by Director Satoshi Kon’s theatrical animation ” Paprika ” will be broadcast on Nippon Television’s “Movie Heaven” from 2:09 am on January 31 (2:09 am on February 1) (* Kanto Local). The director, who died at the young age of 46 in 2010, has left behind four theatrical animations and the TV anime ” Paranoia Agent,” who was the general director. I want to take the opportunity of the TV broadcast of ” Paprika ” to contact the director’s work, and I would like to look back on all the works from the last movie ” Paprika ” in my lifetime.
Before touching on each work, I would like to briefly list three features and charms of the director’s work.
- A play that mixes reality and dreams, an adult drama with a lot of humor
- a high level of drawing and art that is too high level to seem at first glance,
- movies, all four movies within about 90 minutes, viewers Service spirit that will not get tired of
Suspense ” Paprika ” (2006) where dreams invade reality
Based on the novel of the same name by Yasutaka Tsutsui. A suspense drama that mixes dreams and reality, a significant attraction of the director’s work, is a culmination of overwhelming visuals. A therapist woman who dives into the client’s dream using a device that can scan the dreams of others will face a crazy dream.
The cast of Megumi Hayashibara, who plays the main characters Dr. Chiba Atsuko and Paprika, Toru Furuya, Akio Otsuka, and Koichi Yamadera, is also gorgeous. The character design and animation director is an animator who has worked on ” Spirited Away ” and ” Your Name “and is preparing for the first director’s movie ” The Deer King Yuna and the Promised Journey ” on February 4. Serves as Masashi Ando.
A chain of miracles that occur on Christmas Eve ” Tokyo Godfathers ” (2003)
The most heart-warming original work in the director’s movie. Last year, it was staged with Masahiro Matsuoka and others.
The main characters are three homeless people of different ages and genders. The three-run around Christmas nights in search of their abandoned baby’s parents, facing their lives in a chain of miracles. Various faces of Tokyo are drawn in a background that is so detailed that it can be mistaken for a photograph, and the rich play of the characters is also a big highlight. There is a mysterious atmosphere called an “adult fairy tale,” It is full of charm unique to animation.
Millennium Actress (2001)
The second feature film of the director now. It was distributed worldwide by DreamWorks and received high praise overseas. While her fictional actress Chiyoko Fujiwara talks about her half-life, a magnificent story of the present and the past, the reality and the movie are spun.
Koichi Yamadera, who played the role of Chiyoko in three female casts according to the age and played “The Man of the Key,” which Chiyoko pursues in love, has become a regular voice actor in the director’s work since this work.
There is also a homage to masterpieces of Japanese movies such as Akira Kurosawa’s ” Throne of Blood ” and Yasujiro Ozu’s work. You can enjoy the mystery of editing, where the scenes change at a good tempo across time and space. Not only anime fans but also Japanese movie fans should watch it.
The origin of director Satoshi Kon, the gem of psycho-horror ” PERFECT BLUE ” (1998)
A psychological horror in which a serial murder case occurs while the hero who turned from an idol to an actress raises his name recognition while wearing down his nerves in the unfamiliar entertainment world. This is Satoshi Kon’s first directorial work, and from this point on, a style in which reality and dreams intersect has been established.
Initially planned for OVA with R designation, this work has many complex depictions, such as David Fincher’s ” Seven ” and Darren Aronofsky’s ” Black Swan,” who professes to be a fan of the director now. You can enjoy the sharp suspense that tightens people.
A taste like a series of short stories ” Paranoia Agent ” (2004)
A 13-episode TV anime produced between ” Tokyo Godfathers ” and ” Paprika, “with the director acting as the original and general director. Human delusions and madness are depicted with a humorous taste, centering on the case where various people are attacked by the mysterious street demon “Shonen Bat.”
The series, which is developed in an omnibus format, has a taste like a series of short stories, and now you can feel the breadth of the director’s storyteller. Takayuki Hirao, Hiroshi Hamasaki, Satoru Utsunomiya, Atsushi Takahashi, Rintaro, Tatsuo Sato, and others participate in each storyboard and direction.
