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Ghost in the Shell's Mamoru Oshii, I.G Debut 'Sand Whale and Me' Micro-Series on March 18

The Toonami segment of the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block announced on Wednesday the title and premiere date for the five-part hybrid live-action/CG micro-series directed by Mamoru Oshii (Patlabor, Ghost in the Shell, Sky Crawlers) and produced by Production I.G's (Ghost in the Shell, FLCL, Blood-C). "Sand Whale and Me” will premiere on March 18 to celebrate Toonami's 20th anniversary.

Toonami describes the project as a 25-minute, 5-part short film. Toonami streamed a video of Oshii and CGI supervisor Atsuki Sato talking about the project while on set.

Toonami describes the story:

Presented in a hybrid live action/CG style, "Sand Whale and Me” is the story of a female paratrooper in the distant future who is stranded in a vast desert. With limited supply of food and water, her only hope is to catch a Sand Whale from a pack. If she can't, her life may just hang in the balance.

Kenji Kawai, who has scored many of Oshii's films, is composing the music for the series. Sato (Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, Halo Legends "The Package") is the CGI supervisor. Dango Takeda (live-action Cutie Honey, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon) is designing the costumes. Hinako Saeki is voicing the main character, while Yoshikatsu Fujiki is playing a soldier.

The Adult Swim network began streaming a separate commercial earlier this year in March that Oshii directed and Production I.G animated.

Thank you to Nick Reichling and Corey M. Barnes for the news tips