I'd seen commercials on Cartoon Network for the movie Paprika but being from a smallish backwater town I assume that no anime films would ever be shown in the cinemas around here. However I was surprised to find that one near me was showing Paprika and since I loved one of Satoshi Kon's other films, Millenium Actress, I couldn't pass up the chance to see this one in a theater. Paprika is essentially a sci-fi film that is set in the not so distant future or even the present. A group of scientists have collaborated and discovered how to interface the dreams of the unconscious mind to a computer which enables a psychotherapist to clearly view and interpret the dreams of a patient. They can even use the device themselves to enter the patient's dreams and interact with them as the dream occurs and so the potential of the device - the "DC mini" - is enormous in terms of psychotherapy. However, as with any device with the potential for great good, there is also a potential for great evil. Even after the DC mini device is removed from a person, the connection to the person's dreams remains, and as the film begins the grave news has arrived that the DC mini device has fallen into the hands of an unknown terrorist. The effects on former patients and the scientists themselves becomes immediately apparent - anyone with previous contact with the DC mini is vulnerable to attack. The leader of the scientific group, Dr. Atsuko Chiba realizes immediately the enormous danger and embarks on a very hazardous investigation in both the real world and the world of dreams created by the terrorist's evil schemes. Her alter-ego in the dream world - called by code name "Paprika" becomes the heroine of the story.

To me, I saw a number of similarities to films like the Matrix and Total Recall, however unlike those movies, Paprika seemed more frightening in the sense that our unconscious minds could be used to control and even destroy us - to be used to fuel the power of a mad terrorist. Like Millenium Actress the story is complex and deep at times, but flows along nicely and does not get bogged down in places. The artistic imagery in Paprika is visually stunning to say the least. Also, the heroine, Dr. Atsuko/Paprika is quite atypical for a female lead. She is a very calm, intelligent, and collected individual, and never gets hysterical at any time during the show, unlike virtually every anime girl ever made. Yes, she does get frightened when placed in imminent mortal danger ... but who wouldn't, right? All in all, an excellent film and I enjoyed Paprika very much. Certainly I will pick this up on DVD when it comes out.

Hmm, I haven't seen Perfect Blue or Lain so I can't really make any comparison with those.

If you're referring to Ripley from the Alien movies, that would not be a good comparison to Atsuko Chiba. Chiba is the type of person that is likely to solve a problem with cleverness or trickery rather than brute force. In that regard, I'd compare her to the lead character Max from the Mad Max films. She's also the professional type that wears a suit to the office and probably wouldn't get caught dead sweating like a pig in combat fatigues, lol. Humor is one thing that Paprika does not have very much of (no "spaz" factor at all) so there is little in the way of breaking the tension. I try not to over-analyze any kind of science fiction because it is after all fiction, not science facts, so if you play with it long enough any sci-fi story can be unraveled. But for me one of the points of science fiction and the one that makes it enjoyable is that it allows me to experience a universe or reality that has different rules from my own. It's not all that different from fantasy I don't think.

As for Paprika, I was able to watch it as soon as it was released to DVD in the fall. A truly outstanding piece of art. Every aspect is top notch from the beautiful art work to the voice acting and complex but engrossing plot.

A definite must see for everyone.