Paprika follows the adventures of a dream persona and her waking world self, Dr Chiba Atsuko as they investigate the theft of a device called the DC Mini. Throughout, the lines between what is real and what is a dream are blurred, to the point where the two merge. Basically, this is where Inception got its idea from, except ramped up by the sum of 0 divided unto itself. Suffice it to say, Paprika is the original Inception.
The characters are fantastic, if a bit one-note. Paprika is carefree while Dr Atsuko is strict and rule-abiding. The antagonists are self-centered and controlling, drawing on a dialogue about how people will always seek to control what they cannot because they fear a lack of control in their own lives. The cop, Toshima Konakawa, is plagued by regrets over a past unresolved. The way he handles his past and the resolution is heart-warming, if a bit cliche.
So let's talk about the music. Something Satoshi Kon does is follows a strict rule with music in his films, and that is using music that fits the theme. In Paprika, the music fits as well as the Noire-esque music of Tokyo Godfathers and the frenzied notes of Perfect Blue. Paprika is first and foremost a whimsical film about how dreams affect us, and the music plays to that. Even in the climax, the music is whimsical and fun, much like being at a circus or watching a parade. It works because, like all of Kon's works, the music is a natural part of the film itself.
Finally, the art. Colorful, vibrant, and yet, it has a sense of emotion to it. Every shot is full of emotion, reflecting how the characters feel or how we should interpret the world around them. The beauty of Paprika is that while it is full of color, it doesn't feel overwhelming or TOO bright. It has the right amount of energy and emotion to convey the emotions of the scene while giving the appearance of something truly beautiful.
Before we finish, it has to be said that Paprika's weakness is teasing us with something that has yet to happen, and perhaps Kon's crowning moment. "Dreaming Kids" is suggested to the detective at the end of the movie by Paprika, and as he approaches the theater, posters of Kon's other works are pasted overhead. It's a personal theory of mine that while we never got "Dreaming Kids" per se, Kon's fifth movie was teased to us prior to production.
Overall, it's a great film with a lot of great things, and Kon's climax in anime before he passed. If Kon had not passed, this would have been perhaps the film that came before he revolutionized anime forever.
