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There're some Mamoru Oshii book lists on the Internet, but they don't have detailed explanations about the contents. My Mamoru Oshii book collection is far from complete, but I'd like to write some short summaries for each of those books.
I apologize in advance for grammartical errors and misinformation.
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My reviews lack some nonfiction books, so I'd like to introduce them with short comments.
The Sky Crawlers Storyboard
It is an ordinary full storyboard book. Oshii even stopped to care about timing in this storyboard.
It includes an interview with Oshii. He talks about his shot composition principle and Tarkovsky's influence on his films.
The Sky Crawlers Design Sheets Collection
This is a mechanic/ character/ environment design sheets collection of The Sky Crawlers. Tetsuya Nishio fans should get it. It doesn't include any interview page. Short explanations are written beside some sheets, but they don't help much to analyze the film. I suppose it's a book for creators.
Mamoru Oshii Shoots Assault Girls
This is an interview collection of Assault Girls. It covers interviews with Mamoru Oshii, shooting staff, visual effects staff, and actors. It also includes a manga epilogue drawn by Kamui Fujiwara. Fujiawara's assault girls are cute, so I'm glad to get it.
The Reality of Wars
Mamoru Oshii talks about weapons and wars with a military commentator called Isaku Okabe. It covers WW2, Iraq War, JSDF, main fighter aircraft, Japanese maritime security policy, etc. Oshii's imagination and comments lack information accuracy, so I really don't recommend it. Even if you don't expect accuracy, it is not a fun book to read.
Enrage the Half of the World
It is another collection of Oshii's e-newsletters. This volume doesn't cover any anime topics, so anime fans don't need to read it. He just talks about politics and current issues. It's not worth money.
I Have Always Loved Kaiju
It is a kaiju essay written by a sculptor of The Red Spectacles. He talks with Oshii at the end of the book. Oshii talks about his canceled kaiju film project called "D". He wanted to show the metaphor of the USA's indiscriminate bombing by flying kaiju. That project is mentioned in Mechaphilia too.
I Don't Need Communication
At some point, Oshii started to release this type of self-help books. I don't recommend them. Here are titles of the similar books.
押井守のニッポン人って誰だ!?
ひとまず、信じない 情報氾濫時代の生き方
押井守の人生のツボ
凡人として生きるということ
友だちはいらない。
やっぱり友だちはいらない。
"How to Win" series
Oshii loves football/soccer. This series started as an essay about soccer and strategy, but it was somehow changed into a film essay series. The series includes four books:
How to Win (勝つために戦え! ): This is an essay collection about soccer and strategy
How to Win, Director Chapters (勝つために戦え！ 監督篇): This is an essay collection about film directors
How to Win, Outspoken Criticism Against Film Directors (監督稼業めった斬り 勝つために戦え！): This is an enlarged version of the second book
How to Win, The Director Screams (勝つために戦え！監督ゼッキョー篇): Another essay collection about film directors
Oshii tells his thoughts on his inspiration sources like Tarkovsky. He mentions why he lost interest in Tarkovsky in that part. Some Oshii fans might enjoy them.
There are some other essay books about films.
押井守監督が語る映画で学ぶ現代史
押井守の映画50年50本
仕事に必要なことはすべて映画で学べる
シネマの神は細部に宿る
JIN-ROH SPECIAL COMIC, WEEKLY JIN-ROH
It's a collection of 1-panel essay manga series written by Tetsuya Nishio. Production IG serialized it on their website to promote JIN-ROH. It is not directly related to Oshii himself, but he sometimes appears in the manga. Oshii used to grow a beard in those days, so he was called "guru" by the staff. It's a cute and interesting manga.
It is an important manga to Patlabor fans as well. According to a certain dojin, the project of Minipato actually started from this manga:
Tetsuya Nishio depicted himself like Nanami from JIN-ROH in this manga. Nanami was called Jibaku-chan by the staff. The Jibaku-chan's 1-panel manga became popular, so Production IG decided to make some short anime with Jibaku-chan. That project somehow turned into a spin-off of Patlabor series. That's Minipato.
*It is included in JIN-ROH DVD box DTS edition
Patlabor Chronicle
It's a revised version of Takarajima's magazine called Patlabor Perfect Book. Most of the contents are just a summary of the series, so you don't need to buy it. The interviews with Headgear members are a bit helpful when you analyze the background of Patlabor series.
