The Thrasher's Word
Paprika
Format: Movie (90 minutes)
Genre: Psychological, Science-fiction, Drama
Studio: Madhouse
Director: Satoshi Kon
Consider for a moment, if you will, dreams. Dreams are the bizarre night-time vehicles for our latent desires and passions, the theatres in which our psyches are put on display. In a sense, your dreams are the ultimate expression of your individuality, something which belongs to you and you alone, a demonstration of your mind and its uniqueness among billions of others similar to it, but never quite the same. But consider this; what if our dreams could be shared with others? What then? If dreams are expressions of the self, then could the self actually be subject to dissolution if shared with others? Is there in fact any such thing as an individual, central “self” at all, or are we really nothing more than montages of the experiences afforded us, malleable as clay?
There’s an opening paragraph to an anime review if ever there was one. Amid all of this intellectual noodling, I suppose a more pertinent question would be Where am I going with this? Well, these are the themes which get explored in Satoshi Kon’s most recent theatrical work, “Paprika,” an elaborate, nightmarish mental mirror maze. The story goes that in the near future, a device is invented – the “DC Mini” – for use in psychotherapy. It allows the user to view and actually enter people’s dreams, exploring their subconscious, a revolutionary treatment for mental health. Enter Doctor Atsuko Chiba, one of the developers of the technology, and her alter ego known as Paprika, who illegally uses the DC Mini to treat psychiatric patients while public use of the machine is still under consideration. It seems to be going reasonably well, as she helps a friend – the detective Toshimi Konakawa – root out the cause of a recurring nightmare. But then, of course, Something Bad happens; the DC Mini is stolen, and the staff behind it begin to find their dreams, and those of their co-workers, coming to life around them.
It’s a special anime that manages to be charming, funny, intelligent, bizarre and unsettling all at the same time; but then, you’ve probably figured out by this point that “Paprika” is a pretty special anime. Satoshi Kon manages the plot on several levels at the same time; it can be a detective story, a human drama, and a surreal exploration of the human psyche all in the space of a single frame. One might expect that the result of such an ambitious project would just be a jumbled mess, but thanks to Kon’s masterful writing and direction, he pulls it off with an all but effortless grace and poise. The progression of the conspiracy behind the theft of the DC Mini and the resultant philosophical musing are wound together tightly enough as to be inseparable, the associated symbolism – the contrast between Atsuko and Paprika, for example – deftly applied. Not since “Ghost in the Shell” have I encountered an anime so deep yet so compelling to watch.
And of course, you can’t have a compelling story without interesting characters, and this is yet another element which “Paprika” delivers in spades. As is hinted by the unusual character designs, from the dwarfish Torataro to the obese Tokita, “Paprika” presents one of the most eclectic and interesting casts in recent memory. In a film about dreams, you’d be a fool not to expect some psychological insight into our characters’ minds, and indeed, that’s exactly what we get. Take, for example, the gradual revelation of Toshimi’s inner demons via his recurring nightmare, or the link between Tokita’s childlike imagination, his immense intellect, and his compulsive overeating. These are figures that continue to charm and intrigue the whole film through. Usually when an anime film starts repeating scenes it spells doom for whatever enjoyment it may have offered – just look at the ham handed way it was done in “Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence” – but here it actually seems like an appropriate mechanism, the imagery taking on new significance each time both to the characters and to the viewer. But the real surprise is the apparent ease with which it’s all done. There are no contrived scenarios or overlong stretches of exposition to be found here; just people, and their (admittedly weird) circumstances.
I’m ashamed to admit that “Paprika” is the first of Satoshi Kon’s works that I’ve seen, but on this evidence, it’s easy to see why the anime community makes such a fuss over him. Here, he interweaves theme, character and narrative with an expertise and mastery of the medium that is frankly a marvel to behold. With that said though, “Paprika,” isn’t entirely without its issues, foremost among these being a certain indiscipline in its visual style. Put simply, there’s just too much weirdness going on at any one time. The animation is of course top-notch – then again, doesn’t everything have top-notch animation these days? – but as a sensory spectacle, it’s hard to get into by the simple token that what we’re watching are dreams, and as such anything can (and most certainly does) happen. In the last twenty minutes or so it all became so overwhelming that I ceased to perceive any meaning in what I was seeing, simply letting it all wash over me in a single big, surrealistic clusterf***. Christ, even “Karas,” deigned to self-edit once in a while.
Despite this, I recommend “Paprika” very highly to anyone who considers themselves an anime aficionado. It’s charming, it’s intelligent, it’s subtle, it has a strong narrative and a deep theme, and it’s all pulled together by a man who clearly knows what he’s doing. You owe it to yourself to see it, just as long as you realise that your eyes – and brain – might be a bit dried out for a while afterwards.
-Thrash Til’ Death
LAA Rating: ***1/2
Rating System:
* - Horrible
*1/2 – Very Bad
** - Bad
**1/2 – Good
*** - Very Good
***1/2 – Excellent
**** - Masterpiece