Mamoru Oshii | |
|---|---|
押井守 | |
 Oshii atLucca Comics & Games in 2015 | |
| Born | (1951-08-08)8 August 1951 (age 74) Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupations | Film director screenwriter mangaka television director novelist |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Known for | |
| Relatives | Otsuichi (son-in-law) |
Mamoru Oshii (押井 守,Oshii Mamoru; born 8 August 1951) is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimedanime films, includingUrusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer (1984),Angel's Egg (1985),Patlabor 2: The Movie (1993), andGhost in the Shell (1995). He also holds the distinction of directing the first everOVA,Dallos (1983). As a writer, Oshii has worked as a screenwriter, and occasionally as amanga writer and novelist. His most notable works as a writer include the mangaKerberos Panzer Cop (1988–2000) and its feature film adaptationJin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999).
For his work, Oshii has received and been nominated for numerous awards, including thePalme d'Or andLeone d'Oro (Golden Lion). He has also attracted praise from many directors, includingJames Cameron,Steven Spielberg andThe Wachowskis, especially for his work onGhost in the Shell.[1]
Oshii has said he had an interest inChristianity and theBible from an early age. In an interview withAnimerica magazine in 1996 that "I really liked the Bible when I was a little boy. And when I was a student, at one point I was planning to enter a seminary, but I didn't. Even now, though, I read the Bible sometimes."[2]
As a student, Mamoru Oshii was fascinated by the filmLa Jetée byChris Marker.[3] He also repeatedly watchedEuropean cinema, such as films byFederico Fellini,Ingmar Bergman,Michelangelo Antonioni andJean-Pierre Melville.[4] These filmmakers, together withJean-Luc Godard,Andrei Tarkovsky andJerzy Kawalerowicz,[5] would later serve as influences for Oshii's own cinematic career.[6] He was also influenced by his father, who was a cinephile.[7]
In 1976, he graduated fromTokyo Gakugei University. The following year, he enteredTatsunoko Productions and worked on his firstanime as astoryboard artist onIppatsu Kanta-kun.[8] During this period at Tatsunoko, Oshii worked on many anime as a storyboard artist, most of which were part of theTime Bokan television series. In 1980, he moved toStudio Pierrot under the supervision of his mentor, Hisayuki Toriumi.[8]
Mamoru Oshii's work as director and storyboard artist of the animatedUrusei Yatsura TV series brought him into the spotlight. Following its success, he directed twoUrusei Yatsura films:Urusei Yatsura: Only You (1983) andUrusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer (1984). The first film, though an original story, continued much in the spirit of the series.Beautiful Dreamer was also written by Oshii with no consultation from Takahashi[9] and was a significant departure and an early example of his now contemporary style.[10]Beautiful Dreamer is also notable for experimenting with concepts such as atime loop, where a high-school class relives the same day over and over again,[11] as well as dreams and reality manipulation.[12]
In the midst of his work with Studio Pierrot, Oshii took on independent work and directed the firstOVA,Dallos, in 1983. In 1984, Oshii left Studio Pierrot.[13] Around this time, Oshii was hired to direct a movie forLupin the Third for summer 1985, for which he started writing a column inAnimage magazine in December 1984.[14] However, his proposal for it was very eccentric, with the producers fromYomiuri TV andToho opposed his vision of the film, saying that it "made no sense". The film had been widely advertised with Oshii's name attached to it, and with the project based around him, they could not make the film without his proposal getting approved, and it was cancelled.[15][16] He would later go on to reuse themes and concepts he had come up with for the movie in later works such asAngel's Egg,Ghost in the Shell, and multiplePatlabor movies.[17][18][19]
Oshii said that creatingGhost in the Shell allowed him to "finally get over Lupin"[20] but continued to use elements from it in future films such as009 RE:CYBORG, which was directed byKenji Kamiyama, a student of Oshii, that Oshii was originally supposed to direct and had him participating in the scriptwriting for, which was also heavily influenced by the themes of Oshii's Lupin, which reused some of its plot,[21] andThe Next Generation Patlabor: Shuto Kessen [ja], which reused the ending he originally had in mind for Lupin.[22] He originally wanted to use this ending for the first Patlabor movie but was stopped by Izubuchi and others.[23][24] Oshii was eventually able to revisit Lupin inLupin the 3rd Part 6 in which he wrote the script for two episodes[25] of which the second, "Darwin's Bird"[26] reused some elements from the cancelled movie.[27][28]
Moving toStudio Deen, Oshii wrote and directedAngel's Egg (1985), a surreal film rich with Biblical symbolism, featuring the character designs ofYoshitaka Amano. A producer of the film,Toshio Suzuki, later foundedStudio Ghibli withHayao Miyazaki andIsao Takahata.[29] Following the release of the film, Miyazaki and Takahata began collaborating with Mamoru Oshii on his next film,Anchor. The film was canceled early in the initial planning stages when the trio had artistic disagreements.[30][31] Despite their differences, Toshio Suzuki and Studio Ghibli would later help Oshii with his production ofGhost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004).[32] To this day, Oshii maintains skeptical, but respectful, views of each of Takahata and Miyazaki's films. Though he has been critical of Miyazaki's attitude towards his workers, he also claims that he would feel "strangely empty" and "it would be boring" if both Miyazaki and Takahata stopped making films.[33]
