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| On January 28, 1998, I interviewed Masamune Shirow,the brilliant creator
of Appleseed, Orion, Ghost in the Shell and other famous manga, in the city of Kobe, a few hours south of Tokyo
by train. Mr. Shirow is a very private person, and doesn't permit photographs
of himself, but I wanted to at least see places in Kobe that might have
influenced his work, or perhaps appeared as backgrounds in his drawings.
His good friend and editor, Shigehiko Ogasawara, of Seishinsha, graciously
agreed to take me on a tour of the city. The environmental photos that
resulted do not contain any images of Masamune Shirow. They may or may
not be regarded as cryptic clues to the inner workings of his creative
mind.
For those interested, an edited form of the original interview with Mr.
Shirow appears in the inaugural issue of Manga Max magazine, on sale November 30, 1998. This publication from the Titan Group
is edited by Jonathan Clements, and was formerly known as Manga Mania. It can be ordered in the U.K. through +44 (0)1536-760306, and is also
distributed in the U.S.A. and Canada. A longer draft of the interview is
viewable by clicking here. |
Copyright 1998, Frederik L. Schodt
Revised -- October 04, 2008