I came home yesterday to the sad news that Satoshi Kon, director of such iconic animated masterpieces as Paprika and Paranoia Agent, had passed away quite suddenly at the young age of 46. I've already read many condolences and statements of shock; scattered amongst them have been some eloquent words regarding Mr. Kon's body of work. I, unfortunately am not so eloquent; I've greatly enjoyed all of his animated films but I don't feel like I'm in a position to say anything meaty about them at this time. One thing that came to mind, however, was a fond memory about the day some friends and I went to see Paprika.
It was Spring, and my husband and I still lived fairly close to our college campus. Word had spread quickly about an early showing of Paprika at the local one-screen cinema, and we got a bunch of friends together to go see it. The group of us met at my apartment, and we all walked to the theater, across campus, with a light breeze following us. Our anticipation built as we waited in line outside the theater, sharing the sidewalk with other anime fans and film enthusiasts, before we finally filed into the theater. I remember sitting behind a guy with a large hairstyle and barely being able to crane my neck to see the subtitles, but the film's imagery and music were thrilling and eye-opening to me in spite of that. When it finished, I remember experiencing the overwhelming urge to watch it again right away, the characters and soundtrack bouncing through my head like so much surreal dream imagery.
I hope that Satoshi Kon knew just how far-reaching and well-loved and appreciated his films were, not just in his home country, but by critics and fans all over the world. We will all miss the spark of creativity he brought to the anime landscape.
Kon's death doesn't seem completely real to me yet. "He can't be dead," I tell myself, "he still has a movie coming out!"
It will sink in that much more, I believe, once "The Dream Machine" is actually out and the words IN LOVING MEMORY OF SATOSHI KON stare back at us from the credits.
Where he went I pray that others will also follow.