| Mamoru Oshii |
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| 1951 births | |
| oshii, mamoru | |
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| anime directors | |
| japanese film directors | |
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'']] Mamoru Oshii (押井守 ''Oshii Mamoru''; born August 8 , 1951 in Tokyo ) is a Japan ese Animation and live-action Film writer and director famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling. Presently, Oshii lives in Atami , Shizuoka Prefecture , Japan with his dogs – a Basset Hound named Gabriel (ガブリエル) and a Mutt named Daniel (both are featured in '' Tachiguishi-Retsuden ''). CAREER As a student, Mamoru Oshii was fascinated by the film La Jetée by Chris Marker as well as the films of Andrzej Wajda , Jerzy Kawalerowicz , Andrzej Munk and Ingmar Bergman . In 1976 , he graduated from The Fine Arts Education School of the Education Department of Tokyo Liberal Arts University ("Tokyo Gakugei Daigaku"). The following year, he entered Tatsunoko Productions and worked on his first Anime as animation director on ''Ippatsu Kanta-kun''. In 1980 , he moved to Studio Pierrot under the supervision of his mentor, Hisayuki Toriumi . During production of the ''Nils no fushigi na tabi'' ("Wonderful Adventures of Nils") and Kagaku Ninja-Tai Gatchaman II TV series, Oshii first met longtime collaborators, writer Kazunori Itō and painter and character designer Yoshitaka Amano . Mamoru Oshii's work as director and storyboard artist of the animated '''' in 1984 . While the first film was adapted directly from the series, the second film was a big departure and an early example of Mamoru Oshii's contemporary style. It deviated so far from the original Manga by Rumiko Takahashi , she barely approved the script. In the midst of his work with Studio Pierrot, Oshii took on independent work and directed the first direct-to-video '' ( 2004 ). To this day, Oshii and Miyazaki maintain skeptical, but respectful, views of each other's films. Oshii criticizes Miyazaki as being too idealistic, unrealistic, and ruthless with his workers. Miyazaki criticizes Oshii as being too much of a philosopher and not enough of an entertainer in his work. In the late '' ( 1993 ) films. Released in the midst of Japan's economic crisis, the Patlabor series and films projected a dynamic near-future world in which grave social crisis and ecological challenges were overcome by technological ingenuity, and were a big success in the mecha genre. Between production of the Patlabor movies/series, Oshii directed three live action films. The first was ''The Red Spectacles'' (). The third was ''Talking Head'' ( 1992 ), a surreal look at Oshii's view on film executed through a plot about an anime production where the director is missing and has to be replaced by a new one. In 1995 , Mamoru Oshii released his landmark animated Cyberpunk film, Ghost In The Shell , in Japan, the United States, and Europe simultaneously. It hit the top of the US Billboard video charts in 1996 . After a 5-year hiatus from directing to work on other projects, Oshii returned to directing with the long-awaited Japanese- for the coveted Palme D'Or prize, the first animated film in this top category and only the sixth animated film shown at Cannes. The festival described ''Innocence'' as a film in which ''"the political tone has given way to a philosophical one, a hymn to life. Furthermore, the technical rendering is much more formal, mixing 2D, 3D and computer graphics."'' STYLE Mamoru Oshii's films typically follow a rhythm of slow-paced exposition in near-silence, punctuated by several sequences of fast action. His visual style is easily recognizable with long dramatic moments of beautiful images in '', and was a major plot point in his live action film, '' Avalon ''. Oshii is especially noted for how his directing style has uniquely influenced the films for ''Urusei Yatsura'', ''Patlabor'', and ''Ghost in the Shell''. In their original manga or anime forms, these three titles exhibited a mood that was more frantic slapstick comedy (''Urusei Yatsura'') or convivial seriocomic (''Patlabor'', ''Ghost in the Shell''). Oshii, in adapting the works created a slower, more grey overcast atmosphere especially noticeable in ''Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer'' and ''Patlabor: The Movie''. For the ''Ghost in the Shell'' movie, Oshii elected to leave out the humor and character banter of Masamune Shirow 's manga, resulting in a presentation reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick . Oshii also wrote and directed numerous animated movies and live-action films based on his personal worldview influenced by the '' (for which Oshii wrote the script), is about a former member of the special unit of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force dealing with a Fascist government. THEMES IN OSHII'S WORK
