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For most of my time as an anime fan , Satoshi Konwas always a name I was conversant with , but it had never gone further than that . I get it on that he had created a lot of dear and surreal gum anime that were often grade amongthe best anime movies of all time , and that his death in 2010 was encounter as a major calamity in the anime community , but for one rationality or another , I never operate with any of his whole kit .
All of that alter in 2023 whenPerfect Bluewas announced to be returning to theaters . Perfect Bluewas always one of those picture I had never made time to watch , so it was the complete opportunity to ultimately check into such a authoritative flick .
Not only did itlive up to its hype , but it was serious enough to inspire me to last go through Satoshi Kon ’s depository library . I found thatSatoshi Kon ’s work was some of the majuscule Zanzibar copal I would ever watchin my life , and it kill me that I took so long to realize that .
Perfect Blue Was Everything I Love About Magical Realism
A Surreal Descent into Mental Breakdown
The first thing that stuck out to me aboutPerfect Bluewas the artistry and aliveness of Satoshi Kon ’s direction . The liquidness of the eccentric ’ movement and the aid to contingent in every piece of artwork were always amazing to look at , especially with the knowledge that it was somehow supposed to be almost 30 long time old . Tying it all together , of course , was howSatoshi Kon ’s shot composition and camera body of work always crop to bring out the dark nature ofPerfect Blue ’s story.
Satoshi Kon ’s vivid direction also did wonders in emphasizing the dreamlike nature ofPerfect Blue . The flick is noted for its phantasmagoric visuals meant to highlight the genial breakdown the champion bit by bit suffer throughout the film , and through a compounding of artwork , spiritedness , and music , every scene inPerfect Blueperfectly sells itself as a wonderfully surreal film , which at the same time grounds itself in the thoughtfulness and maturity of its committal to writing . Perfect Bluewas a masterclass film on all fronts , and it ’s still awing that it was Satoshi Kon ’s debut employment .
A part of whyPerfect Blueresonated with me is belike due to my beloved of magical realism . The plant of Haruki Murakami have helped to develop my appreciation of fiction for well over a decade , and any works with similar theme of magical realism have become some of my favorites to read or watch . As such , while it does n’t amply lean into the genre , Perfect Blue ’s factor of magical reality perfectly resonated with my love for that style of writing , and I ’m still in mental rejection that something ofPerfect Blue ’s quality can exist .
How I Reevaluated My First Introduction to Satoshi Kon
Paranoia Agent Was Kon’s Only Series for TV
WhilePerfect Bluewas what sent me on my journey to jazz Satoshi Kon , it technically was n’t my first experience with his oeuvre . Years ago , I watchedParanoia Agent , the only TV series Kon made before his death , and while I liked it very well enough , it did n’t leave much of a survive notion on me after it completed its running on Toonami . After watchingPerfect depressed , though , I take another feel atParanoia Agent , and thanks to my newfound appreciation of Kon ’s work , I realized thatParanoia Agentwas an underrated jewel that appeal to my biggest interest .
I had always consider the animation and overall direction ofParanoia Agentwas as cracking as it was bizarre , but it took me too farsighted to empathize just how ripe Satoshi Kon made it . Every scene inParanoia Agentis a perfect slaying of surrealism and genuine craft , whether that ’s through the stellar animation or in how thoroughly detailed and constructed the story is from start to finish . Paranoia Agentisn’t my favourite anime , but it ’s one of the best - direct anime I ’ve ever seen , and it was n’t until I dove into Satoshi Kon ’s study that I truly realized that .
Paprika Made Me Realize How Far Animation Could Go
Satoshi Kon’s Most Famous Movie Is Also His Masterpiece
IfPerfect BlueandParanoia Agentwere what made me take a genuine stake in Satoshi Kon ’s work , then it wasSatoshi Kon ’s final cinema , Paprika , that solidified him as a caption in my thinker . The surrealistic stylings of Satoshi Kon ’s study reach their blossom inPaprika . The story always attempt to be as weird and absurdist as potential , and the originative and utterly unhinged art and animation to play along it makes every view a delight to behold . Satoshi Kon was always famous for his visuals , and no work illustrated that better thanPaprika .
By the time I terminate watchingPaprika , I had a newfound grasp for not just Satoshi Kon , but for living , in world-wide . I could n’t remember the last sentence I had seen 2D animation that not only squeeze the medium ’s freedom to the same extent asPaprika , but also manage to so good pair that with gripping storytelling and an all - around piquant cast . While not of necessity his dependable workplace , Satoshi Kon ’s piece of work withPaprikahas some of the best guidance in all of gum anime , and there was no better taradiddle to cap off his career before his last .
Satoshi Kon’s Most Grounded Stories Were What Hit Me the Hardest
Tokyo Godfathers & Millennium Actress were both produced by Madhouse
I was motivated to become a fan of Satoshi Kon by his surrealistic stylings , but the stories that hit me the hardest were his more ground work : Tokyo GodfathersandMillennium Actress . WhileTokyo Godfathersis certainly goofyand plays around with its brio a plenty , it is alsoa very grounded story of found family and what it takes for a somebody to be happy . The account was certainly excited , but the contrast between its largely grounded nature and what I knew as Satoshi Kon ’s dash probably helped to sell its posture more than I could have imagined .
I found myself in even more fear of Satoshi Kon ’s instruction withMillennium Actress . Millennium Actressleans more towards magical naturalism thanTokyo Godfathersthrough the genius decision of portraying Chiyoko ’s audience as the characters in person witnessing her chronicle , and in doing so , Chiyoko ’s story of live a life of loss and heartbreak hits as hard as it possibly could , much harder than if it was simply being tell conventionally . The best magical realist stories apply their absurdist elements to enhance the grounded ones , and nowhere did I feel that piece of work as in effect as I did withMillennium Actress .
Satoshi Kon’s True Talent Was the Humanity of His Writing
While Kon’s Visual Storytelling Made Him Famous, His True Strength Was His Writing
Satoshi Kon always wrote his role with an unbelievable amount of humanity dwelling within them .
As I delved further into Satoshi Kon ’s works , I make that his true area of expertness was n’t animation , but writing . No matter if he was hear to be goofy , heartwarming , or horrifically obscure , Satoshi Kon always write his character with an incredible amount of humans dwelling within them , whether it was through the dramatic outcome multitude would be forced through or the unproblematic fact that Kon was n’t afraid to make even his heroes blemish . As astonishingly abstract as Kon ’s animation was , it would have been exanimate without his talent as a writer .
There Will Never Be Another Satoshi Kon, & That Kills Me
Satoshi Kon Was a Genius Like No Other
After several month , I ultimately substantiate how much of a genius Satoshi Kon was , and in turn , I finally realize how tragic it was that he was get going . The feel of euphory that Kon ’s workplace convey me will always stick with me , but he died in 2010 , so I can never feel that for the first sentence again . His concluding film , Dreaming Machine , was in output before his death , but it stay on unfinished because no conductor would ever be able to match Satoshi Kon ’s expressive style , and if that does n’t highlight how unreplaceable he is , then nothing will .
Satoshi Kon ’s dying is a tragedy the world of gum anime will never blank out , and it took me far too long to earn why . Satoshi Kon understood animation on a level that other creatives can only woolgather of , and I ca n’t commend the last time any anime resonated with me the way of life his work did . Even without my love of magical realism , I would have always lovedSatoshi Konfor the aliveness he brought to animation and storytelling , in general , and it took too long for me to realize that .
Image created by Joshua Fox
