The Anime Auteur: Satoshi Kon

As I continue to watch anime more and more, I begin to pick out my favourite anime directors.

Hayao Miyazaki, Makoto Shinkai and Katsuhiro Otomo are just some of the anime directors whose works I've thoroughly enjoyed and been in awe of.

(from left, Hayao Miyazaki, Makoto Shinkai & Katsuhiro Otomo)

These three all represent for me, the quintessential anime director in three different extremes. Hayao Miyazaki, known for telling inspiring tales within fantastical worlds built with a soft colour palette and music that tugs at your heartstrings. Makoto Shinkai, the youngest of the three, brings a more energetic and bright feel to his anime while incorporating it into a story that is more than just a one-track anime romance that has been overplayed in many different animes today. Finally, Katsuhiro Otomo, his anime style is set in a dark and gritty world that isn't at all what you'd picture an anime to look like. The characters aren't always "family-friendly" and audiences should note from the start that this is anime for adults. But if your kid wants to get his mind blown, then well to hell with it.

These 3 directors all represent vastly different approaches to storytelling and how they present their work. They are all auteurs in their own right. However, in my eyes, there is but one auteur of anime that truly stands out. That is the great Satoshi Kon.

(upper left, Millenium Actress, bottom left, Paprika, centre, Paranoia Agent, Upper right, Perfect Blue, bottom right, Tokyo Godfathers)

Satoshi Kon is a director known for his eclectic style in bringing his films to life. His ability to make allegorical films that pose more questions than answers out of scripts that have been written in a much different way has made him a legend in the industry.

Kon's first real foray into the world of anime was through manga. He met a more experienced mangaka who he would then assist on a "little known" project at the time, 1988's Akira. The mangaka was Katsuhiro Otomo.

(left, Satoshi Kon, right, Katsuhiro Otomo)

Kon's influence on Akira was minimal, to say the least, but it was during his formative years, where any young artist learns to develop his own style. Then came his first real project. His first feature-length manga, Tropic of The Sea (1999).

3 months to draw 200 pages with minimal prep time, Kon has even been quoted saying " I didn't have time to leave my apartment. Two days to come up with the storyboard, three days to do the rough sketch, and another two to ink." The overwhelming amount of work Kon did on his own can only serve to encapsulate his desire to complete a project that outweighed his desire for a personal life. His only little pleasure was enjoying a nightcap before getting a few hours of sleep. He was later hospitalised for months due to being diagnosed with Hepatitis A from the lack of sleep and excessive drinking he did to complete this project.

Moving upwards and onwards,

Production started in Kobe. The film was live-action. It was to be Kon's directorial debut. Then an earthquake struck, damaging the production site in Kobe almost irreversibly. The production was then switched to animation instead. And that's how 1997's masterpiece, Perfect Blue was born. A true Satoshi Kon film.

This film was when Japan finally took notice. Satoshi Kon had arrived, and there was no stopping him. There are still several deleted scenes from the original plan to make Perfect Blue a series rather than a feature, but the result was truly breathtaking. A famous quote in relation to seeing this film really encapsulated the experience one would have when watching Perfect Blue. "If Alfred Hitchcock partnered with Walt Disney".

Kon would then come out with his second feature, 2001's Millennium Actress.

Often considered a sister story to Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress is a love letter to Japan's film history. This film represents the culmination of the love of film for one home nation, broadcast through its most popular medium. Anime. Millennium Actress is about an old actress who recounts her life through the various roles she played, but her memory isn't what it used to be, and this is all the pretext that Kon and co-writer Sadayuki Murai who also teamed up with Kon to write Perfect Blue, needed to craft a dramatic and compelling story. This is a love letter to Japanese Cinema.

Everyone loves a great Christmas movie, so why not a Christmas Anime?

The year, 2003. The anime, Tokyo Godfathers.

A story that talks about the civil rights of human beings which at that time, for Japanese people were few and far between. The film talks about the people discarded from society. The homeless and those rejected by societies "standards". This film was written in a very "coincidental" and "convenient" way. What I mean by that is the main protagonists often "stumble" upon something or "happen" to be in the wrong or right place at the same time as an event. This can get boring, predictable and often renders the final product stale. The real risk of writing this way on purpose was not only the aforementioned reasons but also how those who hadn't seen the final product would see this film. But once again Kon proves that his blend of coincidence and fairytale aspects is only further accentuated by the acute writing decisions that make the film what it is. A definite Christmas must watch.

A Satoshi Kon psychological thriller? Sign me up!

Paranoia Agent (2004) came out at a time of mass juvenile delinquency in Japan. The show follows an elementary school kid that attacks people with his bat. I'll leave it at that.

This film began production while Tokyo Godfathers was still being made, and Kon openly stated that he'd had many ideas prior that never actually fit into any of his other projects so he wanted a chance to recycle them, and out came Paranoia Agent. This film was animated completely in-house by Madhouse without any forms of outsourcing which is not common for anime features of this size. The film really is an amalgamation of ideas and it is apparent in the film's structure and pacing. It's another Satoshi Kon gem.

Finally,

Satoshi Kon's last feature would doubtlessly turn heads as all his other films did. 2006'S Paprika would be Kon's swan song before his untimely death in 2010.

Satoshi Kon has throughout all his films made his opinions known on the Otaku culture of Japan. An Otaku is a person that has a deep interest in anime and manga. Much like Cinephiles are to film. In many of Kon's work, the presence of an Otaku has always been to showcase the loss of balance in one's life. In many ways drawing parallels with those of us who pursue film, art and anime. This film brings his many portrayals of Otakus full circle. Showing that having relationships with people is as important to our survival as pursuing one's passion. Paprika also has the distinction of being an obvious inspiration for the Christopher Nolan film, Inception.

This is my tribute to one of the greatest directors of all time. Satoshi Kon is a once in a lifetime artist and auteur that was taken from us far too soon. He will forever live on the work he has created and the indelible mark he has left with each anime he has made. Arigato, Satoshi Kon.