LIFEWORK: KERBEROS SAGA 1980s ''.]] The Kerberos Saga is Oshii's lifework, created in 1986. It spawned on all medias and last for 20 years since his January 1987 radio drama '' While Waiting For The Red Spectacles '' introducing the live-action feature film, '' Akai Megane '', released one month later. Then the ''manga'' adaptation '' Kerberos Panzer Cop '' was serialized in 1988 until 1990. 1990s The series compilation came in 1990, as a single volume (Acts 1~4). In 1991 the live-action film adaptation of the Tankōbon , was released as '' StrayDog Kerberos Panzer Cops ''. In 1993, the 1990 volume was reissued as a "budget edition". In 1999, the manga was serialized again (under a completion perspective) and the 1993 edition was reissued for a "renewal edition". The same year, '' Jin-Roh '', the anime feature film adaptation of the first volume was directed by his collaborator Hiroyuki Okiura and was released in International Film Festivals starting in France , with Annecy . 2000s In 2000, the second season (Acts 5~8) was serialized, then published as a second volume. After the manga's completion and publishing as volumes 1 & 2, Jin-Roh was finally released in the domestic market. Following the Japanese release of the anime, a limited edition, single volume collector reissue of the manga series was made available. This 10-year issue celebration boxset included the CD Drama edition of ''While Waiting For The Red Spectacles''. In 2003 the manga's sequel, '' Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs '' was serialized, then it was compiled as a single volume in 2005. In 2006 '' Kerberos Panzer Jäger '' was broadcasted 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, the '' Kerberos Panzer Blitzkrieg Project ''. In late 2006, Oshii launched a Kerberos Saga crossover manga series titled '' Kerberos & Tachiguishi ''. OTHER WORK In addition to his directing work, Oshii is a prolific screenwriter and author of manga and novels. He wrote the '''' in 2000 . In 2005 he was involved in the production of the adaptation of '' MiniPato '' animation for the PlayStation Portable console. SELECTIVE WORKS Director Anime feature film
Anime short film
Live action feature film
Live action short film
Theme theater
OVA
TV series
Writer Manga
Novel
Essay
Scenario
Producer
QUOTES Innocence: Ghost in the Shell 2 On hearing about a nomination for the film: "This is only the 5th time that an animated film has been screened in competition in the history of Cannes Film Festival. I am very grateful for the film to receive this honor, as this nomination is yet more proof that Japanese animation (Anime) is finally being recognized as a "movie." However, I am not too happy about having to wear a tuxedo, but I know that it's part of my job as a director. Wish us luck." On the origins of the film: "When Production I.G first proposed the project to me, I thought about it for two weeks. I didn't make Innocence as a sequel to Ghost in the Shell. In fact I had a dozen ideas, linked to my views on life, my philosophy, that I wanted to include in this film. {Link without Title} I attacked Innocence as a technical challenge; I wanted to go beyond typical animation limits, answer personal questions and at the same time appeal to filmgoers." On his narrative intentions: "for Innocence, I had a bigger budget than for Ghost in the Shell. I also had more time to prepare it. Yet despite the economic leeway, abundant details and orientations, it was still important to tell an intimate story. {Link without Title} Personally, I adore the quotes in the film. It was a real pleasure for me. The budget and work that went into it contributed to the high quality of imagery. The images had to be up to par, as rich as the visuals.” On life: "This movie does not hold the view that the world revolves around the human race. Instead it concludes that all forms of life – humans, animals and robots – are equal. In this day and age when everything is uncertain, we should all think about what to value in life and how to coexist with others." On Godard : "This desire to include quotes by other authors came from Godard. The text is very important for a film, that I learned from him. It gives a certain richness to cinema because the visual is not all there is. Thanks to Godard, the spectator can concoct his own interpretation. {Link without Title} The image associated to the text corresponds to a unifying act that aims at renewing cinema, that lets it take on new dimensions.” On animation: "I think that Hollywood is relying more and more on 3D imaging like that of Shrek. The strength behind Japanese animation is based in the designers' pencil. Even if he mixes 2D, 3D, and computer graphics, the foundation is still 2D. Only doing 3D does not interest me." Avalon On Digital Movies : "On the digital level, all movies become ‘anime’." Studio Ghibli His opinion about Studio Ghibli: "I think Studio Ghibli is (like) The Kremlin . The real one is long gone, but it's still sitting in the middle of the field in Higashi Koganei REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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