Paprika image-blog

While I really enjoyed the general storyline and themes of Paprika, I couldn't help but pick out several of what I saw as references to other styles, directors and even specific examples of animation within the film. (this being from the same writer/director of Millennium Actress, which I saw as an animated mash-up of various film styles/genres) With that being said I thought I'd make this final blog primarily an image blog in order to try and point out the similarities I saw, and also just to try something I haven't really done. I wasn't always able to find ideal images to use, but I think they work alright

here goes 

    

I saw an eerie resemblance between the chairman from Paprika and Kim from Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. Both characters creeped me out. 

   

 The Chairman's "nightmare form" also reminded me of the Night Walker from Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke

  

In fact, most of Kon's "spirits" (if you will) just kind of generally reminded me of Miyazaki's 

(a lot of the early parade-dream sequences are silly and nonsensical, possibly a reference to the goof-ball Saturday morning cartoons of many a child-hood) 

  

In a less specific context, Tokita's robot transformation may very well be a reference to the mecha sub-genre of anime 

Disney. 

Your guess is as good as mine on this one. why butterflies? 

There are probably more that I missed. 

I see this as, among other things, the film equivalent to literature's mash-up. I think it's pretty interesting to see what new ideas emerge from combing things in new ways; although in regards to this also being a commentary on how different styles interact I am admittedly a bit lost.

also, what do we make of the concept of the "alter-ego" presented in this film. are we really that separate in our dreams?