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I see, although I disagree with you when you say Hideki Ano's (directing!) style is particularly unique, I can most certainly agree when you say that his direction is far more Kubrick inspired than Shinkai's, and in context, Shinkai's lack of direct and personalized directorial tribute certainly makes my attempts to pin down his influences on him ever increasingly futile.

Bah, it should be no large deal to respect the opinions of others; zealous is too harsh a word.

And dude, from what I can see on your top anime list, Kon's movies will ring you like a bell. Start with Tokyo Godfathers, it's the best holiday movie I've ever seen, and tis the season.

Loud and clear. I can't recall any more specifics about cuts from the film as I haven't seen it since then, but the ones I had in my notes as definitively inspired were most of those in 1st person (like the crushing one on the mountain having a lot in common with a scene from Paths Of Glory), and quite a few of the ones in the countryside ceremonies looking like Kurosawa's Dreams. Maybe I was a bit more suggestible when I thought I saw a few Keaton esque impossible gags, but I didn't remark on those as I thought they were a bit of a stretch. Are there any other inspirations you saw in the film? Surely you wouldn't say it all felt original.

EDIT: Oh, would you agree with me that there is definitively some Satoshi Kon influence here? It feels a lot more adventurous with it's transitions than his other works.

EDIT 2: Oh, and for the citation, I remember him saying in the interview at anime expo that he spent time consulting with the radwimps even when he was england. But nothing makes me doubt my memories more than being unable to find transcripts or footage of it because every time I google his name and england it just talks about the AnimeLimited Licensing deal for Your Name.

I see, and I totally see where you're coming from, but if those aggressive match cuts don't feel Kubrick to you, who else do you think they feel like if not also Kon?

Because he did spend a bit of time in England studying film history while writing the film.

Nah man, films good, I'm just a crappy writer. I do stand by the comparisons though. Kubrick would have done very similar stuff to some of the hard cuts if he had the camera tech for it, he did like using weird perspective tracking shots towards the end of his career; and the use of doors as framing for the extended domicile shots from knee level during the mealtime scenes seemed really Ozu to me. Think I dug too deep?

I've never heard of Ghost Stories! I'll look into it, thank you bud!

Hah, yeah... it would seem like we do. Anything that has something insightful to offer is what I typically want from anime — none of those cliche-riddles ones. That's a long time to be an anime fan! I agree, anime has a certain uniqueness that other mediums just can't replicate. It's part of its charm. I'm also a fan of animation! I did my undergrad for animation. :D

D'aw, console mostly? I'm more of a PC guy myself. I tend to gravitate towards arena/pvp-based games. The Last Guardian looks phenomenal! I don't own a PS4, but with FFV and that coming out, i'm considering.

I don't mind about Aldnoah.Zero. If we have such similar tastes, chances are i'll feel the same about it. :P

nuuu, i accidentally deleted your post. -_-

Ahaha. Only if you mean in video games >:D

Likewise, amigo! Is your list up-to-date? I wonder how similar your tastes would be if you were to watch more of the same shows.

Yeah, I figured that would be the case, but I try not to judge shows too harshly and give them the benefit of the doubt before I watch a few episodes. In turn, I have a big pile of anime disappointments and wasted time, but it's worth it to find the gems. Sad to hear that Aldnoah.Zero would probably fall under the list. I'm not really a fan of mecha per se, but if it has a powerful character-driven story with substance, i'm all for it.

I'm actually really curious since we share similar opinions -- What type of shows do you enjoy? Do you enjoy PC games as well? I wonder how similar we are in other things. :o

lul 82% compatibility wtf.

Technology may be hurting our taste and patience. We're so used to getting things "on-demand" and everywhere that we don't appreciate moderation or nuance as much as we used to. We used to only be able to see shows when their aired, leaving us with time to do other things like socialize, meditate, etc. Now, we can watch shows and play games on our phones.

In the future I'd like to make a graphic novel. That's always been a dream of mine. Or maybe produce a visual novel. I've done a lot of writing, and made a few small games. I've entertained the idea of making bigger games, but I don't have the willpower to take on something that complicated. I'd need to assemble a team.

Single player narrative games are so underappreciated. Everyone today is so into multiplayer. My taste in games is kind of old. I'm still in love with Elder Scrolls IV (for its depth) and Super Mario Galaxy (for its design brilliance).

More variety overall would be nice. Producers get too comfortable in their comfort zones. So much anime seems to be cut from templates now. I don't mind leve1 (eg. Mushishi) or level 11 (eg. JoJo) anime as long as it has some distinct qualities. I hate seeing the same thing over and over again.

That's a nice sounding major. My major was simply "media arts." I studied design, color, Adobe and (now) Autodesk software, and a bunch of other stuff. It was fun.

How would you categorize the games you want to make? Drama? Experimental? Political?

I thought Katsuhiro Otomo did Magnetic Rose?

I know it may be against the law to say this, but I'm not a big fan of Satoshi Kon. >_< With the exception of Perfect Blue, which I loved in the 90s, his films have just been alright to me.

I'm in complete agreement about Isao Takahata, though. He directed with a sophistication and subtlety that's mostly missing in the anime world today. Grave of the Fireflies and Only Yesterday were excellent.

Film wasn't one of my official classes at the art school I went to, but there were a lot of film buffs there, so naturally film was often a topic of discussion and debate. That's where I first heard about Bergman, Fellini, and Welles.

If you didn't mind the experimentation in 2001, maybe you would enjoy an avant-garde film? If so, I highly recommend Fellini's 8 1/2. It's the work of a total madman. Example scene below. But if you'd rather see something a little more grounded, try La Strada.


I'll save my Wells and Bergman recommendations for another post. Watch The Trial (1962)!

Top 5 anime directors? Maybe Hayao Miyazaki (genius), Akiyuki Shinbo (I like his gaudy style), Katsuhiro Otomo (Tetsuooooo!), and that's all I know, really. I've only recently started paying attention to anime directors. How about you?

Yeah, I think Mononoke Hime was anti-war. Any story that highlights the suffering caused by war like Anne no Nikki could be considered anti-war.

Yes! Anime could learn a lesson or two from Kubrick. So many of these shows are weighed down with infodumps. I can't stand listening to characters explain the story. Just show it to me.

I'm a big fan of Ridley Scott and David Lean, too. Blade Runner and Lawrence of Arabia are two of my all-time favorites. Ergo Proxy is a little like Blade Runner in how it illustrates introspective themes through subtext. It's much subtler than it looks on the surface.

My top five directors:
- Stanley Kubrick
- Orson Welles
- Federico Fellini
- Ingmar Bergman
- Paul Thomas Anderson

How about yours?

If I could recommend one PT Anderson movie it would be There Will Be Blood. It's probably his masterpiece.

2001: A Space Odyssey is my favorite, too. When I understood the implications of the ending, my mind was blown. Do you like any other Western filmmakers like Paul Thomas Anderson or the Coen brothers?

Yeah, frankly, I'm a much bigger fan of Kubrick than I am of most anime. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Barry Lyndon, and Eyes Wide Shut epitomize what I look for in anime, but usually can't find. The titles in my favorites are some of the exceptions.

Do you have a favorite Kubrick film?