If any of you are wondering why we haven’t written anything about the tragic passing of anime director Satoshi Kon at the unripe age of 46, it’s because I’ve been struggling to think of something meaningful to say about a filmmaker I felt I was still getting to know. Truth be told, I’ve only seen two of the four features the man directed, one of them shamefully recently at that; I had long meant to catch up with 2006’s “Paprika,” but only got round to it last month, after the (wholly warranted, as it turns out) talk of “Inception” parallels began swirling.
I can, at least, sincerely say that I’ve been knocked out on both my encounters with Kon: “Millennium Actress” is a sly and ecstatically beautiful homage to less fantasy-oriented masters of Japanese cinema, while the aforesaid “Paprika” is as dense and emotionally textured a mindbender as the medium has to offer. There are others who can give more informed appreciations of his career, but I intend to catch up with the rest of Kon’s regrettably curtailed oeuvre posthaste. I already miss his future.
[Thanks to Tim Robey for the video link.]
Comments
11 responses to “Hello, goodbye”
I was very sad to hear of his passing a couple days ago. “Millenium Actress” remains one of the most beautiful odes to cinema I’ve ever seen.
Perfect Blue is so, so great as well.
I for one thought that “Tokyo Godfathers” was a small masterpiece, pulsing with pathos and good-natured humour. The news of his death saddened me greatly.
Really liked “Paprika” and “Perfect Blue”, but never saw “Millenium Actress”. So sad that he’s gone when he was so very talented.
OMG, I completely did not know this…..sad…..
I really think Paprika is inventive and colorful and daring, but I especially love his tv series, Paranoia Agency….
I am glad you finally got to see “Paprika” Guy, I remember asking you about it in one of your Inception posts last month. I was so sad to hear about his passing, and I hope that the crew decides to complete his most recent film in his honor. I am sure Satoshi Kon would have wanted nothing more than to have his hard work seen by the world.
All of Satoshi Kon’s films are required viewing imho, but if I had to rank them in terms of order one should watch them I would suggest:
1. Millenium Actress
2. Tokyo Godfathers
3. Paprika
4. Perfect Blue
5. Paranoia Agent (tv series but it is amazing)
“Millenium Actress” is a truly amazing film.
That said, people who are seeing parallels between “Paprika” and “Inception” are only kidding themselves. You might as well be seeing them between “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl”.
“Perfect Blue” is delightfully trippy, and very inventively disconcerting. My plans to catch up with the rest of Satoshi Kon’s films will, sadly, be hastened.
he directed my fav anime film- perfect blue is a mind trippy thriller that hit every single note. so SAD
RIP