The human brain is one of the most complex mysteries on this planet. That intricate mush of grey and white matter produces the most vivid and incomprehensible dreams that often leave us in wonder. The fact that dreams are said to be our unconscious thoughts is disturbing as it shows just how deep and dark our minds can be.

Paprika is a movie that delves deep into our dreams and brings out the different colours and truths about people –except that is much too complex.

The mention of the director, Satoshi Kon, should tell you that Paprika is not going to be your average animation film. No such thing as the cherubic cuteness of Studio Ghibli Osamu Tezuka’s creations. Not that Studio Ghibli and Tezuka are average, but Kon is not known for producing children-friendly anime (Japanese animation) films.

Paprika is a novel written by Japanese literary master Yasutaka Tsutsui, who also wrote The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, and is considered a masterpiece of Science Fiction in Japan. The story in the movie is adapted, with the screenplay written by Kon himself. Works such as Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, and Tokyo Godfathers, earn Kon’s films labels such as psychologically mind-blowing, and blurring the line between dream and reality.

Paprika is not so much mind-blowing. This anime is a visual feast with the beautiful, rich quality of the animation created by the hard-working people at anime studio Madhouse. If only more attention could be paid to the plot.

The main character, Dr Atsuko Chiba (voiced by Megumi Hayashibara), is a strict and cold research scientist who leads a team of researchers working on a revolutionary psychotherapy treatment. Her colleague, Dr Tokita Kosaku (voiced by Toru Furuya), has invented a device called the “DC Mini”, which allows a user to explore another person’s dream as a “dream detective”.

Dr Chiba has an alter-ego called “Paprika” whom she assumes in the dream world using the DC Mini, who is unlike her in appearance and character. She is the “dream girl” who’s cute, playful and fun. Paprika uses the DC Mini illegally to counsel patients outside the research facility.

So far, so good. The premise sounds promising and simple enough to understand.

With this in mind, the movie opens with a scene of a dream. A detective, Konakawa Toshimi (voiced by Akio Ohtsuka), is in an audience watching a circus act, and seems to be investigating a crime. He speaks to his undercover agents, and suddenly, the circus conductor turns the spotlight on him, counts to 3, and makes Konakawa magically appear at the center of the stage in a cage. A man takes his original position in the audience and shouts “Get him!” and the audience is suddenly rushing towards the cage, all of them bearing Konakawa’s own face.

The scene then changes to Konakawa becoming the main character in a few of his favourite films, with Paprika appearing with him, guiding him. One minute he’s Tarzan, swinging across the jungles, the next he’s in a moving train saving a damsel in distress. In the last scene, Konakawa is in a hallway with a man falling down in front of him, and the criminal escaping after shooting the man. He runs after the criminal but finds the ground giving way under him, preventing him from going further. The criminal reaches the door at the end of the hallway, turns around, and asks, “Where’s the rest of it?” The dream sequence then ends.

The movie then cuts to a scene of Konakawa in real life, with Paprika next to him in a counselling session. She bids him goodbye and leaves him a name card with a website address. She changes back to Dr Chiba and goes back to the research facility.

She returns to a hysterical Dr Tokita who tells her that 3 prototypes of the DC Mini have been stolen. As the DC Mini is a highly confidential technology yet to be approved by the government, it is still incomplete and could be misused if it falls into the wrong hands. Dr Chiba’s chief, Dr Shima (voiced by Katsunosuke Hori), together with Dr Tokita and her, start the search for the thief, before damage is done.

From here on, the story goes in a direction that can only be described as bizarre. Whatever little semblance of plot is lost soon after. All that is needed for the audience is to be on auto-pilot until the credits roll.

The only thing left to take in is the beauty of twisted dreams and delusions. You get sucked into a torrent of strange and scary images both fascinating and nightmarish at the same time. The fantastic animators created a world so real and lifelike that it’s simply breathtaking to watch.

Veteran voice actress Hayashibara does a flawless job as both Paprika and Dr Chiba. You can clearly hear the difference in characters as she switches from being the cute Paprika and the stern Dr Chiba. Her voice-acting is believable and makes you feel like the character came alive.

The music is composed by Susumu Hirasawa, known for writing the music for Millenium Actress and the anime series Paranoia Agent, both also directed by Kon. His unique style of big band sounds with the use of synthesisers and weird voices is present in Paprika. It fits the movie like a glove, bringing up the adrenaline in the climax of the movie.

In sum, Paprika is a movie that you will either love or hate, especially if you’re looking for plot. To enjoy it, lower your expectations and take it as a purely aesthetic dream that you will wake up from, most likely in bewilderment.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars (And only because of the beautiful animation!)

Movie Details:

Opens: Jul 19

Running Time: 90 min

Rating: NC16

Genre: Animated/Fantasy

Cast: Megumi Hayashibara, Katsunosuke Hori, Toru Furuya, Akio Ohtsuka

Director: Satoshi Kon