Rent Paprika (2006)

A fun, psychedelic anime hit - Paprika review by BW

A decent anime feature. What is dream and what is reality? A team of Japanese engineers prototype a therapeutic tool for getting into people's dreams. Then the machine gets stolen and a lot of chaos begins to unfold. There are some exhilarating scenes here with some marked references to Japanese movie history and classic film technique.

I really enjoyed it. The film is a whirlwind of colour and spectacle. The plot is convoluted and challenging. I was lost but really it's kind of 'whose dream are we in now?' all the way through. Christopher Nolan's 'Inception' is a later, better known film which has the same premise or plot. Paprika is our guide through these strange dreams and she is a bright and flirtatious anime girl, a bit of a Peter Pan figure. There's a reference to 'Tinkerbell', actually, while at another point she takes on the costume of 'Monkey' (as in the Ming dynasty novel and 70s TV series), which is cool.

Paprika is a lot of fun. You're more likely to get lost (and potentially even bored) by the plot than have your view of reality profoundly transformed, I suppose, but that could be said of many films. If you enjoy animated features Paprika should be a joy.

A dazzling, delirious dream — even if you can’t always keep up - Paprika review by griggs

Paprika is an absolute visual feast — even if, at times, I hadn’t the faintest idea what was going on. It’s a beautiful, chaotic, mind-bending plunge into dreams and identity, bursting with imagination in every frame. The animation is incredible, full of surreal shifts and strange details that keep you hooked even when the plot slips out of reach. You can see how it’s shaped plenty of later live-action films — and I’m not just talking about Inception! A confusing but brilliant ride.