Paprika (Review)
Friday, 8th August 2008, 17:55

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Introduction
They are rarer than hens’ teeth, but I always look forward to a Satoshi Kon animation. If you want mind bending, thought provoking, character driven adult animation, Satoshi Kon’s name is at the top of a very short list, and he’s severely underrated in my opinion. He first came to fans’ attention with his psychological thriller Perfect Blue, a film that even beats live action films at their own game. He again explored the central themes of paranoia in the television series Paranoia Agent, while he crafted an ode to the golden age of cinema in Millennium Actress. He also found time to get festive in the delightful Tokyo Godfathers. Now he turns his attention to dreams, and crafts a sci-fi thriller in Paprika.

The Foundation for Psychiatric Research is currently experimenting with the DC Mini, a new technology that allows users to enter the dreams of others. It’s hoped that it will be a valuable tool for psychiatric treatment, but the head of the Foundation is concerned about its potential for misuse. The development isn’t even complete, yet already there is an elfin superhero type figure called Paprika, who is showing up in people’s dreams and helping them work out their subconscious issues. Then the worst happens, three prototype DC Minis are stolen. The researchers in charge of the project, Atsuko Chiba and Kohsaku Tokita have to solve the crimes before their project is canned. It may already be too late though, as more and more of the city’s population become unhinged, and descend into a horrifying shared dream. But Atsuko’s alter ego is Paprika, and she has the help of Toshimi Konakawa, a police detective who she has been helping through his nightmares.

Picture
The 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer is excellent. If I had to pick a flaw, it’s one instance of aliasing during a pan, otherwise the image is sharp and clear, the anime gets a proper film to PAL transfer with no signs of ghosting or judder, and digital artefacts are wholly absent. It’s excellent news, as Paprika is a film that really excels and expands what 2D anime can do. You know you’re in for a visual treat with the awesome opening sequence, and with the world of dreams to explore, there are no limits to what can be shown on screen.



Sound
You have a choice between DD 5.1 English, German and Japanese, and the film makes full use of the surround to envelop you in its elaborate fantasies. Regular Satoshi Kon collaborator Susumu Hirasawa provides what is perhaps his best soundtrack yet, with a score that is by turns whimsical and ominous. Naturally the original language track is the way to go. I sampled the English dub and while it is certainly acceptable, I found Paprika to be a little too perky. It’s odd, but there is a difference between Japanese perky and American perky, and American perky just crosses the line into cartoony and unreal. There are so many subtitle tracks that they have to fit on five pages of menu screens.

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