Credited cast: | |||
Megumi Hayashibara | ... | Paprika / Chiba Atsuko (voice) | |
Tôru Furuya | ... | Tokita Kohsaku (voice) | |
Kôichi Yamadera | ... | Osanai Morio (voice) | |
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Katsunosuke Hori | ... | Shima Tora-taroh (voice) |
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Tôru Emori | ... | Inui Sei-jiroh (voice) |
Akio Ôtsuka | ... | Detective Kogawa Toshimi (voice) | |
Hideyuki Tanaka | ... | Guy (voice) | |
Satomi Kôrogi | ... | Japanese Doll (voice) | |
Daisuke Sakaguchi | ... | Himuro Kei (voice) | |
Mitsuo Iwata | ... | Tsumura Yasushi (voice) | |
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Rikako Aikawa | ... | Kakimoto Nobue (voice) |
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Shin'ichirô Ôta | ... | Reporter (voice) |
Satoshi Kon | ... | Jin-nai (voice) | |
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Yasutaka Tsutsui | ... | Kuga (voice) |
Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
Brian Beacock | ... | Hajime Himuro / Kuga (voice) |
Three scientists at the Foundation for Psychiatric Research fail to secure a device they've invented, the D.C. Mini, which allows people to record and watch their dreams. A thief uses the device to enter people's minds, when awake, and distract them with their own dreams and those of others. Chaos ensues. The trio - Chiba, Tokita, and Shima - assisted by a police inspector and by a sprite named Paprika must try to identify the thief as they ward off the thief's attacks on their own psyches. Dreams, reality, and the movies merge, while characters question the limits of science and the wisdom of Big Brother. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
I have only seen this movie a few hours ago and am still stunned by simply how incredible it was. Who ever thought anime could be so fantastical? While the plot, at times confusing and going on the border of being a stereotypical anime, is terrific and i couldn't ask for it to be any better. Many reviewers condemned this film because of the randomness and lack of explanation for some parts, but i believe that Satoshi Kon did this on purpose. Kon simply made this movie like a dream; it is colorful, incredible, random, and offers scarce explanations. The film wants you to think about what the meaning of these "dreams" are, instead of telling you what the meaning is, much like what you would have to do with a real dream.
The best part of this film is that it can appeal to the non-anime fanatic crowd. I have seen all a few animes (only hayao miazaki films) so i wouldn't be called a true fan, and am not much into the science-fiction animes and what not that many people seem to love, yet i could not help but fall in love with Paprika.
Please, Please, PLEASE see this movie. Its too incredible to go under-appreciated by the world. Perhaps the best film of 2007, maybe one of the best from the past few years, if you see this movie you will NOT regret it.