Forum - View topicThe Dreams of Satoshi Kon: Chapter III - Timeless
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Charred Knight
 Posts: 3085 |
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Great piece, too bad it's out of print and too expensive for me. Though if I remember right, if you have some money and are that desperate you could probably get it for a little more than 30 bucks new and 20 used.
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vashfanatic
 Posts: 3495 Location: Back stateside |
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Really? Then I guess that's another one I'm glad I have. I bought it cheap from a guy who was clearing out some of his old anime. I have no idea what possessed him to get rid of it; as far as I'm concerned you'd have to be living in a shoebox to justify needing to rid yourself of this. This isn't just one of my favorite anime movies of all time, this is one of my favorite movies of all time, period. I actually re-watched it today as part of my ongoing project of rewatching everything Satoshi Kon directed in order. I've actually seen this at regular video rental places, though, so check there if you want to watch it. As for buying it, sorry. I'm keeping my copy. |
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lostinagoodbook
 Posts: 114 |
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Very nice article. This is one of my favorites of all time. I saw it first when I was just starting to watch anime. I got a postcard on the release at Comic-con and it stayed in my desk drawer for a year before I remembered it and decided to rent the movie. I fell in love with it during that wonderful sequence with the bike mentioned in the article. It's so exciting and joyous. I remember watching it and being disappointed that she had worked so long to find someone she never had a chance to reunite with. It is only later that I realized the search for him was her motivation but not her reason for her journey in life. I need to watch this again now with a few more years under my belt, I know I will find more to glean from it. That's one thing I love about Kon, there is always something new to find when you watch one of his films.
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Julia-the-Great
 Posts: 328 |
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This was a great movie, and the first thing of Satoshi Kon's I ever saw. It was when I was first starting to get into anime, back in high school, and I knew pretty much nothing about anime, other than that I wanted to see more. I found this movie in Wal-Mart and blind-bought it. It was captivating, and probably one of the best buys I've ever done. Hearing that the prices are going up make me VERY happy that I already own it. Beautiful movie.
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Modandrocker
Posts: 10 |
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Great piece, Justin.
This is easily my favorite of Satoshi Kon's works. The strong emotional core really spoke to me. Also, as a cinephile, the homage to Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu were just a wonderful bonus to such a wonderful narrative. I actually own both the American and the UK release of this film. It is one of the very few double dips I have ever done. I hope a blu-ray does come out soon. |
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Greboruri
Posts: 389 Location: QBN, NSW, Australia |
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Kon’s got lots of really, really clever and rather obscure (to western viewers) Japanese cinema references in this film. Stuff like “Truck Yaro”. But there’s the familiar like Akira Kurosawa and Godzilla stuff. I originally interpreted the film as the birth, death and rebirth of the Japanese film industry told though an old retired actress’ memories. Note that in his previous film, Kon had a bunch of Susumu Hirasawa references, and in this film he’s doing the score. I have the Bandai Visual (Japan) collector’s box version of this film (covers with same English subs as the film print which toured festivals). Originally it heat sensitive artwork on the box which changed it from black to images of all the Chiyokos. Unfortunately it doesn’t work as well as it used to. However it’s in a lot better shape than the copies I’ve seen on Yahoo Auctions Japan.
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Greed1914
 Posts: 4649 |
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This movie managed to do something that nothing else ever did at my anime club: keep the club members quiet. It held onto them so firmly that they didn't feel the need to make an annoying comment.
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Otaking09
 Posts: 637 |
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Well done Justin. Well done.
