Pixar in the Same Situation

Takano recorded Mamoru Oshii's words, the tip of his pen rustling across the paper.

"About that piece of background music people are calling a divine work." Takano raised his head. "Mr. Kenji Kawai said you were the one who made the specific request. Could you talk in detail about the creative concept behind Puppet Song?"

Hearing the question, Mamoru Oshii's desire to express himself was stirred.

"Ghost in the Shell is about the networked society of the future." Mamoru Oshii gestured with his hands. "Skyscrapers, cyborgs, electronic brains. It's a highly developed material world. If we followed the conventional approach, the background music should have used a large number of electronic synthesizers to create that cyberpunk sense of technology."

The two reporters nodded in agreement.

"But I didn't want to do that," Mamoru Oshii continued. "The more advanced technology becomes, the more humans search for a resting place for the soul. What people call the Ghost. I needed the most primitive, purest kind of sound to break through that cold technological feeling. I called Kawai to an izakaya, had a couple of drinks, and told him I wanted a chorus with the feeling of a religious ritual."

"Bulgarian harmony?" Sasaki cut in.

"Right." Mamoru Oshii leaned back against the sofa. "The vocal placement in the Bulgarian harmony Kawai chose is very special. It has a penetrating power that feels like it strikes straight into the soul. But harmony alone wasn't enough. I had Kawai go through ancient Japanese texts and write the lyrics in archaic Yamato language. It creates a powerful sense of dislocation. On the most advanced cyborg body manufacturing assembly line, what rings out is the oldest of prayers."

There was only the faint sound of the air conditioner running in the reception room.

The two reporters were