Paprika contains scenes of sexual content.
Originally based on a book written in 1993, 2006 cartoon movie Paprika can be considered an anime version of Inception. However, it’s worth noting that Satoshi Kon’s film predates Inception by four years, and the original book predates it by more than a decade. There are superficial similarities between the two storylines, due to the reference to machines intended to influence people’s subconscious through their dreams. Paprika is a one-of-a-kind experience, with Beautiful but surreal style that makes it more than just an anime version of a Hollywood movie.
Paprika director Satoshi Kon has never been as famous or popular as Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki, especially outside of Japan. However, the films Kon directed including Perfect Blue, Millennium Actor and Tokyo Godfathers were all highly appreciated by critics and audiences alike. Kon also directed the anime series Paranoia Agent and the 1993 anime adaptation of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Paprika was the last film Kon completed before unexpectedly passing away from pancreatic cancer in 2010.
Paprika is a parade for the senses
To briefly summarize Paprika, Dr. Atsuko Chiba uses a machine called DC Mini to treat her patients by entering their dreams with a digital avatar named Paprika. Dr. Chiba and her team quickly realize that someone is using the DC Mini to enter other people’s dreams to influence their minds for evil purposes. Chiba and her team investigate both dreams and the real world as dreams begin to come true. At its core, Paprika is a mystery, but takes unique artistic opportunities from its dreamy premise to create a completely unique take on the mystery concept.
Thematically, it’s fitting that one of the recurring songs on Paprika’s soundtrack is called “Parade,” since one of the main scenes involves a literal parade of dream figures the surreal spills over into the real world and because overall Paprika feels like a constant forward march of images and sounds. It can be overwhelming and disorienting – but that’s the point. Satoshi Kon became famous for the visual style used in Paprika, and the film is a perfect testament to his art direction and animation talent. Kon fully embraced the opportunity to create surreal and eerie visuals and animations thanks to a story driven by dreams that spill over into the real world.
Paprika isn’t exactly a scary movie, but many of the dream sequences are truly disturbing. The animation, art direction, and use of sound in these scenes help the audience see that something is wrong, gradually revealing how exactly dreams and reality are blending. Naturalistic dream sequences that fit the Uncanny Valley principle of things that look almost but not quite like humans are particularly disturbing, and Kon’s art style commits to making the most of it. . Still, Paprika lightens the often strange atmosphere with genuinely funny jokes and visual gags.
Paprika’s soundtrack compliments its story perfectly
Experimental musician Susumu Hirasawa has released 17 albums of his own, along with an equal number of anime soundtracks. Western anime fans will likely know him from the anime adaptation of Berserk. Hirasawa previously provided the soundtrack for Kon’s other film Millennium Actor and for his anime series Paranoia Agent. It’s a perfect combination. Kon’s films are known for their unique, surreal art style, and Hirasawa’s musical style is so unique that it involves playing several musical instruments that he built himself from scratch.
Although Hirasawa’s entire Paprika soundtrack is great, two songs stand out: “Parade” and “The Girl in Byakkoya.” The gripping yet creepy “Parade” plays during various key moments in the film, as well as on the Blu-ray version’s menu, giving viewers a perfect representation of what they’re getting into. “The Girl in Byakkoya” isn’t necessarily less surreal than “Parade,” but it’s a lot lighter and gentler and serves as Paprika’s theme song during the opening credits. Hirasawa’s soundtrack stands out as one of the best in anime. The music fits Kon’s art perfectly, and the sounds and visuals combined with Paprika are both truly beautiful and shockingly surreal.
Paprika may be too exotic for its own good
Paprika is a great anime. It’s not entirely without flaws, though. There’s no denying that it has its own style, but sometimes, those stylistic choices come in their own way. Deliberately presented to be as surreal as possible, the dream sequences naturally do not operate according to real-world logic, featuring many quick camera cuts and sudden jumps in visual aesthetic. Especially on the first viewing, it can be difficult to follow exactly what is going on and what exactly the visual metaphors are supposed to represent. Of course, that only encourages repeat viewing, and Paprika is definitely worth watching more than once.
One of the most common complaints about Paprika from audiences is that the film’s inclusion of a romance angle feels convoluted, largely inconsequential, and not given due build-up. The criticism isn’t unfounded, but the romance angle is innocent enough that it doesn’t really affect the rest of the film much for better or worse. It’s clumsy but also pretty easy to ignore. Certainly not enough to prevent Paprika from becoming a classic.
With Satoshi Kon unique art style and the director perfectly captures the visual possibilities of the dreamy scene and Susumu Hirasawa’s unique soundtrack fits the animation perfectly, Paprika has deservedly become a classic work of long-running films cartoon. Even though the premise inspired later films like Inception, Paprika remains so completely unique that it really can’t be compared to anything else. Despite the superficial similarities, Paprika’s unique qualities make it more than just an anime version of a Hollywood movie.