Satoshi Kon's Paprika opened in the DC area today. I caught the second showing at a local art house in Shirlington.
Overall, I was impressed, and intend to see it again with friends. It was your typical Satoshi Kon is-this-a-dream-or-reality-or-does-it-matter ballad (like Paranoia Agent, Millennium Actress, or Perfect Blue). If you are familiar with his earlier works, you won't have to look too hard to find familiar characters. The animation lives up to its billing: it is quite well done and highly detailed.
It is rated R for good reason. There is anime nudity and an uncomfortable scene involving a restrained female. There are also some double entendres that would probably be missed by younger viewers. I would not recommend it under any circumstances for children or younger teens.
I liked the soundtrack, which I intend to get once I find it, and the opening theme is creative and not to be missed. I also very much enjoyed the title character.
Paprika
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Paprika
"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." -- C.S. Lewis
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ClosetOtaku - Posts: 927
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Mr. SmartyPants - Posts: 12541
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Paprika's hitting our nearest indie theater pretty soon, so I think I'll be going to see it.
[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Purple"]For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this: that one died for all, therefore all died; and he that died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. II Corinthians 5:14-15[/color][/font]
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Blitzkrieg1701 - Posts: 1884
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- Location: Washington, DC (when I'm not in an alternate universe)
How graphic is the nudity mentioned above? I hate passing up the opportunity to see anime on the big screen, but, if I must, I must.
Every year in Uganda, innumerable children simply. . . disappear. These children all stolen under the cover of darkness from their homes and impressed into the guerilla armies of the LRA [Lord's Resistance Army]. In the deserts of Uganda, they are forced to witness the mindless slaughter of other children until they themselves can do nothing but kill. Kill. These children, generally ranging from ages 5-12, are brainwashed into murdering in the name of the resistance and into stealing other children from their beds to suffer the same fate.
Because of this genocide of innocence, hundred and hundreds of children live every night sleeping in public places miles from their homes, because they know that if the do not-- they will disappear. They will become just another number in this genocide to which the international community has chosen to turn a blind eye. They will become, in affect, invisible-- Invisible Children.
But there are those who are trying to fight against this slaughter of Uganda's children. They fight to protect these "invisible children." Please, help them help a country full of children who know nothing by fear. Help save the innocence. For more information concerning how you can help and how you can get an incredible video about this horrific reality, visit the Invisible Children home page.
Because of this genocide of innocence, hundred and hundreds of children live every night sleeping in public places miles from their homes, because they know that if the do not-- they will disappear. They will become just another number in this genocide to which the international community has chosen to turn a blind eye. They will become, in affect, invisible-- Invisible Children.
But there are those who are trying to fight against this slaughter of Uganda's children. They fight to protect these "invisible children." Please, help them help a country full of children who know nothing by fear. Help save the innocence. For more information concerning how you can help and how you can get an incredible video about this horrific reality, visit the Invisible Children home page.
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Mangafanatic - Posts: 4918
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- Location: In La-La land.
People in IMDB say it's not too bad. Certainly not as bad as Perfect Blue. Some people even said there wasn't that much sexual content as people make it out to be. Albeit I haven't seen it, that's what I hear.
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Mr. SmartyPants - Posts: 12541
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 9:00 am
Mangafanatic wrote:How graphic is the nudity mentioned above? I hate passing up the opportunity to see anime on the big screen, but, if I must, I must.
It is not graphic. You could go to any respectable art museum (like the National Gallery of Art here in DC) and see the same thing. If it were a live action film, it would still receive an "R".
There is a rather discomforting scene, not involving nudity, where the interpretation of what is happening is left up to the viewer. Not graphic in a visual sense per se...
If you wish, I'll PM you details. I'd consider them spoilerish in nature.
"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." -- C.S. Lewis
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ClosetOtaku - Posts: 927
- Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2004 3:12 am
- Location: Alexandria, VA
Paprika ROCKS.
That's not something that you can easily get a 46-year-old man to say.
I just got back from the Angelika Film Center (Dallas), having enjoyed one of the best feature length anime I've seen yet. Not the absolute best, but way, way up there.
