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Joined: 23/6/2006
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Here is an exclusive review by myself for you readers.
Director: Satoshi Kon
Screenwriter: Seishi Minakami, Satoshi Kon
Starring: (voices) Megumi Hayashibara, Toru Furuya, Koichi Yamadera, Katsunosuke Hori, Toru Emori, Akio Otsuka
Synopsis
When a machine known as the D.C. Mini that allows therapists to enter their patient's dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist can stop it: Paprika.
Review
When it comes to Japanimation, the story comes first and then the artistry. Take for instance, Paprika director Satoshi Kon, whose films are human stories that we can all relate while exploring modern Japanese culture. Kon is the next big thing in anime, since Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo as he brings us westerners one of the most original animated features that will blow your mind.
Based on the 1993 novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui, the film is a sci-fi thriller that deals with both dreams and reality, while there is a strong sense of comedy. The narrative definitely challenges the audience by not being very clear on whether our heroes are dreaming or in the real world. There are some interesting twists and turns, in which the reveal of the villain isn’t all that obvious.
Like many of Kon’s movies, he uses animation to expand the worlds in his films, even if they have small stories or not. The first five minutes is one of the best introductions to not only a film, but its lead character as we already get the idea of who she is, rather than just being a mysterious individual. The beginning also lets us have a nice listen to the fantastic soundtrack by Susumu Hirasawa. Another stunning scene to take notice of is the parade of giant animals, monuments, vending machines, etc. It is the most visually impressive animated sequence since the stink spirit in Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.
For a film that’s less than an hour and a half, we manage to get enough time to know the characters, which aren’t well detailed, but absolutely likeable. For example, the perfect dream girl who goes by the name of Paprika, who both sees the worlds of fact and fiction as a giant playground. There is an interesting subplot, in which Paprika helps out a detective in not only a murder investigation, but his nightmares which reflect his past. If there is a reference from a 1930s private investigator to this detective is that he is not a fan of movies.
A lot of the voice acting is pretty good, because of their comedic talent. Megumi Hayashibara captures the playful tone of Paprika, while also capturing the serious tone of Paprika’s factual counterpart Dr Atsuko Chiba. She has a nice chemistry with Akio Otsuka, who voices the detective, which creates the human drama from a Kon film.
Verdict
It may be too weird of some people, but it is the best anime since Spirited Away.
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Paprika - 
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