Friday, March 2, 2007

Coming Attractions: Paprika


There are few words to describe the majesty of Satoshi Kon's genius, but awesome, heartwarming, and overwhelming are some of them. His unswerving loyalty to the anime form, and his insistence on telling fully-formed feature length stories within its boundaries are examplary.

The main "problem" with anime is that it relies on fairly static character animation complemented by stationary backgrounds over the course of a given shot, if not an entire scene. One has to master both anime as a form and the art of storytelling in order to create a distinctive world within an overall constrictive framework. It is a testament to Kon's talents that he can tell better stories in such an anachronistic, almost antediluvian, style than many of his "contemporaries" in Hollywood.

Like the incredible Tokyo Godfathers before it, Kon's next feature, Paprika, promises to be a feast for the senses and the soul. You can view the trailer here: http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/paprika/trailer/.