Madhouse to Resume Production of Yume-Miru Kikai

A little over two months after the death of Satoshi Kon, the director of such masterpieces as Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers and Paprika, it has been announced that Madhouse Studios will be finishing Yume-Miru Kikai, or “The Dreaming Machine”, which had been in the middle of production when Kon passed away. Yoshimi Itazu will be serving as director in Kon’s place.

Personally, I think it’s a great thing that Satoshi Kon’s final work is set to be completed. It’ll stand as testament to his life’s work, as well as being a tribute to him. After all the time and effort he surely put into it before passing, it would be a travesty to leave it unfinished. We’ll have to trust that the Yoshimi Itazu and the rest of the team at Madhouse studios will be able to complete it exactly as Kon intended.

Perfect Blue

Diving headfirst into Kon Month, I’ll be starting off with Satoshi Kon’s very own directorial debut, Perfect Blue. An adaptation loosely based off a book of the same name written by Yoshikazu Takeuchi, Perfect Blue originally hit theaters in 1997 and was greatly received by many around the world, not just anime fans. To this day, Perfect Blue has strong holding in the anime industry. Many people consider this movie to be Kon’s magnum opus among his many great films. I personally had not seen it and was skeptical of their opinions; even as I began watching the film I was skeptical of its greatness. However, by the end my opinion was greatly changed, and here’s why:

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.