Fantasy or Reality: A Comparative Analysis of How Satoshi Kon Depicts Psychosis

• Main Authors: Uy, Mikhail Andrew C., Chen, Maegan Maybelle W., Serafica, Maria Corazon Alexa P., Orozco, Joaquin Angelo B.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2023
• Subjects: Satoshi Kon; Gilles Deleuze; human perception; fantasy; reality; psychosis
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/conf_shsrescon/2023/paper_mps/2; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/conf_shsrescon/article/1819/viewcontent/DLSU_SHS_Congress__Uy_et_al._.docx.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Satoshi Kon is a Japanese film director known for incorporating the blurring of the line between reality and fantasy in his works. This study covers his works Perfect Blue, Paprika, and Paranoia Agent. It aims to analyze these films from a cinematic perspective while connecting the analysis to the medical definitions of psychosis and dissociative identity disorder. The study utilizes Gilles Deleuze's film theory, which explores the coexistence and interplay of the virtual, actual, and blurring lines between them. The researchers use the qualitative method of content analysis to show how Kon's works obscure the line between reality and fantasy and depict characters struggling with their perception of what is real. The study delves into the complexities of human perception and consciousness by exploring movement-images and time-images. Moreover, it highlights the subjective nature of reality and the portrayal of multiple identities in Kon's works. By connecting these themes to Deleuze's philosophical concepts, the analysis offers insights into the interplay between fiction and reality, ultimately shedding light on the understanding of psychosis and dissociative identity disorder. The study's findings contribute to a better understanding of these conditions from a cinematographic context.