My Dinner with Kon Satoshi

Andrew has tagged me with the My Dinner With Blank, meme. Here goes:

1. Pick a single person past or present who works in the film industry you would like to have dinner with. And tell us why you chose this person.

2. Set the table for your dinner. What would you eat? Would it be in a home or at a restaurant? And what would you wear? Feel free to elaborate on the details.

3. List five thoughtful questions you would ask this person during dinner.

4. When all is said and done, select six bloggers to pass this Meme along to.
(Not doing this one. Sorry, but the only person I could think to tap is the one who tagged me)

5. Link back to Lazy Eye Theatre, so people know the mastermind behind this Meme.

The stereotypical answer would be someone like Kurosawa Akira, but I don't know his films as well as I probably should. It's something that I've resolved to fix in the future. Moving into the Anime Medium, again it's tough to say. Miyazaki Hayao falls into the same category as Kurosawa, though my viewing record with his works is a bit better. What about Tomino Yoshiyuki? While he is the mastermind behind a good deal of anime that I've enjoyed, I did get to ask a question of him when I saw him at the 2006 Chicago International Film Festival, and frankly, I was left underwhelmed. Boy, this is going to be a tougher than I thought.
As I lean back in my chair and try to drum up some inspiration, my eyes naturally begin to wander toward my DVD racks, as is often the case as I think about what I want to write about in this blog that is my small corner of the internet. Over 300 DVDs sitting there, something has to be laying there amongst the crowds. Finally, I see it. Sitting between my copy of Akira and Otaku no Video (I really need to set aside some time to better organize these) sits Paranoia Agent and Paprika. Two of the works by Kon Satoshi. Jackpot.

What puts Kon above all these others? Compared to the others mentioned, he's a newcomer to the anime scene, but he's a newcomer with a certain punch. His works can leave an audience rolling with laughter or at the edge of their seats in anxiousness, often changing within the blink of an eye. It's part of his talent which is blurring the lines on so many things. Kon might not be the first name thought of when someone asks us to name an anime director, but the punch his films have is undeniable. A mind with so many creative ideas like his has got to be fun to chat with.

As for dinner, I'm packing my bags and meeting the man in Japan. (Let's face it, I'll take just about any chance I can to take a trip over there) And so long as it doesn't involve Tako (octopus) I'm letting him choose a favorite place for him to take me for a fun relaxed and casual chat. Doesn't have to be too fancy, and like any place on earth, trust the locals, they know where the good places to eat are. If Kon-San insists it's my choice, I'm voting for just some good zaru-soba from a konbini and chatting in the lounge at the studio. Maybe a some Sapporo beer to top if off too. This is one instance where I'd rather just be laid back and make it a low key chat.

Five Questions:
-Which of your works was the hardest to let go to be finished? If you could go back and keep working at one, continuing to improve it, which would it be?

-One of your best talents (in my opinion) is often blurring the line between reality and something from someone's imagination and animation is a tool that really assists in making this transition seem much more real. What do you think makes animation such a great art form to work in?

-Your works, along with many other anime titles are among the works that have been brought over to other audiences, especially in America. Do you think there is too much of "Japaneseness" that will be lost on viewers who aren't well versed in the native culture of these pieces? If yes, what do you feel is the best remedy for this problem is?

-What's one of your favorite stories from working on one of your projects?

-Are there any directors or films, Japanese or otherwise, that you feel have particularly inspired your style of filmmaking?

Random Musing(s) #4:

Some random reflections as 2007 comes to an end:

- It's bizarre to think that a year ago, I didn't know who the Blue Hearts were.

- I never really said much about this, but attending part of the Cool Japan lectures at Harvard and learning not only that what I was expecting Afro Samurai to be was way off (in a good way) but getting to hear the Okazaki's thoughts was special. Do yourself a favor and go grab this one. With only five episodes, it's easy to grab and watch in one sitting. (And watching a bonus feature that opens with Sam Jackson saying "Nothing is as exciting as manga and anime" just makes my day)

- Gundam Battle Chronicle made me glad that PSP games are region free and made commutes on the T much more tolerable.

- Best Anime Movie/Film not viewed until 2007: Royal Space Force Wings of Honneamise
Honorable Mention(s): Paprika, and Arcadia of My Youth

- Best Anime TV series not viewed until 2007: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (This really shouldn't be any surprise to anyone by now)
Honorable Mention(s): Paranoia Agent

- Most Anticipated Releases for 2008: The rest of Gundam 00, Macross Frontier, and the next installment of Rebuild of Evangelion

- Goals for 2008: Tracking down and reading the final volume of the Akira manga, watching Voices of a Distant Star, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, and at least one more work by Matsumoto Leiji, as well as adding to my list of Kurosawa films I own.

