Otaku and Kawaii
It feels like November has barely begun, and yet here we are three weeks in. Like most months on Horror Queers, we’ve been all over the place, including the dream-like pastel world of Jennifer Reeder’s women-centric Knives and Skin and the 25th-anniversary fascist machismo world of Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers. Now we’re pivoting for a return trip to Japan with our second foray into animated fare (after ParaNorman) with Satoshi Kon‘s stunning first film, Perfect Blue.
In the film, Mima (voiced by Junko Iwao) is an Idol being groomed for a career jump from singing to acting. Despite the protests of her manager Rumi (voiced by Rica Matsumoto), Mima agrees to a controversial and confronting storyline on the derivative police procedural ‘Double Bind.’ But her shift into increasingly adult fare doesn’t sit well with all of Mima’s controlling fans, including...
It feels like November has barely begun, and yet here we are three weeks in. Like most months on Horror Queers, we’ve been all over the place, including the dream-like pastel world of Jennifer Reeder’s women-centric Knives and Skin and the 25th-anniversary fascist machismo world of Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers. Now we’re pivoting for a return trip to Japan with our second foray into animated fare (after ParaNorman) with Satoshi Kon‘s stunning first film, Perfect Blue.
In the film, Mima (voiced by Junko Iwao) is an Idol being groomed for a career jump from singing to acting. Despite the protests of her manager Rumi (voiced by Rica Matsumoto), Mima agrees to a controversial and confronting storyline on the derivative police procedural ‘Double Bind.’ But her shift into increasingly adult fare doesn’t sit well with all of Mima’s controlling fans, including...
- 11/21/2022
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue Is The Kind Of Anime Masterpiece That Reminds Us Of What Animation Can Be
(Welcome to Animation Celebration, a recurring feature where we explore the limitless possibilities of animation as a medium. In this first edition: "Perfect Blue.")
2022 has been an insulting year for animation. In March, the Academy Awards loudly declared that animation is something for children to enjoy and adults to tolerate before giving out the award for Best Animated Feature, a disrespectful comment that perpetuates the stigma that animated works are "lesser than" because the medium is often enjoyed by younger audiences. HBO Max absolutely obliterated their catalog of animated content as a money-saving measure following the Warner Bros. and Discovery merger, and Netflix has canceled multiple planned animated projects this year, including Mike Judge's "Bad Crimes," which was already in the middle of production. Today, Disney CEO Bob Chapek put his foot in his mouth yet again this year, during Wall Street Journal's Tech Live presentation.
"I always say...
2022 has been an insulting year for animation. In March, the Academy Awards loudly declared that animation is something for children to enjoy and adults to tolerate before giving out the award for Best Animated Feature, a disrespectful comment that perpetuates the stigma that animated works are "lesser than" because the medium is often enjoyed by younger audiences. HBO Max absolutely obliterated their catalog of animated content as a money-saving measure following the Warner Bros. and Discovery merger, and Netflix has canceled multiple planned animated projects this year, including Mike Judge's "Bad Crimes," which was already in the middle of production. Today, Disney CEO Bob Chapek put his foot in his mouth yet again this year, during Wall Street Journal's Tech Live presentation.
"I always say...
- 10/27/2022
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
The leaves are withering, the air is turning crisp, and film festival season is well underway — which means even more foreign-language movies to receive raves on the fall awards circuit before getting promptly buried on a streamer. But don't let that happen to "Athena," a staggering French drama that is in danger of falling into the Netflix abyss, crowded out by your "Gray Men" or "Kissing Booth's." Or check out one of last year's forgotten festival darlings in Céline Sciamma's "Petite Maman." And because spooky season is now here, we have a horror anime classic making their streaming debuts, alongside a cyberpunk anime classic. Plus, "Little Women," but make it crime?
Let's fire up those subtitles and get streaming.
Athena – Netflix
Country: France
Genre: Action drama
Director: Romain Gavras
Cast: Dali Benssalah, Sami Slimane, Anthony Bajon, Ouassini Embarek, Alexis Manenti.
"Athena" is a Molotov cocktail of a movie: incendiary,...
Let's fire up those subtitles and get streaming.
Athena – Netflix
Country: France
Genre: Action drama
Director: Romain Gavras
Cast: Dali Benssalah, Sami Slimane, Anthony Bajon, Ouassini Embarek, Alexis Manenti.
"Athena" is a Molotov cocktail of a movie: incendiary,...
- 9/27/2022
- by Hoai-Tran Bui
- Slash Film
Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist Review Video — Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist (2021) Video Movie Review, a movie directed by Pascal-Alex Vincent, written by Pascal-Alex Vincent, and starring Darren Aronofsky, Marc Caro, Jeremy Clapin, Megumi Hayashibara, Mamoru Hosoda, Junko Iwao, Masao Maruyama, Masayuki Murai, Mamoru Oshii, Rodney Rothman, and Aya Suzuki. Crew Théo Chapira created the music for [...]
Continue reading: Video Movie Review: Satoshi Kon The Illusionist (2021): Very Compelling from the Moment It Begins...
