The Research Of Satoshi Kon’s Animation Role Design

Satoshi Kon is one of the new generation Japanese animation masters. Although his animation career is short-lived with rare art works, but he had played a significant role in the anime film field and had achieved great success. In his animation works complicated and profound role design becomes the most wonderful aspect.However, there are lack of researches on Satoshi Kon’s animations and role design. Most of the existent study is just about Satoshi individual works, and the study on Satoshi role design style and characteristics is very shallow. Therefore, to form a systemic and comprehensive research on Satoshi Kon’s animation role design, and to study Satoshi Kon’s experience of shaping animation roles are the emphasis of this thesis.In this paper, the research will start from the role’s external modeling features to internal character features step by step. Firstly, the thesis aims to figure out the social prototypes behind Satoshi Kon’s role design, then it will analyze the role’s neuropathy and spiritual crisis’ social reasons with Sartre’s existentialism, and observe the role’s psychological process from personality imbalances to self-redemption with Freud’s psychological theory. Secondly, this thesis aims at studying Satoshi Kon’s performance techniques of shaping role’s complex inner world, from camera language, narrative strategies and the use of metaphor three aspects. Last but not least, basing on above researches, the thesis will excavate the cultural connotation behind Satoshi Kon’s animation role design.