Paranoia Agent is by far one of the weirdest anime shows I've watched. In many ways its also one of the most genius as well. Putting so much focus on the characters and really exploring them and their backstories but more importantly their problems. Each one is unique and each story of their always leaves you with a different perspective of them by the end. As every episode continues everything in the worlds gets more and more crazy and weird as you get closer to the ending.
The story starts off pretty straight forward. As two detectives investigate a string of attacks all caused by a boy with a golden bat. The strange thing about all these attacks is that all the victims are all related to each other. More and more victims appear as the detectives get closer and closer the person behind these attacks.
The animation had a more realistic feel to it making you see people and not animated characters. This is a trope of Satoshi Kon at this point and always elevates his works. I wouldn't say this is my favorite story of his but this I can't say I've seen as much work put into any other anime I've seen. From the quality to the consistently there really no other show quite like it.
PG-13
| Genre:Adventure,
Animation,
Drama Writer & Director: Satoshi Kon Plot:On Christmas Eve, three homeless people living on the streets of Tokyo
find a newborn baby among the trash and set out to find its parents.
Tokyo Godfathers is another film directed by Satoshi Kon, it follow three people who are homeless who stumble upon a baby and then precede to look for its parents. What I noticed about the movie was how dark it was. The film mostly takes place at night but the actual look was very dark and grainy but very much felt realistic. The background look fantastic and even blends well with the moving animation which I think kept everything look natural. Not a lot of movies in animation look like this and its nice to see that at least one film has done it and made it work. This is definitely Satoshi Kons most straight forward movie, doing nothing special in terms of twists and turn that most of his movies do. This one rather focuses on the characters and the situations they get into on the way of finding this babies parents. It wasn't until after I finished the movie that I realized that there aren't any movies out there that I know of that have a group of homeless as their main protagonists. Even portraying them as just normal people and not at all in a negative light. You get a feel for their life and as soon as the baby shows up in the story I got sucked in. I would say this is the most character developed film that Satoshi Kon made and it helps with getting involved with the story. Everyone has something in their past that makes them interesting, and even more when certain situations force them to confront their past. Characters want to have better lives but lack the motivation to really do something, but you see as they change as soon as the baby shows up in their lives. They're all very likable and that makes you root for them when they get stuck in bad situations in the film. Satoshi Kon has proved that he can tackle a wide variety of genre in Anime. Having this film be more toned done in terms of style and story really shows that he knows what a film really needs. When a animated movie can make me forget I am watching hand drawn characters, its done a pretty good job at what its doing. This is one film of his you should check out, even if your a fan of Anime or not, this one is a good blend of both. Rating:
Director:Satoshi Kon Writer:Seishi Minakami & Satoshi Kon
Plot:When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patients' dreams is
stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist can stop
it: Paprika. Paprika is Satoshi Kon's last movie, it follows a group of therapists that try to help patients who's dreams are stolen. This movie is unique in every shape and form, from the animation, the story telling, and Satoshi Kon's style. The one thing you can say after seeing this movie was that it was a visual experience that I don't think I have ever seen before. The animation in Paprika is fantastic, its bright and colorful and visual pleasing to watch. It also fits the tone perfectly giving everything and everything sorta of a odd look to them that can be scary at time just in the imagery. Some scenes and shot you can clearly see has influences other films like Inception. The story of Paprika is interesting and different. I really enjoy when a film especially animated does something different and presents new ideas while having an engaging story. This movie does both and is really the backbone for what makes this film so unique. Now the plot does get a bit complicated which is expected for a film about dreams but it wasn't anything to hard to keep up with. One thing I had a hard time following was the villain and his overall motivation. Its not something that isn't explained, but I will need to give it a second viewing. Satoshi Kon's style is full effect here. His visual style make the entire atmosphere a dream like feel to it. Everything seems off and its hard to tell what is reality or a dream. This leads to some of the best editing I've probably seen in a film. From transitioning to another dream to little things like walking down the street.Like I said before this is really what makes this unique from anything other movies I've seen. Seeing his style used always makes a simple story feel new and different. Overall Paprika is a visual experience and a fantastic movie. Its inspiring and creative while giving a great story. If you haven't seen this movie, this is definitely one you should check out, especially if your a fan of animation and interesting different movies. Rating:
PG
|
87 min Genre:Animation,
Drama,
Fantasy Director:Satoshi Kon Writers:Satoshi Kon, Sadayuki Murai Plot:A TV interviewer and his cameraman meet a former actress and travel through her memories and career.
Millennium Actress is a Satoshi Kon film that is probably a lot less dark than his other films, at least compared to Perfect Blue, which is the only other film I've seen from him. This does how ever has all the similar tropes that really seem to be his own style which makes the film stand out as being different. The combination of his film making style and story telling is what really makes Satoshi Kon films unique from just about any other films that I've seen and this one is a good example why. The story starts off as a Interviewer and cameraman are searching for an older woman who is a retired actress. When they do finally meet her she tells them the story of a her memories, particularly based on a key the she had lost long ago. We then see her story told from a child to an adult through a mix of the real world and the films she has starred in as the interviewer and cameraman come a long for the ride.
What I really like about Kon's animation is that is realistic especially on the characters, which isn't the case for most Anime. It in the story telling style where you begin to understand why this is animated. Through the editing he tells the story in such a way that it doesn't feel like it would work completely in live action. Maybe now and days with the large use of cgi, but back then it wasn't so much the case. In every new location they go to, everything changes from the look and the animation to fit what time period/movie they were in. Style is something that can ruin a movie if used to much or has more focused on. But here you really feel that there is substance in the style, especially toward the end when you realized the little things like the dialogue is actually telling her story but are taken out of the film she is acting in. Similar to what I said before, the style compliments the animation really well making it almost making the film feel like everything is a dream. For the story it self, its a relativity a easy to follow story, if you were to take everything out of it and lay it out. But looking at that it doesn't go you typical love story route with the happy ending. While watching the movie you really want it to, which in most cases its the opposite. By the end its feel more realistic which kinda contrasts the technical side of the movie. That being said, it ties in great with the animation and style that doesn't make you confused but question what is real and what is not. Also I would like the mention that the Soundtrack is great as well and is really the driving force for making the world feel odd and like a dream.
Overall, Millennium Actress is a very creative and inspiring film not just in animation but in storytelling. Its movies like this that go out of their way to try something different and succeed at it that I feel pushing film making to the next level in a sense. If you haven't seen Millennium Actress its definitely worth checking out. Rating:
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