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Preview: Mamoru Oshii's Tachigui: The Amazing Lives Of The Fast Food Grifters

Mamoru Oshii newst Film to be released in 2006

Mamoru Oshii's upcoming movie, "Tachigui (translated plainly as "eating while standing") The Amazing Lives of the Fast Food Grifters", will bring a whole new concept of animation. Oshii calls it "superlivemation," a mixture of photography, animation and digital puppetry. We do not know if the movie, or superlivemation as Oshii calls it, involves any actual drawing of pictures or if it is limited to the manipulation of photographs; it may even be CG related. The limited information regarding this technique has leaded some sources to refer to the movie as live-action and others to refer to it as anime. As Oshii has not given any information about his new way of directing his upcoming movie, we can only speculate that it will bring something new to the anime industry.

Other sources say that the movie is set to be an adaptation of the novel "Tachigui-shi Retsuden", and he will be animating it through the use of stick-and-paper puppets.

After the release of the movie "Innocence" (astonishing enough as it was the first Japanese animation feature film to compete for the Palme d'Or at the Festival de Cannes, in 2004) last year, Oshii turned his focus to his life-time passion: an endless quest for the ultimate fast food and its yet unseen face. "Tachigui: The Amazing Lives of the Fast Food Grifters" is due for release in Japan in spring 2006, and it is based on the original novel written by Oshii himself and serialized between 2000 and 2003.

The story is basically about eating on the street without paying - the artistry of the Tachigui people. So much is in the dark and left unsaid.

This project and Mamoru Oshii's name as well as his statements saying this would be his life's work, attracted numerous prominent figures from different genres such as visual, SF and animation who have all come together to share a vision and take part in the film, including Japan's top producer, Toshio Suzuki of Studio Ghibli who successfully launched "Spirited Away" and "Howl's Moving Castle".

Oshii is known as the relentless visual pioneer who has been pushing the boundaries of animation and live action, as he declares with confidence and faith: "This film is going to be something that no one has seen before," and that's exactly what everyone is expecting.

Director Mamoru Oshii does not hesitate to declare that his vision of the world of tachigui is his lifework. It is no exaggerating to say that there's hardly anyone left in the highly urbanized Japan who hasn't experienced "tachigui" or fast food in his/her life, including not only famous American hamburger giants, but also cheap and popular "soba" (buckwheat noodle) or "gyudon" (beef and rice bowl) restaurant chains. The film endeavors to review the age Director Oshii lived in, by looking at the art of "eating on the street".

The characters in this history of Japan are called "Tachiguishi", or Fast Food Grifters. The story starts immediately following the end of the World War II in 1945, or the 20th year of the Showa era, when Tokyo was trying to emerge from the rubble. And so the "Tachiguishi" start appearing.

In a black market in one corner of Tokyo stood a flimsy "Tachigui soba" (buckwheat noodle) place. A man appeared at the threshold. "One Tsukimi (raw egg). With soba." This was none other than the legendary Fast Food Grifter, "Tsukimi" Ginji. His relentless "foul play" quietly initiates.

Then it goes in the midst of the first anti Japan - US Security Treaty movement (1960). The streets rumored about "Ketsune Croquette"(Japanese cuisine) O-Gin, a beautiful Fast Food Grifter lady, who disappeared all of a sudden.

Wandering the alleys in the years of skyrocketing economic growth was "Crying Inumaru".

Then came "Cold Tanuki" Masa, whose scandalous death made people aware of the presence of Fast Food Grifters ("Tachiguishi") within the Japanese society.

"Gyudon" Ushigoro put an end to a major gyudon (beef and rice bowl) restaurant chain.

And it impossible not to mention "Hamburger" Tetsu, who shocked the entire American fast food industry.

Fast Food Grifters are the phantoms that rise and fall with the shifting diet-styles. They are the dissenting heroes that left their names on the dark side of dietary culture with their glare. Now their legend revives, strong as ever. "All too new, loud and stunning."

Other works that Mamoru Oshii's has been involved in: