is a 2006 live-action/ animated hybrid film directed by Japanese filmmaker

Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including ''Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer'' (1984), ''Angel's Egg'' (1985), ...

, who also wrote the eponymous novel on which the film was based. Both works are part of the

Kerberos saga The is an alternate history political thriller media mix created by the Japanese writer and filmmaker Mamoru Oshii in 1986. The most famous installment of the franchise, especially outside Japan, is the 1999 anime film '' Jin-Roh: The Wolf Br ...

. Live-action film and manga adaptations were produced few months later in Japan. The Tachiguishi-Retsuden logo bears the mention ''Tachiguishi-Retsuden 1945-2006 A Mamoru Oshii Animation Film''.

Superlivemation

''Tachiguishi-Retsuden'' is a documentary-style animation film created with an innovative technique named "Superlivemation". Oshii first experimented this flat 3D technique in his 2001 live-action feature '' Avalon'' as a visual effect for explosions in Ash's game, then he developed it, the following years, in both the '' MiniPato'' short films and

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...

game. Characters have a tiny body and an oversized head which makes them look funny. They are animated like paper dolls (ペープサート人形, ''papsart ningyou'') and are evolving in a pictures based environment in the likes of the JibJab Brothers' (Gregg and Evan Spiridellis) musical comedy cartoons, e.g. ''2・0・5 Year In Review'', although Mamoru Oshii stated his own work was a "serious comedy". The Superlivemation consists of digitally processing then animating, paper puppet theater-style characters and locations based on real photographs. In ''Tachiguishi-Retsuden'' more than 30,000 photographs were processed 20 times, to produce the final composite to be animated. The director describes his new animation film as set between "''a simple animation with extremely intense information''" and "''a live-action movie with extremely limited information''". The theatrical release poster, which was later used on the OST and the videos, features several symbols of the Japanese popular culture and modern history. Clockwise, a

Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...

passing over, in reference to the American bombing of

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

and

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

cities in 1945, the Tokyo Tower which was completed in 1958, the high-speed train Shinkansen 0 Series, launched in 1964, at last, the standing character eating a gyudong bowl is Foxy Croquette O-Gin, in reference to the popular ''tachigui'' practice.

Kerberos saga

Urusei Yatsura: Hisatsu! Tachigui Wars!! (1984)

Foxy Croquette O-Gin (ケツネコロッケのお銀) and the Fast Food Grifters first appeared in Mamoru Oshii's '' Urusei Yatsura'' anime television series episode #99 (必殺！立ち食いウォーズ！！) which is based on an original story by Rumiko Takahashi. The characters were known as "pro of tachigui" (立喰いのプロ) instead of "tachiguishi". The English dub version titles '' Certain Death! Stand-Up Eating Contest'' (episode #99).

While Waiting for the Red Spectacles (1987)

The Fast Food Grifters first met the Kerberos in the 1987

radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

'' While Waiting for the Red Spectacless (紅い眼鏡を待ちつつ) Cold Badger Masa assassination episode.

The Red Spectacles (1987)

Moongaze Ginji and Foxy Croquette O-Gin are featured in the 1987 live-action film '' The Red Spectacles'' (紅い眼鏡, ''Akai Megane'').

Kerberos Panzer Cop: Conclusion (1999)

Cold Badger Masa and Moongaze Ginji are featured in the 1999 manga series '' Kerberos Panzer Cops (犬狼伝説完結篇) Act 6.

Onna Tachiguishi-Retsuden (2006)

Mamoru Oshi directed a spin-off episode '' Female Fast Food Grifter: Foxy Croquette O-Gin ~Struggle to Death in Palestine~''. This short video was available as a bonus DVD bundled with ''Monthly Comic Ryu Vol.1'' magazine which was published on September 19, 2006. A retail edition with extra material and a regular DVD package was reissued in late December of the same year.

