Ghost in the Shell (1995) directed by Mamoru Oshii, is widely considered to be one of the definitive “cyberpunk” works from Japan. But despite featuring dystopian worlds and sci-fi themes in many of his works, the director hasn’t been chasing a cyberpunk image when directing his films. In a recent interview for the official Ghost in the Shell YouTube channel, Oshii talked about his relationship with the cyberpunk genre.
When asked about what he thinks of Ghost in the Shell being recognized as a cyberpunk work, Oshii replied, “That’s a misunderstanding. I’m not that interested in cyberpunk, and I haven’t actually read many cyberpunk works, to be honest. I don’t care about it.”
When it comes to science fiction, Oshii says he prefers space-themed stories to cyberpunk. He also enjoys stories about cyborgs, though he makes sure to differentiate them from cyberpunk. “It may seem like cyborgs mesh well with cyberpunk, but I don’t think that’s actually the case. In that sense, I didn’t direct Ghost in the Shell thinking it was cyberpunk. It was just that others, on the contrary, said it was.”
Oshii said he is also a big fan of hard-boiled fiction, but “cyberpunk doesn’t really excite my imagination […] I don’t have the desire to live in a world that looks like a landfill.” However, recalling a story he heard from an acquaintance, he suggested that there are many young people who romanticize living in such a world. “I want to ride on a dirty subway, I want to live in a world that’s full of slums – I’m sure there’s a good portion of young guys who think like that. And I believe that overlaps with the idea of cyberpunk as a world full of crooks.”
Oshii then took the opportunity to double down on his opinion by using one of his favorite games, Fallout 4, as an example. As a side note, the director has over 10,000 hours in the game, and his playstyle is rather eccentric. Having spent so much time in a post-apocalyptic world destroyed by nuclear war, Oshii suggested that its “crooks” come as a necessity of a harsh world. On the other hand, that doesn’t seem to be the case for a cyberpunk world, which is why he feels indifferent to the genre.
“That reminds me, Fallout 4 is full of crooks. 98% of its inhabitants are scoundrels and villainous crooks, and if they just don’t like the way you talk, they’re going to blow your brains out It’s a world which fully allows you to feel that kind of ‘pleasure.’ But objectively, that’s unavoidable in a world that is a post-nuclear-war ruin. However, in a technologically-advanced world of cyberpunk, I really can’t come up with a conclusion other that – they’re doing it just because they enjoy it. That’s why I actually don’t care about it.”
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