It is said that a director bares his soul and reveals his true nature in his films. If that is the case, then Oshii Mamoru, director of such anime classics as EGG OF THE ANGEL, the PATLABOR films, and GHOST IN THE SHELL, is probably one of the more complicated souls on the planet Earth. His most recent project, AVALON, is a mix of live-action and special effects and attempts to portray a world within a world.

Following his attendance at the Cannes Film Festival in France, Mr. Oshii stopped by Los Angeles (or more accurately, Long Beach) to attend the world premiere of the English-language version of JIN-ROH. Directed by Okiura Hiroyuki, JIN-ROH was written by Oshii, and is loosely set in the same world as his live-action film (and manga) KERBEROS.

After a long day of interviews and a press screening of the film, EX got the chance to talk to Mr. Oshii. It was around 8:30 in the evening, and the long day was beginning to take its toll. However, when he began the interview, he seemed to find a reserve of energy and he began talking. As he had been answering questions about JIN-ROH all day, we decided to take a different approach.