Paprika 4/22/24
Honestly, I usually like psychological thrillers but I don't know if I loved this one. I just felt confused the entire movie even after it ended. Like normally towards the end you figure it out ya know. I had no idea that the main antagonist was actually Paprika (though I should have made it out from the title) but rather I was searching for who the problem was the entire time. I had to read a reddit summary... yes, reddit. Send help. Anyways it said that the movie was more about our subconscious and how we are free to be exactly who we are when we are dreaming. So while Dr. Shiba is a overly professional and judgemental scientist on the outside, on the inside she secretly is very playful and loving. For example, Dr. Shiba constantly bullies Tokita for being fat and calls him a genius in a dumb person's body. Well in the end we come to find out that she secretly loves Tokita. I think this could also be a critique on Japanese work culture and the intensity of certain social aspects of Japanese life. It seems that in order to be accepted in Japanese society you must follow these strict rules like being very professional, not acting on your desires (this can be seen through many characters),etc. Also the way Dr. Shiba presents herself at work is quite harsh. The combination of their seemingly repressed personalities, the chairman's sick control, the oppression of Otaku geniuses, it all gets me thinking that this is a work-society induced problem. On another note the doll imagery and toys and whatnot were all super cool. This movie is very visually pleasing. However, in comparison to similar animations like "Perfect Blue" I just feel like "Paprika" is lacking. I look forward to watching more psychological thriller's like this as they do carry necessary messages.
I don't think Paprika was the antagonist in this movie if I'm not mistaken (lol), but it was the chairman, she just served as a counterpart to Dr. Chiba. I didn't think of this as a commentary on Japanese work culture, so that was an insightful take on the movie as I can definitely see it now! Dr. Chiba would probably be the prime example of the stereotypical "Japanese worker" while Tokita served as her opposite, expressing enthusiasm as he was doing something he loved. Both came with consequences, Chiba losing herself to her work and Tokita only caring for his creations.


















