Mamoru Oshii Goes To The Movies!

The enormous international success of Ghost in the Shell made soft spoken Japanese auteur a household name for fans of animation and hard sci fi, his unique vision fusing with the cybernetic world of Masamune Shirow to create one of the true landmark moments of international science fiction, a hugely influential piece of work that has been liberally borrowed from - most notably by the Matrix films - in the years since.  But those who know Oshii only from Ghost in the Shell are missing out on a much larger body of work - one that spans live action and animation, features and shorts, television and cinema and gallery - and the unique quirks and humor, not to mention the over riding philosophical concerns, that populate his entire body of work.

Oshii’s first listing on the IMDB - not the most accurate source for Japanese animation, I’ll grant - comes as early as 1978 when he worked on the classic television series Gatchaman.  From there he made his way through the television ranks, eventualyl making his foray into features with a pair of theatrical films based on television series Urusei Yatsura.  His influence has been key in the development of the Patlabor franchise of television series, straight to video OVAs and theatrical features - of which he has directed two - and he has for years been a key player at animation house Production IG, where he has done most of his own work and for whom he wrote and produced the classic military fable Jinh Roh: The Wolf Brigade.  He has fostered such talents as Satoshi Kon, he has shot a stunning live action picture (Avalon) in Poland, and created original, immersive art installations.  Despite being painfully soft spoken and media shy Mamoru Oshii has emerged as one of the most important and influential voices in Japanese film and animation around the globe.  You’ll find a host of Oshii related trailers below the break.