TOKYO – Acclaimed Japanese animated film director Satoshi Kon, known for "Tokyo Godfathers," "Millennium Actress" and other prize-winning movies, has died of pancreatic cancer. He was 46.
Considered one of Japan's most exciting directors of animated films, or "anime," Kon was born in 1963 on the island of Hokkaido and debuted as a comic book artist at age 23 while still an art student at Musashino Art University near Tokyo. He began making animated films about 1990, establishing a style that blurred the boundaries of reality and fantasy.
Kon died Tuesday, his wife Kyoko said in a statement released on his official website, Kon's Tone.
I'll have to be honest, I've only watched one work by Satoshi Kon (Paranoia Agent), and that was some time ago, when my mind is still not geared for philosophy and thought provoking work.
But I still remember the main character (?) of the story - the bat wielding boy who seemingly whack people randomly. And I do recall some certain expressions of the characters - which, I think, the only way for you to get what I'm saying is to watch the series on your own.
The enigmatic Shounen Bat of Paranoia Agent
This might put off some casual anime watchersSo it's quite funny that this event took place not long after I decided to rewatch Paranoia Agent.
I can't really say much about Satoshi Kon, other than the fact that I know his work is often cited as thought provoking (see above), and that I've thought of watching a few of his work one time or another, but I never gotten around to.
At the end of the day, I guess all I can say is that I'm sure his loss will be missed by the anime industry and some of us anime watchers. As for me, I guess what better time to go and check his works, eh?
(By the way, there's a good article written about Kon's legacy; although this is but one fan's perspective, it's a good read, in my opinion - if anything, it made me feel like I've missed something, ahaha...)
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