Mamoru Oshii's legendary anime films, from Ghost in the Shell to Angel's Egg, sometimes subtly evoke very video gamey logic. And that's no coincidence. The iconic director is, in fact, also a gamer, and he hasn't been able to pull himself away from one of Bethesda's post-apocalyptic wastelands for eight entire years.
While talking to TheFilmStage about the theatric re-release of Angel's Egg, Oshii was asked whether or not he's been playing any games lately. The director expressed that he has a "deep respect for all of Hideo Kojima's works," which perhaps isn't too much of a surprise considering Oshii makes a bonkers cameo in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach as an eccentric pizza chef (AKA pizza guy.)
"I've been playing the game Fallout 4 for eight years," Oshii said of the game he can't quite seem to quit, describing it as his "ideal game - almost as if it were made specifically for me." I wonder what he thinks about New Vegas.
Angel's Egg itself has more direct connections to video games, too. The entire film was a collaboration between Oshii and Yoshitaka Amano, the frequent Final Fantasy illustrator behind every one of the series' title logos. He also used to work as a character designer on some of the earlier games in the JRPG franchise.
Elsewhere in the interview, Oshii revealed that he doesn't think Angel's Egg would be able to be made in quite the same way today. "I believe it would be impossible today," he said. "The detailed drawing tasks in this film would be tedious for most modern animators. They prefer engaging in creative, original work rather than refining craftsman-like techniques. Moreover, the current anime production environment no longer allows for a project like this to be made."
For more, check out the very best anime films you can watch right now.
