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NEWS: Satoshi Kon, His Wife, Madhouse Studio Write About His Passing


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toru



Joined: 22 Dec 2004
Posts: 115
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 6:08 am Reply with quote
dormcat wrote:
toru wrote:
This is Kon's last message Tiwanese version.
http://ppt.cc/RLWT
Japanese
http://togiushi2nd.blog54.fc2.com/blog-entry-1923.html

I think English from Tiwanese is more better than English from Japanese.
You can understand what Kon said by Google translation.

"Tiwanese"? Rolling Eyes By the way it has a few errors, such as mistakenly translated pancreas (膵臓) to spleen (脾臓).


I could not tralslate "簡体字"(of Taiwan) so I wrote Tiwanese. Because Google Translation can distinguish it automatically.
Of course, it's not perfect translation. I know it. But these people can't read Japanese. But want to know Kon's message. So I introduced it. Because can understand the rough meaning.
If hope perfect translation, please translate yourself from Kon's original Japanese.
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor


Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 9902
Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 6:48 am Reply with quote
toru wrote:
I could not tralslate "簡体字"(of Taiwan) so I wrote Tiwanese.

You typed it twice so I'm now sure you were intentional. Regardless of the political feuds past and present, the written language is still Chinese (traditional). 簡体字 means "simplified Chinese." Even if you wanted to type "Taiwanese" (some people refer Pe̍h-ōe-jī as written Taiwanese, but there are still many debates over the issue) you still "forgot" letter A twice.
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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15279
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 6:49 am Reply with quote
No, actually, a better literary analogy to this situation is The Little Prince. Because I feel like Kon had that same kind of emotional impact as that character. F**k, I'm still not over this shit. But I'm gradually getting it out of my system.... Crying or Very sad

Edit: Now, I just got who I really meant: John Lennon. Yes, Kon was the John Lennon of anime. He wasn't as big, but like Lennon, he tapped into a generation which had grown up on pop, and which wanted to be challenged by entertainment, find some personal real-world value in it. And yeah, when they both passed away, it meant something for their respective genres. So thanks for making such an impact on our lives, Kon-san. Crying or Very sad
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lem



Joined: 29 Sep 2007
Posts: 734
Location: Land of trying to figure sht out
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 8:59 am Reply with quote
Thank you for the translation(s) and updates. of course, after reading it, once again, I'm moved to tears by the news of his passing.

On a happier note, I just watched Tokyo Godfathers again. What a great movie. Thank you Satoshi Kon.
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Fiction Alchemist



Joined: 17 Mar 2005
Posts: 438
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 9:43 am Reply with quote
Return just for this message, because the director was important to me. I cried upon seeing his final note. Truly one of the greatest directors. Way too young to go.

Goodbye, Mr. Kon.
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zrdb





PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 10:55 am Reply with quote
Wierd to say but I and some friends watched the live action version of Perfect Blue and then the animated version just a few days before this sad news came out. I really liked his films-Millenium Actress was my favorite. RIP
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gartholamundi



Joined: 18 Mar 2010
Posts: 316
Location: Gainesville, FL
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 11:22 am Reply with quote
GATSU wrote:
Edit: Now, I just got who I really meant: John Lennon. Yes, Kon was the John Lennon of anime. He wasn't as big, but like Lennon, he tapped into a generation which had grown up on pop, and which wanted to be challenged by entertainment, find some personal real-world value in it. And yeah, when they both passed away, it meant something for their respective genres.


Gatsu, John Lennon is who came to my mind as well as I've struggled to come to terms with why Satoshi Kon's death has hit me so hard. Subjectively, that's the parallel that makes the most sense to me.

I still remember being an 11 year old kid sitting in the kitchen of my dad's house when we heard over the radio that John Lennon had been shot. While objectively different, subjectively the reception of Satoshi Kon's death hit me in a very similar way -- sudden, powerful, tragic, final.

