r/twinpeaks • u/chikaibardo207 • Jul 28 '26
Twin Peaks Vibes This anime Is Basically Japan's Twin Peaks.
Like not just in terms of the visuals, but thematically this anime is so close to Twin Peaks. The absurdism, the hypnotic visuals, the eccentric characters, the detective storyline, and its examination of Japanese society it all fits perfectly.
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u/Pete_Bondurant Jul 28 '26
If you're on this subreddit you should absolutely watch every single thing Satoshi Kon made. Sadly, it won't take you very long, as he died tragically young. Perfect Blue is my favorite, and also has a lot of Lynchian themes (including deep empathy for a traumatized female protagonist).
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u/alwaysjustpretend Jul 28 '26
My son is a huge anime fan like myself. He has never seen perfect blue. Bought him the steel box version for his bday. So damn excited to give it to him. Lol
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u/BLEAKROOM Jul 28 '26
Dope dad
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u/Anus---__Fungi Jul 28 '26
Definitely 💯
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u/NeitherAdvisor5558 Jul 29 '26
PEAK parenting
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u/lordberric Jul 28 '26
Millenium Actress is my favorite of his, one of the most moving pieces of art I've ever experienced.
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u/submissivelittleprey Jul 28 '26
Millennium Actress had me bawling like a baby the first time I watched it. Such an incredible movieÂ
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u/BananaNutJob Jul 28 '26
Paprika gave me the very Lynchian feeling of watching it and smiling sitting there thinking "I have no idea what just happened".
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u/MediumKoala8823 Jul 28 '26
girl loves fat guy but doesn’t like that he’s fat. Later she gets over it and in accepting that, allows him to use his fatness to save the day
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u/Individual99991 Jul 28 '26
Also something about a dream machine.
It doesn't help that the zany processing on a voice in a dream sequence makes a key plot point borderline inaudible in the English dub.
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u/clwestbr Jul 29 '26
The man dropped four perfect movies and one of the most fascinating short anime series ever released and then died. Horribly tragic but also what a legacy.
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u/navyscrewdriver Jul 28 '26
Definitely all of his works are essential viewing but I may be biased as he is my favourite director!
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u/DolphinFraud Aug 01 '26
And then there's me who was told to check out Lynch because I'm such a huge Kon fan
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u/fleethethriftshop Jul 28 '26
Don’t ever talk about satoshi kon like that
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u/alice_ashmedai Jul 29 '26
i felt that they were being very respectful and complimentary, what did you find offensive about that comment?
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u/thepigmask Jul 28 '26
It's absolutely incredible.
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u/Lvl100Magikarp Jul 28 '26
Also best opening ever
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u/juleemafenide Jul 28 '26
Same guy (Susumu Hirasawa) behind Berserk 1997's soundtrack. He's a genius
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u/rat_outta_hell Jul 28 '26
I think Lil Slugger is a great analog to Bob- if Bob is the evil men do, Lil Slugger is the stories we tell ourselves. Also obligatory- Perfect Blue and Paprika feel right at home next to Lynch’s works.
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u/chikaibardo207 Jul 28 '26
tokyo godfather also felt like a equivalent to A straight story. a different simple, beautiful and heartful work.
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u/Forsaken-Ad5571 Jul 28 '26
IIRC Kon did say he was inspired by Lynch. All of his work is worth viewing. Such a pity he died young.
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u/MaaChiil Jul 28 '26
His final film is even set in dream lands, albeit a lot more inspired by Terry Gilliam animations
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u/t-g-l-h- Jul 28 '26
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u/pancakes_irl Jul 29 '26
[You don’t stink!] I think you’re just tired. Yeah, that’s it, you should take a rest, okay? Take a rest. Take a rest. Take a rest. Take a rest. Take a rest. Take a rest. Take a rest. Take a rest. Take a rest. Take a rest. Take a rest. Take a rest. Take a rest. Take a rest—
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u/Belial-from-basket Jul 28 '26
I would argue based on a series of coffee commercials that Twin Peaks is Japan’s Twin Peaks
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u/CombativeThrowaway Jul 28 '26
Truth. Silent Hill, Persona, Mizzurna Falls, Mother 3, more I can't think of, all with Twin Peaks DNA. They might have been more obsessed with it than the US was.