Continue reading: Video Movie Review: Satoshi Kon The Illusionist (2021): Very Compelling from the Moment It Begins...
- 10/19/2021
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
When we think of the term “auteur” or “auteur theory” we usually include directors such as Alfred Hitchcock or Stanley Kubrick given the diversity in their work, the amount of creative control they had and the recurring themes in their features. Especially the latter is interesting because Kubrick has managed to leave his footprint in the world of film, even though he has only produced a small number of films, in comparison to Hitchcock that is. Given this definition, director Satoshi Kon, although he helmed even a smaller number of features, should deserve the title as well, especially since features like “Paprika” or “Perfect Blue” are considered masterpieces of the genre and remain influential sources for filmmakers all over the world. In his documentary “Satoshi Kon, The Illusionist” French director Pascal-Alex Vincent, who previously made “Miwa, A Japanese Icon” about actor Akihiro Miwa, tells the story of arguably one of...
- 8/14/2021
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist Review — Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist (2021) Film Review from the 25th Annual Fantasia International Film Festival, a movie directed by Pascal-Alex Vincent, and starring Darren Aronofsky, Marc Caro, Jeremy Clapin, Megumi Hayashibara, Mamoru Hosoda, Junko Iwao, Masao Maruyama, Masayuki Murai, Mamoru Oshii, Rodney Rothman, and Aya Suzuki. Legendary Japanese [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist: An Informative Look at the Work of an Anime Legend [Fantasia 2021]...
Continue reading: Film Review: Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist: An Informative Look at the Work of an Anime Legend [Fantasia 2021]...
- 8/3/2021
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
The year 1997 was a milestone in Kon’s career for two reasons: the release of this particular movie in cinemas, and the initiation of his collaboration with Madhouse Inc., who sheltered his genius until his last birth.
“Perfect Blue” was initially meant to be a live action TV series; however, after the Kobe earthquake in 1995, the production studio suffered extensive damages resulting in budget cuts, up to a point that solely allowed the shooting of an Ova. Nevertheless, even though the shootings were roughly half-completed, Madhouse decided to distribute it as a feature film.
Originally, the script was to be based upon the homonymous book by Yoshikazu Takeuchi; however, after close inspection by Kon and Sadayuki Murai, the co-writer of the script, they asked and eventually received permission to alter the story.
Mima Kirigoe, a member of the largely popular J-pop band Cham, announces during a concert...
“Perfect Blue” was initially meant to be a live action TV series; however, after the Kobe earthquake in 1995, the production studio suffered extensive damages resulting in budget cuts, up to a point that solely allowed the shooting of an Ova. Nevertheless, even though the shootings were roughly half-completed, Madhouse decided to distribute it as a feature film.
Originally, the script was to be based upon the homonymous book by Yoshikazu Takeuchi; however, after close inspection by Kon and Sadayuki Murai, the co-writer of the script, they asked and eventually received permission to alter the story.
Mima Kirigoe, a member of the largely popular J-pop band Cham, announces during a concert...
- 12/2/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Directed by: Satoshi Kon
Written by: Sadayuki Murai, Yoshikazu Takeuchi
Cast: Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji, Masaaki Ôkura, Yôsuke Akimoto, Yoku Shioya, Hideyuki Hori, Emi Shinohara, Masashi Ebara, Kiyoyuki Yanada, Tôru Furusawa, Shiho Niiyama, Emiko Furukawa
Diving headfirst into Kon Month, I’ll be starting off with Satoshi Kon’s very own directorial debut, Perfect Blue. An adaptation loosely based off a book of the same name written by Yoshikazu Takeuchi, Perfect Blue originally hit theaters in 1997 and was greatly received by many around the world, not just anime fans.
To this day, Perfect Blue has strong holding in the anime industry. Many people consider this movie to be Kon’s magnum opus among his many great films. I personally had not seen it and was skeptical of their opinions; even as I began watching the film I was skeptical of its greatness. However, by the end my opinion was greatly changed,...
Written by: Sadayuki Murai, Yoshikazu Takeuchi
Cast: Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji, Masaaki Ôkura, Yôsuke Akimoto, Yoku Shioya, Hideyuki Hori, Emi Shinohara, Masashi Ebara, Kiyoyuki Yanada, Tôru Furusawa, Shiho Niiyama, Emiko Furukawa
Diving headfirst into Kon Month, I’ll be starting off with Satoshi Kon’s very own directorial debut, Perfect Blue. An adaptation loosely based off a book of the same name written by Yoshikazu Takeuchi, Perfect Blue originally hit theaters in 1997 and was greatly received by many around the world, not just anime fans.
To this day, Perfect Blue has strong holding in the anime industry. Many people consider this movie to be Kon’s magnum opus among his many great films. I personally had not seen it and was skeptical of their opinions; even as I began watching the film I was skeptical of its greatness. However, by the end my opinion was greatly changed,...
- 9/29/2010
- by Geek With Taste
- Planet Fury
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