I was generally happy with most aspects of the movie, except I felt the soundtrack, which for the most parts was very good, failed to come through in the most intense moments. The composer should have ratcheted up the emotions from levels already used earlier, and didn't. The artwork was first-class, character designs were very good, and details nicely done.
I've run into a few cases of people disliking this film. Now that I've seen it, I can offer a theory. If surrealism isn't appealing to you, this film may not be your cup of tea. You have to be prepared to be confused. It's on purpose. You also have to be prepared for some metaphyscalism.
Another big favorite of mine, "Roujin Z", is similar in this respect.
About the nudity. One case of breasts (of realistic proportion) drawn in detail, in what cannot really be described as a sexual way. Male and Female nudity obscured below the waist (except a few male figures in artworks that are accurate to the actual artworks being cited.)
The uncomfortable situation mentioned above is uncomfortable, yes, but also too surrealistic to be 'graphic' per se. It's disconcerting, but appropriate to the story. Might give younger kids bad dreams, though. It's my guess that that scene, not the nudity, is the reason for the "R" rating.
That's not something that you can easily get a 46-year-old man to say.
I just got back from the Angelika Film Center (Dallas), having enjoyed one of the best feature length anime I've seen yet. Not the absolute best, but way, way up there.
I was generally happy with most aspects of the movie, except I felt the soundtrack, which for the most parts was very good, failed to come through in the most intense moments. The composer should have ratcheted up the emotions from levels already used earlier, and didn't. The artwork was first-class, character designs were very good, and details nicely done.
I've run into a few cases of people disliking this film. Now that I've seen it, I can offer a theory. If surrealism isn't appealing to you, this film may not be your cup of tea. You have to be prepared to be confused. It's on purpose. You also have to be prepared for some metaphyscalism.
Another big favorite of mine, "Roujin Z", is similar in this respect.
About the nudity. One case of breasts (of realistic proportion) drawn in detail, in what cannot really be described as a sexual way. Male and Female nudity obscured below the waist (except a few male figures in artworks that are accurate to the actual artworks being cited.)
The uncomfortable situation mentioned above is uncomfortable, yes, but also too surrealistic to be 'graphic' per se. It's disconcerting, but appropriate to the story. Might give younger kids bad dreams, though. It's my guess that that scene, not the nudity, is the reason for the "R" rating.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May He cause His face to shine upon you.
May He lift up His countenance and grant you peace.
Feel free to visit My Writing.com Portfolio
Largo: "Well Ed, good to see ya. Guess I gotta beat the crap out of you now."
Jamie Hyneman: "It's just another lovely day at the bomb range. Birds are singing, rabbits are hopping about, and soon there's going to be a big explosion."
May He cause His face to shine upon you.
May He lift up His countenance and grant you peace.
Maokun: Ninjas or Pirates? (Vikings are not a valid answer, sorry)
EricTheFred: Vikings are always a valid answer.
Feel free to visit My Writing.com Portfolio
Largo: "Well Ed, good to see ya. Guess I gotta beat the crap out of you now."
Jamie Hyneman: "It's just another lovely day at the bomb range. Birds are singing, rabbits are hopping about, and soon there's going to be a big explosion."
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EricTheFred - Posts: 1691
- Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2005 1:26 pm
- Location: Garland, TX
It occurs to me that, in my last post, I may have sounded like I was deprecating the R rating, so I want to say this: Due to the R rating, I went to see this on my own in order to decide whether my kids ought to see it. My decision was that certain scenes, especially the one alluded to several times above, deserve the rating. I would not hesitate to let my about-to-be-sixteen-year-old son see it, but that's because I know that he's emotionally stable and mature for his age, and would understand that scene for what it is. I would not let my pre-teen see it, and in my opinion, there are sixteen-year-olds out there that also probably shouldn't. That should help give parents and responsible young adults something to judge by.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May He cause His face to shine upon you.
May He lift up His countenance and grant you peace.
Feel free to visit My Writing.com Portfolio
Largo: "Well Ed, good to see ya. Guess I gotta beat the crap out of you now."