Kerberos & Tachiguishi (2006)

The manga series named '' Kerberos & Tachiguishi: Young Lady's Abdomen Biological Clock'' (tentative title for ケルベロスＸ立喰師腹腹時計の少女, ''Keruberosu ekusu tachiguishi hara haradokei no shōjo'') is ongoing since ''

Monthly Comic Ryu Monthly usually refers to the scheduling of something every month. It may also refer to: * ''The Monthly'' * ''Monthly Magazine'' * ''Monthly Review'' * ''PQ Monthly'' * ''Home Monthly'' * ''Trader Monthly'' * ''Overland Monthly'' * Menstruation ...

'' (#2) which was issued in Japan on late November 2006. It involves Foxy Croquette O-Gin within the Kerberos universe.

Story

Prologue

Starting from a

Proustian Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel ''In Search of Lost Time'' (''À la recherche du temps perdu''; with the previous En ...

approach of food, Oshii tries to recreate 60-years of Japanese dietary history in his "''Documentary of Shōwa underground''". This work is actually a false documentary style animation movie, which borrows and develops some key elements from his 1987 debut live-action feature, '' The Red Spectacles'', e.g. the stand-and-eat (''tachigui''), the post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

retro background, the ''

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

'' visuals and screenplay, and even the ''tachiguishi'' theme with returning characters like Moongaze Ginji. In ''

Akai Megane is a 1987 Japanese film directed by Mamoru Oshii, co-written with Kazunori Ito, and starring Shigeru Chiba and Mako Hyodo. This is the first film of the '' Kerberos saga''. Plot It is the end of the 20th century. The Metropolitan Police have ...

'' (''The Red Spectacles''), the new totalitarianist government has forbidden the ''tachigui'' in Tokyo in 1998. Stand-and-eat bars, among popular services like convenience stores, were seen as a threat to public order by the liberty killer political authority, therefore they were banned or restricted. However, some illegal ''tachigui'' bars still exists in the underground of the capital. One of the reason these bars have been definitely prohibited is, they were open at night and both owners and customers were suspected to take part to subversive talks and meetings.

Plot

A fictional documentary about changing Japanese eating habits and the colorful thieves that swindle the restaurants which serve them. The film begins with the origins of Japanese food stalls following the countries defeat in

. The first grifter introduced is Moongaze Ginji. He requests

soba Soba ( or , "buckwheat") is a thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat. The noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or hot in a noodle soup. The variety ''Nagano soba'' includes wheat flour. In Japan, soba noodles can be found i ...

noodle soup with a raw egg (also known as "Moongaze Soba"). He declares the dish to be an imitation of a landscape. The main body of the film follows a predictable pattern. A grifter is introduced, his food preference demonstrating the continued decline of traditional food in Japan, and his grift comically illustrated. Intercut at random are popular news event stories that always emphasise Japan losing its way and America and its allies' cultural and military despotism. Vignettes include Japanese children exploding from hula hoop use, drunk businessmen imitating

Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor. ...

, as anomalies of natural disasters coinciding with the ongoing cultural transformation underline nature itself disproving changes in Japan. Yukio Mishima's suicide is also referred to as an effect. Mishima committed suicide by seppuku to illustrate his support for Imperial Japan and the

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

as a god. One of the last grifters is Frankfuter Tatsu whose

monologue In theatre, a monologue (from el, μονόλογος, from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes a ...

is censored in each sentence because it refers to

Disney Land Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envision ...

. "I could only think of "beeeep-Land" he declares over and over. He is obsessed with American culture while simultaneously being censored by American Legal system despots. When asked why he is so interested in Disney Land he says he knows it is empty and fake, but full of everything, and nothing.

Characters

Main characters: *

Moongaze Ginji This is a character guide to the radio drama, film, manga and anime works ''Kerberos saga'' (ケルベロス・サーガ, ''keruberosu saga''). Characters are sorted by organizations or groups according to the original works. The English adaptat ...

Foxy Croquette O-Gin This is a character guide to the radio drama, film, manga and anime works ''Kerberos saga'' (ケルベロス・サーガ, ''keruberosu saga''). Characters are sorted by organizations or groups according to the original works. The English adaptat ...

