Satoshi Kon...

So I just found out Satoshi Kon died yesterday. I was never a huge anime fan, but Perfect Blue has always been one of my favourite films. If you have never seen any Japanese animation, or if you have stayed away for fear that it's all big robots in space hitting each other and pocket monsters having fights then find a copy of Perfect Blue and watch it right now. Even if you have no interest in anime, don't really care about films, are not even sure why you're reading this blog - you should still watch Perfect Blue. It's a truly amazing piece of work.

It's a film about the cult of celebrity and what happens when it gets out of control. It's quite grim in places, but has a rhythm and style that is often quite beautiful. It pushes boundaries and takes risks in the way it structures the story, but does so with a level of control and intent that demonstrates true genius. It works as a neat little Hitchcockian thriller but manages to be incredibly moving at the same time. I can't think of the last time I said that about a thriller.

As I said, I was never a huge fan of anime. But if there were more filmmakers like Satoshi Kon maybe I would be.