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Upon its US release in the mid 1990s, Ghost in the Shell , directed by Mamoru Oshii, quickly became one of the most popular Japanese animated films in the country. Despite this, Oshii is known as a maverick within anime: a self-proclaimed ´stray dog´. This is the first book to take an in-depth look at his major films, from Urusei Yatsura to Avalon .

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1. An Introduction to Oshii 2. Urusei Yatsura (1981-84) 3. Angel´s Egg (1985) 4. Twilight Q 2: Labyrinth Objects File 538 (1987) 5. Mobile Police Patlabor (1988-93) 6. Ghost in the Shell (1995) 7. Jin-Roh (2000) and Blood the Last Vampire (2000) 8. Avalon (2000) 9. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004) 10. The Sky Crawlers (2008) 11. Assault Girls (2009) 12. Conclusion

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Brian Ruh frequently writes and teaches about Japanese popular culture and film. He holds a PhD in Communication and Culture from Indiana University, USA.

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