If your dreams instantly became reality, would the world be a better place? Or is the very idea of such a thing self centered evil?

Paprika is a 2006 anime film from Satoshi Kon, the legendary director and writer behind others like Perfect Blue, Paranoia Agent, and Tokyo Godfathers. Explained as an inspiration for Inception, it of course follows a similar premise of entering and analyzing the dreams of others, with a device known as the DC Mini, mostly utilized by Atsuko Chiba, who takes on her alternate personality of Paprika to analyze the dreams of others. In this duality Atsuko Chiba holds, as well as the detective she helps, Toshimi Konakawa, Paprika discusses reality versus fiction similar to Kon’s other works, this time on dreams. Not just in the Inception-like sense of entering dreams, but in the other meaning being desires we hold deep. How do we make our dreams into reality? Should we do so to begin with? Much like Perfect Blue and Paranoia Agent, Paprika breaks down the barrier between fiction and reality in a unique way, and today’s video essay will explain and analyze how it does.

An anime video essay explaining Satoshi Kon’s Paprika (2006)

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0:00 Introduction
1:16 Part 1 | All for All
9:15 Part 2 | All for One
18:18 Part 3 | None for All
29:33 Part 4 | One for All