Mamoru Oshii
The story is set at the blood donation club in Kurusu Private High School. There are four girls who are fascinated by the pleasure of having their blood drawn - Maki (Erika Karata), Jinko (Ichika Osaki), Nami (Mikoto Hibi), and Kaoru (Nazuki Amano). One day, Maki meets Mai (Nina Makino), a beautiful girl dressed in black, in the blood donation room. Mai fainted after her rampage against the nurses, and Maki unintentionally carries her into the blood donation club room. Mai then reveals a shocking fact - She is a dropout vampire who could not attack humans! Struck by Mai's fragile expression, Maki and other members decide to feed her with their own blood instead of donating blood....
A collaboration of Mamoru Oshii, Koji Morimoto, and KENWOOD. This short animation is inspired by "Smart Headsets" (earphones with AI assistant) that depicts future life with a unique interpretation, set in a fictitious city where devices have become commonplace.
In 2029, the elite police squad Illang combats a terrorist group opposing reunification of the two Koreas. But another enemy may be lurking nearby.
Ai (Nana Seino) is a student at an all-girls' art high school. She is known to be extremely gifted in the arts, but the adults around her try to use her and her classmates are jealous of her. Ai suffers because of her situation, but doesn't have anywhere to escape. Her daily life becomes like a war and she begins to collapse.
An attack takes place on Rainbow Bridge in Odaiba, Tokyo by the fighter helicopter `Gray Ghost`. 2 days earlier, the Gray Ghost was stolen. The perpetrators are followers of Yukihito Tsuge. Yukihito Tsuge planned a coup of Tokyo 13 years earlier. The leader of Special Vehicle Section 2, Keiji Gotoda, sets out to stop the terrorists.
In a world where giant robots are built and used for labor, a special police force of robots is created to handle crimes relating to these machines.
In a world where clone soldiers from three military tribes are locked in a perpetual battle of air, land and technology, one clone is separated from the battle and finds herself on the run with a group of unlikely companions.
Home video changed the world. The cultural and historical impact of the VHS tape was enormous. This film traces the ripples of that impact by examining the myriad aspects of society that were altered by the creation of videotape.
The universe of the Halo video game series is expanded in seven short animated films from Japan's greatest anime directors and studios.
Three women and one man - with an assortment of weaponry - wage war against giant mutant sandwhales in a barren digital landscape, all to achieve points within the virtual reality video game called Avalon.
Under Anchor Headquarters is strictly off limits to all outsiders to protect the confidentiality of their activities. However, one day at lunchtime, Chigusa allowed the agents to "deliver", and this iron rule collapsed. Each of them was excited about the first event and asked for what they liked. However, the Chinese restaurant that received a sudden large order took a lot of time to cook, and there is no sign that it will arrive even after the lunch break. With so much hunger and impatience, the agents gradually get angry. Meanwhile, the news of a large-scale cyber attack arrived at the Kasumigaseki Central Information Management Center.
The film’s story centers on Musashi Miyamoto, one of the most famous swordsmen in Japanese history. He pioneered the Hyouhou Niten Ichi-ryuu style of two-sword fighting and wrote “The Book of Five Rings,” a book that has been compared to Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” for its insight on tactics and strategy.
Four segments by four different Directors. Kiriko (Takanori Tsujimoto), The Children’s Samurai (Kenta Fukasaku), The Firing Range (Makoto Tahara), and Assault Girl 2 (Mamoru Oshii). Kiriko: the spirit of a murdered assassin takes revenge on the gang that killed her and her sister. Children's Samurai: an educational film narrates the like of a modern grade-school samurai dealing with bullies. Firing Range: the rifle of a Meiji Era soldier and the pistol of a modern police officer are transformed into powerful new weapons when they face off. Assault Girl 2: two guardian angels duel in a wheat field.
Youngsters called Kildren, who are destined to live eternally in their adolescence. The Kildren are conscious that every day could be the last, because they fight a war as entertainment, organized and operated by adults. But as they embrace the reality they are faced with, they live their day-to-day lives to the full.
In the year 2029, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster'. Ghost in the Shell 2.0 is a reproduced version of its original 1995 counterpart. Among a numerous enhancements, for the film's 2.0 release, were a number of scenes were overhauled with 3D animation, visual improvements, and soundtrack rerecorded in 6.1 surround sound.
Riding a scooter with Seven left at home, Keita went on a solo trip. Along the way, he meets a mysterious woman. She behaves strangely and elusively. Keita's scooter broke down, and he has to stay overnight at a hot spring inn. A strong yakuza gives him mysterious advice.
