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| Fig 1. Poster Art |
Paprika is a science - fiction, Japanese, Anime film directed by Satoshi Kon. He is known for being unique in the way that he makes animated films, steering away from the "cliches of mass-produced Japanese animation – "robots and beautiful little girls," as he once put it – Kon sought to make animation that used ambitious and often disorientating editing, intercutting and scene-shifting." (Osmond, 2010)
The film enters the minds of its characters, letting the audience see all their weird and theatrical dreams. Through the surreal universes we can discover a person's true feelings and understand why they might be having those dreams. In this case some of the feelings were caused by stress, anxiety, guilt and loss of control.
The film stretches past the impossibilities of reality which is difficult to achieve in a live action. Kon even refers to the reasons why he did this: "In animation, only what is intended to be communicated is there," he once said. "If I had a chance to edit live-action, it would be too fast for audiences to follow." Kon made only sparing use of CGI in his mostly drawn films, relying on such superb animators as Shinji Otsuka and Toshiyuki Inoue." (Osmond, 2010)
With the use of this medium the Director is able to achieve almost anything they want. Having this ability meant that Kon could even morph and shape shift characters. Their technique really reflects how our wildest fantasies can always be achieved through a dream. "Nolan has acknowledged Paprika as an influence, but Kon's film has far more fun with its dream worlds. Its titular heroine dashes through paintings and signboards while transforming into everything from a fairy to a mermaid to Pinocchio." (Osmond, 2010) This would have been much harder and more expensive by only using CGI.
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| Fig 2. Film still |
Although the film can be pretty creepy and "adult like in its nature"at times, the style of the film can often distract you from this, it "is a visually gripping film that renews one's faith in the power, imagination and beauty of hand-drawn animation." (Singer, 2007)
The film uses a beautiful array of colours. Each of the dreams portray masses of detail, creating carefully crafted scenes. The animation replicates a 2D, hand drawn style, making the animation a piece of art in itself.
The film was often confusing at times. For example, the main character known as Paprika was actually the alter ego of Chiba. This character may be Chiba's real or alternative personality, that she suppresses in reality. "One of these people is the titular Paprika, a colorful and perky young dream therapist. She's the dream avatar of Chiba, one of the scientists involved in the creation of the DC." (Tv Tropes, n.d) The DC is a machine in which you can enter your own dreams or watch them. However the machine gets into the wrong hands and becomes a machine that brings nightmares into reality.
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| Fig 3. Film still |
Illustration List
Figure 1. Poster Art https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNGQ2NDUyZGItZTFmYS00YjIzLWFmZDYtZWFiZWUzZDcxYzIxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjE5MjUyOTM@._V1_.jpg
(Accessed 25.1.18)
Figure 2. Film still https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/sm/upload/mp/6e/wk/u5/paprika-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg?k=88023c17ba
(Accessed 25.1.18)
Figure 3. Film still https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/sm/upload/mp/6e/wk/u5/paprika-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg?k=88023c17ba
(Accessed 25.1.18)
Bibliography
Singer G 'Paprika': Satori With Satoshi https://www.awn.com/animationworld/paprika-satori-satoshi
(Accessed 25.1.18)
Osmond A Satoshi Kon obituary https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/aug/26/satoshi-kon-obituary
(Accessed 25.1.18)
Tv Tropes, n.d http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/Paprika
(Accessed 25.1.18)
Paprika (2006)
