Thinking back, though, the life and death of the main character, actress Chiyoko Fujiwara, is almost an accidental analogue to Kon's. Kon's career was also defined by spectacular, critically-acclaimed pieces that often told stories with similar, overarching themes. Both were deft at eliciting strong emotional reactions from their fans.

But the most heartbreaking connection comes in death. Both the fictional character and the real man died with only a small number of people around them, with their oncoming demise hidden away from the rest of the world. Nevertheless, they leave us with the understanding that it is often the journey, rather than the destination, that provides us with true happiness.

While Satoshi Kon may have left us, he also leaves us a number of monuments to remember his life by. Through them we must remember the man, through them we must honor the journey. With such thoughts in mind, there is surely no better memorial to Satoshi Kon than Millennium Actress.

The movie was wonderful. Utterly wonderful. I’ll save you the gushing attempt at a review and simply say the characters enraptured me completely and it had complete control of my heart-strings after five minutes.

Not everyone loved it. Some people, including the club chairman, left outright or started to gossip amongst themselves and were tersely asked to leave. One rather irritating specimen gave a theatrical yawn before strutting out, adding “Well, have fun kiddies!”

I don’t remember any of these people. I didn’t have much interaction with them in the anime club or outside of it.

The people I do remember were those who remained until the end of the film. Once the credits ended and the harsh, cheap lighting came back on I sat with a core contingent of survivors, most of whom I got to know over my time in the anime club and while I was at university in general.

Sat is the wrong word however — I was hunched over, sobbing like crazy. I cry easily at films, and Tokyo Godfathers did the emotional equivalent of running over my heart. To my left was a man who looked much like a bear due to his amazing beard — he was having a hard time holding back his own tears and give me a spare tissue. This dude became one of my best friends at university and we still stay in contact as best we can. To my right was someone gently patting my shoulder and managing to remain somewhat stoic, although she admitted later that she cried once she was out of sight of the congregation. We later entered into a rather rocky romantic relationship but remained good friends to this day. The rest of the room, approximately ten people, I became at least good acquaintances with over time. Perhaps we had undergone a shared experience, although no one ever pointed it out.

The president of the club came in, said “See you next week!”, and took her DVD player home. I came back the next week and the rest of my first two years of university, my faith in animation restored by the film. I made some solid friendships, some of which remain to this day and all of which helped me through the uncertain period while I was starting university.

Satoshi Kon made my life better, and for that I am eternally thankful.

There is little that can be done now but wait for an official report out of Japan, but if this news turns out to be true, it represents a powerful blow to the anime industry. Rest assured, Ani-Gamers will keep on top of this emerging story and update this post as more information surfaces.

Kon roped in Seishi Manakami for the script. His goal was to shift perspectives by changing the main character in each episode, giving viewers a macrocosm of Shonen Bat’s influence. Each character gives a very personal POV into their individual case, personal struggle, and eventual encounter with Shonen Bat. Some episodes can be watched on their own as their characters have little relevance to the larger story. Such episodes are magnificent fillers, but Kon’s fingerprints are all over each of them. His grasp of human emotion, psychology and story structure are frighteningly accurate, which makes the black humor in Paranoia Agent even funnier and more poignant. If you laughed at Heath Leger in The Dark Knight, you’ll get a few sick chuckles out of episode eight.

What draws me to Paranoia Agent, from the old-fashioned detective to the reserved animator to the schizophrenic tutor to the fallen golden child to the lecherous reporter, was the pathos developed with every character. Every character is a case study for the psychological pressures of modern Japan. The situations are very believable and the stress of Tokyo almost becomes its own character as students, teachers, and the elderly are all equally pressed from all sides by the struggle to match society’s expectations.

As a testament to Satoshi Kon’s micromanagement prowess as a director, every episode features a repetitive sound that sets the pace and structure for the story. Speaking of sound, the bizarre pseudo-techno, dreamlike music of Susumu Hirasawa (Paprika, Berserk, and Millennium Actress) adds another level to this visual mind-screw into a scrambled but beautiful mess, like a naked rugby game during a hurricane.

During his interview on the first DVD, Kon mentioned his fascination over a child’s ability to create a stomachache just to avoid going to school. Thematically, avoiding responsibility is the social and emotional paralysis that summons Shonen Bat. If you watch this series and keep “accountability” in mind, you will understand every symbolic shot in this series.

Now Paranoia Agent is obviously not for little kids, but this masterwork deserves at least a gander from any fan of Hitchcock, Memento, or Misery. For the ridiculously low price you can find it for, it deserves a spot on your shelf. (The English dub is unmatched in its execution to boot!) It is exciting, dangerous, and visually dazzling stories like this that keep me watching anime.

excellent.

Unlike Kon's usual fare, Tokyo Godfathers cuts back on the surrealism and takes a more realistic road to reach his classic reality-fantasy split. From the get-go we are hit over the head with striking dichotomies between idealism (a church choir) and realism (a crowd of hungry homeless). Throughout the movie these themes are continued as Gin searches piles of trash under the beaming lights of Tokyo Tower (an important visual motif in the film). The only time we feel the typical Kon come through is in a brief dream sequence where he brings back his traditional identity-confusion and complex symbolism.

