The appeal and evaluation of "Millennium Actress": A deep look into this animated masterpiece

Millennium Actress - Review and Recommendation

■ Public Media

theater

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Release date

September 14, 2002 - January 1, 2000

■Distribution company

Clockworks

■Frequencies

87th minute

■Original Story

・Original story/Satoshi Kon

■ Director

・Director: Satoshi Kon

■ Production

Produced by Genco and Madhouse

■Works

©2001 Millennium Actress Production Committee

■ Story

There's someone I want to meet even if it takes a thousand years

Fujiwara Chiyoko was a great actress who once took the world by storm. The story that Chiyoko begins to tell overflows from the flow of reality of the past 70 years, and spreads through the ocean of fantasy called film, from the distant warring states to the endless future. What is Chiyoko's secret hidden in her closed memories? It is in the depths of her tangled memories that the truth of Chiyoko emerges...

*Quoted from Bandai Channel

■Explanation

The second feature film by Kon Satoshi, following "Perfect Blue". This film is a mix of fact and fiction, like an optical illusion, about the life of the former great actress Fujiwara Chiyoko, told through the involvement of two interviewers. It has won numerous awards, including the Grand Prize in the Animation Division of the 5th Japan Media Arts Festival, held by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. It was distributed worldwide by Dreamworks, led by Spielberg.

*Quoted from Madhouse's official website

■Cast

・Fujiwara Chiyoko (70s) / Shoji Miyoko・Fujiwara Chiyoko (20s-40s) / Koyama Mami・Fujiwara Chiyoko (10s-20s) / Orikasa Fumiko・Tachibana Genya / Iizuka Shozo・Shimao Eiko / Tsuda Shoko・Otaki / Suzuoki Hirotaka・Chiyoko's mother / Kyoda Naoko・Gin'ei Managing Director / Tokumaru Kan・Mino / Kataoka Tomie・Chief clerk / Ishimori Tatsuyuki・Genya / Sato Masamichi・Ida Kyoji / Onosaka Masaya・Kagi no Kimi / Yamadera Koichi・Scarred man / Tsukayama Masatane・Others / Ogata Mitsuru, Asou Tomohisa, Yusa Koji, Higo Makoto, Sakaguchi Koichi, Shimura Tomoyuki, Kimura Akiko, Saeki Tomo, Nojima Hirofumi, Asano Ruri, Onaka Hiroko, Sonobe Yoshinori, Oguro Yumiko