And for me Kon's death has a more vital resonance and depth; partly perhaps because now my reaction is an adult reaction rather than a child's. While Lennon's still incredibly intense influence in the world at large is absolutely undeniable, my own connection to Kon's work is stronger in my own life. As I've grieved for Kon I've come to realize Kon was more than a director or storyteller to me.

He was one of my heroes.

I discovered Millenium Actress almost right at the beginning of what became a very long and painful divorce, and then lasting depression. That movie echoed strongly inside of me, was a kind of beacon of hope, connecting back to a pantheon of personal heroes -- Philip K Dick, Terry Gilliam, Joseph Campbell. All these thinkers, including Kon, in their own ways but over and over again, come back to the same impossibly important questions: What does it really mean to be human? What is the nature of reality? What is this journey of life that we are on?

There's no doubt in my mind that I discovered Kon's work, and through Kon discovered anime, at pivotal time, an "exactly right time" for me. Though I think the answers to the above questions are ultimately unanswerable, like the protagonist in Millenium Actress I think the journey itself is what is most important -- for me, the journey that results from continually attempting to answer those questions is what makes living and loving in this world worthwhile.


Maaya, thank you so much for your translation work. Your care in translation has helped so many of us connect again to the heart of one of our heroes. I am very grateful for all you've done here.

Many thanks also to all the staff of ANN for reporting this sad but important news, for providing this forum, and for moderating it.


Last edited by gartholamundi on Thu Aug 26, 2010 11:49 am; edited 1 time in total
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v1cious



Joined: 31 Dec 2002
Posts: 6199
Location: Houston, TX
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 11:27 am Reply with quote
the entire blog entry has been translated into english: http://www.makikoitoh.com/journal/satoshi-kons-last-words

I swear I almost cried reading this.
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Evelas



Joined: 17 Feb 2007
Posts: 107
Location: AL (inactive, now using Aeriven)
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 12:19 pm Reply with quote
So touching. Thank you to everyone who has worked to translate that final message.

I don't think his passing has quite hit me yet. It may be a while before it does. The world has lost an artistic genius, and his influence on the anime and film industry will not be forgotten.

Thank you, Satoshi Kon, for everything. Crying or Very sad
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negativeHeaven



Joined: 18 Oct 2008
Posts: 5
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 12:39 pm Reply with quote
I can't even express how upset I am after reading that letter. I cried when I heard the news that he died, but I'm crying even harder now. I never had the opportunity to meet Satoshi Kon, like many of us, but I felt like I knew him. Through his work, through his art, a little off beat but captivating and beautiful all the same, I knew him. I loved the way he always immersed himself in his imagination and how he melded our world with his. As an artist, he has been one of my biggest inspirations. As a director, he has created some of the most surreal and wonderful anime I have ever seen. As a human, he is someone that I aspire to be. Someone who lives with no limits and no boundaries. Someone with limitless energy and a limitless will to live. Someone who dedicated himself to what he loved and never apologized for pushing our buttons in ways we didn't even know they could be pushed.

Thank you Satoshi Kon for all that you've done. You will always be in our hearts, and you will be sorely missed.
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MorwenLaicoriel



Joined: 26 Feb 2006
Posts: 1617
Location: Colorado
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 12:46 pm Reply with quote
v1cious wrote:
the entire blog entry has been translated into english: http://www.makikoitoh.com/journal/satoshi-kons-last-words

I swear I almost cried reading this.


Thank you for posting this translation.

I mentioned in the last thread that I was numb, and it hadn't really settled in. It has now, I'm crying. It might seem silly to do that for a man I never really knew, but between his animation and this last note I do feel like I've learned a little about him.

It's sort of funny, reading his last words both makes me want to give up and spend the day not working, but at the same time it gives me a lot of motivation to keep going. If Satoshi Kon could do so much at only 46, there must be a good amount that I can do in my life if I start getting serious and focusing, right?

