Opening credits from the movie Paprika.
I quite enjoyed it, visually. Though, as the creators also discussed in the commentary, it is probably better enjoyed if you just give up on trying to understand the dialogue and plot, and just let it all wash over you. The story is quite... opaque.
I tried two other films recently by Satoshi Kon, namely Tokyo Godfathers and Millennium Actress. Neither of those kept my interest. They seemed like straightforward stories, and did not have the visual magic Paprika has. I think personally it's a bit of an odd choice to use animation to tell a story which could be told in a live action movie. Why put all the enormous work into animation if you don't utilize the great potential it has for fantasy (or whatever, anything beyond drab reality).
Alex said:
I didn't even know Paprika existed until the day after we (Pascal and I) were discussing anime here just before Christmas.
Hey, I discussed it too! :)
Actually that was why I rented those films.
Paprika was a fun film, my wife commented on how some of the drawing style was ugly, but I found the parade scenes reminiscent of a blend of the foxes wedding from Dreams and the parades in Spirited Away.
The overall story of Paprika at times felt like "Serial Experiments: Lain", but had something new. The slipping in and out of dreams was kinda like The Twilight Zone, or like reading "Ghost in the Shell", or even like reading Philip K Dick.
Now you mention it. K Dick was always playing about with Reality.
One of the things I liked about Paprika is the happy and innocent attitude of the title character. You'll notice she rarely walks, she skips.
For some reason I did not take to Spirited Away as well as other Miyasaki films. My favorites are possibly Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service. Again, happy and innocent characters. Not all the doom and gloom.
9 comments:
I enjoyed Paprika. Millenium Actress is fun for seeing the 1000 years of Japan and the 50 years of Japanese film. It is probably the prettiest Kon film.
I liked Perfect Blue, a gritty story, some very adult story telling - the script was up for grabs and was almost filmed live action, but went to Anime instead.
Tokyo Godfathers seems a average family comedy drama, and is the one I kinda forget out of the 4.
I didn't even know Paprika existed until the day after we (Pascal and I) were discussing anime here just before Christmas. Paprika was a fun film, my wife commented on how some of the drawing style was ugly, but I found the parade scenes reminiscent of a blend of the foxes wedding from Dreams and the parades in Spirited Away.
The overall story of Paprika at times felt like "Serial Experiments: Lain", but had something new. The slipping in and out of dreams was kinda like The Twilight Zone, or like reading "Ghost in the Shell", or even like reading Philip K Dick.
Oh, as a follow up to your Simpsons comment, Paprika was cell animation with some CG.
Just watched the opening credits again. Her skipping is taken directly from a scene in Perfect Blue, and the music throughout the film to me seemed total fun.
Hey, they are two of my three faves. I also like Nausicaa.
I think Totoro and Kiki are great because they are just regular life happening, nothing bizarre or OTT.
And yes, you were in the discussion too.
"I think Totoro and Kiki are great because they are just regular life happening, nothing bizarre or OTT."
Unless you count witches and magical creatures. :)
... Which I *don't* count as either bizarre or OTT, but many might misunderstand your comment to think they are not fantasy movies.
There's bizarre, and then there's "Miyazaki bizarre"...
;-)
Just re-watched this one. Paprika as Monkey was so cute.
The opening titles really are a treat though, aren't they. I enjoyed it all so much I just had to sit right down and watch Appleseed for dessert.
Yes, I think the opening titles of Paprika were the best of the movie, both visually and musically.
Okay, I just rewatched Paprika, probably a year after last seeing it. I was too tired to listen in Japanese and read subtitles, so I kicked on the English audio. Talk about stilted delivery for most of the cast and a giggly girly airhead for Paprika.
Just out of curiosity I listened to some scenes in Spanish, oh that was so much better. The voices had better flow, and the sounded like characters in a movie. I tried the French, and again the voices were credible.
It's almost like the American film industry has a bank of voice artists who are used to doing simple kid toons, and nothing else. There seems to be no care of craftsmanship to it, almost like it's some back room industry that is there to make a quick buck.
I normally find it hard to forgive Disney, but they really did do an excellent job dubbing the Miyazaki movies. I'd hate to think what would happen with a lesser bug.
If you ever get to see Noir, an anime series, the last disk interviewed the America voice artist. They were a bunch of thirty somethings who talked as if they had never seen the show, or even "read" the scripts except to performed it.
"I normally find it hard to forgive Disney, but they really did do an excellent job dubbing the Miyazaki movies."
Yes, I was just about to say it. They went all out. Fortunately, for it would be a major crime to mess up those.
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