Paprika – Review

Paprika is a weird anime movie. Let us get that right out in the open because I know a lot of my friends avoid anime because they label it ‘weird’.  Well, this film is one of the ‘weird’ ones. The story goes a little something like this; things start to get a little bit shaky when someone steals one of the townsman’s inventions, so now a young girl is responsible for getting the device back, before it falls into the wrong hands and the real world and world of dreams merge into a chaotic hybrid.

Paprika is a psychological, mind warping, anime adventure that’s as likely to leave you very confused the first time you watch it, as it is to leave you with your jaw dropped on the floor. The film is produced by Studio Madhouse, and rendered in a bold, bright, and kinetic blend of 3-D and traditional animation.

The main thing that Paprika suffers from is the stigma of the genre. So there are a few oddball characters speaking in strangeish accents, much like a kung fu film. That and not being used to anime will turn a lot of people off, but it’s just like vegetables when you were a kid, it pays to try new things now and again. ‘Paprika’ is a dense, visually stunning acid trip that only begins to make sense as it draws to a close. The story isn’t necessarily confusing, but it does hold back every important piece of info until the film has gained some momentum.

To my relief, things eventually clicked and I realized ‘Paprika’ wasn’t as confusing as I first thought.  Viewing this on Blu-ray disc, I noticed the picture is framed with black bars all around. Why, I do not know. Regardless, Paprika is stunning. Paprika is stored in the standard Blu-ray case. The cover features some wild artwork, which made this review very visually appealing, as I used stills from the movie to make the images above. As you can see, very bright colors are used thorughout this movie and they show up sharp and sleek. If you are in the mood for a thinking man’s anime, you should do yourself a favor and pick this gem up.  Slightly Recommended.