Satoshi Kon

Infobox actor
name = Satoshi Kon


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caption = Satoshi Kon (2003)
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birthdate = birth date and age|1963|10|12
birthplace = Kushiro, Hokkaidō, Japan
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occupation = Film director
Screenwriter
yearsactive = 1997–present (as director)
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awards = Nihongo|"Satoshi Kon"|今 敏|Kon Satoshi| born October 12, 1963 in Kushiro, Hokkaidō, Japan is the highly-regarded director of the anime films "Perfect Blue" (1997), "Millennium Actress" (2001), "Tokyo Godfathers" (2003), and "Paprika" (2006), as well as the television series "Paranoia Agent" (2004). All of his works as a director have been made by Studio Madhouse, where he is a staff director along with Rintaro and Yoshiaki Kawajiri. His films are characterized by psychological complexity, realistic character and background designs, and the blurring of dream and reality.

Biography

Kon attended Musashino College of the Arts and intended to become a painter. Shortly after leaving school, he worked with Katsuhiro Otomo on the manga "World Apartment Horror." Kon entered the anime industry by working as set designer for "Roujin Z" (1991), for which Otomo was the screenwriter and mechanical designer. Kon's early work was strongly influenced by Otomo. Other early projects include "Run Melos!" (1992), and Mamoru Oshii's "Patlabor 2: The Movie" (1993). After collaborating with Oshii on a short-run manga series titled "Seraphim: 266613336 Wings", he then wrote the screenplays for Koji Morimoto's "Magnetic Rose" segment of "Memories" (1996) and episode five of the "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" original video animation. His directorial debut was "Perfect Blue" (1997), a murder mystery reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock and Philip K. Dick. After making a pair of acclaimed anime feature films, "Millennium Actress" and "Tokyo Godfathers", Kon branched out into television with his series "Paranoia Agent" (2004). A television series which examines the human psyche and archetypes within the framework of modern Japanese popular culture, as well as issues of personal and cultural identity, Paranoia Agent has a strong subtext of social commentary on post-war Japanese culture. In 2006 he finished work on "Paprika", a feature-length film which received a wide release to cinemas worldwide in 2007.

Kon's works often blur fantasy and reality to the point where they are no longer distinguishable, and his films deal with subject matter not usually found in anime. In the case of "Tokyo Godfathers" (2003), Kon discusses urban homelessness, a topic not usually discussed in live-action Japanese films. Many parallels can be drawn between the views expressed in his works and those proclaimed by Takashi Murakami in his superflat manifesto.

Films

Director

*"Perfect Blue" (1997)
*"Millennium Actress" (2001)
*"Tokyo Godfathers" (2003)
*"Paprika" (2006) Based on the book by Yasutaka Tsutsui

Writer

*"World Apartment Horror" (1991) (with Katsuhiro Otomo)
*"Memories" "Magnetic Rose" segment (1996)

Animation designer

*"Roujin Z" (Layout) (Mistranslated on US DVD as Takeshi Kon) (1991)
*"Patlabor 2" (Scene Design) (1992)

Television series

*"Paranoia Agent" (妄想代理人; "Mousou Dairinin") (13 episodes, 2004)

Original video animations

*"JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" Episode 5 (1993) (Scene designer)

Manga

*"Return to the Sea" (海帰線; "Kaikisen") (1990)
*"Seraphim - 266613336 Wings" (1995) (with Mamoru Oshii) - Only published in magazine form

External links

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* http://hometheatermag.com/httalksto/1205talks/ Interview
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* [http://www.animangaweb.com/noticias.php?idn=5643&clase=1 Interview] Spanish