I'm planning to do a deeper dive into Tetsuo's (and other Japanese media's) cyberpunk-ness as part of a bigger project on cyberpunk and Japan. But that might be a few years away yet 😅

My book touches on Tetsuo's connection to cyberpunk a little, as this was often how the film was understood/marketed at the time, especially overseas (its 1st London screening called it 'cyberpunk splatter'). But my focus was more on the film's relationship to punk rather than the 'cyber'.

Hi Eli. Thanks for your question.

It wasn't a conscious choice per se; it's just my focus is more on the production/screening practices of these filmmakers and how their aesthetics speak to the era. Genre is part of the discussion (esp. with Burst City and Tetsuo), but it's not the main thrust.

Definitely worth seeing and very different to the other films discussed in the book. The recent restoration is sumptuous to say the least. Way better than the old Facets DVD I had to use when writing my thesis.