* Crying Inumaru *

Cold Badger Masa This is a character guide to the radio drama, film, manga and anime works ''Kerberos saga'' (ケルベロス・サーガ, ''keruberosu saga''). Characters are sorted by organizations or groups according to the original works. The English adaptat ...

* Beefbowl Ushigoro * Hamburger Tetsu * Medium Hot Sabu * Frankfurter Tatsu * Crepe Mami * Baked Bean Pastry Amataro Secondary characters: * Tokumitsu Shinada * Manager Kamiyama

Releases

Book

*2004.02.XX: ''Tachiguishi-Retsuden'' (立喰師列伝) novel by Mamoru Oshii :Kadokawa Shoten, 287p., 19cm, *2006.04.XX: ''Tachiguishi, Kaku Katariki.'' (立喰師、かく語りき。, ''Thus Spoke Tachiguishi'') interview book by Mamoru Oshii :Tokuma Shoten, 254p., 19cm,

Audio

*2006.04.05: ''Tachiguishi-Retsuden O.S.T.'' (立喰師列伝) original soundtrack by Kenji Kawai (featuring e-mi) :Victor Entertainment, 24 tracks, VICL-61927

Video

*2006.09.22: ''Tachiguishi Retsuden'' (立喰師列伝) DVD :Bandai Visual, 90min. Film, DVD9, DD5.1ch + DD2.0ch *2006.09.22: ''Tachiguishi Retsuden Collectors Set'' (立喰師列伝コレクターズセット) L.E. 2DVD :Bandai Visual, 90min. Film, 2DVD9, DD5.1ch + DD2.0ch, Special Disc: 90min. Making Of, 192p. Script Replica, 62p. Collector Booklet

Production

Guest stars

:Shoji Kawamori: Famous for ''

Macross Plus is a four-episode anime OVA and theatrical movie in the ''Macross'' series. It was the first sequel to the original ''Macross'' television series that took place in the official timeline (''Macross II'' was quickly retconned by series creator ...

'', etc. :Kenji Kawai: Famous composer of Mamoru Oshii feature films (''StrayDog'', ''Patlabor the movie 2'', ''GITS'', ''Avalon'') and

WARP Warp, warped or warping may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books and comics * WaRP Graphics, an alternative comics publisher * ''Warp'' (First Comics), comic book series published by First Comics based on the play ''Warp!'' * Warp (comics), a ...

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

video games (''

Enemy Zero is a 1996 horror-themed adventure video game for the Sega Saturn, developed by Warp and directed by Kenji Eno. Players assume the role of an astronaut who awakens from cryogenic sleep to find her spaceship overrun by invisible creatures who ar ...

'', ''

Deep Fear is a 1998 survival horror video game developed by Sega AM7 and System Sacom for the Sega Saturn. It was the last Saturn game released in Europe. The game offers unique gameplay features such as buttons that allow the player to use items in real- ...

''), etc. :

Kenji Kamiyama is a Japanese anime director. Career Kamiyama has worked regularly with the anime studio and production enterprise Production I.G, such as his work on '' Jin-Roh'', ''Patlabor'', '' Blood: The Last Vampire'', and for whom he has directed the '' ...

: Famous director of '' Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex'' TV series, etc. :Toshio Suzuki: etc. :Shinji Higuchi: etc. :Katsuya Terada: etc.

Cast

Kaito Kisshoji Kaito (written: 海斗, 開士, 魁斗, 海翔, 海人, 快斗, 凱斗 or 海都) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese footballer * Baruto Kaito (born 1984, surname Baruto) ...

(吉祥寺怪人): Moongaze Ginji (月見の銀二, Tsukimi no Ginji) : Mako Hyodo (兵頭まこ): Foxy Croquette O-Gin (ケツネコロッケのお銀, Ketsune Krocket no Ogin) :

Mitsuhisa Ishikawa is a Japanese anime entrepreneur, the co-founder and current president and CEO of Production I.G, as well as a producer for the studio. Career Mitsuhisa Ishikawa was executive at Bee Train from 1997 to 2006, Ishikawa acted as executive produce ...