So yeah, part of me would love to sit here and blubber all day, but I've got class in about an hour. It's time for me to get ready and go. That's probably the best way to honor him, I think. To keep living and keep creating.
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RhymesWithEmpty



Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 208
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 1:49 pm Reply with quote
One of my favorite directors. This is really a horrible loss in so many ways, it's a true tragedy to see such a brilliantly creative mind who brought us so many wonderful things die so young. I had to wipe tears from my eyes several times while reading that blog entry. Truly heart breaking, touching, and at the same time encouraging.

Your incredible talent and vision can never be replaced. You will be missed more than you know, Satoshi Kon. Thank you for all of the magic you brought into this world.
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animefan1238



Joined: 28 Nov 2006
Posts: 298
Location: Ma
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 2:26 pm Reply with quote
First of all maaya thanks for the translation. You could feel every emotion he had when he wrote it. Its been over a day since I learned this and I still cannot believe it. Being 46 when this happens is too young. Some people think its crazy for people to be upset/sad when actors,directors etc. die, but with the work they do it might have been that one that got you emotional and took your breath away. It still hurts to know that he his gone.

RIP Mr. Kon. Your were one-of-a-kind. A true master.
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khaos1019



Joined: 28 Nov 2007
Posts: 93
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 2:31 pm Reply with quote
This is such a devastating blow. He was truly a genius of our time. My heart goes out to his friends and family. I've been following Kon's career since Perfect Blue, and I remember the first time I watched Paprika just thinking, "Man, I can't wait to see what else this guy does with his career."

At least, in his films, he left behind a true love for humanity that we should all learn to appreciate.
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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15279
PostPosted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 5:27 pm Reply with quote
garth: I was only a year old myself, but they played his music a lot around that time, and even then I just knew something was gone with his passing.

As for my experience with Kon, I got into him starting with a promo-reel of Magnetic Rose playing at my local con. I was buying up everything Otomo-related, but back then, I could only settle for the fansub of Memories. Unfortunately, it took a whole decade for that thing to finally hit legal home video here. But by then, some guy told me about PB, and after seeing the fansub, I went to a screening of the Manga dub. Big mistake, considering how off-key the voices were, but I do remember it being one of my first DVDs.
Then some friend with industry connections told me about MA, and I caught a screening at AFI, and I was in love. Plus, Kon was right in the middle of the audience, and he seemed to be in good spirits. For some reason, a big chunk of the audience for that show left before he could do a Q+A, even though they noted one in the announcement. But he actually made me intererested in Kurosawa, when he name-dropped Throne of Blood, FFS. I tended to avoid the latter director, 'cus I was more into Miike and Godzilla stuff, and not the hardcore arthouse stuff. Hell, when I graduated college, I chose BAAF as my vacation, partly because Tokyo Godfathers was going to be there. As Justin has noted, the screening was a disaster, and I actually thought that was his weakest work, but I continued on, but disappointed by the first few eps of Paranoia Agent, too. I think I saw more of it on AS, and I liked it more then, but some of it didn't take, and I gave up.

I was actually ready to write off the guy completely, because what I saw of Paprika[I was late, because the advanced screening was a pain in the ass.] was a disappointment. But I had missed the first 10 minutes or so, and unlike other movies, they actually made a difference in my enjoyment of the film. And after giving it a second shot, I was ready to root for the guy again. I even bought out Paranoia Agent when Geneon went under to finally finish the show. And while the first half of it was a little bit more plodding, the second half was where it delivered for me.

So I joined his board to see what it was like in his daily life, and he just seemed like a guy who had the best job and best life ever and knew it. Definitely someone to admire personally. You know, I saw him walking around the streets of NYC when he was at BAAF, and I just called his name to make sure it was him, and he smiled and shook my hand like that. Real gentleman. Crying or Very sad

Anyway, it's funny that you bring up Gilliam, as Kon mentioned being a fan of his in an Akadot interview, and I kind of can't wonder if Gilliam returned the favor with how he shot certain scenes in Parnassus. So yeah, if they are going to make a LA version of that film, I'd only trust Gilliam to do it right. ButThere was a "greatest animated film" list he hosted a while back, and he name-dropped a few anime titles, including Paprika, so he's at least aware of the genre.
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