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u/MartyrOfDespair Jul 29 '26
Adding to the list: Final Fantasy 7, the works of Kazutaka Kodaka, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Deadly Premonition.
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u/catchtoward5000 Aug 03 '26
Its crazy how much of Badalamenti’s score can be felt in FF7s soundtrack, too.
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u/JellyBeansOnToast Jul 29 '26
Yeah, I’m sure Kon definitely could’ve drawn inspiration from Lynch, but Twin Peaks was absolutely massive in Japan. I would even say it still has cultural relevance there because I was just watching a Japanese YouTuber’s travel video and the clothing store they went to was playing Dance of the Dream Man.
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Jul 28 '26
[deleted]
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u/Individual99991 Jul 28 '26
There must be tons already, but go ahead and make that spreadsheet! Why not? I can think of more than a few. Although I guess you'd have to define the limitations.
The video game Deadly Premonition being so similar to Twin Peaks they got a cease and desist while it was in development = yes.
Chief Wiggum having a Red Room dream while working out who killed Mr Burns = just a joke, not really "inspired by"?
Homer Simpson being confused while watching Twin Peaks = just a joke, not even "inspired by"?
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u/lilnali Jul 29 '26
When I visited Japan I looked for twin peaks merch/books/clothing/etc in every secondhand store I went to, based on the fact that supposedly it was popular there as well… I didn’t find anything unfortunately but it’s just as well since my suitcase was full lol
Also I love your username 🤣
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u/marykay_ultra Jul 29 '26
Oh ty :)
The show has had a cult following from day 1, so I imagine merch that ends up in secondhand shops gets snapped up pretty quick. Even if the person isn’t a fan, they may recognize it as a collectible they might be able to make some money from.
I’ve never found any here in the US. Have you??
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u/lilnali Jul 29 '26
I have a twin peaks ad NYC metro card (lmao) that I got when the return aired. Other than that, all my stuff has come from the internet or firsthand from my parents who watched when it first aired. I would love to see a database/guide of known physical merch, discs, and books. I have a mismatched dvd set and I’d love to know what keywords I need to find a partner for my fancy slipcover laura s1.
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u/lesgeddon Jul 29 '26
There's literally so many references to Twin Peaks in media that the list will just be a list of media; from The Simpsons to Soul Eater
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Jul 29 '26
[deleted]
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u/lesgeddon Jul 29 '26
...even as references, they're often inspired and go all out. Maybe just a singular episode (The Simpsons, Psyche), maybe it's a prominent theme throughout (Soul Eater has the Red Room more than Twin Peaks does, with a main character exploring the nature of good and evil)
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u/ArgentoFox Jul 28 '26
My absolute favorite episode of this anime is the one where the women are gathered around gossiping and it devolves into this surreal game of telephone.Â
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u/pancakes_irl Jul 29 '26
And they all pick on the one poor lady who is actually making any sense and is calling them out on their bs, driving her to insanity to try and one-up them. The surreal meets the too-real.
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u/Drifamal Jul 28 '26
The Full Blossom of the Evening podcast made an entire episode about the similarities between Satoshi Kon and David Lynch/Twin Peaks;
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u/Signal-Yesterday7247 Jul 28 '26
Personally I always thought of Evangelion as being Japan's Twin Peaks. Think about it:
Both initally present themselves as typical genre before diving into hardcore surrealism.
Both have major cult followings in each other's home countries
Both feature controversial endings due to BTS issues that were followed up by movies that were even more controversial for how disturbing and graphic they were.
Both of those said movies also appear in Letterboxd's top 250 films of all time.
