I asked bandai if i could direct something else and

I asked Bandai if I could direct something else, and they said ‘Do
whatever you want.’” 1 With Bandai’s blessing, Oshii directed Talk-
ing Head (1992), his personal meditation on the art and industry of
film and animation. Although the film sometimes is billed as a mix
of live action and anime, the animation does not occupy very much
screen time (and only a very small bit of animation at the begin-
ning is in what has come to be accepted as the anime style). Like
Oshii’s other live action films before Avalon ( The Red Spectacles
and Stray Dog: Kerberos Panzer Cops, which are discussed briefly
in chapter 7), the style of Talking Head is very different from that
of his animated films. Talking Head takes on an obvious staged

form, drawing from both Japanese and Western styles, with most of
the action taking place as if in a play. In true Oshii fashion, the end
reveals that most of the film’s events had been dreamed by the
main character.
Bandai also was responsible for Oshii’s involvement in Ghost
in the Shell, the film for which the director became best known
around the world.After completing work on Patlabor 2, Oshii con-
sulted with Bandai Visual about what direction to take with his
next project. Originally he was planning to direct an OVA series
based on his manga Kenroh Densetsu (released by Dark Horse
Comics in English as Hellhounds: Panzer Cops ), set in the same
universe as his previous live-action films The Red Spectacles (1987)
and Stray Dog: Kerberos Panzer Cops (1991). Instead, Bandai sug-
gested that Oshii next work on their proposed adaptation of the
manga Ghost in the Shell. His work on the two Patlabor films situ-
ated him perfectly to work on this film, as the plot coincided with
many of the themes he had been pursuing. Although he had not
created the story on which the film was based, Oshii managed to
make the work his own; original manga author Masamune Shirow
gave him permission to reformulate the plot as he saw fit. Oshii
said that he was given the license to direct the film “in my own
style, with my own ideas . . . . I had the freedom to put Ghost into
my world, without having to further ask his [Shirow’s] approval.” 2
With its mix of concerns about technology and the nature of real-
ity, the Ghost in the Shell manga was perfect for adaptation by
Oshii. Although largely excised from the film version, the original
manga contained a good deal of political critique, and dialogue
like “Emphasizing a lifestyle based on consumption is the ultimate
violence against poor countries” 3 made the source material a good
thematic fit with Oshii’s previous work in Patlabor 2.
As a manga artist, Ghost in the Shell creator Shirow is unique
in both style and production. Many manga titles are drawn quickly
to meet tight deadlines. In contrast, Shirow’s manga is very de-
tailed, with complex lines and an equally complex plot. Unlike
other manga artists, many of whom employ a stable of staffers to
meet publication demands, Shirow draws all of his art himself. In
fact, he is something of an enigma; no publicity pictures of the
artist exist, and his name is a pseudonym. He made his debut in
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STRAY DOG OF ANIME