Shonen Sunday Graphic Patlabor: New World of Masami Yuuki
It is another Shonen Sunday Graphic issue. This volume covers Patlabor the Movie. It doesn't include much new information, so you don't need to read it. Some of the contents were reprinted in other books anyway.
It mainly focuses on storyboard, screen captures, and design sheets.
It also includes interviews with voice actors.
Patlabor OVA & TVA Archives
It is another extra item of Patlabor DVD limited edition. The DVD covers the OPs, EDs, previews, and some special videos from Patlabor OVA/TV series.
Like the Movie Archives, it contains interviews from Patlabor Digital Library. It also covers Oshii's canceled storyboard of ep1 (The same thing is included in the 30th-anniversary brochure.)
It also includes newsletters called P-CLUB.
The other parts are short summaries of OVA/TV episodes.
It is not a recommendable item compared to Movie Archives.
Production I.G 1988-2002
It is an interview collection of Production I.G.
It includes an interview with Mamoru Oshii and Kazuchika Kise. They talked about the meaning of loli Motoko's last smile in GitS. Oshii didn't tell anything to Kise, but Kise intended a "devilish" smile. Motoko can be both angel and devil in that scene. Oshii agreed with Kise's interpretation.
Five Bullets on KILLERS
It is an interview book with five directors from an omnibus film called Killers.
Oshii has been a chair judge of a film competition called Gun-Action Movie Competition. “Killers” was planned as a promotional film for the competition winners. For the advertisement of the young creators, Oshii joined the project and made one of the five parts. The title is ".50 Woman"
In the interview, Oshii says that the commercial insert in .50 Woman is not supposed to be a comedy.
Shin Onna Tachiguishi Retsuden: script, storyboard, and booklet
These are a booklet of DVD Collectors' Box and a script book. Both of them include nothing special. If you want to collect all of Oshii's storyboards, you should get it. Making and interview videos in the extra DVDs are much more important.
Kill: storyboard and booklet
These are a storyboard and a booklet of DVD Special Collectors' Edition. They're almost the same as Shin Onna Tachiguishi Retsuden.
Assault Girls: storyboard and booklet
These are a storyboard and a booklet of DVD Special Collectors' Edition. The books are boring, but a making video in the extra disc is interesting.
Sansara Naga 1x2 Guide Book
It is a walkthrough guide of Sansara Naga 1x2 Game Boy remake version. It includes an interview with Mamoru Oshii about video games. He says that unsatisfaction with console games is the starting point of Sansara Naga project. He doesn't like powering up characters in games because he doesn't like that most games don't tell why they become stronger. That's why he put the eating system into Sansara Naga. He also doesn't like the "chosen one" cliche, so he made the protagonist into an ordinary person. He also says that level design is so difficult.
The books I don't own
The storyboard of Beautiful Dreamer (うる星やつら記録全集 演出資料編):
The storyboard of BD is included in a certain dojin, but that dojin is one of the rarest Oshii items. I really hope someone reprint it.
Patlabor Perfect Database (パトレイバー完全設定資料集):
This is a design sheet collection series of Patalbor. It is not too rare, but it is too expensive. Vol.1 is sold for more than 9000 yen.
Storyboard of Talking Head (Talking Head 絵コンテ集):
A storyboard of Talking Head was apparently sold only in theaters. It's available on some web-auctions. It's a bit expensive, so I didn't buy it.
books about The Sky Crawlers (スカイ・クロラ オフィシャルガイド):
Official guidebooks of The Sky Crawlers. I'm personally not interested in those books.
Directing Method of Animation Film (アニメーション映画の演出術 押井守監督作品『スカイ・クロラ』にみる映像技法):
This is a textbook of Oshii's directing method, apparently. The book format and the visual materials are too small, so I didn't buy it.
Key Animation Sheet Collection: Ghost in the Shell (GHOST IN THE SHELL / 攻殻機動隊 原画集 -Archives-)
A key animation sheet collection of GitS. It includes correction requests, apparently.
Mamoru Oshii's Video Diary series (押井守の映像日記):
A film and TV show essay series
*My Mamoru Oshii collection mainly consists of post-2000 books and magazines, so I don't know much about '80s items. Please let me know if I missed some important items.
Plus, I don't have theater merch like brochures.