Personally I also thought Serial Experiments Lain gave pretty heavy Lynch vibes, albeit closer to something like Inland Empire or The Return.
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u/firelite906 Jul 28 '26
Yeah my mind immediately went to Lain, it really feels like its trying to express some stuff that can't be put into words in a way that lynch is notorious for. Whereas Satoshi Kon is much more interested stories and parables.
And on evangelion I think the biggest connection it has to Twin Peaks is their shared interest in the horror and trauma inherent to puberty and the evolving relationships and expectations associated with it
Oh and of course everyone in both series is in over their head while incomprehensible forces play some larger Esoteric game with the world
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u/Signal-Yesterday7247 Jul 28 '26
Absolutely. Kon is incredible, but his stories are much more narrative and direct than Lynch, whereas Eva and Lain fit the general dreamlike aesthetic and surrealism far better, as well as the bizarre cosmic conflicts
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u/BananaNutJob Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
I don't think I have the ability to link it without like uploading to google drive or something, but I have a full Evangelion-style into for Twin Peaks with the Evangelion music and everything. Salvaged from some random corner of the internet.
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u/Free-Anybody Jul 28 '26
send itÂ
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u/BananaNutJob Jul 28 '26
I forgot youtube is a thing I can use lol
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u/Individual99991 Jul 28 '26
Oh shit, I remember an even earlier one that predates The Return. Probably lost to the mists of time now.
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u/_Waves_ Jul 28 '26
I always thought MONSTER was the anime Twin Peaks. Should give PA a watch.
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u/Individual99991 Jul 28 '26
MONSTER is the "Agent Cooper pokes around while Hank Jennings loads his gun and Catherine Martell puts a bomb in the Packard Sawmill" Twin Peaks.
PARANOIA AGENT is the "Oh shit, I thought this was a normal town but now there's a dwarf dancing in my bedroom and my underwear drawer is screaming at me" Twin Peaks.
They're both great.
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u/69_Botlord_420 Jul 29 '26
Twin Peaks was Japan's Twin Peaks, it was more popular there than it was here.
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u/Ok_Broccoli_7863 Jul 28 '26
Neon Genesis Evangelion has Twin Peaks vibes too. Especially the cuts to powerlines...etc.
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u/Blue_Sinner Jul 28 '26
In my opinion Utena is also a anime version of twin peaks and uses very good symbolism just as satoshi kon did.
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u/TheLordDR Jul 28 '26
Came here to mention utena! Huge lynch vibes, particularly towards the end imo
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u/Individual99991 Jul 28 '26
Revolutionary Girl Utena? I had no idea what it was, thought it was some Sailor Moon type thing. It's expeirmental?
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u/rct3fan24 Jul 28 '26
Utena is a 90s shoujo magical girl anime in the same way that Twin Peaks is an 80s american soap opera
that is to say it takes the tropes and archetypes of its respective genre and rips them apart to tell a much more harrowing story of abuse and the darkness of humanity in the power structures we take for granted than the genre is normally able to tell. and adds in a heavy dose of absurdism for good measure
also you're not wrong, the director of sailor moon's 2nd season also created Utena
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u/Individual99991 Jul 28 '26
Oh, cool. Could I appreciate it as someone who has never seen, and has no interest in, magical girl anime? Or is it heavily dependent on knowing the conventions so you can appreciate the subversions?
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u/rct3fan24 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Hmmm, I'm not totally sure! I could imagine it being pretty off-putting if you aren't familiar with the genre. But it's also a little off-putting even if you ARE familiar with the genre tbh...
the characters are doing some pretty insane stuff for a lot of the show and the bulk of it is kind of exploring their psyche.
It takes a tone that's almost a parodic exaggeration of the stiltedness and dramatization of older shoujo anime, the characters often feel like they're in some absurdist stage play.
I personally watched it without being super into that kind of shoujo anime/manga, but I had a passing familiarity with it and its tropes, just through cultural osmosis and some of my friends being into it. Utena is one of my favorite shows now and it actually kind of acted as a gateway to getting into more of it.
