Ghost in the Shell director Mamoru Oshii believes that “eroticism and violence” are the main reasons for the industry’s success.
As detailed on Anime Senpai, CINRA recently interviewed Oshii, asking the director his thoughts on the modern anime industry. Oshii stated that the primary reason for the industry’s current success is its overemphasis on sex and violence, with studios devoting most of their budgets to animating cute girls, robot battles and flashy fight sequences. While these trends are definitely evident in today’s anime landscape, Oshii also explained how the demanding commercial structure of the industry contributes to the oversaturation of such content.
Oshii Highlights the Differences Between Artistic & Commercial Anime
According to Oshii, there is a distinct difference between artistic and commercial anime, and the latter category primarily dominates today’s industry. Although artistic anime are generally passion projects that involve small teams exploring unique ideas or themes, commercial anime series necessitate groups of 200 or more people, with animation budgets sometimes totaling billions of dollars. Because of this, commercial anime often utilizes ideas from other successful shows or films to maximize viewership. While the final product is generally more profitable, it also tends to be more derivative, with many anime incorporating the sexual and violent themes that their predecessors relied on.
Although commercial anime tends to make more money than artistic anime, Oshii explained that they generally lack the timeless quality of artistic anime. He argued that while mecha shows like Neon Genesis Evangelion or Mobile Suit Gundam are popular, they don’t receive appreciation awards or other honors because studios developed them for commercial purposes and therefore lack the in-depth messages found in artistic anime. The director even cited one of his own works to make his case, explaining that his film, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, was also a commercial project. Therefore, it only just barely earned a mention at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, as Europe generally favors artistic works over commercial ones.
Eroticism is emphasized, often for comedic purposes, in many modern anime series. One example includes the ecchi-comedy, My Life as Inukai-san’s Dog, which revolves around a teenage boy that is transformed into the canine companion of his crush, Karen Inukai, and starts sharing everyday life with her. This show features many sexually charged scenes, including a girl stimulating herself against a table. During a televised promotional special, the show’s creators featured this scene, prompting shocked reactions from actor, Yurie Kozakai and other members of the cast.
Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell films are available via Prime Video.
Source: Anime Senpai