"Paprika" (2006)

Fig. 1 "Paprika" Poster

The Japanese anime film “Paprika“ co-written and directed by Satoshi Kon, based on the novel „Paprika (1993)“ by Yasutaka Tsutsui is about a group of psychologists who recently invented a device with which they can enter other people‘s dreams: the “DC Mini“. Their intention is to help plagued patients to overcome their problems and fears, however, it will be stolen at a later point of the story. Due to the easy access of the DCMini without restrictions it becomes a highly dangerous weapon if it lands in the hands of the wrong person and so the team goes on a hunt for the culprit. The core themes of the film are: illusion, dream, anxiety and identity whereas ‘dream‘ being the most challenging theme to visualize due to the many resemblances of dream and reality, however, Satoshi Kon manages with his expertise and hard work to beautifully visualize the dreamy atmosphere in “Paprika“. In an interview he states: “Trying to visualize all that text couldn't compete with the novel as it is, so I had to find a way in one visual step to represent the mindset of the novel“ (Jason Grey, 2006). With the choice of medium being anime, a Japanese version of the typical Western animation, which was initially targeting younger audiences, however, it developed into targeting adults as well with the realization of using emotional content as story telling. That being said, the medium of choice supports the hyperreal themes unlike any other by having no restrictions of one‘s imagination.

Fig. 2 Parade

The film also contains some 3D elements such as the scene when the character Paprika touched the unstable glass shattering into pieces or the corridor scene in the detective‘s dream. Kon states in an interview as an answer to the question why he resorted to 3D in “Paprika“: “Paprika was one way of experimenting with this. To come to an agreement on the expression or to make these two different universes coalesce was very difficult.“ (Jon Pais, 2006) While Satoshi Kon and Seishi Minakami wrote the script, the well-known Japanese animation studio “Madhouse“, Kon‘s animation studio of choice where his previous works were animated as well, animated and produced the film with the support of “Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan“.

Fig. 3 Konakawa Toshimi in his dream

Having a high rating of 7.7/10 on IMDb, 83% on RottenTomatoes and a solid 81% on Metacritic “Paprika“ was quite well received by the public reflecting in its won awards: The “Public‘s Choice Award“ at Montréal Festival of New Cinema, the “Critics Choice Award“ at Fantasporto and the “Feature Film Award for Best Animation“ at Newport Beach Film Festival. 

Despite the fact that “Paprika“ is an anime film, something the vast majority would assume to be chaotic, childish, funny and simply crazy, “Paprika“ manages to amaze the audience with its mature approach of tackling the interesting and fascinating concept of dreaming. One of TheGuardian‘s writers notes on his blog: “Kon's films demand to be watched sitting up straight. But preconceptions, common even among anime fans, that Japanese animation is crazy, psychedelic, meaningless fun mean that even those lucky audiences who catch Paprika are in danger of missing out on its brilliance.“ (Alex Naylor, 2008)

Bibliography:
Pais, J. (2006). PAPRIKA: Interview with Satoshi Kon. (online) Available at: http://screenanarchy.com/2006/10/paprika-interview-with-satoshi-kon.html (Accessed on 17/02/2018)
Gray, J. (2008). Satoshi Kon. (online) Available at: http://www.midnighteye.com/interviews/satoshi-kon-2/ (Accessed on 17/02/2018)
Naylor, A. (2006). Paprika: the stuff of dreams for filmgoers. (online) Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2008/jun/17/paprikathestuffofdreamsfo (Accessed on 17/02/2018)

Illustration List:
Fig 1. "Paprika" Poster. At: https://78.media.tumblr.com/160a3ba56fdb6c64619194f92d61fbd8/tumblr_mm7sjoDBVY1r7llf5o2_1280.jpg (Accessed on 18/02/2018)
Fig 2. Parade. At: https://nefariousreviews.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/paprika-everyone-loves-a-parade-2.png?w=672&h=372&crop=1 (Accessed on 18/02/2018)
Fig 3. Konakawa Toshimi in his dream. At: https://33hpwq10j9luq8gl43e62q4e-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/1ydHC36w1wpsdRCY-BdeJbA.gif (Accessed on 18/02/2018)