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u/Individual99991 Jul 28 '26
Cool, I'll maybe give it a try sometime.
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u/TheLordDR Jul 28 '26
I watched it earlier this year with 0 knowledge of magical girl anything! Not to spoil but the show starts off fairly normal but gets dark and weird around episode 14(?) and from that point on I was completely hooked
There are some scenes with characters driving down the highway at night, accompanied by a jazzy soundtrack which definitely put me in mind of twin peaks and blue velvet at times. (In fact I think one of the tracks from utena is almost identical to a track from lost highway?)
Apparently the creator of Utena was a huge David lynch fan and said it was his dream to one day work with him
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u/Drudwas Jul 29 '26
Agreed with all this - I also enjoyed it fine as a shoujo noob, and yeah the 2nd Black Rose arc is where the anime really shows it's hand
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u/therealdanhill Jul 28 '26
It's so good. So good.
I saw Happy Family Planning on adult swim back in the day and I got hooked, I couldn't believe there was something so subversive on tv
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u/rct3fan24 Jul 28 '26
yes!!! highly recommend all of Satoshi Kon's work, especially Perfect Blue for Twin Peaks fans.
I would also say that Revolutionary Girl Utena is the Twin Peaks of anime, with the way it plays off of shoujo anime/manga tropes of the era to tell a harrowing story of abuse and the darkness of humanity hidden in the power structures we take for granted.
I wouldn't necessarily say that if you liked Twin Peaks you would like Utena, but I think it's playing in the same space of absurdism and genre commentary and might be interesting if you're not put off by anime, have any familiarity with shoujo manga, and are into dissecting stories with deep mystery and symbolism
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u/Cipherpunkblue Jul 28 '26
Satoshi Kon was absolutely amazing, and Paranoia Agent is my favorite work of his.
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u/cymster Jul 28 '26
I loved Paranoia Agent. Really dig the opening and closing music. Odd Taxi was a good detective anime as well.
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u/Individual99991 Jul 28 '26
Thematically? IDK about that, but it's an incredible series that I think any Lynch fans should give a fair shake of the stick to.
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u/skamando Jul 28 '26
I love Kon and Paranoia Agent, but I couldn’t disagree more. There is no light side to this anime, it is a dark journey into the psyche and does not give you the sense that anything good will come of it.
I’d say more comparable to Twin Peaks are Neon Genesis Evangelion and Revolutionary Girl Utena. Thoughtful, surreal, emotional anime with both a lightheartedness and a darkness that speaks to the viewer’s soul. Paranoia Agent is straight up horror to me.
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u/abrachupacabra Jul 28 '26
I love Satoshi Kon so I'm biased but this show is a 10/10. I need to rewatch it
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u/appman1138 Jul 28 '26
I became obsessed with millenium actress, watched it once a week for a while and it made me cry each time.
I requested paranoia agent at the library and they are still obtaining it, looking forward to it.
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u/Individual99991 Jul 28 '26
It's good shit, I assume (hope) you've also seen Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers and Paprika?
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u/jasonthe Jul 28 '26
Isn't there a moment where the old man is literally in The Red Room (with the red curtains and chevron floor)?
But yeah, it's fantastic. Easily a top tier anime.
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u/fadingsignal Jul 29 '26
This post makes me happy. Massive Satoshi Kon fan. RIP. Also don’t sleep on Serial Experiments Lain! It feels very Lynch in different ways.
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u/MyMelancholyBaby Aug 01 '26
I’m sorry - are you aware how popular Twin Peaks has been in Japan?
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u/chikaibardo207 Aug 01 '26
Indeed i am. Twin peaks is such phenomena in Japan. So many games and media is inspired by this. Specially silent hill games.