Paprika was my first exp. to Kon. An experience that was, admittedly, not the best. Even more disappointing was Paranoia Agent. but not for the same reasons. Paprika wowed me with it's sheer style and music. Alone. It was, literally, a feast for the senses. Unfortunately, "thinking", or comprehending isn't a sense... I respected the film for "his" directing style, but... I couldn't see much more. P. Agent was a bit different. It had a message of sorts. Or at the very least, it had a destination. One that people could readily identify. The thing is, moral messages like these are best understood when the teller doesn't wrap up everything "completely". P. Agent, technically, did "that", but... It still felt more final than not. So I gave it a firm 7. That and Susumu's music wasn't a HUGE component until later... M. Actress... did it. Convinced me that Kon IS, and forever will be, a legend of a director, and man amongst men... Not only did he weave genius like a master clothes maker, he sprinkled(or... should I say doused!) his symbolized epic with powerful emotions, that not only spoke out to people universally, but allowed them to know, almost firsthand, what's being felt at the time. And Susumu, Kon's own personal Danny Elfman, must've been linked up his cyberbrain to his 24/7 to perfectly emote what was being told. This movie alone, for me, also did something else as well. Make me further appreciate that of which I've already seen of his. An added bonus. I rank this movie high. As high as Grave of the Fireflies. It's something that deserves as much treatment as the Ghibli movies, and DEMAND that this gets a sufficient Blu-ray treatment. If America were to dub this, I'd recommend Michelle Ruff for the titular role. Not only can she do(quite perfectly too), one of Fumiko's trademark roles, but she, herself, has proven that she can perform numerous vocal ranges, and still be readily emotional! It's something that'll probably never occur, but if I was a head of one of the major licensees, I'd do it!!! Great job, again, Justin. I found your summary, not only calming, but reassuring. It's ALWAYS nice to know that someone reached the same conclusion. But... being that this is M. Actress, you'd have to be inhumane to not get it! |
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Errinundra
Moderator
 Posts: 6588 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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Thanks for the great series.
We are soooooo lucky in Australia. Millenium Actress and Perfect Blue are both available through the local licence holders (Madman Entertainment and Siren Visual respectively). Tokyo Godfathers is another matter altogether. Australia is in the same region as South America and a version exists for the region with both English and Spanish subs. It requires tracking down, however. |
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BuffaloStyle
 Subscriber Posts: 274 Location: Colorado |
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HiroNotHero
 Posts: 37 Location: Hawaii |
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Ah, another good article. Very informative and interesting.
Sadly, I have yet to see this movie.  I have been meaning to watch/buy it for a while but just haven't gotten around to it yet. Anyway, I'm definitely going to buy/watch it in the near future. I have really enjoyed all of Satoshi Kon's works that I have seen thus far, so this is a given.
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Tu101uk
 Posts: 31 Location: London, UK |
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My batch of Satoshi Kon DVDs fell through the letter box recently, and, after rewatching Perfect Blue (my one and only experience with Kon) I sat down and watched Millennium Actress for the very first time, all the while trying to ignore the hype and popularity surrounding what many consider to be his greatest film.
I was just simply blown away. The imaginative transitions from story to story, the colourful fantasies mixing in with the bleak realities of war, jealousy and love. The lovable characters you could sympathise with, especially the whimsical, happy-go-lucky girl refusing to let go of her first love even into her adulthood and that very amusing director willing to die for his favourite actress. Whilst Perfect Blue hit my adult sensibilities (both now and when I watched it ten years previously), Millenium Actress tore out my heart, pulled at its strings and then let it go to find its own fate as Chiyoko bravely struggled to define hers. This series of articles have been really good so far. I can't wait to read the rest. I will have to watch Paprika and Tokyo Godfathers (not to mention Paranoia Agent, but I need to purchase the set of that next month... =_=) soon in order to appreciate the next few articles. O-O~ Last edited by Tu101uk on Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:02 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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This is a suitable manner of rationalising her plight, given the literal hopelessness of Chiyoko being reunited with the mystery character. Though this question can still be asked: in view of fact she knew this, to what degree, if any, is it appropriate to deem Millennium Actress a romance? ——— I have mentioned this before in the retail forum, though I believe it is worth noting again here: Those who can play R2 PAL discs should consider the UK release. It features a classification logo on the packaging, though it sells for only £3.00, and the cheapest shipping to the US would sum to an additional £3.08. Fans willing to part with the best part of $10 may wish to bear this product in mind. |
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Tu101uk
Posts: 31 Location: London, UK |
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I think it can be seen more as a romance between Chiyoko and her very hectic, topsy-turvy life. Like any romance, she had ups and downs, but ultimately, though her feelings towards a man with no name or face were fleeting, she learned to live and love everything else about her life to the fullest, up until the moment she went into seclusion spoiler[(and to the very end)].
This. 100%. I bought my batch of Satoshi Kon DVDs from Amazon's UK site (including a second-hand copy of Perfect Blue, since that is out-of-print). O-O~ |
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Kougeru
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