Review of Paprika

This is one of those films that I want to like, but it is underwhelming in a lot of aspects. Since this is my second Satoshi Kon film, watching this after Perfect Blue feels weird. This seems like a complete departure from what he was going for in his previous films, almost as if he's hitting the reset button to try something completely different. The issue with that, however, is that he had a previous directing style unique to him that is now gone. Instead, this seems a lot like a Hayao Miyazaki film for the first hour, and then the climax feels a bitmore like a Hideaki Anno film but heavily toned down. These aren't bad film directors by any means to get inspiration from, especially for a fantasy film, but I can't understand why he couldn't have just stuck to his style. This film is still a good watch, but if you're expecting the same thrilling highs from Perfect Blue, prepare to be disappointed. Also the ending is really dumb and I do not like it.