Review of Paprika

Paprika is the final completed work from Satoshi Kon before his untimely death in 2010 at age 46 from pancreatic cancer. If you're at all familiar with his previous works you'll instantly be able to tell this is a Kon film and it is very likely a film that only he could have made. All of the things he was so well known for- an extremely abstract and symbolism heavy presentation, a piece of art that most viewers will not entirely understand but will appreciate more and more with each subsequent re-watch, a heavy emphasis on the blurring lines between the imaginary and reality andof course an extremely bizarre, twisted mystery to solve- are on full display here. The presentation as a whole is immaculate, with both the graphics and the effects being absolutely top notch for 2006, and the amount of detail and subtle nuance packed into almost every individual shot and scene is wildly impressive. I cannot imagine the amount of time and effort that must have gone into creating a work like this.

Look... I'm not a Kon fanboy. I am the last person in the world to be interested in abstract art. Almost univerally I find it boring, dumb and I just don't get it. Likewise, while I did like Perfect Blue quite a bit I really disliked Paranoia Agent and wouldn't want to rewatch it. So, as a neutral and objective viewer, I'd tell you I cannot imagine how any other objective viewer could possibly come up with a score lower than a 7, even if this isn't your personal cup of tea, because the quality here as a whole is simply very high, even if it's not necessarily aimed at a general audience.

Just as Black Swan "was heavily influenced by" at best (and an outright ripoff of at worst) Perfect Blue, the same can be said here about Inception and Paprika. I think the fact that prominent directors have regularly followed in the footsteps of works originally created by Kon is a powerful testament to just how much of a creative genius this man really was. Other than perhaps other Kon films, I have never seen, and very well may never see, another anime quite like Paprika.

The story and character development here are, as is often the case in Kon works, lacking. They simply aren't the focus of the film. Instead, there's a bigger picture moral, social and philosophical concept being presented to the viewer and it's intriguing to think about. Of course, events depicted in this film dive deep into the paranormal and present scenarios that could never occur in the real world, but the social commentary is still relevant.

At the end of the day this, being about as abstract as abstract gets, does not align with my personal taste. It's simply not my kind of movie. And yet, if you have a single bone in your body that can appreciate quality pieces of art, regardless of personal taste, it's impossible to not respect and appreciate Paprika. It really is a tragedy that Kon died so suddenly and so young- I, and millions of other anime fans around the world, can only wonder what could have been. Satoshi Kon was a generational artistic genius and Paprika is a gorgeous film that I'd like to think he would have been very proud to call his last.

OBJECTIVE RATING- 8-8.5
PERSONAL ENJOYMENT RATING- 7-7.5