When I first started exploring anime seriously, I quickly came across the 2006 film "Paprika," which at the time would be one of my personal favorite films of all time. I don't think I'm alone. Much like how director Satoshi Kon's first film "Pefect Blue" is rumored to be an inspiration to the live-action Hollywood film "Black Swan," "Paprika" is considered a direct influence on the 2010 American blockbuster "Inception" (and most likely inspired the 2009 Swedish film "Pepperminta," which an art teacher of mine liked to reference). Think about that. How many foreign films, much less animated films, could inspire other film makers so quickly? That is the power and appeal of anime, and specifically the respect Kon had already established for himself.Upon rewatching years later, I admit the story is probably the worst of Kon's films, but I also found important elements that I had completely missed on a first viewing. Like it or not, one can't help but appreciate the incredible maze the story takes you through, almost entirely inspired first by fantasy and imagination rather than logic. It's a psychological thriller most similar to "Perfect Blue," but using dreams as a literal plot element. Dr Atsuko is a well-kept and professional scientist working with a small group of researchers on a new technology that can see into people's dreams, and even modify them, a completely new way to analyze a person's mentality and help them overcome fears and anxieties. While secretly developing and testing the device that allows this, the team finds duplicates have been stolen, with serious consequences: the unknown culprit can override people's minds, alive or asleep, seemingly driving someone mad at completely random times. And so the team must try to find the devices, sometimes traveling into the dreams of victims, while avoiding getting trapped themselves by the madness. And in the center of it all is Paprika. When Atsuko travels into the dream world of patients or when trying to track down the stolen dream equipment, Paprika is her alter-ego, a short-haired and casual woman who has a more playful personality. They are complete opposites, but why? There isn't a complex resolution to answer that, but it adds depth to the lead character. Paprika is well suited to the bizarre world, able to fight illogical situations with her own lack of logic, confidently using her sexuality or knowledge to take control of almost every situation. And the film does provide plenty of seemingly insane situations to fly through. From the opening minutes, it's clear the director is confident in his craft, and he is able to pull off complicated scenes with ease. Compared to his other movies, this is easily his most entertaining, the best use of his sense of humor, suspense, distrubing imagery and imagination.Oh yes, the imagination at work is marvelous. The nature of the story allows some of the most creative visuals you've ever seen, resulting in very memorable moments. The animation isn't quite as solid as a remember it (only a few years later, Japanese anime would reach new standards in digital production to exceed the animation quality seen here regularly), but still able to keep pace with some of the more unusual scenes. And being the most recent film Kon has made, its production quality is the best of anything from him, and to see it in movement is a treat. I still recall the parade of "everything under the sun," the chase scene inside fantasy paintings, and the tense walk through an abandoned amusement park. These scenes are iconic, where simply glancing at one of them causes you to remember this film, and nothing else. 
The soundtrack probably helps to make the film as memorable as it is. It was composed by Susumu Hirasawa, an artist who doesn't often work on anime, but his unique sound can be instantly recognized in "Berserk," and in Satoshi Kon's work. It's trippy and electronic, listening to it is like being put into a trance. It's themes are reused often throughout the movie, but I don't mind. This is one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard in a movie, and I'm happy to listen to it on repeat outisde of watching the film it is attatched to.The acting is probably the weakest element of the movie. For the English dub, experienced voice actors were used, but the translated script is really clunky, both in trying to describe the complex story and match lip patterns. Similarly, the Japanese dub, while better, feels like it lacks the emotion and excitement seen by the characters on screen. There are several dubbed languages on the American home video release, so surely one can find a fitting option. There is a neat easter egg that make it worth watching in Japanese: the two bartender side characters are voiced by Satoshi Kon and the author of the original story, Yasutaka Tsutsui (who in interviews encouraged Kon to adapt the novel "loosely," and was pleased at the result). No one doubted the ability of Satoshi Kon, but after his fourth film ("Paprika"), it seemed he was saying that he had made the artful and experimental stories he wanted... now, he could focus on letting his pure imagination run loose for the world to see. He would begin work on a new film called "Dreaming Machine," which seemed to continue the idea of imagination. Even in "Paprika," characters supposed to be in "Dreaming Machine" appear as background statues and advertisements, and the film ends at a movie theater that hints at such a new story. However, Satoshi Kon tragically passed away in 2010 from cancer, and after several years of attempting to finish the new movie, it was abandoned. Whether or not it was intended, "Paprika" would be the last work from this respected director, when it appeared to be just the beginning of much more. It's a shame, but I can accept that. While "Paprika" isn't a perfect movie, the sheer inventiveness of it will amaze and inspire millions when they see it for the first time, and being a more light-hearted, optimistic and entertaining movie than his other works, it feels like his most accessible. If a person could only watch one animated movie in their lifetime, keeping in mind what it would ignite in their minds and how it would inspire their lives, then I would recommend "Paprika" as just the right flavor.