"Tachiguishi", that is to say, grifters who make it their profession to "eat-and-run", was created by the world-famous filmmaker, Mamoru Oshii. In 2006, he directed "Tachigui -- the Amazing Lives of the Fast Food Grifters", a feature film which was made using a new technique called superlive-mation. It combined fact and fiction to tell daring stories of professional grifters, leaving viewers with a feeling of nostalgia for the Showa era. Following that, another movie has been completed. This new live-action film, "Eat and Run - 6 Beautiful Grifters" was made with the objective of filming its main actresses as beautifully as possible. The film is made up of six episodes directed by six different directors who rose to the challenge, two of whom are Oshii himself.
Tachigui retells Japan's history from 1945 to 21st century through the feats of self-proclaimed dine and dash professionals - the Fast Food Grifters are the phantoms that rise and fall with the shifting diet-styles. They are the dissenting heroes who carved their names on the dark side of dietary culture with their glare. Now their legend revives, strong as ever...
The year is 2030 and six years have passed since a criminal known only as "The Laughing Man" swept through top medical nanotechnology firms committing acts of cyber-terrorism, kidnapping, and espionage leaving no known suspects. New information is revealed, as Section 9 enters the hunt for a suspect capable of unfathomable actions in this compilation of Stand Alone Complex content.
The plot of Open Your Mind follows the extraterrestrial origin of life, coming from outerspace as six deities (Intermission act), evolving into water (Sho-ho) then emerging to the air (Hyakkin) and to the ground (Ku-nu). Each one of these creatures rules one of the six elements of the godai philosophy, i.e. Earth, Water, Fire, Wind (referred to as kaze in the Hyakkin chant), Sky and Consciousness (referred to as "Awakening" in the movie's title).
While hanging out on the roof of her school, Nao Ueshima discovers a flock of flying cats. In her haste to snap a picture, Nao tumbles over the side of the building. But instead of plummeting to her doom, Nao is guided by an unseen force that allows her to land safely on her feet. Determined to unlock the secrets of the flying cats and the identity of her rescuer, Nao soon learns that not only is one of her teachers able to control the wind, but he can also teach others to control it, too!
This making of segment offers a lot of interview comments with the crew behind it, although does so in a rather rapid fashion. The most interesting element of this is probably learning a bit more behind how the movie was created from an animation standpoint, in particular the insight around animating the robots.
Groundbreaking director Mamoru Oshii continues to push the boundaries of art and anime with this universally acclaimed cyber thriller following cyborg detective Batou as he tries to unravel the reasons for a murderous robot revolt in the year 2032. A quest for a killer that becomes a mind bending search for the meaning of life.
Twenty-minute aerial overview of various Tokyo highlights, with continuous zooms from sweeping panoramas down to individual people on the street.
In the future when technological enhancements and robotics are a way of life, Major Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9 take care of the jobs that are too difficult for the police. Section 9 employs hackers, sharpshooters, detectives and cyborgs all in an effort to thwart cyber criminals and their plans to attack the innocent.
Unlike most shows the three episodes are not only totally unrelated to each other but really don't follow a plot as such and are more a light-hearted jibe at both the Patlabor series (TV and films) and other "mecha" Anime. Episode 1 is a brief introduction to the weaponry carried by the Ingram and how it was designed and why it is the way it is. Episode 2 looks at the design and maintenance of the Ingram 98 AV in SVU2 and takes a swipe at the marketing forces behind them (as in merchandising for the series). Episode 3 is the only one to attempt to expand on a very minor point raised in the original TV show and just how SVU2 is actually funded.
In a future world, young people are increasingly becoming addicted to an illegal (and potentially deadly) battle simulation game called Avalon. When Ash, a star player, hears of rumors that a more advanced level of the game exists somewhere, she gives up her loner ways and joins a gang of explorers. Even if she finds the gateway to the next level, will she ever be able to come back to reality?
In Japan, the vampire-hunter Saya, who is a powerful original, is sent by her liaison with the government, David, posed as a teenage student to the Yokota High School on the eve of Halloween to hunt down vampires. Saya asks David to give a new katana to her. Soon she saves the school nurse Makiho Amano from two vampires disguised of classmates and Makiho witnesses her fight against the powerful demon.
A member of an elite paramilitary counter-terrorism unit becomes traumatized after witnessing the suicide bombing of a young girl and is forced to undergo retraining. However, unbeknownst to him, he becomes a key player in a dispute between rival police divisions, as he finds himself increasingly involved with the sister of the girl he saw die.
In the year 2029, the barriers of our world have been broken down by the net and by cybernetics, but this brings new vulnerability to humans in the form of brain-hacking. When a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster' begins involving them in politics, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop the Puppetmaster.