Jamie Hyneman: "It's just another lovely day at the bomb range. Birds are singing, rabbits are hopping about, and soon there's going to be a big explosion."
May He cause His face to shine upon you.
May He lift up His countenance and grant you peace.
Maokun: Ninjas or Pirates? (Vikings are not a valid answer, sorry)
EricTheFred: Vikings are always a valid answer.
Feel free to visit My Writing.com Portfolio
Largo: "Well Ed, good to see ya. Guess I gotta beat the crap out of you now."
Jamie Hyneman: "It's just another lovely day at the bomb range. Birds are singing, rabbits are hopping about, and soon there's going to be a big explosion."
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EricTheFred - Posts: 1691
- Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2005 1:26 pm
- Location: Garland, TX
EricTheFred wrote:Paprika ROCKS.
That's not something that you can easily get a 46-year-old man to say.
I just got back from the Angelika Film Center (Dallas), having enjoyed one of the best feature length anime I've seen yet. Not the absolute best, but way, way up there.
I was generally happy with most aspects of the movie, except I felt the soundtrack, which for the most parts was very good, failed to come through in the most intense moments. The composer should have ratcheted up the emotions from levels already used earlier, and didn't. The artwork was first-class, character designs were very good, and details nicely done.
I've run into a few cases of people disliking this film. Now that I've seen it, I can offer a theory. If surrealism isn't appealing to you, this film may not be your cup of tea. You have to be prepared to be confused. It's on purpose. You also have to be prepared for some metaphyscalism.
Another big favorite of mine, "Roujin Z", is similar in this respect.
About the nudity. One case of breasts (of realistic proportion) drawn in detail, in what cannot really be described as a sexual way. Male and Female nudity obscured below the waist (except a few male figures in artworks that are accurate to the actual artworks being cited.)
The uncomfortable situation mentioned above is uncomfortable, yes, but also too surrealistic to be 'graphic' per se. It's disconcerting, but appropriate to the story. Might give younger kids bad dreams, though. It's my guess that that scene, not the nudity, is the reason for the "R" rating.
i think that you should write a review for the movie...
[SIZE="4"]*FASTING FROM CAA (9/25/08 - ???)*[/SIZE]
[SIZE="1"]
"Sometimes we don't present the Gospel well enough for the non-elect to reject it."
- John MacArthur
"In the total expanse of the human life, there is not a single square inch of which Christ, who alone is sovereign, does not declare, 'That is mine'."
- Abraham Kuyper
"God the great Creator of all things doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise and holy providence, according to His infallible foreknowledge and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy."
- Westminister Confession of Faith (Chapter 5, Section 1)
"The wisdom of God has found a way for the love of God to deliver sinners from the wrath of God all the while upholding the righteousness of God!!"
- John Piper
"Grace is the pleasure of God to magnify the worth of God by giving sinners the right and power to delight in God without obscuring the glory of God!"
-John Piper
"The very One from Whom we need to be saved, is the One Who has saved us."
- R.C. Sproul
"All of Christian life is ceaseless worship of God the Father, through the mediatorship of God the Son, by the indwelling power of God the Spirit, doing what God commands in Scripture, not doing what God forbids in Scripture, in culturally contextualized ways, for the furtherance of the Gospel, when both gathered for adoration, and scattered for action, in joyous response to God's glorious grace."
- Mark Driscoll
"Believers do not pray with the view of informing God about things unknown to Him, or of exciting Him to do His duty, or of urging Him as though He were reluctant. On the contrary, they pray in order that they may arouse themselves to seek Him, that they may exercise their faith in meditating on His promises, that they may relieve themselves from their anxieties by pouring them into His bosom; in a word, that they may declare that from Him alone they hope and expect, both for themselves and for others, all good things."
- Martin Luther
"I have to tell you first that I am ready to die. I have put my affairs in order. Your supreme weapon is killing. My supreme weapon is dying, because when you kill me, people all over Romania will read my books and believe on the God that I preach - even more than they do now."
- Dr. Joseph Ton, the exiled Romanian pastor (quoted by James Montgomery Boice)
"The best prayer I ever prayed had enough sin in it to condemn the whole world."
