A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Paprika

Date Viewed: 6/4/07

Details:

Voice talent: Megumi Hayashibara (Paprika/Chiba Atsuko)

Tôru Furuya

Kôichi Yamadera

Katsunosuke Hori

Toru Emori

Akio Ôtsuka (Detective Kogawa Toshimi)

Director: Satoshi Kon

Score: 1/2

The Review: Fresh anime in the spirit of Matrix, following a slightly different, non-recursive, computational model than used in 13th Floor or eXistenZ, but with an emphasis on very colorful and slightly menacing dreams.

Researchers at a private institute have created a tap into the dream-state consciousness of patients, to allow shared real-time dreams, psychiatric intervention, and recording & playback of dream events. However, as is the inevitable narrative wont, the technology has been stolen and is being perverted to dastardly purposes. One puzzle is who and why. Another puzzle is how and when Paprika appears -- the cute dream-state alter ego of lead researcher Atsuko -- for she seems to have an agenda all her own, and there is some blurring of reality in her presence. She (both she's, actually) are assisted in their search for the thief by two other researchers and a police detective. The plot takes turns alternately bizarre, psychedelic and oddly Sturgeon-esque (think Microcosmic God). Considering the themes and some of the artwork, this is definitely anime for adults.

The ambiguity between reality and perception is explored moderately well, the clues as to which is being visualized not always clear, and the dreams are as strange and idiosyncratic as you might imagine. There is a bit of whimsy throughout, and the raving statements of characters captured while in dream-state are wildly amusing and quite cleverly constructed. The animation is typical anime -- sketchy on occasion, stereotypic backgrounds much of the time. Most characters are not one-dimensional, although there are a few caricatures. Some of the scale of the denouement is reminiscent of the forest gods of Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke.

(2-Jul-07)

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