He created deeply detailed worlds, and told stories which blended fantasy with reality, and emphasised the importance of memory in forming opinions. There is also an overlap of some of the characters in the movies, which makes watching them as a coherent whole more interesting (for example, the group of gossiping housewives can be seen in both 'Paranoia Agent', and in 'Tokyo Godfathers,' and there are frequent shout-outs to previous works throughout his movies). Another recurring theme is the love of cinema itself, something obvious in the secondary story of Paprika, and throughout Millenium Actress.
The movies below are fast-paced, interesting, and well-designed and plotted, usually running to less than 90 minutes. The animation, particularly of people running, is a joy, as is the often incredible music. It's no surprise that he's also been very important to Hollywood too: 'Inception' is a more strait-laced version of 'Paprika', while 'Perfect Blue' is, despite what Darren Aranovsky says, a superior version of 'The Black Swan'- superior mainly because it doesn't have Natalie Portman in it.
Here, I'll take you through the works I've seen, in the order I saw them, using the formula perfected in my Miyazaki movie reviews, a format which is still talked about in hushed awe to this very day. The only difference is that the star system is no longer in place, and instead the final review will be a short guide to how good it was (apparently this is classier than the star system). I'll also try to avoid spoilers, but no promises. Here goes:
Perfect Blue [1997]
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| This image is from a movie poster shop. I shudder to think who would want this poster leering down on them. [source] |
Thoughts: Really thrilling, mind-boggling, creepy and at times uncomfortable (the main stalker is a real creeper), and genuinely shocking. The poster above quotes a Hitchcock parallel, but it's more sexually violent than that, though it does have a 'woman in peril' theme in common. A really solid movie which could easily be used as proof that anime isn't for children, and can be used to convey images it would be impossible to use in a live action movie.
Rating: Not comfortable watching, but definitely worth it. Much better than Black Swan, which borrows heavily from this story.
Paprika [2006]
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| A lot of things going on in this image [source] |
Plot In One Sentence: A machine which can be used to intercept dreams is stolen, and the team behind its creation seeks to recover it, along with their virtual reality ally, the beautiful and enigmatic Paprika.
Thoughts: I had seen this a while before I saw Inception, which turned out to be a huge disappoitment because of it. The Satoshi Kon animation is at its fantastic best here, and that's coupled with the music, which included the theme tune, the most infuriating song ever. I was going to link to a video of it, but don't want to subject you to it unncessarily, oops, I've just reminded myself of it. Still, the story is, in a good way, insane, all of Kon's movies are proof that animation can bring to life things which would never be possible in a live action movie. Stunning animation, although the story peters out a little towards the end.
Rating: Worth viewing, perhaps several times.
Millenium Actress [2001]
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| For such a thoughtful, visually arresting movie, this is a really shitty movie poster. [source] |
Thoughts: This is a reasonably straight-forward story by Satoshi standards, it also contains a lot of similar themes from his other works. For example, the sense of loss, the breakdown of family and keeping of resentment over many years, and also that of fanaticism. However, a good movie, and very sad. As well as the main story itself, which deals with lost love and yearning, the movie is also a celebration of the Golden Age of Japanese Cinema, with nodding homages to the works of Ozu, Kurosawa and Mizoguchi clearly visible. I understand that the character is based on Setsuko Hara, the one with the big face from many movies, including 'Late Spring,' which is itself a lovely, poignant movie. Looking online, I am happy to find that she is still alive. Awesome.
Rating: Probably better than Perfect Blue, and although the animation is magnificent, it is a less visually arresting movie than Paprika, but with a better story. Possibly Kon's 'best'?
Paranoia Agent [2004]
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| The stars of the show sleep in a giant question mark, while that pink thing just sits there, watching you. [source] |
Thoughts: This is an anime show, and spanned, from memory, 12 episodes (Not from memory: 13 episodes). It Started really well, but dragged in the middle and then faded so badly in the middle that I didn't remember it until I looked it up. The first five or so episodes are really excellent, and there are wonderful diversions, such as a trio of people in a suicide pact, who may or may not be ghosts from the very beginning, but on the whole it dragged a little, and the climax was off.
Rating: Visually stunning and a great premise, but faded badly in the second half in particular, despite the great soundtrack.
Tokyo Godfathers [2003]
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| The three main characters, in all their hideously detailed glory. [source] |
Plot In One Sentence: A trio of homelesspeople: a transgender, an alcoholic, and a runaway schoolgirl find a baby and try to return it to its parents on a wintry day, encountering trials, tribulations and their own pasts along the way.
Thoughts: I left this until last because I had heard it was inferior to his other works. It certainly isn't as intelligent and mind-boggling (a phrase you can't help but use to describe his works) but it had great characterisation and a solid story in a way that, say, Paprika doesn't. The whole notion that the baby they find is a sign of good luck and innocence, and leads to a series of nearly impossible coincidences, didn't rankle me overly. However, it was sad, and it made me miss my family immensley.
Rating: Really good, fascinating, and beautifully drawn, a more straight-forward work than the rest of his canon.
In conclusion: I'm thinking of watching these in a back to back marathon, what a cool guy I am.
Best wishes everyone, I can't believe it's nearly September!*
*Spend half of my waking life at work, the rest either watching movies or sea-kayaking, so it's no surprise that life is passing me by!
Much love, Pascal
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