In the late 1980s, Oshii was solicited by his friendKazunori Itō to joinHeadgear as a director. The group was composed ofKazunori Itō (screenwriter),Masami Yuki (manga artist),Yutaka Izubuchi (mechanical designer),Akemi Takada (character designer) and Mamoru Oshii (director).[34][35] Together they were responsible for thePatlabor TV series, OVA, and films.[36]
Between production of the Patlabor movies/series, Oshii delved into live-action for the first time, releasing his first non-animated film,The Red Spectacles (1987). This led to another live-action work titledStray Dog: Kerberos Panzer Cops (1991); both films are part of Oshii's ongoingKerberos Saga. FollowingStray Dog Oshii made yet another live-action film,Talking Head (1992).
In the early 1990s, Oshii was approached by Studio Ghibli to direct an animated film adaptation ofKen'ichi Sakemi's novelBokkō.[37] AnimatorKatsuya Kondo even drew image boards, but the project was cancelled again due to a conflict between Oshii and Miyazaki.[38][39]
In 1995, Mamoru Oshii released his landmark animatedcyberpunk film,Ghost in the Shell, in Japan, the United States, and Europe. It hit the top of the USBillboard video charts in 1996, the first anime video ever to do so.[3][40] Concerning a female cyborg desperate to find the meaning of her existence, the film was a critical success and is widely regarded to be a masterpiece and anime classic. Additionally, Oshii said that creatingGhost in the Shell allowed him to "finally get over Lupin"[41]
After a 5-year hiatus from directing to work on other projects, Oshii returned to live-action with the Japanese-Polish featureAvalon (2001), which was selected for an out of competition screening at theCannes Film Festival. His next animated feature film was the long-awaited sequel toGhost in the Shell, titledGhost in the Shell 2: Innocence. Four years in the making, the film focuses onBatou as he investigates a series of gruesome murders, while trying to reconcile with his deteriorating humanity. Though it received mixed reviews,Innocence was selected to compete at the2004 Cannes Film Festival[42] for the covetedPalme d'Or prize, making it the first (and thus far, only) anime to be so honored.[43]
Oshii was approached to be one of the directors ofThe Animatrix, but he was unable to participate because of his work inInnocence.[44] FollowingInnocence, Oshii also contemplated directing a segment for the anthology filmParis, je t'aime, but ultimately declined the offer.[6]
Meanwhile, in 2005, there were talks of aKenta Fukasaku and Oshii collaboration. It was announced that Oshii would write the script for a film titledElle is Burning, as well as provide CGI consultation, while Fukasaku would direct.[45][46] Although Oshii completed the script, the film was ultimately shelved because, among other problems, the large budget it would require.[47]
Oshii's next film,The Sky Crawlers (2008), competed for theGolden Lion in theVenice Film Festival. Subsequent toThe Sky Crawlers, Oshii wrote the screenplay to theProduction I.G filmMusashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai, which has been described as possibly the first ever anime documentary.[48]
In 2009, he wrote and directed the live-action featureAssault Girls and served as creative director for the Production I.G-produced segment of the animated short film anthologyHalo Legends. In 2010, Oshii announced his next film will be an adaptation ofMitsuteru Yokoyama'sTetsujin-28 manga.[49] The Tetsujin-28 project turned out to be a live action film called '28 1/2'.[50]
In 2012, Oshii announced that he was working on a new live-action film. He will be writing and directing the military science-fiction thrillerGarm Wars: The Last Druid.[51] The film's trailer was released in September 2014,[52] and the premiere screening was held the following month at the 27thTokyo International Film Festival.[53]
He followed with the live-action filmTōkyō Mukokuseki Shōjo, a suspense thriller released in July 2015.[54]
In March 2017,Toonami began airingSand Whale and Me, a live-action micro-series directed by Oshii. In 2018, it was reported that an anime film adaptation ofChimera is under production, with Oshii serving as director.[55]
In June 2019, Oshii announcedVladlove, a comedy series that he described as a "girl-meets-girl story" about a vampire. The project also departs from the Japanese anime world's production committee system because Oshii is backed by a single investor, real estate companyIchigo Inc.[56]
Oshii has stated his approach to directing is in direct contrast to what he perceives to be the Hollywood formula, i.e. he regards the visuals as the most important aspect, followed by the story and the characters come last. He also notes that his main motivation in making films is to "create worlds different from our own."[57]
Mamoru Oshii's films typically open with an action sequence. Thereafter, the film usually follows a much slower rhythm punctuated by several sequences of fast action. Oshii also frequently inserts a montage sequence in each of his movies, typically two-minutes long, muted of dialogue and set against the backdrop ofKenji Kawai's music.[58] Recurrent imagery include reflections/mirrors,[59] flocks of birds,[60][61] andbasset hounds similar to his own.[60][62] The basset hound was seen most prominently inGhost in the Shell 2: Innocence,[62] and was a major plot point in his live-action filmAvalon.
