Satoshi Kon: a director, screenwriter, mangaka, and, in my opinion, a genius who, alongside names like Miyazaki, Takahata, Otomo, Shinkai, and Hosoda, formed the locomotive of the Japanese anime film industry. Before delving into Kon’s works, techniques, and inspirations, I want to draw attention to the background that forms the basis of his work. After studying visual design at Musashino Art University, Kon engaged in various manga projects. Subsequently, he worked as an assistant alongside the renowned mangaka and director Katsuhiro Otomo, known for cornerstone works like Akira and Memories, which I believe played a significant role in Kon’s career. Besides Otomo, some of the inspirations for Kon’s works include science fiction writers Philip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut, and Yasutaka Tsutsui. Additionally, the influence of figures like Terry Gilliam from Monty Python and the Japanese director Akira Kurosawa can be discerned. It wouldn’t be wrong to consider Kon’s university years, filled with books, drawings, and films, as a major factor shaping his career and the themes he explores in his movies.
Kon took his first step into directing with the 1997 film “Perfect Blue,” adapted from the novel of the same name by Yoshikazu Takeuchi. This film later inspired Darren Aronofsky as filming techniques and themes explored in his movies like “Requiem for a Dream” and “Black Swan.” Aronofsky has acknowledged being influenced by Perfect Blue in the making process of his films but denies directly drawing inspiration from it. However, scenes in his films are unmistakably mirror those from Perfect Blue. Kon mentioned in a blog post that he had met with Aronofsky. Following Kon’s untimely death, a tribute to him by Aronofsky is included in the book “The Art of Satoshi Kon.” Kon’s next film was supposed to be Paprika after Perfect Blue, but due to the bankruptcy of the animation company Rex Entertainment, it was postponed, and oddly enough, his subsequent film became Millennium Actress (2002), which encapsulated a studio’s bankruptcy. In the making of Millennium Actress, Kon drew inspiration from Japanese cinema, particularly Kurosawa, and Vonnegut’s book Slaughterhouse-Five. For detailed information on the production process of Millennium Actress, one can refer to the short documentary “The Making of Millennium Actress.” Kon had a prolific start to the early 2000s with his third film Tokyo Godfathers (2003) and the single-season anime series Paranoia Agent (2004). By the time 2006 arrived, what I consider a technical masterpiece, Paprika, adapted from Tsutsui’s 1993 novel of the same name, was released. Paprika was such a work that it inspired the Academy Award-winning Inception by the renowned director Nolan. In fact, allegations of blatant plagiarism against Nolan in his film persist, although he has refused to comment on the matter. After Perfect Blue, Kon had been searching for a film to follow, and considering his admiration for Tsutsui and being a fan of his books, he contemplated bringing Tsutsui’s Paprika to the silver screen. In the late 2000s, a chance encounter with Tsutsui at an event and Tsutsui’s inquiry about whether Kon would be interested in adapting his novel into a film, as Kon puts it, “wove the threads of fate.” As can be seen in “The Making of Paprika,” Kon continuously exchanged ideas with the author during the production process and even left the voice acting of a character to the author. Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that renowned director Guillermo del Toro and actor Elijah Wood have expressed admiration for Kon’s works in various statements.
In his works, Kon visually articulates concepts such as dreams, memories, nightmares, obsessions, art, and life, along with the relationships between them, through a surrealist narrative. If Salvador Dali were to adapt his paintings into films, I believe he wouldn’t entrust the direction to anyone but Kon. One of Kon’s most successful aspects is his ability to engage the audience in the film through scene transitions using techniques like the “match cut,” frequently seen in Wes Anderson’s filmography, taking them on a journey across various worlds while conveying abstract concepts. Before translating his scenes onto the silver screen, Kon employed a method of constantly keeping the next scene in mind while drawing one scene. This way, despite using abstract narration and filming techniques, he prevents the disconnect between scenes, ensuring coherence. Moreover, he minimizes the number of frames while drawing to enable the audience to read the scenes more quickly. His films are notably instructive in terms of scene compositions and storytelling. With aesthetic considerations, his works are visually satisfying. Another technique Kon employs is “trompe l’œil”; a French artistic technique typically used by painters aiming to create optical illusions. Through this technique, Kon plays with the audience’s perceptions, delicately balancing between reality and fantasy like a tightrope walker. If after watching his film, you find yourself pondering, “What did I just watch?” then he has succeeded.
Although Kon was working on a film titled “Dreaming Machine” after Paprika, unfortunately, due to his untimely death from pancreatic cancer on August 24, 2010, this film couldn’t be brought to the silver screen. While the screenplay was later completed by the production team based on the notes and rough sketches Kon had made while working on the film, it couldn’t be entirely animated due to financial constraints. Despite being in a state where it could have been revived and adapted into a film, the project was suspended due to statements from Masao Murayama, the founder of the animation company Madhouse, stating, “We cannot find a director capable of handling this film at Kon’s level of talent” and “If we give this film to another director, it won’t be Kon’s film anymore.”
With his dedication and genius, Kon took us on an extraordinary journey through lived reality warped by dreams in his works. Had he lived, he would have left his mark on the 2010s just as he did in the 2000s with his creations. Kon’s last words before his premature death at the age of 46 were, “I have to go now, leaving this world before you.” He may have left the world before us, but his legacy lives on and will continue to thrive. Rest in peace, Kon.
