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Paprika (2007) DVD Review
Paprika (2007) DVD Credits:
Paprika (2007) Directed by:
Satoshi Kon
Paprika (2007) Written by:
Seishi Minakami, Satoshi Kon
Paprika (2007) Cast:
Megumi Hayashibara, Tôru Furuya, Kôichi Yamadera, Katsunosuke Hori, Toru Emori, Akio Ôtsuka, Hideyuki Tanaka, Satomi Koorogi, Daisuke Sakaguchi, Mitsuo Iwata, Rikako Aikawa, Shinichirô Ôta, Satoshi Kon, Yasutaka Tsutsui
Paprika (2007) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
Paprika (2007) DVD Release Date:
27th November 2007
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Paprika (2007) Synopsis:

Satoshi Kon's new animé plays like a head-on collision between Hello Kitty and Philip K. Dick. The plot starts with a machine that lets therapists enter patients' dreams: When it's stolen, all hell breaks loose, and only a woman therapist (nicknamed "Paprika") seems able to stop it. Kon is a brilliant director by any standard and as the characters shuttle from dream to dream, nightmare to nightmare, Paprika becomes a thrilling tour-de-force of visual invention-every frame is packed with imagination. This delightful movie is bursting with ideas about Japanese repression, multiple identities, collective dreams and the dark side of his countrymen's love of Cute.

Paprika (2007) DVD Review:

Paprika has enough genuinely unique images within the film that it begins to feel that an original animation film has been created, but sadly the themes and imagery slowly conform to feel like a generic presentation. Part of the problem is that the few original sequences begin to repeat themselves throughout the film, and there are more dominant images taking over. The unique concept of entering a person’s dreams becomes far more interesting than the visual representation of this concept, which is a sad statement for an animated film.

A group of scientists have developed a device that allows the controller to enter into and record another person’s dreams, but when the machine is stolen they will stop at nothing to find it before it is used for evil deeds. Unfortunately they are not quick enough to save their chief scientist and a “dream terrorist” threatens their safety with the power of the machine. Apparently the closest people to the machine are more susceptible to invasion, and after the chief is nearly murdered when a dream is implanted in his brain while he is awake, another scientist, Dr. Chiba, begins falling into dreams while still awake. What few know is that Dr. Chiba has a dream-alter ego named Paprika.

Paprika is a free spirited dream therapist who uses the technology in order to help people, and she is able to enter the chief’s dream in order to bring him out of the coma he goes into after his accident. Paprika is helping a detective friend of the chief when the device is stolen, so when Mr. Konakawa comes to investigate the stolen machine he is surprised to meet Chiba. He seems able to recognize that they are the same person, and the two of them are the ones that must stop the “dream terrorist”.

Paprika is rated “R”, although it is relatively tame. There are some images of violence and a few scenes of non-sexual nudity, but apparently this is enough to receive an “R” which all but dooms the film to obscurity in the United States. The acceptance of adult animation is not nearly as widespread, and only fans of the Japan animation will be likely to rush for this DVD. The DVD seems to be formatted for those fans. From a filmmaker commentary and making-of documentary filled with animation lingo to featurettes about the dreams and possibilities of animation, it is obvious that this is a film meant for a specific target audience, and that audience is likely to love a film this bizarre.

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Paprika (2007) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

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