- John Bunyan
"If the Christian has lost sight of Calvary, that shows that he has lost his way."
- J.I. Packer[/SIZE]
[SIZE="1"]
"Sometimes we don't present the Gospel well enough for the non-elect to reject it."
- John MacArthur
"In the total expanse of the human life, there is not a single square inch of which Christ, who alone is sovereign, does not declare, 'That is mine'."
- Abraham Kuyper
"God the great Creator of all things doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise and holy providence, according to His infallible foreknowledge and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy."
- Westminister Confession of Faith (Chapter 5, Section 1)
"The wisdom of God has found a way for the love of God to deliver sinners from the wrath of God all the while upholding the righteousness of God!!"
- John Piper
"Grace is the pleasure of God to magnify the worth of God by giving sinners the right and power to delight in God without obscuring the glory of God!"
-John Piper
"The very One from Whom we need to be saved, is the One Who has saved us."
- R.C. Sproul
"All of Christian life is ceaseless worship of God the Father, through the mediatorship of God the Son, by the indwelling power of God the Spirit, doing what God commands in Scripture, not doing what God forbids in Scripture, in culturally contextualized ways, for the furtherance of the Gospel, when both gathered for adoration, and scattered for action, in joyous response to God's glorious grace."
- Mark Driscoll
"Believers do not pray with the view of informing God about things unknown to Him, or of exciting Him to do His duty, or of urging Him as though He were reluctant. On the contrary, they pray in order that they may arouse themselves to seek Him, that they may exercise their faith in meditating on His promises, that they may relieve themselves from their anxieties by pouring them into His bosom; in a word, that they may declare that from Him alone they hope and expect, both for themselves and for others, all good things."
- Martin Luther
"I have to tell you first that I am ready to die. I have put my affairs in order. Your supreme weapon is killing. My supreme weapon is dying, because when you kill me, people all over Romania will read my books and believe on the God that I preach - even more than they do now."
- Dr. Joseph Ton, the exiled Romanian pastor (quoted by James Montgomery Boice)
"The best prayer I ever prayed had enough sin in it to condemn the whole world."
- John Bunyan
"If the Christian has lost sight of Calvary, that shows that he has lost his way."
- J.I. Packer[/SIZE]
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jon_jinn - Posts: 3261
- Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2006 5:49 pm
- Location: California
I finally got my grubby hands on Satoshi Kon's most recent work.
Absolutely freaking MINDBLOWING. This is by far the best animated film I have ever seen. The "moral" or theme behind it is a good one. Just like Paranoia Agent, Paprika was also incredibly original and unconventional at times. The artwork and animation was the best I've ever seen. Every character was fun to watch and were not one-dimensional. Overall it was an amazing film. I highly recommend it.
Absolutely freaking MINDBLOWING. This is by far the best animated film I have ever seen. The "moral" or theme behind it is a good one. Just like Paranoia Agent, Paprika was also incredibly original and unconventional at times. The artwork and animation was the best I've ever seen. Every character was fun to watch and were not one-dimensional. Overall it was an amazing film. I highly recommend it.
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Mr. SmartyPants - Posts: 12541
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 9:00 am
On a related subject, I highly recommend the soundtrack for it. I got it a couple weeks ago off Amazon. Great, great stuff for Anime OST lovers, despite my previous gripes about whether or not it integrated into the movie.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May He cause His face to shine upon you.
May He lift up His countenance and grant you peace.
Feel free to visit My Writing.com Portfolio
Largo: "Well Ed, good to see ya. Guess I gotta beat the crap out of you now."
Jamie Hyneman: "It's just another lovely day at the bomb range. Birds are singing, rabbits are hopping about, and soon there's going to be a big explosion."
May He cause His face to shine upon you.
May He lift up His countenance and grant you peace.
Maokun: Ninjas or Pirates? (Vikings are not a valid answer, sorry)
EricTheFred: Vikings are always a valid answer.
Feel free to visit My Writing.com Portfolio
Largo: "Well Ed, good to see ya. Guess I gotta beat the crap out of you now."
