Though I've seen some quick write-ups from some lucky bastardspeople who got to see (and meet) Makoto Shinkai at the BFI in London, Martin was another of those lucky bastardspersons who got to even shake his hand and wrote about the experience at Nakama Britannica.

A new member at Cherry Blossoms Falling1 had pointed out an interview of Makoto Shinkai on the Electric Sheep Magazine site, the first I've seen since Shinkai released his Five Centimeters Per Second last year.

What interested me most was the real reason Shinkai did without color in Other Worlds and She and Her Cat:

1. 1. Please ignore the banner there. If you don't know what I mean by that, don't worry about it...

One of the biggest things that intrigued me about Tekkon Kinkreet is not just the reception it already received in Japan, nor the fact that it was produced by Studio 4ºC (Though that is the major reason I first took notice of this movie), but the fact that it was directed by an American. A rookie American director, at that. Though Micheal Arias has lived in Japan for 15 years and has worked with Studio 4ºC in the past on projects like the Animatrix, this is the time a westerner was at the helm of a Japanese animated feature.

And, more importantly, AniPages Daily has an excellent interview with the man! There's also information after the interview about the premier of the movie in New York City on April 25-30 for those who are in the area.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2007-03-18/fuyumi-ono-author-of-the-twelve-kingdoms

I haven't read all the way through it yet, and I'm still shaking with excitement. Here's a teaser that should make waves, though:

Thanks to Don from "beware the kawaii" for these links!

Excessive reality

Here's an interview with Satoshi Kon.

You can watch an English-language trailer for Paprika here. (Click on "Bande annonce," then select "VO.")