■ Main staff

・Planning/Masao Maruyama・Original story/Bin Kon・Screenplay/Sadayuki Murai, Bin Kon・Character design/Yu Honda, Bin Kon・Art setting/Nobutaka Ike・Art setting cooperation/Yasuhito Suetake・Direction/Hisa Matsuo・Chief animation directors/Yu Honda, Toshiyuki Inoue, Hideki Hamazu, Kenichi Konishi, Katsugo Furuya・Key animation/Michiyo Suzuki, Michio Mihara, Yasunori Miyazawa, Koichi Arai, Tetsuya Nishio, Shinji Otsuka, Katsuichi Nakayama, Masahiro Emoto, Tetsuya Kumagai, Mitsunori Murata, Masahiro Kurio, Masahiko Kubo, Hiroyuki Horiuchi, Jun Takagi, Hiroshi Shimizu, Kumiko Kawana, Kazuto Iwa, Yasuhiro Seo, Minoru Murao, Kikuchi・Art direction/Nobutaka Ike ・Background/Kaoru Ikeda, Hisashi Ikeda, Shigeyo Kiriyama, Masaki Yoshizaki, Junko Ina, Kiyomi Oota, Masatoshi Kai, Shinichi Uehara, Yuko Sugiyama, Masako Okada, Kei Ichimura, Nao Kano ・Video inspection/Chieko Ichimanda, Studio Takuranke, Rie Eyama, Kumiko Terada ・Video/Madhouse , Watanabe Sakiko, Okuda Yoshiko, Konno Akiko, Enomoto Yui, Nakazawa Takahito, Watanabe Kenichi, Wakatsuki Aiko, Yazaki Yuko, Hori Takeshi, Uno Ichiro, Iimori Keiko, DRMOVIE, Yoon Myung-hee, Jeong Yeon-hee, Hwang Sun-ah, Go Kunmae, Choi Hye-ran, Jeong Seung-hee, Kim Mi-sook, Lim Hyo-kyung, Cho Yeong-rae, Kim Soo-jin, Yoon Hye-seon, Jeong Hee-jin, Kim Eun-nyeong, Lee Jae-min, Chen Chang-keun, Nam Jae-ho, Woo Song-sik, Kim Chun-soo, Seo Kim-sook, Kwon Do-young, Lee Hyo-sun, Song Hyun-ju, Jang Cheol-ho, Choi Soon-yeol, Ahn Mi-kyung, Lee Dong-woo, Yoon Jeong-hye, Lee Seok-hoon, Choi Eun, Kwak Hyun, Lee Seol-young, Lee Mi-ok, Lee Hyun-sook, Lee Ha-yan, Jeon Hyun-ju, Yoon* (with Kim character as yong)jae, Lim Jeong-mi, Lee Eun* (with Woman character as cheng), Heo Mi-mae, Jang Hyun-sik, Lee Hye-sung, Kim Yu-mi, Cho Hyun-mi, Pyo Eun-mi, Heo Hye-jeong, animation cooperation, Shaft, color design, Hashimoto Masaru, finishing inspection, Ohno Harue, Nakayama Kana, Koshikawa Yumi, Suzuki Yuka, Kamata Chikako, Horikawa Yoshinori, Yamamoto Tomoko, Kakumoto Yuri Shiage / DRMOVIE, Kwon Oh-sook, Kim Jeong-Eun, Park Young-shin, Ahn Myung-rim, Kwon Hyeon-soon, Kim Hyeon-cheong, Jeong Eun-sook, Lee Yeon-yeon, Park Mi-ok, Kim Jeong-na, Mun Seong-ho, Seo Saeng-hoe, Baek Eun-na, Oh Soo-im, Seo Seong-wan, Chae You-mi, Lee Yeon-hee, Lee Suk-hee, Jeon Sun-hee, Choi Ki-ki, Kim Jung-hye, Cho Hee-kyung, Ha Myung-ryeon, Shin Hye-mi, Lee Hae-kyung, Heo Young-sook, Kim Kwon-hwa, Kim Young-ae, Park Yun, Lim Jeong-wa, Jeong Geng , Kim Young-mi, Jeon Jeong-sook, Park Jeong-hee, Kwon Tae-ok, Choi Yun-hee, Choi Soon-yoon, Hong Eun-jin, Park Yeon-jeong, Shin Un-kyung, Kim Hyun-hee, Gyeonggang Video, Jang Nam-ok, Park Ok-in, Kang Young-sook, Lee Jin, Kim Hwa-soon, Yoon Hyun-bin, Kim Jae-se, Lee Nam-hee, Yoo In-sook, Park Hye-ryeong, Jeong ※(Ninben-kei)-ae, Special effects: Taniguchi Kumiko, Suzuki Sachiko, Title design: Yamashita Kyoko, Title squirrel work: Maki Pro, Director of photography: Shirai Hisao, Assistant director of photography Director: Hirata Takafumi, Maehara Katsunori・Photography: Studio Cosmos, Ikegami Motoaki, Ofuji Tetsuo, Noguchi Hiroshi, Ikegami Shinji, Shimada Takashi, Kuno Toshikazu, Yazawa Shoji, Awakura Masafumi, Nishiyama Tomohiro, Yamaguchi Norikazu, Idei Kumiko, Orikasa Yuko, Shiozuka Hiroki, Gonda Koichi, Morimoto Yumiko, Kawahara Takao, Toyonaga Yuki, *(with grass crown) Shima Kanae, Togen Anime Room, Tamura Masato, Kamata Keisuke・Photography: Zaita Kasumi, Masuda Etsushi, Kazuki Iida, Digital Composite, Ko Matsuo, Hwato Ya, Yuriko Kakumoto, DRMOVIE, Lee Bon, Dae Hyun Kim, Jin Gi Park, Editing by Satoshi Terauchi, Negative Editing by Yukiko Ito, Yoshiko Kimura, Yurika Tsuchitani, Music by Susumu Hirasawa, Music Production by Chaos Union, A&R, Masato Yumoto, Sound Engineer by Masanori Chinzei, Sound Director by Masafumi Mima, Sound Effects by Shizuo Kurahashi (Soundbox)
・Sound Production Assistant: Tsutomu Kashiwakura ・Sound Production Assistant: Yuji Tagami (Aoi Studio)
・Sound effects assistant/Takuya Hasegawa (Soundbox)
・Recording studio: Aoi Studio ・Sound production: Techno Sound, Makiko Miyagi, Reiji Matsumoto ・Dolby Film Consultant: Tsutomu Kawahigashi ・Continental Far East Co., Ltd.: Mikio Mori ・Optical re-recorder: ※ Nishio (Masu under the sun)
・Developing / Tokyo Development Laboratory・Cooperation / Kiba Masahiro, Oishi Mari, Yoshida Satoko, Shochiku Co., Ltd., Shochiku Kyoto Co., Ltd., Takatsu Decoration Arts Co., Ltd.・Publicity / Haraguchi Yohei, Sato Naoki, Iwashita Hiromi, Osawa Nobuhiro, Hashimoto Hiroshi, Suzuki Seiji・Production Producer / Iwase Yasuteru, Morosawa Masao・Production Manager / Toyoda Tomoki・Production Assistant / Hirao Takayuki・Producer / Maki Taro・Production / Genco, Madhouse・Distribution / Clockworks・Production / "Millennium Actress" Production Committee, WOWOW, Kaifu Masaki, Suzuki Michiko, Clockworks, Sako Nobuhiko, Fujimoto Kan, Kadokawa Shoten, Yasuda Takeshi, Bandai Visual, Kawashiro Kazumi, Kubo Satoshi, Genco, Maki Taro・Director / Kon Satoshi