Oshii is especially noted for how he significantly strays from the source material his films are based on, such as in his adaptations ofUrusei Yatsura andGhost in the Shell. In their original manga versions, these titles exhibited a mood that was more along the lines of frantic slapstick comedy (Urusei Yatsura) or convivialdramedy (Ghost in the Shell). Oshii, in adapting the works created a slower and darker atmosphere especially noticeable inUrusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer. For theGhost in the Shell movie, Oshii elected to leave out the humor and character banter ofMasamune Shirow's original manga. This can also be seen inPatlabor 2: The Movie, in which Oshii eschewed the slice-of-life aspect of the original source in favor of a morepolitical thriller focused story.
"Oshii's work... steers clear of such stereotypes in both image and sexual orientation," wroteAndrez Bergen in an article on Oshii that appeared in Japan'sDaily Yomiuri newspaper in 2004. "His movies are dark, thought-provoking, minimalist diatribes with an underlying complexity; at the same time he pushes the perimeters of technology when it comes to the medium itself. Character design plays equitable importance."[4]
Oshii also wrote and directed several animated movies and live-action films based on his personal political views, influenced by theAnpo protests of the 1960s and 1970s in which he participated.[63] The Anpo protests were protests during 1960s Japan against theUS-Japan Security Treaty. The first film to touch on this political background was the live-action filmThe Red Spectacles. This film, set in the same world as the Oshii-scripted filmJin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999), is about a former member of the special unit of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force dealing with afascist government.
Many of his works include references toChristianity and theBible.[2]
The Wachowskis are known to have been impressed withGhost in the Shell and went as far as to screen it to producerJoel Silver to show him what kind of film they wanted to make forThe Matrix.[64][65] Indeed, various scenes fromGhost in the Shell have been seemingly lifted and transposed inThe Matrix.[66][67]Ghost in the Shell was also the chief inspiration for the video gameOni.[68]
His 1984 anime filmUrusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer, which experimented with concepts such as atime loop, dreams, and reality manipulation, has drawn comparisons to later films includingGroundhog Day (1993) andDark City (1998),[11][12][69] and is believed to have influenced these films.[70][12]
Kenji Kamiyama, the director of theGhost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex television series, considers Oshii his mentor,[71] and states that he "totally tried to copy" Oshii's style when creating theStand Alone Complex series.[72]
Many have also noted the similarities in the Helghast design from theKillzone series of video games to the Kerberos Panzer Protect Gear, first seen in the 1987 filmThe Red Spectacles. Asked of these observations,Guerrilla Games,video game developer for the Killzone series, did not address the similarities. The developers contend the Helghast design was inspired by the gas masks of World War I,[73] though this does not account for the similarity in the glowing red/orange eyes between the two designs.
James Cameron is another filmmaker who has voiced his admiration for Oshii, stating at one point thatAvalon was "the most artistic, beautiful and stylish sci-fi film."[74] He also praisedGhost in the Shell, stating it was "the first truly adult animation film to reach a level of literary and visual excellence."[75]
As of 2009, Oshii lived inAtami,Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan with his dog, amutt named Daniel.[76] When commenting on religion he said "I'm not a Christian, but I've been reading the Bible since my student days".[2]
Mamoru Oshii has worked extensively withProduction I.G. Every animated film he has made sincePatlabor: The Movie (1989) has been produced under the studio. He also worked closely with screenwriterKazunori Itō; they made five films together, beginning withThe Red Spectacles and ending withAvalon. His closest colleague, however, is music composerKenji Kawai. Kawai has composed most of the music in Oshii's work, including ten of his feature films. According to Oshii, "Kenji Kawai's music is responsible for 50 percent of [his] films' successes" and he "can't do anything without [Kenji Kawai]."[77]
TheKerberos saga is Mamoru Oshii's lifework, created in 1986.[78] Amilitary science fictionfranchise andalternate history universe, it spans all media and has lasted for more than 20 years since his January 1987 radio dramaWhile Waiting for the Red Spectacles. In 1987, Oshii releasedThe Red Spectacles, his first live-action feature and the firstKerberos saga film. The manga adaptation,Kerberos Panzer Cop, written by Mamoru Oshii and illustrated byKamui Fujiwara, was serialized in 1988 until 1990.
