Manga/Anime Memorandum

random thoughts on manga and anime

MAMORU OSHII book review [fiction] Part 09, AVALON GREY LADY

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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 grammatical errors and misinformation.

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title: Avalon 灰色の貴婦人

(Avalon: Grey Lady)

release: 12/15/2000 (revised and reprinted on 03/01/2003, 05/02/2008)

publisher: Media Factory (revised and reprinted by Media Factory and Enterbrain)

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[contents]

Tir na mBan

Grey Lady

Old Table

Preiddeu Annwfn

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[review]

This is a novel version of Avalon.

Patlabor 2 Tokyo War was a director's cut in the novel form. Night of the Beast was a remake by Oshii. This Avalon is a sequel to the original film.

The story begins after Ash reached Class-SA. The protagonist is a mercenary called Cavall. He's usually called “308” after his .308 inch bullets. Unlike Ash, he doesn't play solo. He is hired by parties and plays for points.
The original story was set in Poland, but the novel version apparently takes place in Japan. The novel says that so many immigrants came to their country, so nationality doesn't matter anyway.

One day, Ash visits a Japanese server and hires the protagonist and two other players called Garland and Murai. Their mission is to clear the impossible level and reach Class-SA. The battle for Class-Real begins.

 

The plot structure is pretty similar to the films. Oshii sometimes uses similar characters or similar ideas in different series (The most obvious case is TNG Patlabor Gray Ghost.) Sometimes he reuses the canceled ideas of the original film, but other times he tries new ideas for the next film. In both cases, Oshii fans need to compare different series/films and analyze what he wants to do. I have to say it's not a very fun experience. Grey Lady still has a decent plot, so it's slightly better than other cult fictions.

Tokyo War, Night of the Beasts, and Grey Lady are pretty decent novels. After those three novels, Oshii gradually came into the cult phase.

 

Grey Lady brings a slightly cultic atmosphere when the protagonist explains JSDF's battle rifle called Howa Type 64. Oshii probably explained it to show the personality of a side character, but it is not related to the story at all. Those kinds of meaningless explanations and trivia dominate the pages of the later novels.

 

Food scenes are as great as always. The protagonist eats awful bread and cheap soup in a food supply station. They're low-quality food, but Oshii's text makes them look delicious.