The animated feature film "Millennium Actress" by the late director Satoshi Kon Kon was screened at the 3rd Niigata International Animation Film Festival, an anime film festival being held in Niigata City on March 16th. After the screening, character designer and animation director Takeshi Honda, animation director Kenichi Konishi, and character designer and animation director Masashi Ando of "Paprika" appeared as talk guests. They talked about how great Kon was and the huge impact he had on the anime industry.
Honda reflected on Director Ima at the time of the production of "Millennium Actress," saying, "How could he draw so quickly? It was difficult to keep up with him and work on the same level."
The director's "amazing layouts" are still talked about today. Honda said, "He has great artistic ability, and the way he arranges his drawings is similar to that of his master, Otomo (Katsuhiro). He puts them together neatly with a minimum of lines," and "I still use him as my model. Even if I try to copy him, I won't be able to do it." Konishi praised him, saying, "I was completely dependent on him. He told me, 'You have no love for the buildings.'" Ando praised him, saying, "The layouts are one of his characteristics. They have a big impact on the industry. No one can draw like that."
Honda commented, "The way he draws the debris is brilliant. It's debris that you can tell what it is originally from, so it's hard to imitate," while Ando commented, "I was shocked when I saw 'Perfect Blue.' The images themselves aren't very dramatic, but the cuts show the dramatic effect."
As Honda said, "For better or worse, he left behind an example to follow. If (the current director) wasn't there, things might have been more relaxed," he had a major impact on the anime industry.
Konishi said, "For me, I consider Ima to be the foundation of his work, along with Ghibli," reflecting on their days working together to produce anime. Ando commented, "If Ima had been alive and continued to create, he might have left behind something different. I'm curious to see what he would create with his directing and drawing skills."
"Millennium Actress" is a story about a production company president who decides to make a documentary to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the company's founding, and ends up interviewing a great actress who disappeared from the silver screen at the height of her popularity. Susumu Hirasawa composed the music. It was released in 2002.
The festival aims to be one of the largest festivals in Asia with a feature-length animated film competition category, with the aim of spreading the culture of anime from Niigata to the world. The first festival was held in Niigata City from March 17th to 22nd, 2023, and the second from March 15th to 20th, 2024. The third festival will be held from March 15th to 20th. A special screening of director Ima's work will be held.
