Reviews Paprika Satoshi Kon has truly surpassed himself with the psychedelic adventure that is Paprika. It has been compared to Miyazaki's finest works, but with a decidedly sinister edge to it; and indeed the comparison is far from undue. Kon takes the quintessentially Japanese cuteness that is so common in Studio Ghibli titles, paints it in gloriously vivid colours, and then twists it with a disorientating brand of horror that only dreams can produce. Like Akira, it is not the sort of film you can simply watch once and comprehend; it is a highly intricate creation with a multitude of layers to be unravelled on each viewing. However, Paprika does not need to be understood in order to be appreciated: it is, even at face value, a visually stunning and thought provoking delve into the workings of the inner mind. The plot is adapted from a novel of the same name by Yasutaka Tsutsui: an experimental device has been produced that allows therapists to enter the dreams of their patients. Dr Atsuko Chiba, leader of the development team for the device (known as the DC Mini) uses it, despite its incompleteness, to explore the subconscious of her patients. When she enters the dream world, she adopts a body and a personality that is the absolute antithesis of her waking self: courageous, radiant, carefree and instinctual - Paprika. It is soon revealed that the DC Minis have been stolen and are being abused to such an extent that the world of dreams and reality are blurring into a single terrifying plane of existence. She proceeds to investigate the malicious theft as both her waking self and her dream self. Phrased like this, the storyline sounds incredibly clear. In reality, it's not. Just as the characters lose their ability to distinguish between the real world and that of dreams, the same effect is achieved on the viewer. It quickly becomes difficult to tell precisely whose dream is being represented, whose personality is manifested in whose physical bo