Read more
Today's animation is much more than kids' stuff. Increasingly complex subject matter has produced a corresponding increase in artistic interest, and forms once specific to certain cultures have crossed borders to enjoy international popularity. Japanese animation has been particularly successful in the United States, and among the most celebrated Japanese animation artists is director Mamoru Oshii.
This book is an analytical survey of Oshii's cinematic works from the early years of his career through his 21st-century productions, including Beautiful Dreamer and the acclaimed Ghost in the Shell. The author examines these and other Oshii productions in relation to the Carnivalesque movement, technopolitics and the director's post-robotic vision. Oshii's films are particularly significant in their defiance of the premises of Western animation and their presentation of a highly personal commentary on both individual and collective identities in the 20th and 21st centuries. Special emphasis is placed on Oshii's revolutionary film techniques, including the stylistically and thematically diverse features of productions ranging from animation to live action to Original Video Animation (OVA), a format Oshii invented. A complete filmography is included.
List of contents
Table of ContentsPreface PART ONE. OSHII'S CINEMA: AN ANALYTICAL SURVEY
1. Background: Developments in Animé
2. Oshii's Creative Trajectory
3. Themes, Imagery and Symbolism
4. Cinematography and Animation Techniques
PART TWO. OSHII AND THE CARNIVALESQUE
5. Concepts of the Carnival
6.
Urusei Yatsura: The TV Series
7.
Urusei Yatsura Movie 1: Only You
8.
Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer
9.
Urusei Yatsura Movie 4: Lum the Forever
10.
Angel's Egg 11.
Twilight Q2: Labyrinth Objects File 538 PART THREE. OSHII'S TECHNOPOLITICS
12. Visions of Power in Live-Action and Animé
13.
Dallos 14.
Mobile Police Patlabor, OVA 1
15.
Mobile Police Patlabor, TV Series and OVA 2
16.
Patlabor 1: The Mobile Police 17.
Patlabor 2: The Movie 18.
Patlabor WXIII: Movie 3 19.
Minipato 20.
The Red Spectacles, Stray Dog and
Talking Head 21.
Killers: .50 Woman 22.
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade PART FOUR. HUMANITY/VIRTUALITY: OSHII'S POST-ROBOTIC VISION
23. Approaches to Cybersociety
24.
Blood: The Last Vampire 25.
Avalon 26.
Ghost in the Shell 27.
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence 28.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 29. Post-
Innocence Developments
Filmography Chapter Notes Bibliography Index
About the author
The late Dani Cavallaro wrote widely about literature, cultural theory, and anime. She lived in London.
