Paprika
by Satoshi Kon
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DVD details
Director: Satoshi KonBrand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Japanese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Anamorphic, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 90 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-11-27
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Paprika
DVD Review: add a little spice
Summary: 4 Stars
Besides the animated films of Miyazaki Hayao, I have rarely watched Japanese animation during the past six years or so. However, during that time period I did happen to see a film called Perfect Blue. Unlike much anime with their bug-eyed, florescent haired characters, Perfect Blue was animated in a more realistic style and like the animated films of Oshii Mamoru it delved into questions of the mind, image, and reality. Since the release of Perfect Blue, Kon Satoshi also directed Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, and the television series Paranoia Agent none of which I have seen myself, but of which I have heard good things from my anime watching friends. I was attracted to the film Paprika when I saw some of the colorfully vibrant film stills and heard a couple of Hirasawa Susumu's pulsating electric tracks from its soundtrack. This past weekend I watched the film twice and I am still trying to unravel some of the threads of thought that it has left in my brain.
Paprika opens in...a circus. Detective Konakawa, apparently on an undercover mission suddenly finds himself within a cage after the emcee, supposedly a friend, points. He then falls through the floor into spy film, also a Tarzan film, and also a gangster film. We then see him open up a door to see a body falling after it has been shot and the culprit escaping. Konakawa then wakes up next to a lithe, red-headed girl. Using a device called a DC mini which allows an individual to enter another's dreams to find what is ailing the "patient." The girl, called Paprika, is quite experienced at her job and is quite knowledgeable about dreams and the inner psyches of individuals. However, Paprika herself is nothing more than the manifestation of the psyche of Dr. Chiba Atsuko, a very serious woman who is quite dedicated to her profession even if it means doing things a bit under the table. Problems begin when Dr. Tokita, a morbidly obese childlike genius, informs Chiba that three of the DC minis have been stolen. To make matters worse, Dr. Tokita never programmed security codes into the devices to prevent just anyone from being able to use them. The first evident victim of the DC mini is the section chief Shima who suddenly dives out a window when his psyche is invaded by another's dreams. Chiba goes to sleep in order to allow Paprika to jump into Shima's dream. There she discovers a very creepy circus led by a mailbox and a refrigerator just like Shima said before he jumped out the window. She soon discovers that the culprit is Dr. Tokita's assistant Himuro who is in the guise of a Japanese doll. However, do things truly end with Himuro or is there something much deeper at stake?
Like the comics of Shirow Masamune, Paprika delves into the question of science and technology and its relationship to mankind. The Chairman states that dreams should not be invaded by science because they are precious to humans. With the intervention of science this purity is lost and humans lose a vital aspect of themselves. The self and the Internet is also an issue within this film. People create lives and personas completely different from their true selves online. Be it being a jerk on You Tube or creating a fantasy life, individuals allow for their psyches to span in cyberspace. These are just a couple of questions that the film raises. Sexuality in the being of Dr. Chiba, a mature woman, and Paprika, a teenaged girl, also plays a significant role, but I feel as if I need to watch the film a couple more times before I delve into that topic.
With its pulsating soundtrack and wide ranging milieu of colors, Paprika is quite an experience both aurally and visually. Definitely an animated film to be watched for those interested in the genre expanding potential of animation, Paprika will definitely spark one's thinking cap.
Description of Paprika
Prepare to enter the realm of fantasy and imagination where reality and dreams collide in a kaleidoscopic mindscape of sheer visual genius. The magical tale centers on a revolutionary machine that allows scientists to enter and record a subject?s dream. After being stolen, a fearless detective and brilliant therapist join forces to recover the device before it falls into the hands of a dream terrorist in this gripping anime thriller from acclaimed director Satoshi Kon.Bestsellers in DVD
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