Paprika (2006)

Director:

Satoshi Kon

Writers:

Yasutaka Tsutsui (novel)
Seishi Minakami (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 November 2006 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

This is your brain on anime.

Plot:

When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patient's dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist can stop it: Paprika.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Asperger's Syndrome | Hospital Room | Nightmare That Comes Alive | Car

Awards:

4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Megumi Hayashibara	...	Paprika / Chiba Atsuko (voice)
Tôru Furuya	...	Tokita Kohsaku (voice)
Kôichi Yamadera	...	Osanai Morio (voice)
Katsunosuke Hori	...	Shima Tora-taroh (voice)
Toru Emori	...	Inui Sei-jiroh (voice)
Akio Ôtsuka	...	Detective Kogawa Toshimi (voice)
Hideyuki Tanaka	...	Guy (voice)
Satomi Koorogi	...	A doll (voice)
Daisuke Sakaguchi	...	Himuro Kei (voice)
Mitsuo Iwata	...	Tsumura Yasushi (voice)
Rikako Aikawa	...	Kakimoto Nobue (voice)
Shinichirô Ôta	...	Reporter (voice)
Satoshi Kon	...	Jin-nai (voice)
Yasutaka Tsutsui	...	Kuga (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Brian Beacock	...	Hajime Himuro / Kuga (voice: English version)
Doug Erholtz	...	Dr. Morio Osanai (voice: English version)
Michael Forest	...	Dr. Seijiro Inui (voice: English version)
David Lodge	...	Dr. Torataro Shima (voice: English version)
Yuri Lowenthal	...	Dr. Kosaku Tokita (voice: English version)
Cindy Robinson	...	Dr. Atsuko Chiba / Paprika (voice: English version)
Paul St. Peter	...	Detective Toshimi Konakawa (voice: English version)
Ezra Weisz	...	Konakawa's Old Friend (voice: English version) (as Ethan Murray)

Also Known As:

Paprika (International: English title)
Papurika (Japan) (alternative title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violent and sexual images.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | France:U | Italy:T | Finland:K-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | Canada:PG | Australia:M | Netherlands:AL (DVD rating) | Argentina:16 | South Korea:15 | Germany:12 | New Zealand:R13

Company:

Madhouse

Trivia:

The tall and short bartenders in Paprika's website are voiced by director Satoshi Kon, and the original author of the Paprika novel, Yasutaka Tsutsui, respectively.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Paprika: Time for the greatest show on earth!

Movie Connections:

References From Russia with Love (1963)

Soundtrack:

Chaser

More lucid dreams from Satoshi Kon

I saw this two days ago at the New York Film Festival.

The plot: What happens when we acquire technology that allows us to migrate the boundary between dreams & reality, and what happens when that boundary blurs?

The Animation: Stunning; Madhouse always does good work and Kon's movies always produce some fun reality bending sequences.

The Music: Susumu Hirasawa who did the Paranoia Agent soundtrack came up with the score here too. The opening song is a particularly infectious number. It makes you smiley. It's like the opening song from Paranoia Agent on steroids. I really could not get the grin off my face till the beginning sequence ended.

The Cast: The voice cast is headed by Megumi Hayashibara, probably the most prolific and well known female seiyuu ever, with roles such as Rei Ayanami (Evangelion), Lina Inverse (Slayers), and Faye Valentine (Cowboy Bebop) to her credit. Akio Ohtsuka and Koichi Yamadera, Batou & Togusa of Ghost in the Shell fame, both play major roles as well. All do a fabulous job as usual, but Hayashibara really shines in her Paprika role.

This film has great animation, music & actors, but the plot is really just a thin veneer for the lucid dreaming sequences that permeate so much of Satoshi Kon's work. I still recommend seeing it because it's a really light fun film, but I don't think it adds up to being more than the sum of some really great parts. I think this one needs to be enjoyed in pieces rather than as a whole.