Paprika - 6

I am not an anime fan. Don't get me wrong, I like a good anime film. I just mean that compared to people who are "really" fans and own and see the vast amount of anime out there, I am sort of a newbie who hangs around listening, picking up things here and there. I've only seen most of the "famous in America" anime like that of Hayao Miyazaki and the Ghost in the Shell film series (1, 2, 3). I love how anime takes its art seriously, which also means that some of it gets ratings other than G- America cannot get that animation is not just for the kids. The artists are always trying to imagine a world and drawing the viewer in to a story (no pun intended). Paprika, a female therapist, has learned how to enter people's dreams, so when a machine that is used by therapists is stolen she must help a cop and a scientist solve the case. It makes for some eclectic and stunning visuals as the audience traverses dreams that are starting to merge together. The final showdown between good and evil is unexpected and outrageous- in a good way. The film uses the idea of dreams and reality to show how fluid and mixed up humans get about which is which. There are also allusions to the traumatic and therapeutic expressions of our mental worlds. Reality isn't what it used to be, but is still beautiful.