Dr. Atsuko Chiba is a reserved, professional scientist by day. As Paprika — her vibrant, free-spirited alter-ego who exists only in the dream world — she is a therapist who enters patients' dreams using a device called the DC Mini, helping them confront their psychological barriers from the inside. When a prototype DC Mini is stolen from the research facility, whoever took it begins using it to invade and destabilize the dreams of researchers and eventually strangers — a process that, if unchecked, threatens to dissolve the boundary between dreaming and waking entirely. Paprika teams with the overweight genius Dr. Tokita who invented the device, the haunted Detective Konakawa who has been voluntarily using it to work through a recurring dream, and Dr. Shima to track down the thief before the waking world is consumed by someone else's nightmare. Paprika is the 2006 theatrical film directed by Satoshi Kon — his final completed film before his death from pancreatic cancer in 2010 at age 46 — produced by Madhouse and based on Yasutaka Tsutsui's 1993 novel. Kon and co-writer Seishi Minakami adapted the source material freely, and the film's central concept of technology enabling dream infiltration directly influenced Christopher Nolan's Inception (2010), which Nolan has acknowledged. The score by Susumu Hirasawa — who also composed the Berserk trilogy score and the Millennium Actress score — is among his most acclaimed works, with the opening parade theme becoming one of the most distinctive pieces in anime film history. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2006 and received a limited North American theatrical release from Sony Pictures Classics on June 1, 2007. The English dub was produced by Dubbing Brothers with Ezra Weisz directing. Sony Pictures' original Blu-ray release in 2007 was among the earliest anime titles on the format; subsequent standard reissues carry the same extras package. Notable Staff & Voice Talent Director / Co-Screenplay: Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers — died 2010) Co-Screenplay: Seishi Minakami Original Novel: Yasutaka Tsutsui (Paprika, 1993; also author of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) Character Design: Masashi Ando (Spirited Away, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence) Studio: Madhouse (Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Metropolis, Chobits, Claymore, Kaiba) Music: Susumu Hirasawa (Berserk 1997, Berserk Golden Age Arc, Millennium Actress) Opening Theme: "The Girl in Byakkoya" by Susumu Hirasawa Japanese Cast: - Megumi Hayashibara as Dr. Atsuko Chiba / Paprika (Slayers, Evangelion, Gestalt, Tenchi in Love, Love Hina, Tekkaman Blade II, Key the Metal Idol) - Toru Furuya as Detective Toshimi Konakawa (Cardcaptor Sakura, Sailor Moon, Mobile Suit Gundam, Metropolis, FMA — Roy Mustang) - Akio Otsuka as Dr. Torataro Shima (Ghost in the Shell: SAC, Night Warriors, WXIII Patlabor, Witchblade, Berserk — Skull Knight) - Katsunosuke Hori as Dr. Kosaku Tokita - Toru Emori as Dr. Seijiro Inui English Dub Cast (Dubbing Brothers — ADR Director: Ezra Weisz): - Cindy Robinson as Dr. Atsuko Chiba / Paprika - George C. Cole as Detective Toshimi Konakawa - Brian Beacock as Hajime Himuro - David Lodge as Dr. Torataro Shima - Doug Erholtz as Dr. Morio Osanai (Patlabor 2 — Asuma Shinohara) - Michael Forest as Dr. Seijiro Inui - Yuri Lowenthal as Dr. Kosaku Tokita (Ghost Talker's Daydream) Blu-ray Features (Sony Pictures Standard Edition) - "Dream: Two Paprikas" Featurette - "Dream Special Dialogue" Featurette - Fantasy Art Gallery - "Dream CG World" Featurette - "Paprika Animation Breakdown" - Audio Commentary by Director Satoshi Kon & Composer Susumu Hirasawa - Japanese & Overseas Trailers - Sony Pictures Previews Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles Edition Details Japanese Title: パプリカ (Papurika) Runtime: ~90 Minutes Director: Satoshi Kon Blu-ray Release Year: 2007 (original Sony Blu-ray — one of the first anime on the format); standard reissues carry same extras; 4K UHD Limited Edition SteelBook February 20, 2024 Original Release Date (Japan): November 25, 2006 Publisher: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Rating: R (violent and sexual images) Region: Region A (North America) Note: Final completed film by Satoshi Kon, who died in 2010. Directly influenced Christopher Nolan's Inception. Audio commentary by Kon & Susumu Hirasawa. 4K UHD Limited Edition SteelBook also available (February 20, 2024). Genre: Sci-Fi, Psychological Thriller, Surrealist Fantasy Themes: Dream Infiltration Technology, Reality vs Dreams, Satoshi Kon Final Film, Hirasawa Score, Inception Influence Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.
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