"I don't really even know what's going to happen tomorrow."

Every once in a while there is a film that catches you off guard. They might posses a moment that makes us glad that there’s a rewind button so we can re-watch a particular scene. They might leave us stepping back for a moment as the credits roll, processing what we just saw in either confusion. And then there are those that just leave us thinking; thinking about the experience that the film just put us through. Shinkai Matoko’s 5 Centimeters per Second is one of those films in that last category for me.

It’s with a slight amount of shame I admit that until sitting down to 5 Centimeters this week, I had yet to see anything by Shinkai. The viewing of Voices of a Distant Star is one of the few times I missed an MCLA Anime Club meeting. (If memory serves, it was due to still being exhausted after staffing for an anime convention for the first time in my life and the meeting was the following Monday) Yet I’d always heard that the work of Shinkai was something worth seeing. 5 Centimeters did not disappoint.

Taking its title from the speed that cherry blossom petals are said to fall at, the film is broken into three sections of a boy’s (and eventually a young man’s) life. The first follows his life as he goes into middle school, and is separated from a friend who, like him, moves very often due to the nature of her parents’ work. The boy, Takaki, makes a journey by several trains to visit his friend, Akari. With the snow continually falling, his journey becomes more and more delayed on his way to see her. From Akari’s letters read through a voice over and Takaki’s own narration throughout this section we learn the origins of their friendship, and their struggle to preserve it despite growing distances. Hours later than intended, the two are reunited for what will most likely be the last time.

In the film’s second section, Takaki is now in his high school days, and there is another girl Kanae, who is infatuated and intrigued by him. Taken in by his kind nature, she finds herself struggling with trying to confess her feelings for him. Yet Takaki seems to constantly be just out of reach, as if there is something else holding part of his focus. Kanae struggles to come to terms with this.

In the final sequence, all three characters have gone their own ways, and are living their own lives, separate from one another. Akari is engaged to be married with an unnamed man, Takaki is working as a computer programmer, and Kanae is going about her own life as well. Yet despite all being in their own lives, the three cannot help but reflect on the past that seems to be nothing more than a dream now. As Yamazaki Masayoshi’s “One More Time, One More Chance” begins to play in the foreground of the films soundtrack, various scenes of the three characters lives are shown, both past and present.

First impressions of 5 Centimeters per Second are very tricky, at first appearing to try and send a message that all early love is doomed to be fleeting. And while there is a hint of truth to this sentiment, it’s far from the real essence of the film. Each character represents a different state of being. Takaki only looks at things as they once were; Akari as they will become; and Kanae as they are currently.

So what is the final essence of Shinkai’s film? It’s that chance encounters slowly shape people in ways one can sometimes not fathom when they occur. The past is gone, but it still has importance as it is what brings one to where they are now. The present will be gone sooner than one might expect, and the future is always approaching. Happiness lies in enjoying the present, and understanding its importance. Like the cherry blossoms and snow, everything has a familiar point of origin, but where the wind takes it remains to be seen.

I'd forgotten about this, and after being reminded of it I still must ask. Why does Hollywood hate us?

Just call me a PAC-Man

Well folks, sorry about the lack of posts lately, I've just been kept busy between work and stuff with the New England Anime Society. I make the distinction of saying NEAS and not just Anime Boston because recently I was offered, and I accepted the position of Director of Memberships for the Providence Anime Conference. I'm really excited to be a part of this. It's a new angle/concept for anime conventions that differs from what many people have come to expect out of the events. Aiming something for a more mature (and possibly more professional and/or academic as well) will definitely be a bit of a challenge, yet at the same time I think there's enough of a demand in the community that PAC can be successful.
I'll be sure to post more thoughts on things as they develop. I might have been part of the Anime Boston staff since 2004, (and a volunteer in 2003) but this position with PAC is my first executive position with a convention. It's a lot more work, even with PAC's memberships staying at only 2000, but I think I'm up to the challenge, and I'd be lying if I said I'm not enjoying getting to know people in all aspects NEAS better as time goes on.

Japan, Ink: Inside the Manga Industrial Complex

Wired recently published a really good article about the status of Manga in Japan.
It can be found here.

Pierce The Heavens With Your Review!

As promised, here's my review of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. This is my second review for Anime-Source too. (Even if I didn't have this series as an assignment, I'd want to comment on it)