Brand: Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045 x Yohji Yamamoto Ground Y x New Era

Buy: Yohji Yamamoto's web store and Japanese Ground Y flagships from August 5.

Editor's Notes: Say what you will about Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045, the recent Netflix-exclusive anime adaptation of the classic Ghost in the Shell manga. Go ahead, say what you will: I really don't mind. If you liked it, loathed it, all good. It wasn't my cup of tea (totally fine with just the original movies and Stand Alone Complex show) but I don't think less of anyone who felt otherwise. Now, this new Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045 collection from Yohji Yamamoto's Ground Y sub-label? It's no good. Simple as that.

Ground Y, for those unaware, is Yamamoto's youthful sub-label focused on collaborations and diffusing Yamamoto's signatures into more affordable drops. A lot of its joint efforts are quite cool: the recent Evangelion offering was just dandy, for instance. In fact, when Ground Y first partnered with the Ghost in the Shell franchise in 2019, it was a lot more fun than this new offering but guess they can't all be bangers.

Kinda appropriate given the very mixed reviews garnered by SAC_2045. Maybe, like that series and its upcoming compilation film, this Ground Y line is just for the heads.

To be fair, the presence of New Era — a frequent Yamamoto partner these days — probably explains why this drop is so plain. It comprises only five pieces — a coaches jacket, hoodie, T-shirts, and a cap — and they're all very basic, with monochrome graphics atop a black base. There are some illustrations of protagonist Major Kusanagi provided by talented SAC_2045 character designer Ilya Kuvshinov and co-branding here and there, but it's all very tame, yielding pretty straightforward graphic fare that's much more of New Era's aesthetic than Yamamoto's.

Ground Y really cranks out the collabs these days so it surely has another one in the tank. Maybe that one will be a little more interesting.