My all-time favorite director. Oshii's films thrive on atmosphere without neglecting depth of concept and plot. A visual visionary both in live action and animation, making sublime use of Kawai's skills, offering a perfect blend of form and function.
Movies
It's the ultimate live action film, made by a seasoned animator, a director who fully understands and exploits the power and appeal of an all-enveloping atmosphere.
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
Innocence is a cinematic celebration. It's an audiovisual delight, it's thematically sound and rich and it invites you to watch and enjoy it time and time again.
Patlabor 2
A-grade Oshii material that should please his fans. It's an impressive tour de force, delivering a perfect mix of intriguing philosophy, intelligent writing and stunning audiovisual stimuli.
It's a strong, beautiful and extremely personal film that earned its place amongst the best work of Mamoru Oshii (and animation in general) and is the perfect example of mature animation.
A peculiar mix of slapstick, surreal comedy and meditative arthouse, with plenty of Oshii quirks, superb visuals and a strong soundtrack to make it one of the most unique projects of the 80s.
One of Oshii's true masterpieces, dazzling and surprising its audience each chance it gets. If you don't mind the vague narrative, it's a succession of fun, interesting and challenging moments.
Oshii's film remains a monument of film making that still knows to impress and entrance. It's a superb sci-fi film, boasting tons of highly atmospheric scenes and a good story to boot
Though Nowhere Girl carries many of Oshii's usual traits, it doesn't quite feel like anything else he's made. Or anything any other director made for that matter. It's a film that starts off slow, gives ample hints that something is off, starts to feel like a pressure cooker halfway through and then goes from 0 to 11 in less than two minutes, offering a sprawling finale. It's not the easiest sell, but if you don't mind a film that's a little different, be sure to give this one a go. Even if you don't end up loving it, I guarantee the finale will be memorable.
The Amazing Lives of the Fast Food Grifters
The film is smart, quirky, looks and sounds great and is filled to the brim with bristling creativity. It is hilarious, even if you can't catch all the details on the first viewing.
Beautifully animated and scored, sporting a strong cast of characters, an intriguing plot and a fair selection of interesting themes, Sky Crawlers is Oshii's most complete film to date.
Patlabor: The Movie
The foundation for the masterpieces Oshii would serve in the two decades to follow. Together with Kenji Kawai and Kazunori Ito he would develop a style and tone that would fully materialize in films like Patlabor 2 and Ghost in the Shell, but the first glimpses are already visible here. A thoughtful sci-fi story sporting fun characters, a limited amount of top-notch action scenes and some very moody breathers. It can't compare to Oshii's greatest film, but it's still a blast.
It was a while since I last watched Ghost in the Shell, but the film still feels like a dream.
The Next Generation Patlabor: Tokyo War
Some ten years ago I stopped looking at the films Japan was producing, instead focusing on Japanese films that were actually ready for Western consumption. I got tired of setting myself up for disappointment. That doesn't mean I'm completely unaware of what's happening over there though. When Oshii revealed his new Patlabor live action project, my Facebook wall lit up with trailers. I left it for what it was, well aware of the slim chance I'd ever get to see it. But lo and behold, sometimes luck is on my side and when the option to see Mamoru Oshii's latest Patlabor film presented itself I jumped at it right away. The Next Generation Patoreiba: Shuto Kessen [The Next Generation Patlabor: Tokyo War] tails a 13-episode series, very much like the original setup of the franchise. In theory it's a sequel to Kido Keisatsu Patoreba: The Movie 2, but in reality it feels a lot more like a live action remake of said film. The plot is a continuation of the Tsuge storyline introduced in the second Patlabor feature, but Oshii revisits so many landmark moments of his '93 animation classic that it becomes impossible to look at it as a mere sequel. Oshii has been going through some rough patches the past couple of years and those struggles are still apparent in Tokyo War. Adapting anime to live action is no easy task, regardless the film has some problems with pacing and tone. Anime-specific comedy doesn't mix well with real-life actors and the jumps between comedy and contemplative moments come quite sudden. It just feels a little awkward at times, especially when comparing it to original film, where pacing and tone were stand-out elements. That doesn't mean there isn't a lot to enjoy though. Once you get past the weirdness of seeing all those recognizable Patlabor 2 moments redone in live action, there's plenty of vintage Oshii to soak up. From the elaborate camera work to the excellent use of music and some exquisite action scenes, there's hardly ever a dull moment. And if all the Patlabor 2 nods weren't enough, Oshii is also referencing some of his other films (the Ash basketball and of course the famous basset shot - with Oshii's very own silhouette next to it if I'm not mistaken). There are times when Oshii's genius shimmers through, but those moments are too often interrupted by short comic interludes. I did find out afterwards that I watched the short version (there's also a director's cut that lasts an extra 30 minutes), which is a bit of a bummer since those extra 30 minutes could go a long way towards fixing the pacing problems. Whether you should watch Patlabor 2 first is also a tough question. It's a direct sequel so knowing the plot of its predecessor is definitely helpful, but there are so many references to the original that you might get stuck comparing the two rather than enjoying this film for what it is. I'm sure to give it another go when I get my hands on the director's cut, but for now it isn't quite the masterpiece I'd hoped for. Still a very good film though, especially if you're partial to the work of Oshii. Read all
An elusive Oshii film. But good things come to those who wait, and so The Delusional Giant finally showed up after years of praying. On the one hand, it's not hard to see why this film had trouble moving past Japanese borders, because it is a weird one. On the other hand, this is Mamoru Oshii we're talking about. The man deserves more slack. Part faux documentary, part sci-fi mystery, The Delusional Giant is a film that reminded me a bit of Talking Head, but less cinematic. The final 15 minutes are completely bonkers and there's a hilarious sequence with big-name directors making fun of Oshii and his fictional play. The first hour is a little bare-bones though. Fun, but a bit too much like a real documentary. Oshii fans will have a field day with this one(so many references), others may think twice before delving in.Read all
Halo Legends
Stray Dog: Kerberos Panzer Cops
Long Live the Ancestors!
Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer
A rather experimental short from Mamoru Oshii. It's far from his most popular work, it's certainly not his most accomplished either, but dedicated Oshii fans will find something to like here, not to mention something to snicker at. The man has some clear hangups he simply can't get rid of, no matter how random they appear. The CG feels outdated, and it's not even up to par with Oshii's older films, no doubt due to some budgetary issues. Kenji Kawai's soundtrack on the other hand kills it, giving the film that typical moody Oshii vibe I crave. Add some very weird dog lore (the morphing babies are particularly disturbing/funny) and you have an interesting experiment.Read all
Urusei Yatsura 1: Only You