(石川光久): Crying Inumaru (哭きの犬丸, Naki no Inumaru) : Toshio Suzuki (鈴木敏夫): Cold Badger Masa (冷しタヌキの政, Hiyashi Tanuki no Masa) :

Shinji Higuchi is a Japanese filmmaker and storyboard artist. He is one of the most successful Japanese filmmakers and the top ''tokusatsu'' film director. Higuchi became known for his work on '' Gamera: Guardian of the Universe'', for which he won the Specia ...

(樋口真嗣): Beefbowl Ushigoro (牛丼の牛五郎, Gyudon no Ushi-Goro) : Kenji Kawai (川井憲次): Hamburger Tetsu (ハンバーガーの哲, Hamburger no Tetsu) :

Katsuya Terada , is a Japanese illustrator and cartoonist from the town of Tamano, Okayama. His alias is the portmanteau . Terada's prolific visual arts practice uniquely straddles the lines between manga, fine art, and digital design. His work ranges widely f ...

(寺田克也): Frankfurter Tatsu (フランクフルトの辰, Frankfurt no Tatsu) :

Shoji Kawamori A is a door, window or room divider used in traditional Japanese architecture, consisting of translucent (or transparent) sheets on a lattice frame. Where light transmission is not needed, the similar but opaque ''fusuma'' is used (oshiire/ ...

(河森正治): Medium Hot Sabu (中辛のサブ, Chu-Kara no Sabu) :

Fuyuki Shinada is a masculine Japanese given name which is occasionally used as a surname and means wintry tree. * (born 1960), Japanese professional wrestler * (born 1955), Japanese photographer * (born 1973), Japanese performance artist In fiction * In the ' ...

(品田冬樹): Tokumitsu Shinada :

(神山健治): Manager Kamiyama

Voice cast

: Koichi Yamadera (山寺宏一): Narrator, Inumaru, Tatsu, etc. :Mako Hyodo (兵頭まこ): O-Gin : Yoshiko Sakakibara (榊原良子): Medical examiner, Tatsu's mother, etc. :

Fumihiko Tachiki is a Japanese voice actor and narrator. Career Tachiki is known for his low voice. He serves as the narrator for '' Pride Fighting Championships'' and Dream. He and Toshiyuki Morikawa formed the band "2HEARTS" in 2003. Their song, "Ever Free", s ...

(立木文彦): Ushigoro, Tetsu, Tokumitsu, Narrator of the preview, etc.

Staff

*Original story, script and direction: Mamoru Oshii *Shooting: Keiichi Sakazaki *3DCG: IKIF *Visual Effects:

Hisashi Ezura Hisashi is a masculine Japanese given name. Its meaning differs depending on the kanji used to write it. Kanji Single kanji used to write the name Hisashi include: *: "long time" *: "eternal" *: "still" *: "standard" *: "complete" *: "long" *: "l ...

*Sound:

Kazuhiro Wakabayashi Kazuhiro is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *Kazuhiro Fujita, Japanese manga artist *Kazuhiro Furuhashi, Japanese anime director and supervisor *Kazuhiro Hamanaka, professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighte ...

*Music: Kenji Kawai *Production: Toshihiko Nishikubo *Animation: Production I.G

Sources

Production I.G official English website
(''English'')
Tachiguishi-Retsuden Official website
(''Japanese'')

(''English'')
GA Graphic official website
(''Japanese'')

(''Japanese'')
Production I.G Special Site
(''Japanese'')
IKIF studio official website
(''Japanese'')

External links

Kerberos saga official website
(''Japanese'') * {{Production I.G 2006 films 2006 anime films Comedy anime and manga Japanese comedy films 2006 comedy films 2000s mockumentary films Production I.G Kerberos saga Films directed by Mamoru Oshii Films scored by Kenji Kawai ja:立喰師列伝