Paprika (2006)

 

This is not one of the easiest anime to get into, but boy, does it give you a lot to think about. Or do you feel a thoughtful contemplation concerning dreams, reality and the internet would be light watching? 

Well, I mean: this is still entertaining as heck, but definitely more an adult themed and serious movie than what most people would expect from an animated feature. 

A company has made a breakthrough in psychiatric treatment and invented a device that allows doctors to jump inside the dreams of their patients and try to find what is troubling them. It works really well, but one day, a prototype of the device (the DC Mini) is stolen and a terrorist of sorts uses this device to not only make people go completely cuckoo-crazy, but also merges dreams of several people.

Hot on the case is detective Kogawa who is struggling with issues of his own, and doctor Atsuko, one of the leading scientists of the research. Unknown to most people, she has a digital/dream alter ego: a spunky young girl named Paprika, who fully embraces the almost limitless possibilities that dreams offer and she manages to often help people who get stuck in their other world. However, when it transpires that within the institute forces are conspiring and the technology becomes ever bolder in its use, even she might have problems getting everything to work as it should... 

Oh, and have I mentioned this is also a detective mystery? Because it totally is.

'Paprika' is one of those movies that does really recquire several viewings, as the first time through, you might be a bit overwhelmed by the visuals and images. In a certain respect, 'Paprika' does the trick that 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' did, in that you often have no idea wether or not certain scenes are really real or simply a dream. This line gets blurred even further the deeper you dive into the story. That might make it all feel a bit disorienting at first, but stick with it, because it all resolves nicely.

This setup also paves the way for some warped and impressive visuals and the animators take full advantage of the idea that dreams can feel both real and otherworldly. Granted, there is a lot you can do in animation that live action might struggle with, but at times it is absolutely insane what they do here. Themes get repeated but with a twist and some scenes are even fairly uncomfortable to watch, as truths and lies are (at times literally) ripped apart. 

It's great stuff. It feels a bit like if David Lynch and David Fincher had an anime baby. This is only to try and explain this one to Western audiences, as I'm fairly certain the original Japanese audience has a different take on this. Director Satoshi Kon manages to create compelling narratives that at times feel diconcerting but will always leave you behind wanting more. 

Good stuff.