Acts 1~4 of Kerberos Panzer Cop was compiled in 1990 as a single volume. In 1991, the live-action film adaptation of thetankōbon was released asStrayDog Kerberos Panzer Cops. In 1999, the Oshii-scriptedJin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, the anime feature film adaptation of the manga's first volume, was directed by Oshii's collaboratorHiroyuki Okiura, and was released in International Film Festivals starting in France.[79]
In 2000, the second part of the manga (Acts 5~8) was serialized, then published and compiled as a second volume. After the manga's completion and publishing as volumes 1 and 2,Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade was finally released in Japan during the same year.[80] In 2003,Kerberos Panzer Cop's sequel,Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs was serialized, then compiled as a single volume in 2005. In 2006Kerberos Panzer Jäger was broadcast in Japan as a 20-year celebration of the saga. The same year, Oshii revealed his plan to release an anime/3DCG adaptation film of the drama in 2009, theKerberos Panzer Blitzkrieg project.[78] In late 2006, Oshii launched aKerberos saga crossover manga series titledKerberos & Tachiguishi.
In addition to his directing work, Oshii is a prolific screenwriter and author of manga and novels. As well as writing theKerberos series of manga, Oshii wrote the script for the mangaSeraphim 266,613,336 Wings originally illustrated bySatoshi Kon.[81] Their collaboration was difficult due to artistic differences over the development of the story andSeraphim was not completed.[82] Part one was serialised in 16 instalments in the May 1994 through November 1995 issues of monthlyAnimage.
Following Satoshi Kon's death in 2010 it was partially reissued in a special memorial supplement ofMonthly Comic Ryū and published in comic book form the same year.[83][84][85] Oshii has since worked on aSeraphimPrologue, theThree Wise Men's Worship Volume, with illustrations byKatsuya Terada, released byTokuma Shoten as anotherRyū supplement.[86] Oshii also wrote the screenplay ofJin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade[87] and is credited as a co-planner forBlood: The Last Vampire (2000)[88] andBlood+.[89] Oshii also wrote the first tie-in novel for the film entitledBlood: The Last Vampire: Night of the Beasts. It was published originally in Japan in October 2000, and later received an English-translated North American release on 23 November 2005.[90]
Oshii is also credited as providing "story concept" forGhost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG; he describes his role as supervision of the entire series and being responsible for writing the plot of each of the show's episodes.[6] In 2005 Oshii served as supervisor for theMobile Police Patlabor Comes Back: MiniPato video game.[91] In 2008, he again served as special consultant for the development of a video game,The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces.
In 2025, Oshii made a special appearance inDeath Stranding 2: On The Beach, a video game byHideo Kojima and his development studio,Kojima Productions, as anNPC known in-game as "The Pizza Chef." Keenan Shimizu provided his voice.[92]
Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival:
Directed features
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1983 | Urusei Yatsura: Only You |
| 1984 | Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer |
| 1985 | Angel's Egg |
| 1989 | Patlabor: The Movie |
| 1990 | MAROKO |
| 1992 | Talking Head |
| 1993 | Patlabor 2: The Movie |
| 1995 | Ghost in the Shell |
| 2001 | Avalon |
| 2004 | Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence |
| 2008 | The Sky Crawlers |
| 2014 | Garm Wars: The Last Druid |
| 2019 | Blood Friends |
Little confusing information in broken English over at the Production I.G forum says that it was recently announed [sic] that Fukasakus' 'Eru No Ran' (working title), which starts working in the first half of next year (suggests this is the film after the one we have recently seen the teaser for?) will be written by Mamoru Oshii, and that he will infact [sic] also be helping out on the CGI work too.Apparently Oshii has no desire to keep flogging away at future 'Ghost in the Shell' sequels so must be moving on to "different challenges", that is according to rumblimgs [sic] i've read elsewhere in the past week. The I.G forum post mentions and links to this Sponichi Japanese-text page.
| Media |
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Universe | |||||||
| Related | |||||||
