What starts as a simple interview of a legendary actress becomes a journey through the history of Japan. But this is no ordinary lesson; from the perspective of this actress, we learn of the beauty and sadness of love, the pain and regret and joy of the Japanese people and their film, through this film: Millennium Actress.
Although today Tono Takaki and Shinohara Akari live far apart due to a family move shortly after elementary school, they were once two shy young students brought together by their shared differences from their peers. It is because of this that the two built a bond of closeness between them that still survives through their continued correspondence, even over such a distance. Secretly they both fear the loss of this bond over time, and for this reason they arrange a meeting between just the two of them. The journeys both of them take in their minds and in their lives create an atmosphere of intense emotional upheaval, but also a sense of peace. It is a twist of fate and a series of decisions that put the two in place to carry what they choose of their pasts into the future they will create for themselves.
I found Millennium Actress and 5 CM to be very similar. Each is about the pursuit of love - the characters "love to love" a unique person, ignoring even time as it passes by. Both main characters refuse to give the present a chance, and ignore all of the options that life and love offer to them because they are stuck in the past.
In both of these series, while there is a romance going on, neither of the couples come into contact for much of the film. The romances are the centers of the films, and in the end, they conclude smiliarly. Their artwork is not to be overlooked, and are amazing pleasures to view. Enjoy!
In Millenium Actress we have our protagonist, Chiyoko Fujiwara, chasing after a vision of a man she met once. In 5 CM we have Shinohara Akari chasing his memory of a promise that may or may not have been made with a childhood sweetheart. The chase, the dream, the vision ... the ending. Both bittersweet and both unrequited. I think you'll greatly appreciate the stretches of reality both protagonists put upon themselves in each film.
"Where you lead, I will follow" - whether it means long train journey, waitng for years, or chasing after throughout the country... These two series show how strong love can be and how many problems it can overcome with its power, so in this matter they are much alike.
Both series are about "love that could have been". They talk about how life goes on in spite of all of the loved ones we may have lost. The animation styles in both Millenium Actress and 5cm per Second are equally stunning.
Both Millennium Actress and 5 Centimeters tell the story of the pursuit of an unobtainable love. They both do so in a style unique to their director (Kon and Shinkai, two masters in their genre) and thus present their story in a different way. At their core though, they are about the same thing. If you loved one of these movies, make sure to check out the other as well.
On a chilly December evening, Hana, a transvestite, Misaki, a teenage runaway, and Gin, a retired bike racer, found little Kiyoko in the trash. For three homeless people, finding an abandoned baby might not have been the best of luck, but with good intentions and two cents to chip in, the trio set out to find the parents of the child. But locating the mother will not be an easy task, and all they have to go on is a small key...
This film is done by the same director and has a great story just like this one. I recomend this one and Tokyo Godfathers to anyone I know who are weary of watching any anime because I know they will love this movies.
Tokyo Godfathers and Millennim Actress are both made by MADHOUSE studio. Though not very similar in story line, both are poignant stories with lots of human emotion, breathtaking visuals, and a few scenes to make you cry.
These two films, by the same Satoshi Kon, are very alike in that a lot of the time you find yourself asking, "...Wait, what?" They're intriguing and wonderful, and you can easily get lost in the storyline.
Do you like anime that are a) realistic b) beautiful c) a little humoristic and d) made by Satoshi Kon? In that case Millennium Actress and Tokyo Godfathers are the right choise for you. They are both masterpieces from one of the greatest anime-directors, and worth their reputation.
In Japan, a team of scientists have created a medical breakthrough: a device that allows the wearer to enter the dreams of a patient, for the purpose of healing. The talented Paprika is a master at her profession, but complications have now appeared in the form of a “dream terrorist” – an unknown foe who inserts nightmares into the minds of those who use the device. The victims are swept up in a ghoulish parade of dolls, kitchen appliances, and musical animals, and are reduced to a vegetable state – or worse. Now, Paprika and the team of scientists must delve into the minds of those affected to figure out the source of the tampering before more people, including themselves, are damaged beyond repair.
Besides the rather obvious correlation that these anime are the work of genius Satoshi Kon, there is a more fundamental similarity, in that they both deal with an unreliable reality. In Paprika, the world of dreams intrudes itself forcibly on the world of the waking; whereas, in Millennium Actress, there is a gradual melding of the fictional world of film with the documentary reality of the actual world. This overarching theme of Kon's is also present in other works of his, such as Paranoia Agent.
Although it might be because both movies are from the same director (Satoshi Kon) Millennium Actress and Paprika, while having totally different themes, create a very similar atmosphere when you watch them.
As both movies progress though their respective stories it becomes more and more difficult to distinguish the different layers of reality and fiction (Millennium Actress) or the psyche of the characters (Paprika).
Both movies are festivals of colors and imagination and succeed in engulfing the viewer in true fantasy cinema.
Millennium Actress and Paprika share the same thematic core: blurring the borders between fictional projections and reality as we see it. MA blends cinematography with real life events while Paprika unleashes the world of dreams unto our own. Both are imbued with Satoshi Kon's unique flair for the bizarre and take anime as a medium to a whole different level; the stunning visuals fuse perfectly with non-linear plots that immerse the convoluted yet appealing narrative into the fabric of imagery itself.
These two films, by the same Satoshi Kon, are very alike in that a lot of the time you find yourself asking, "...Wait, what?" They're intriguing and wonderful, and you can easily get lost in the storyline.
When popular pop idol Mima decided to retire from her group, Cham, and become an actress, she had no idea that one person's obsession would soon spiral out of control. With death threats, letter bombs and a forged website which details her every move, Mima finds herself slowly becoming trapped in a nightmare she can't seem to escape. With murders piling up and her mental state slowly degrading, can she discover who the culprit is, before she becomes the next victim?
Both Perfect Blue and Millennium Actress are directed by Satoshi Kon, fit into similar anime realism genres which are rich in Satoshi Kon's social commentaries, and have intellectually stimulating themes.
Constable Fuse is part of an elite Special Forces unit known as the Capital Police whose mission is to maintain peace during a time of civil unrest. Fuse becomes entangled within a web of intrigue and politics between the Capital Police, the government intelligence bureau, and a secret society known as Jin-Roh – the Wolf Brigade.
Both films have historical settings and have engaging plots. If you feel like watching something with much more substance than most anime, then these films are for you.