Back in February, we got a very quick look at the four-part Ghost in the Shell prequel series, Arise. Now the first eight minutes of Arise are online, and the show's looking far better than the opening titles would suggest.

You want to know how awesome Microsoft's Surface tablet is? The characters of the upcoming anime Ghost in the Shell: Arise (a prequel of sorts to the other GitS movies and series) are happy to show you in this special 3-minute "mission."

An extended trailer for the four-movie Ghost in the Shell: ARISE anime series has arrived, and if Motoko's odd character design is still freaking you out, these familiar faces should put you at ease. Section 9's Batou, Togusa (who clearly has a lifetime commitment to his mullet) and the Chief make their appearances.

While I was hoping the recently announced new Ghost in the Shell anime would involve more cyber-police work than existential ennui, it turns out Arise will be a four-part prequel showing the history which eventually led Motoko Kusanagi to become a cyborg who fights crime while in her lingerie. I can dig that. Each…