Oshii at TIFF

It's almost October (in 20 minutes from where I'm sitting). This will be the month that the Oshii-supervised live-action sequel to "Tachiguishi Retsuden" will hit the screens. It'll be playing at the Tokyo International Film Festival later in October on the 21st and 23rd. I'd love to be there, but Tokyo's not in my near future.

Also, I just noticed that the first Patlabor film will be screening at TIFF as part of their "Tokyo in Focus: How Tokyo has been depicted in post WWII cinema" series of films. (See the complete list here.)

Oshii-like Thinking, parts 2 and 3

See? I told you I wouldn't be able to keep up the daily updates. However, I didn't think it would happen so quickly. I do have an excuse, though, since I've been very sick. Now that I'm feeling better, here are the next two installments of "Oshii-like Thinking":

2. Religion (shuukyou) - "Yes, that's a nuanced topic. Actually, I am basically a religious person. By this I mean that somewhere there is something that is greater than human beings. However, I hate all of these so-called 'religious societies' or 'religious organizations.' That's my personal feeling."

3. Sex - "I love it. The reason is that it's necessary. Wars and sex are the only things people have been unable to stop."

Oshii quote in Wired

In the latest issue of Wired (October 2007) there is an article on 25 years of Blade Runner. Among featured quotes by Neil Gaiman, J. Craig Venter and Ray Kurzweil is one from Oshii on page 184:

Twenty-five years ago, I was becoming dissatisfied with Japanese animation's focus on characters and stories at the expense of environments. Suddenly, the world I vaguely imagined appeared in front of me. I felt overwhelmed--but at the same time I realized that what I was attempting was not wrong at all.

The two-page spread of "The Blade Runner Nexus" beginning on the same page doesn't mention Ghost in the Shell (or Innocence, which, of Oshii's films, seems to me to draw the most from BR). Nods are given to Akira and Battle Angel, though.

Oshii-like Thinking, part 1

In the book Tachiguishi, Kakukatariki (on Oshii's film Tachiguishi Retsuden), there is an interesting feature on the inside of the dust jacket. Titled "Verification * Oshii Mamoru-like Thinking / Like or Dislike - 42 Questions" (Kenshou * Oshii Mamoru teki shikou / Suki or kirai - 42 no shitsumon), it's a list of 42 things that Oshii either likes or dislikes, followed by a short explanation of why.

As a way of inaugurating this blog, I'll be translating these items and Oshii's responses. I don't know if I'll post one each day, although that's the ideal. (On the other hand, given my previous track record with blogs, I wouldn't count on such punctual updates.) This is an exercise to keep my Japanese-reading chops in shape as well, so apologies in advance for any mistranslations.

The topics covered run the gamut from politics to technology to anime to sex:

1. Democracy (minshushugi)
2. Religion (shuukyou)
3. Sex (sekkusu)
4. Nationalism (nashonarizumu)
5. Revolution (kakumei)
6. Constitution of Japan (Nihonkoku kenpou)
7. The Internet (intaanetto)
8. Mobile phones (keitai denwa)
9. Stock investment (kabushiki toushi)
10. Enka / J-pop
    
11. Morning Musume (Mouningu musume)
12. Martial arts (kakutougi)
13. Alcohol (sake)
14. No smoking (kin'en)
15. Comic Market (Komike)
16. Japanimation (Japanimeeshon)
17. Godzilla / Ultraman (Gojira / Urutoraman)
18. Gundam (Gandamu)
19. Beautiful girls (bishoujo)
20. Large breasts (kyonyuu)
21. Moe
    
22. Disney (Dizunii)
23. Studio Ghibli (Giburi)
24. Tatsunoko Productions (Tatsunoko)
25. Tezuka Osamu / Kajiwara Ikki
    
26. American comics (Amekomi)
27. Mishima Yukio
28. Modern poetry (gendaishi)
    
29. Pure literature (junbungaku)
    
30. Theatrical plays (engeki)
    
31. Textbooks (kyoukasho)
32. The emperor system (tennousei)
    
33. Patriarchy (kafuchousei)
    
34. Equality of the sexes (danjo byoudou)
    
35. Youth (seishun)
    
36. Terrorism (terorizumu)
37. The Olympics (Orinpikku)
38. Tanaka Kakuei / Koizumi Jun'ichiro
    
39. Erotic books (ero hon)
40. "Compensated dating" (enjo kousai)
    
41. The occult (okaruto)
42. Space travel (uchuu ryokou)
    

We'll begin today with the first one on the list, which conveniently has the shortest response:

1. Minshushugi (democracy) - "Dislike. Because it stinks of lies."

Critical Testing

Testing. Oh, and in the words of Jay Sherman (from The Critic): "Buy my book! Buy my book! Buy my book!"