■ Main Characters

・Chiyoko Fujiwara (70s)
A legendary actress in the history of Japanese cinema. She appeared in many films and produced many hits, but retired 30 years ago while filming a movie and went into hiding. Since then, she has never been seen in public, leaving many mysteries surrounding her.
・Chiyoko Fujiwara (20s to 40s)
During the postwar reconstruction period, she was a leading star of Gin-ei who continued to give hope to people. She wore the "key" with the hope of a reunion, but it may have been the key that continued to give her the shine she needed as an actress. Eventually, she was forced to make a decision about marriage.
・Chiyoko Fujiwara (10s to 20s)
A girl raised by a single mother. She was an ordinary girl with a tendency to be a dreamer, but her encounter with "Kagi no Kimi" changed everything. She thought that if she became an actress, she might be able to meet him again, so she ignored her mother's fierce opposition and joined the major film company Gin-ei.
Genya Tachibana, president of the video production company "VISUAL STUDIO LOTUS". He plans to make a documentary following Chiyoko's footsteps. He is deeply moved by Chiyoko's life story and becomes completely drawn into the story.
・Kyoji Ida A photographer belonging to "VISUAL STUDIO LOTUS". He has long hair, sunglasses, and speaks in a Kansai dialect. While interviewing Chiyoko, he is amazed by the enthusiasm of Tachibana, but as he continues to film, he is drawn into the story.
・Kagi no Kimi A painter whose identity is unknown. He was identified as a thought criminal and was being pursued by the authorities when he had a fateful encounter with Chiyoko. He promises to invite Chiyoko to his hometown of Snow Country after peace has come, and leaves her "the key to unlock the most important thing in life."

■ Theme songs and music

・ED1
・Lotation [LOTUS-2]
・Lyrics/Susumu Hirasawa ・Composition/Susumu Hirasawa ・Arrangement/Susumu Hirasawa

■ Review

Director Satoshi Kon's Millennium Actress is a work that maximizes the possibilities of the film medium and has been highly praised for its artistry and storytelling. The film depicts the life of an actress where reality and fantasy intertwine, leaving audiences deeply moved and thinking.

At the center of the story is the legendary actress Chiyoko Fujiwara. Her life is depicted across various eras and places over a period of more than 70 years. Through Chiyoko's recollections, the story unfolds from the prewar period to the postwar period and into the future, simultaneously depicting her life and the history of film. This transcendence of time and space is achieved through director Satoshi Kon's unique perspective and technique.

Particularly impressive are the scenes where Chiyoko's memories intertwine with scenes from the film. Her life and the film seamlessly merge, blurring the line between reality and fantasy, drawing the audience in. This technique is a feature seen in other works by Satoshi Kon, but is used to great effect in Millennium Actress.

Furthermore, the story progresses from the perspective of the documentary production team, Tachibana Genya and Ida Kyoji, who are following Chiyoko's life, allowing the audience to deeply empathize with her emotions while still viewing her life objectively. The contrast between Tachibana's enthusiasm and Ida's calmness further highlights the complexity and beauty of Chiyoko's life.

The character designs and art settings are also superb, and in particular the use of multiple voice actors to portray Chiyoko's changes from her youth to old age. The three voice actors, Shoji Miyoko, Koyama Mami, and Orikasa Fumiko, play Chiyoko at different ages, expressing the depth of her life. The attention to detail in the backgrounds and art also enriches the worldview of the story.

Music also plays an important role. The ending theme "Rotation [LOTUS-2]" by Susumu Hirasawa is a melody that symbolizes the melancholy and beauty of Chiyoko's life, and it remains deeply in the hearts of the audience. The music in the play is also used skillfully to match the development of the story, effectively creating emotional ups and downs.

"Millennium Actress" is a work that explores the possibilities of the film medium and transcends the boundaries between reality and fantasy. Its artistry and storytelling deeply move and provoke the audience, making them want to watch it again and again. Packed with the talent and passion of director Satoshi Kon, this work is truly a masterpiece of animation.

■Recommendation

"Millennium Actress" is recommended not only for those who are interested in movies and animation, but also for anyone who seeks to be moved by art and stories. It is especially recommended for those who enjoy stories that transcend the boundaries between reality and fantasy, and for those who are interested in the history of film and the lives of actresses.

In addition, other works by Director Satoshi Kon, such as "Perfect Blue" and "Paprika," are also highly artistic and narratively rich, so by watching these works as well, you will be able to gain a deeper understanding of Director Satoshi Kon's worldview.

Furthermore, this work, which depicts Chiyoko's life, makes you feel the beauty and sadness of life, so it is recommended for people who are at a turning point in their lives or who want to look back on their own lives. "Millennium Actress" is a work that is truly worth more than a thousand years, giving each audience member different emotions and thoughts.