Paprika (2006) Dir: Satoshi Kon
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Satoshi Kon's sci-fi thriller is one of the most acclaimed anime films of the 21st Century, and one that I've been meaning to watch for some time. I don't watch a lot of anime, for whatever reason, but I very much felt like this was something I needed to watch sooner than later. When the time came, I was all too keen to see what was in store for me.
The film quite clearly influenced Nolan's 'Inception' - there are videos showing the shot-for-shot similarities of some scenes - it was very cool to see the creativity that went into the dream sequences. A lot of this is thanks to some truly astonishing and breathtaking animation. The film was so pretty and so impressive to look at - I wasn't expecting it.
The thrilling on-screen action was backed up by an intriguing and suspenseful soundtrack, which kept a great tempo during the fast-paced scenes, but also delved into more tense or emotional music with ease, when required. It may seem like making a lot of not so much, but it was really quite enjoyable, from a viewer perspective.
The story was snappy, mysterious and expansive. It kept me hooked and kept me guessing from the first minute to the last, and had so many great individual scenes that I found incredibly enjoyable. I loved the twists and turns of the mystery, particularly with the way the two main arcs intertwined - it was a whirlind ride, but one that was exciting to go with.
I thought that the whole Japanese voice acting cast did a tremendous job. I would say my favourite performance was provided by Megumi Hayashibara, who, incidently, had the leading role. I loved the differences she showed between her two roles - it was excellent.
Other strong performers were Katsunosuke Hori, Toru Furuya, and Akio Otsuka, whose respective supporting characters all felt important and entertaining. I think the pair of Koichi Yamadera and Tōru Emori had some very strong scenes, where they proved to be interesting antagonists.
Overall, I found it quite clear to see why this is such a highly acclaimed piece of anime. There was so much going on, but the film never lost its footing or spiralled out or control. Instead, it kept me bolted in for a crazy but thrilling science fiction journey. Satoshi Kon also directed another anime film I really enjoyed; 'Tokyo Godfathers', so I shall have to check out more of his films.
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