A Japanese police unit who use giant anthropomorphic robots (called Labors) is caught up in a political struggle between the civilian authorities and the military when a terrorist act is blamed on an Air Force jet. With the aid of a government agent, the team gets close to a terrorist leader to stop things from going out of control when after the military is impelled to impose martial law.
It’s nearly time for the debut of the most anticipated anime movie of the year, Talking Head. There’s just a few minor problems: the director has disappeared and the movie isn’t even started! Desperate to meet their deadline, the studio hires a “migrant technical director” to fill in for the missing director. But there’s more going on here than just slipping deadlines. One by one, the staff is being murdered and it’s only a matter of time before the new director’s next on the list!
Detective Kouichi Todome -- head of the elite Kerberos police squad -- escapes after the unit is marked for destruction by the government. Three years later, Inui, a member of the squad, is released from prison with one goal: to find his former master. But the trail to Todome is a twisted one, and when Inui finally finds Todome, he realizes that instead of following his own path, Todome was following the orders of another.
The Yomota family is small and typical: father Kinekuni (42), mother Tamiko (38), and son Inumaru (17). One day, a beautiful girl appears at their front door, calling herself "Maroko Yomota," granddaughter of Inumaru who travels back in time with a time machine to visit her ancestors. Even with Tamiko's strong objection, Kinekuni and Inumaru welcome her to stay with them, and the structure of a happy family has begun to collapse.
A mysterious suicide and a series of unmanned robot run-aways sparks off a Police investigation into the suspicious software on-board thousands of industrial robots around Tokyo.
In the future, rapidly advancing technology gives birth to giant robots known as "Labors," so named for their usefulness in heavy industry. However, this also gives rise to "Labor crimes," resulting the the need for a new branch of law enforcement equipped with and dedicated to the policing of Labors. When Izumi Noa, a female police officer, becomes the newest recruit of Special Vehicles Division 2, she and her top of the line "Patrol Labor" (or "Patlabor") Alphonse are swept into a series of adventures featuring crazed construction workers, eco-terrorists, and sea monsters.
In a radiation-soaked wasteland, two surviving soldiers, Frank and Goose, search for essential supplies amid the rubble. After a violent confrontation, Frank is haunted by visions of an angelic young girl holding a giant egg, herself a refugee from another world altogether. Could the egg be the key to saving both their world?
A Knot in Time — Reflection — Mayu found a camera floating in the ocean while she was on vacation. A very unusual camera. The film, mostly intact, reveals a picture of herself with a man she has never seen before. But that is not all. The unusual part is that this camera has not been made yet... and will not be made for another two years. And soon, Mayu finds herself swinging uncontrollably back and forth through time like a pendulum... Mystery Case — File 538 — A down-on-his-luck detective accepts the first case to come his way: surveillance of a man and a little girl. But who are they? And why do aeroplanes that fly over them turn into giant imperial carp? An investigator's normal methods do not apply when reality itself no longer applies...
Summer 1995. With the arrival of the "Age of Cats", the former Kerberos police unit is now disbanded. However one member remains, a stray dog who returns to his old roost after a three-years exile. This wild dog no longer has a master, but now the "Young Lady of Fate" will guide him on his journey...
Part 1: "Time Knot: Reflection" Written by Kazunori Itô, directed by Tomomi Mochizuki. Mayu finds a camera floating in the ocean while on vacation. A very unusual camera. The film, mostly intact, reveals a picture of herself with a man she has never seen before. But that isn't the unusual part. This camera hasn't been made yet, and won't be made for another two years. Soon, Mayu finds herself swinging uncontrollably back and forth through time like a pendulum. Part 2: "Mystery Article File 538" Written and directed by Mamoru Oshii. This episode follows a down-on-his-luck detective who accepts the first case to come his way: Surveillance of a man and a little girl. But who are they? And why do airplanes that fly over them turn into giant imperial carp? An investigator's normal methods don't apply when reality itself no longer applies.
Ryoko throws a tea party for her friends. Flashbacks reveal the pasts of Ryoko's various guests.
A mysterious young girl wanders a desolate, otherworldly landscape, carrying a large egg.
As the perpetually lecherous Ataru and his friends prepare for a carnival at Tomobiki High School, they gradually realize the days are literally repeating themselves. Any effort to break the pattern dumps them back where they started.
Six-year-old Ataru steps on Elle's shadow during an impromptu game of shadow-tag; in Elle's culture, this is viewed as a marriage proposal. Eleven years later, Elle returns to Earth in order to marry Ataru — by which time not only had he forgotten the events of his childhood, but he was also going out with Lum. The rest of the plot focuses on Lum's attempts to prevent the marriage. The film was directed by Mamoru Oshii who was mad at the many requests that the producer made of him to alter the movie. Rumiko Takahashi considers this film her favorite and it is the most true to the original series.