Jamie Hyneman: "It's just another lovely day at the bomb range. Birds are singing, rabbits are hopping about, and soon there's going to be a big explosion."
-
EricTheFred - Posts: 1691
- Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2005 1:26 pm
- Location: Garland, TX
I watched it earlier this afternoon, and I have to say, I enjoyed it quite a bit. The animation is probably the best I've seen in any film, the story was engaging, and the characters were fun to watch. I loved the soundtrack, the opening scene especially. It did deserve the R-rating with the (granted, somewhat artistic) nudity and the aforementioned "uncomfortable scene" (sketchyyyy o_O), but overall, I really enjoyed it and will probably watch the movie again soon. 
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Radical Dreamer - Posts: 7950
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- Location: Some place where I can think up witty things to say under the "Location" category.
BTW, a bit of Paprika trivia I ran across a couple weeks ago. Remember the virtual bartender characters at 'Radio Club'? It turns out they're the images of real people... specifically, they are Satoshi Kon and the man who wrote the original novel 'Paprika'. The story where I read that didn't say which was which, though.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May He cause His face to shine upon you.
May He lift up His countenance and grant you peace.
Feel free to visit My Writing.com Portfolio
Largo: "Well Ed, good to see ya. Guess I gotta beat the crap out of you now."
Jamie Hyneman: "It's just another lovely day at the bomb range. Birds are singing, rabbits are hopping about, and soon there's going to be a big explosion."
May He cause His face to shine upon you.
May He lift up His countenance and grant you peace.
Maokun: Ninjas or Pirates? (Vikings are not a valid answer, sorry)
EricTheFred: Vikings are always a valid answer.
Feel free to visit My Writing.com Portfolio
Largo: "Well Ed, good to see ya. Guess I gotta beat the crap out of you now."
Jamie Hyneman: "It's just another lovely day at the bomb range. Birds are singing, rabbits are hopping about, and soon there's going to be a big explosion."
-
EricTheFred - Posts: 1691
- Joined: Fri Dec 30, 2005 1:26 pm
- Location: Garland, TX
EricTheFred wrote:BTW, a bit of Paprika trivia I ran across a couple weeks ago. Remember the virtual bartender characters at 'Radio Club'? It turns out they're the images of real people... specifically, they are Satoshi Kon and the man who wrote the original novel 'Paprika'. The story where I read that didn't say which was which, though.
Actually they voiced the characters of them. XD Satoshi Kon does bear a minor resemblance to the tall bartender, however. So you may be right.
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Mr. SmartyPants - Posts: 12541
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 9:00 am
Radical Dreamer wrote:I watched it earlier this afternoon, and I have to say, I enjoyed it quite a bit. The animation is probably the best I've seen in any film, the story was engaging, and the characters were fun to watch. I loved the soundtrack, the opening scene especially. It did deserve the R-rating with the (granted, somewhat artistic) nudity and the aforementioned "uncomfortable scene" (sketchyyyy o_O), but overall, I really enjoyed it and will probably watch the movie again soon.
You like it?
I never would have guessed.
Anyways, was this the widely commercialized anime film that hit theaters?
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Tommy - Posts: 5745
- Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2005 12:00 pm
- Location: Plymouth, Mass
Well, I finally saw it, and got the soundtrack off i-Tunes, and I really enjoyed every moment of it. The soundtrack is really great, and is probably about a quarter of the effect of the movie.
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mechana2015 - Posts: 5025
- Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2003 12:33 am
- Location: Orange County
I'm glad I was able to see it on a big screen. Satoshi Kon really set a new standard for anime visuals with this movie.
I really don't think "commercialized" is the right word for something THAT surreal...
Tom Dincht wrote:Anyways, was this the widely commercialized anime film that hit theaters?
I really don't think "commercialized" is the right word for something THAT surreal...
[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Purple"]For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this: that one died for all, therefore all died; and he that died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. II Corinthians 5:14-15[/color][/font]
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Blitzkrieg1701 - Posts: 1884
- Joined: Wed Jun 02, 2004 9:01 am
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