The major difference between Kon's other stories, however, is the focus on characters over narrative. While the central plot remains strong, with Kon's trademark narrative crescendo/subtle ending combination, the focus of the audience's attentions in Tokyo Godfathers rest very heavily on the three main characters. We are made to laugh with them, smile with them, and sometimes cry with them, as they meet new friends and battle terrible circumstances to bring a baby back home.

This central tale, the concept of three pieces of "human trash" being blessed with a piece of unspoiled humanity, is something that we can all relate to in some way. Gin, Hana, and Miyuki are all given fair time to play out their own separate dramas, but Miyuki most surely steals the show. She represents a fascinating and complex parallel in which a young girl runs from her parents, only to embark on a journey to find the parents of an abandoned girl. These sorts of deep-rooted thoughts of home and family that run through the three characters are what hold together the sometimes disjointed little vignettes that make up the story.

Gin and Hana perhaps sum up the themes of the film perfectly in one exchange. Gin reminisces about his daughter, telling Hana, "a father never forgets his child." Miyuki, shaken by a message from her father, suddenly storms out of the room. After a moment, Hana adds, "a child never forgets its parents."

As we have come to expect from Kon and his go-to studio, Madhouse, Tokyo Godfathers looks beautiful. The backgrounds (especially the snow-covered buildings and streets) are as stunning as any classic Christmas painting, and all of the characters move with a lively and often comical fluidity. Even so, the film suffers occasionally from Kon's traditional character design problem: Most of the male side characters look a tad similar, meaning that audiences will have to pay close attention to understand who's who.

Arguably it doesn't have much competition, but that doesn't stop Tokyo Godfathers from being the best Christmas movie to ever come out of the anime medium. Satoshi Kon has pulled together three pieces of garbage, and given them a light to shine their way through the cold and dark. He has engineered a film that finds beauty not in shimmering lights of Tokyo Tower, but in the hopes and dreams of two rejects, the tears of a runaway, and the shining face of an abandoned child.

great.

Dr. Atsuko Chiba is a researcher working on a new piece of technology called the "DC Mini." It is a machine that connects to someone's ear, allowing "psycho-therapists" to view and even enter the dreams of their patients, and therefore help solve their mental problems. The typically uptight doctor uses her lighthearted alter-ego Paprika when she enters the dreams of others. However, the powerful machine has now been stolen, and someone is using it to broadcast their dreams into the waking minds of their victims. Paprika, Atsuko her partners Tokita, Osanai, their Chief, and the detective Konakawa, who has his dream visited by Paprika earlier in the film, try to find and stop this "psycho-terrorist" before he or she can kill more people and discredit the DC Mini.

As most have come to expect from Kon and his mainstays at Madhouse, Paprika has beautiful animation. It provides fantastic contrasts between the gritty details of real life and the colorful and whimsical characters of a dream. In addition, the film provides some truly exhilarating scenes where reality and fantasy blend, and the smooth animation and screen warps achieve this effect spectacularly. The character designs are vivid and drastically different, making it quite easy to tell the differences between characters.

Susumu Hirasawa's score is yet again the most memorable element of the entire production. He provides breathtaking technopop-style vocals and background music that fully compliment Kon's fantastic dream vision.

Sadly, Paprika does not deliver as well as I would have liked when it comes to plot. It's not that the writing is bad, but simply overcomplex. The use of dreams as a theme makes for some very interesting situations, but also makes the film convoluted and hard to understand. The ending, while epic and truly exhilarating, was dissapointing as well. When I found out who the psycho-terrorist really was, I was very disappointed in their identity and motives. Even so, the characterization is very well-done, especially the dynamic relationship (and eventual conflict) between Atsuko and Paprika.

The Japanese voice acting is high-quality, with the famous Megumi Hayashibara voicing both Atsuko and Paprika. She does a great job pinning down the harsh, down-to-earth tones of Atsuko while subsequently sounding like a young girl for Paprika. The supporting characters are also fine, though their acting is nowhere near as important as Megumi's.

Many people have already said it, but I'll say it again: Paprika is an experience. It may have flaws in its plot, and it might not make you think as much as Perfect Blue, but this movie is a joy to watch. If I had to choose a single scene that pins down the emotions that Paprika bestows upon its viewers, it would simply be the opening credits. The scene shows Paprika moving around the city as she merges between reality and dreams. With Susumu Hirasawa's main theme playing behind, and Satoshi Kon's trademark directorial style determining the action, this scene is absolutely breathtaking.

As you watch Paprika, Satoshi Kon is able to take you into a world far away from reality. A world so strange and imaginative, so powerful and breathtaking, you might even call it...a dream.

Animation:		4.0		Average: (3.625 stars)
Plot:		3.0
Voice Acting:		NR
Sound:		4.0
Overall:		3.5