Update: An English translation of Satoshi Kon’s final words–a note he wrote to the public in his final days whilst dying of cancer–has been posted. It is heart-breaking, and honestly beautiful. Go read it: http://makikoitoh.com/journal/satoshi-kons-last-words
Amazing Director. Of the films he’s contributed to, I’ve seen and enjoyed Roujin-Z, Millennium Actress, Memories (The “Magnetic Rose” short), and Paprika. I own most everything else but haven’t gotten around to watching it just yet… no time like the present eh? He’s also a very strong manga creator, it’s a real shame none of his work has been released in English as of yet. Sad day.
Had the sad news first: http://twitter.com/AkiYanagi
http://board.otakon.com/index.php?showtopic=20122
http://www.uk-anime.net/newsitem/Director_Satoshi_Kon_passes_away.html
http://www.japanator.com/paprika-director-satoshi-kon-dies-at-age-47-16279.phtml
– Christopher
Ah, damnit. Damn it all.
Damn.
//\Oo/\\
One of my all time fave animation directors.
A real shame.
Definitely. A lot of fantastic work. Millennium Actress is a dear favorite of mine.
Guy made amazing use of 47 years, but still. Too soon.
Yeah Dom, I figured this would hit you pretty hard.
It really is a shame, every movie he made was more ambitious, offered further insight into the human condition.
I think it’s a toss up between MILLENNIUM ACTRESS and TOKYO GODFATHERS for me. MILLENNIUM ACTRESS because it’s one of the very few films to actually make me cry, and TOKYO GODFATHERS because it was a movie that did not have to be animated at all; everything about it could have been done just as easily, if not more so, in live action. It just shows how humane and well observed his animation was to create a movie so firmly routed in reality. The acting in that movie is incredible.
TOKYO GODFATHERS also serves as sort of an insight into Satoshi Kon as a person, as the movie humanizes aspects of Japanese society that are generally ignored or pushed into the background; the homeless, a depressed, obese teenager from a broken home, and a homosexual. I find that Kon seemed to embrace the more atypical aspects of Japanese light and try to shine a light on them rather than pretend they didn’t exist, which is endearing.