2’s opening as well. 

Voice Acting on Display for Dandadan Anime Expo 2025

Trott, Beckles, and Le also demonstrated for the audience live voice work for a scene from the ending of Season 1 in which Momo, Okarun and Jiji are having a fun talk on the train. The voice actors really seemed to enjoy each other’s company. Yamashiro complimented the work of the English voice actors and noted how much reaction they generated from the clearly enthused audience. 

Science SARU’s Experimentation with Animatics and Color Theory

The real meat of the panel came when Yamashiro went through an animatic of the Season 2 opening, which transitions between black & white and color to show audiences the transitioning of Okurun’s emotions each time he looks at Momo. The animatic itself is pure Science SARU – a wild mix of different styles that’s not only suited to deliver a guideline for detail when necessary but also for quick, highly exaggerated motion. 

The most intriguing behind-the-scenes look from Yamashiro revolves around the fight between a transformed Okurun and a transformed Jiji, who is possessed by a malignant force named the Evil Eye. Okurun’s actions are highlighted in red and Jiji’s in purple. As a result, whoever has the upper hand in the fight has the most dominant color presence. The scene really stood as a testimony to the thoughtfulness Yamashiro displayed when thinking about color can amplify the emotions of a character as well as a viewer’s reaction to it. The transfixed silence and murmurs of admiration from the attentive crowd were apparent to say the least.

A Request for Support and Some Notes of Support

Near the end of the panel, some surprise and heartfelt video messages were shown from Japanese voice actors Shion Wakayama (Momo) and Mayumi Tanaka (Turbo Granny). Tanaka, in particular, displayed a bit of salty humor that definitely was in line with the character she voices.

Director Yamashiro also concluded his thoughts by expressing his wishes for the energetic audience to continue to support Dandadan so Science SARU can continue to create the anime after Season 2 concludes.  Judging by the audience’s reaction, I believe he will get his wishes fulfilled.

Season 2 of Dandadan is now streaming on Crunchyroll.

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