Satoshi Kon’s Last Words

Twitter has finally been of some use to me today as a blog was brought to my attention by our friends at Otaku: The Series. The blog is titled Makiko Itoh: Not a Nameless Cat and has recently been giving a lot of help regarding the news around Satoshi Kon’s tragic death last week. A few days ago, Makiko Itoh did a rough, but brilliant, translation of Kon’s final words, and I hope to spread those words by sharing them here with all of you. Typically, Makiko’s blog is about Japanese cuisine, and on very rare occasion does it drift into something resembling a fan site, so I am very thankful that she took the time to make this translation for the world to see.

And with this, I officially begin Kon Month: A Tribute to Satoshi Kon. So, without further adieu, I give you Satoshi Kon’s final words:

R.I.P. Satoshi Kon (and GWT’s Kon Month)

Some of you may have already heard, but today is a sad, sad day for not only the world of anime, but for all artists, directors, and psychological geniuses. Satoshi Kon, acclaimed director of such anime as Perfect Blue, Paprika, and Paranoia Agent, was found dead today at the young age of 47. This long time member of Madhouse Studios, and reoccurring focus some of my very own anime reviews, was truly a directing genius, and often awed us with his spectacular visuals, mysterious stories, and psychological roller coasters that would have all of us guessing until the very end. The passing of Satoshi Kon is an undeserved death, and he should have lived a much longer, and fulfilling life. What makes it even more tragic, is that it seems he had been working on another film by the name of Yume-Miru Kikai (or The Dreaming Machine). News on whether or not his final project is finished, or will be finished is still pending.

Summer Wars

As promised, I now bring you Sachi’s grand review of Summer Wars, an epic epic in epic proportions of epicness because it was just that epic (amazing).

While I was attending Fanime this year, I found myself idling around Ballroom B with a few close friends. After the Yamaga panal, after the Otaku: The Series premiere, and after the Dead Fantasy showing, I was beginning to grow restless in my seat and feeling the urge to run around the Dealer’s Room; that was when the premiere of Summer Wars was announced. Prior to this I had heard good things about Summer Wars, so I remained seated, interested in what all the rumors were about. Another movie released through Madhouse Studios, you can think of Summer Wars as a combination between Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and The Girl That Leapt Through Time (another film directed by Mamoru Hosoda), along with hints of awesomeness from various other sources; yet, at the same time, it was completely original in its own merit. So, what makes this such a great movie? Well, lets start from the beginning.

FanimeCon 2010

Memorial Day weekend is done and over with, and how did I spend it? At FanimeCon with friends, of course! Fanime, as the name implies, is a large anime convention held by the fans, for the fans, and has been running annually since 1994. This year I was lucky enough to score a ride to San Jose and meet up with some online friends. It was a blast!

Paprika

In 2006, Madhouse Studies released the psychological Merry-Go-Round of Paprika, roughly based on the 1993 novel of the same name by Yasutaka Tsutsui. Another film by Satsohi Kon, Paprika dives into the realms of the subconscious and brings the joy of dreams to life. This movie was well-received by its audience, and won the Best Feature Length Theatrical Anime Award at the sixth annual Tokyo Anime Awards at the Tokyo International Anime Fair in 2007. This is among one of my favorite films and one the purest examples of why Satoshi Kon is among my favorite directors of all time.