Paprika
Paprika
7.7
When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patients' dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist, Paprika, can stop it.
RichyE reviewedOctober 26, 2025
Watched it and felt like I accidentally swallowed a dream and woke up inside a kaleidoscope.
Directed by Satoshi Kon, Paprika is a mind-bending sci-fi trip where therapists use a device called the DC Mini to enter patients’ dreams. When the tech is stolen, reality and fantasy begin to blur and only the enigmatic dream therapist Paprika can restore order. Or at least try.
Visually, it’s stunning. The animation is fluid, chaotic, and hypnotic with parade sequences that feel like your subconscious threw a party and forgot to invite logic.
The voice cast (Megumi Hayashibara, Tohru Emori, Akio Otsuka) delivers with emotional depth, even as the plot spirals into metaphysical mayhem.
It’s not easy to follow and that’s the point. The film wants you disoriented, curious and slightly overwhelmed. Think Inception, but weirder, bolder and unapologetically anime.
In fact, Inception owes this film more than a few nods, whether Nolan admits it or not.
Watched it again and each viewing reveals something new , a detail, a theme, a feeling.
It’s chaotic, philosophical and beautifully animated. Not for everyone, but if you like your sci-fi with a dose of dream logic and visual poetry, Paprika delivers.