R.I.P.

Yeah, I know it's pointless unless Kon-san's family and friends see this, but I really appreciated what he did for the anime genre, and I'm glad I could give back by letting him see that Ultra 7 episode before he died. I was hoping to find out if it impacted his take on Dream Machine, but I guess it was not to be. I wish I knew Kon-san more personally, but from what I saw of him at various screenings he attended, he seemed like a very sophisticated and jovial fellow. I got into his work through the first short in Memories, even though I didn't know it was his at the time. I knew I wanted to see it when they screened a test reel at a convention, and I wasn't disappointed. It's truly the best of the trilogy, and I'm so glad that it got an official, albeit belated, U.S. release, as it was very under-looked in the fan community. Perfect Blue was clearly next on my viewing charts, based on word of mouth from a friend. And it totally blew my mind how you could write a story with so much suspense, surprise, and maturity, that I was hoping he'd be viewed as the next Otomo. Unfortunately, that was not to be, as the genre was already heading in the wrong direction with the acclaim centered around a similar, but less substantive, OVA known as Kite.

But Kon-san kept doing things his way, and while everyone else in the industry was going for anime centered around [boring] teens, he made films for adults. He was addressing contemporary poverty in Japan and disintegrating families before most of that country's mainstream media outlets. He tackled psychological problems and boldly challenged consumer conformity and tabloid entertainment. He didn't limit himself to one audience, either. There's a "something for everyone" aesthetic to his legacy. Millennium Actress is for younger audiences, while Tokyo Godfathers is for teens. He was truly one of a kind, and will be missed. I really hate signing off now, because it means acknowledging his loss, but I hope he'll be happy finally getting the chance to hang out with Kurt Vonnegut, and not having to worry about deadlines. Goodbye, Kon-san.

ZYL, etc. feel free to translate and/or throw in your two cents. Via AICNAnime, http://kamome.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/news/1282672277/ 's take on the subject, and an old interview with Perfect Blue @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsVqAq-guhc&feature=youtu.be . American fans comment @ http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/bbs/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=133945