In a rare and revealing interview, Ghost in the Shell creator Masamune Shirow surprised fans with an unexpected opinion: he actually prefers Innocence — the franchise’s second film — over the original. Why? According to Shirow, Innocence better captures the unique creative style of director Mamoru Oshii, something he deeply admires.

But that wasn’t the only surprise.

During the conversation, Shirow also shared that he’s written several unreleased proposals for new manga, anime, and even video game projects. Unfortunately, production issues have kept these ideas from becoming reality — at least for now. While he didn’t go into specifics, he made one thing clear: his creative spark is very much alive.