Tag: analysis

Film by Ezekiel Yu
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A shot from Satoshi Kon's "Perfect Blue," depicting Mima Kirigoe in the car mirror, as reviewed by poet and critic Ezekiel Yu for the automachination literary magazine.

 Angel of Love: Reviewing Satoshi Kon’s “Perfect Blue” (1997)

Of the two Satoshi Kon films I’ve seen (both as part of the syllabus for an anime class I took as an undergrad), those being Perfect Blue and Paprika, I remember considering the former to be the stronger overall work of art. Though it came earlier in Kon’s oeuvre, Perfect Blue’s relative accessibility seemed to work in its favor, while Paprika’s story and characters get muddled in surrealistic Freudian psycho-babble, despite the occasional intrigue of its visuals.

Having just watched Perfect Blue again, I found it to be even better in certain respects, though on the whole I would not rate the film nearly as high as its most ardent admirers; and while Kon’s concerns about the blurring of fiction and reality, the unreliability of memory, and post-Internet celebrity obsession have always been praised as prescient, Perfect Blue seems even more so today, what with the rise of live-streamed entertainment and the increasingly unhinged behavior of those infected by the para-sociality it helps cultivate.

It is a welcomely lean affair, as well, clocking in at a mere 81 minutes; which goes to show how much ground artists can cover in under 90 minutes if their sense of visual storytelling is sufficiently developed—especially in a medium like animation, which has the potential to manipulate imagery to an extent most (pure) live-action media simply cannot. This is a double-edged sword, however, for such advantages allow for the possibility of excess and unjustified narrative obfuscation (see first paragraph). […]

Poetry by Jessica Schneider
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A portrait of the American poet Kenneth Rexroth with the text "Kenneth Rexroth re-visisted," as part of the poetry analysis done by author and critic Jessica Schneider.

Reshaping Time and Narrative: On Reading Kenneth Rexroth

It should be no surprise to learn that artists will frequently reach for the same subjects of inspiration, be it painting, film, or writing whenever feeling compelled. Often, the ideas will arrive in cycles—not all at once, but in pieces. However, when it comes to poetry, I have shared that in my early years I struggled with narrative, i.e., what the hell am I trying to say? Certain phrases would arrive easily, but arranging them into something of meaning proved difficult. As result, I knew which poets better suited me when attempting to strengthen this weakness, or rather, which ones should I study more? From whom will I benefit? 

The point is not so much to fixate on one’s weakness, but to recognize it and then learn how to improve. Somewhat akin to an athlete, train enough that weak muscle and soon that muscle can become a strength. One poet that has traversed with me throughout the years is Kenneth Rexroth (1905-1982). Not only for his appreciation of nature and how it relates to existence, but with his free verse style, he was able to be unbound by limits. What I mean is that his poems often seem like poetic prose, but when broken carefully, the narrative builds to a moment most memorable. Take, for example, his poem, “On What Planet”: […]