Sennen Joyuu


Alternative Titles

English: Millennium Actress
Synonyms: Chiyoko Millennial Actress, Sennen Joyuu Chiyoko
Japanese: 千年女優

Information

Type: Movie
Episodes: 1
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Sep 14, 2001
Licensors: None found, add some
Studios: Madhouse
Source: Original
Duration: 1 hr. 27 min.
Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 8.351 (scored by 26,071 users)
1 indicates a weighted score. Please note that 'Not yet aired' titles are excluded.
Ranked: #1872
2 based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity: #961
Members: 49,361
Favorites: 772
8.35
Ranked #187Popularity #961Members 49,361
Add to List
Episodes: /1

Synopsis

At the turn of the millennium, Ginei Studio's dilapidated buildings are set to be demolished. Ex-employee and filmmaker Genya Tachibana decides to honor this occasion with a commemorative documentary about the company's star actress: Chiyoko Fujiwara, the reclusive sweetheart of Shouwa Era cinema. Having finally obtained permission to interview the retired starlet, an enamored Genya drags along cynical cameraman Kyouji Ida to meet her, ready to put his lifelong idol back in the spotlight once more.

Hidden in this secluded mountain retreat is a thousand years of history condensed into one lifetime, waiting to be narrated. Chiyoko's recollections take them on an illusionary journey through Japanese cinematic history that transcends the boundaries of reality; the saga of her acting career intertwines with her filmography, the actors in her life blend seamlessly with the characters on screen, and the present melds with the past. Though the actress may have retired at the height of her career 30 years ago, the curtain on her life's stage has yet to fall.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Background

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Characters & Voice Actors

Fujiwara, Chiyoko
Fujiwara, Chiyoko
Main
Orikasa, Fumiko
Japanese
Orikasa, Fumiko
Koyama, Mami
Japanese
Koyama, Mami
...
Tachibana, Genya
Tachibana, Genya
Main
Iizuka, Shouzou
Japanese
Iizuka, Shouzou
Ida, Kyouji
Ida, Kyouji
Main
Onosaka, Masaya
Japanese
Onosaka, Masaya
Man of the Key
Man of the Key
Supporting
Yamadera, Kouichi
Japanese
Yamadera, Kouichi

Staff

Matsuo, Kou
Matsuo, Kou
Producer
Maki, Taro
Maki, Taro
Producer
Kon, Satoshi
Kon, Satoshi
Director, Script, Character Design
Mima, Masafumi
Mima, Masafumi
Sound Director

Edit Opening Theme

"Chiyoko no Theme Mode-1 (千代子のテーマ MODE-1)" by Susumu Hirasawa

Edit Ending Theme

"Rotation [lotus-2]" by Susumu Hirasawa



More reviewsReviews

Skadi
Mar 21, 2009
Millennium Actress is a wonderfully crafted story about a fateful encounter of a young girl and how it shaped the rest of her life. Though I am always a little hesitant about awarding such high marks to anything, this movie was one of the most riveting and unique anime experiences I have had.

The story follows a pair of filmmakers who are interviewing a famous actress who has been retired for many years to celebrate the studio's 70th anniversary. Millennium Actress features one of the most original story telling methods I have seen. We see the majority of the movie told through the read more
I found this review Helpful
kiriska
Jun 10, 2008
"What does this key open?" "The most important thing in the world."

STORY - Millennium Actress's story is very simplistic and very sweet. I'm not usually a fan of unquestioning, devotional love, especially to such a crazed, obsessive extent, but the way this movie presents things makes it very easy to like. Just the extent of everything, the lengths to which Chiyoko had been willing to go; all of it was incredible. Even better still, was the idea that we in the audience could not know just how much of it was real and just how much of it was fantasy. The lines seem permanently blurred read more
I found this review Helpful
awerture
May 10, 2015
Satoshi Kon's "Millennium actress" is a breathtakingly brilliant film. It was so breathtaking that I'm still in awe and I feel forced to write my life's first unconditionally positive review.

What primarily needs to be noted here is that it is brilliant as a work of art, and not only as a piece of entertainment. It is clearly a traditional cinema movie, not an "anime" of the type Westerner is accustomed to. As such you shouldn't expect almost any typical elements you learned to adore in the works you treasure in your anime list. It's also not advisable to judge the movie by classical MAL read more
I found this review Helpful
Hootja
Nov 12, 2014
Millennium Actress is a movie that shows us that remembering the past and reliving the past might actually be the same thing.

Story: 10

*THIS SECTION OF MY REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS. Here I'm going to mostly do some hardcore analysis of the themes of the movie, so if that's not your thing then feel free to skip this section. Just leave knowing that I think the story is hard to follow on a first viewing, but if you like stuff that makes you think, then this movie is definitely for you. If you want a movie to relax and watch mindlessly, then this is read more
I found this review Helpful

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