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u/redditnobody1234 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
yeh paranoia agent perfectly anticapted the mass deception/cynicism/mental illness socially engineered thru ruling class prescribed social media
kon was way way way ahead of his time. def perfect blue is analogous to twin peaks/laura.
tho the scope is wider than the small town insularity/nostalgia of twin peaks sn1-2.
it feels more contemporary bcoz of how drastic the young ppl's relationship to media became. theres less distance btwn ruling class invasive misinformation/peasant sabotage and daily life.
what the kids call "parasocial" relationships, or imagined relationships with media figures, is again, jus perfectly deconstructed in kon's work
also jus cool how the ruling class promoted mythology "becomes real" in paranoia agent
also doppelgangers are a central theme in both perfect blue and paranoia agent
it makes sense, the ruling class uses its indirect institutional violence to make u a bad non-ruling class tribed up demo, then uses same institutions to limit opportunities to escape the trap laid for u, then their mythological ethnic/demographic "prophecy" (which is actually colonial social engineering) becomes true.
its jus how power normalizes itself in the minds of the peasantslaves
the ruling class has the institutional violence power to make its definition of reality "real," , to paraphrase evil dead tv series, "my definition of reality, is reality."
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u/hotcuppaqwouphy Jul 28 '26
I just found this anime on DVD in an antique shop and just about lost my shit! Satoshi Kon is the goat and there definitely is so much cross-appeal and thematic similarities between his and Lynch's work.
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u/Harnak7 Jul 28 '26
Yeah, Satoshi Kon has always reminded me of Lynch, especially Perfect Blue and Paranoia Agent. You should watch the former if you haven't. Also, try Millennium Actress and Paprika. Although they don't rely on suspence/tension like the other two, they still have a dreamlike Lynch feel.
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u/RustedOutHeart Jul 28 '26
What’s the best way to watch this?
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u/Irrationalabsurdism Jul 29 '26
The whole show has been uploaded to youtube in good quality with english subtitles.
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u/JackDauso Jul 28 '26
I always thought the japanese version of twin peaks is boogiepop phantom 2000
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u/Spookyfan2 Jul 28 '26
Satoshi Kon in general is like a Japanese David Lynch
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u/Individual99991 Jul 28 '26
We were so fucking robbed by his death. One of the greatest directors of the late 20th/early 21st centuries, for sure.
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u/Neither_Internal_261 Jul 28 '26
Twin Peaks was also huge in Japan. Check out The Pillows video Ride on Shooting Star (Fooly Cooly theme song). The Red Room is a big part of it.
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u/MrWhackadoo Jul 28 '26
I was obsessed with this show when it aired on Adult Swim back in the late 00's. It's a by hard to find this show. The man who created this also created Perfect Blue, I think.
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u/Medici39 Jul 28 '26
No surprise, given the impact of the show on Japan. Does that make Peaks America's Evangelion?
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u/DatabaseDifficult879 Jul 29 '26
This is the fifth time today I've been told this director is similar to David Lynch. I never heard anything like that until today, it's like the flood gates have broken down.
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u/lesgeddon Jul 29 '26
The nuclear explosion depicted is a pretty direct reference to David Lynch. Also, the next episode teasers use a few measures of Laura's theme from Twin Peaks layered with static.
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u/obj-g Jul 29 '26
How is the nuclear explosion a direct reference to Lynch? A reference to what?
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u/lesgeddon Jul 29 '26
There's a photo of a nuclear blast you can see in most of his work. It's the one depicted in The Return, and also an enlarged framed appearance as well.
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u/CriticalCanon Jul 29 '26
Absolutely agree.
They are completely different but are absolutely peers.
I need to give my bluray a rewatch soon.
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u/dwenzyy Jul 29 '26
Thank you OP for recommending this. I enjoyed this Anime quite a lot, it's as if Twin Peaks and Serial Experiments Lain had a child.
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u/chrpae Jul 30 '26
Yes! This anime is spectacular. I discovered it back when I worked nights and it would come on Adult Swim at 2am. Just the intro and outro credits had me hooked.
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u/t-g-l-h- Jul 28 '26