History Literature / Paprika

* PrettyButterflies: A constant element of the dream. [[spoiler: They're really a manifestation of Osanai within the dream.]]

* CreepyDoll: If you thought large objects attacking buildings were not scary these days, you obviously haven't seen Paprika yet. [[spoiler: *shudder* [[NightmareFuel That laughing...]]]]

** Despite his morbid obesity, Tokita's appearance has baby-like innocence to it - he's no {{Gonk}} by any means.

* MeaningfulName: Paprika to [[spoiler: Robo-Tokita]]

** When Konakawa explains filmmaking techniques to Paprika, he's wearing AkiraKurosawa's trademark cap and sunglasses.

** Paprika was dressed at one point as [[JourneyToTheWest the Monkey King]] is often depicted, complete with flying on a cloud.

* NaughtyTentacles: The bad guy has an affinity for trees and uses tentacular tree roots to attack Paprika more than once.

TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, scientists have created a device called the "DC" that allows people to go into other people's dreams and record them. One of these people is the titular Paprika, a colorful and perky young woman who happens to be the dream avatar of Chiba, one of the scientists involved in the creation of the DC. Things start to go wrong when prototypes of the DC-Mini, a portable version of the DC machine, go missing; the prototypes are missing a vital piece of programming which, basically, protects DC-Mini users' minds from being hacked.

* AuthorTract: Subtly. Watch carefully during the parade when [[spoiler: it merges with reality.]] Businessmen laughing as they jump of buildings? People transforming into religious symbols? Men with mobile phones for heads taking pictures up the skirts of a group of girls with phones for heads? (That last one in particular, seeing as Kon [[{{ParanoiaAgent}} had previously criticized pedophilia.]])

* NaughtyTentacles

** There are a number of movie references in Konakawa's dream. The circus is a reference to ''The Greatest Show On Earth'' (probably; there's also a movie poster of the film visible in another sequence), while the scenes through which he runs afterward resemble ''{{Tarzan}}'', ''FromRussiaWithLove'', and ''RomanHoliday''.

Not to be confused with the softcore erotic Italian film with the same title.

* AnimeAnatomy: The main female lead has nipples but is drawn without genitalia or pubic hair.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Overlapping with WhatTheHellHero and PoorCommunicationKills. Chiba gives one to Tokita calling him out on his immaturity and only doing what he wants instead of what needs to be done. [[spoiler: This unfortunately and leads Tokita to go into Himuro's dream to figure his motive for stealing the DC Mini. It doesn't work.]]

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Chiba gives one to Tokita calling him out on his immaturity and only doing what he wants instead of what needs to be done. [[spoiler: This backfires and leads Tokita to go into Himuro's dream to figure out whether or not it was Himuro who stole the DC mini and sent the dream world out of control. It doesn't work.]]

* DerangedAnimation: Particularly those scenes where everything...for lack of a better word, '''melts.''' Justified in that a lot of the movie takes place in dreams.

* GratuitousEnglish: "It's the greatest showtime!"

* FreudWasRight: The sheer amount of imagery available to prove this in the movie would be enough to satisfy any Psychiatry fan.

** Paprika skipping around during the opening is [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel uncomfortably]] reminiscent of ''Perfect Blue''.

* TooGoodToLast: Konakawa's film ("What about the rest of it?!") [[spoiler: until his dream near the end]]. %%IN-UNIVERSE%%

* BaldOfEvil: The Chairman.

** Three ''[[Sentai SuperSentai]]'' figures can been seen in Himouro's apartment for a split second.

* AnimeAnatomy: The main female lead has nipples but is drawn without genitalia or pubic hair
* AppliedPhlebotinum: The DC machines

* AuthorTract: Subtly. Watch carefully during the parade when [[spoiler: it merges with reality.]] Businessmen laughing as they jump of buildings? People transforming into religous symbols? Men with mobile phones for heads taking pictures up the skirts of a group of girls with phones for heads? (That last one in particular, seeing as Kon [[{{ParanoiaAgent}} had previously critcized pedophilia.]])
* BadBoss / MeanBoss: You'd think the Chairman for a company that creates AppliedPhlebotinum would be a little more, y'know, ''enthusiastic'' about technology.
** It's implied later on that the sole reason he supported it was [[spoiler:to be able to walk again by placing his consciousness into a younger host body, ie. Osanai.]]
* BaldOfEvil: The Chairman

** Despite of his morbid obesity, his appearance has baby-like innocence to it - he's no {{Gonk}} by any means.

* BodyHorror: What [[spoiler: Osanai]] does to [[spoiler: Paprika]]

* TheCameo: Satoshi Kon and Yasutaka Tsutsui, the director and author of the original novel, play the part of the bartenders in Paprika's bar. Apparently even the other actors didn't know this until the premiere.

* CreepyDoll: If you thought large objects attacking buildings were not scary these days, you obviously haven't seen Paprika yet [[spoiler: *shudder* [[NightmareFuel That laughing...]]]]
* DeathbringerTheAdorable: A cartoon frog rolls down stairs, then begins drumming the second his feet hit the floor. It sounds funny, but in context it's a G-rated terror.

* DepravedHomosexual: [[spoiler:Possibly the Chairman, though his attachment to Osanai seems more a master/slave thing than a sexual or romantic relationship. Also possibly Himuro, who seems to have fetishized Osanai--we briefly see dirty magazines in his apartment with a younger Osanai on the cover, and his dreamscape features a towering statue of Osanai as a Greek god.]]

* DiscOneFinalBoss: Himuro

* FalseCameraEffects: The movie could be done in live-action; Det. Konakawa explains camera angles to Paprika.

* FetishFuel: Inflation, Transformation, Vore, Nudity, Mannequins... [[FreudWasRight Freud would have a field day]]! (Then again, it ''IS'' [[strike:half]] mostly in the world of dreams...)
** Also a bit of FootFocus (Chiba spends some portions of the film barefoot)

* [[FirstGirlWins First Guy Wins]]: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]]--[[spoiler: Konakawa is the first male Paprika, Chiba's avatar, is seen interacting with, but it's ''Tokita'' we first see her interact with as her real self. That's probably pretty meaningful.]]

* AGodAmI: [[spoiler: The Chairman]]

* HeroicResolve: Chiba

* {{Kuudere}}: Chiba, again

** [[spoiler: Specifically when the Paprika finds out the chairman is the real culprit behind everything going on. She yells to be woken up and returns to reality as Chiba. Chiba then goes to confront the chairman. But during the conversation realizes she still in the dream and fallen right into the chairman's trap.]]
* MyCard: Used to start the opening credits, ends up being a plot point later on.

* TheRenfield: [[spoiler:Osanai, who goes so far as to share a bed with and pimp himself out for the Chairman]]

** Posters for ''PerfectBlue'', ''MillenniumActress'', and ''TokyoGodfathers'' are visible at a movie theater

** The Bartenders' banner they use to ensare Tokita is also not unlike the banner in ''TokyoGodfathers''.

** The robots of the theme park sign bear a great resemblance to the robots in SatoshiKon's upcoming film ''The Dream Machine''
** There are a number of movie references in Konakawa's dream. The circus is a reference to ''TheGreatestShowOnEarth'' (probably; there's also a movie poster of the film visible in another sequence), while the scenes through which he runs afterward resemble ''{{Tarzan}}'', ''FromRussiaWithLove'', and ''RomanHoliday''.

** Three Sentai figures can been seen in Himouro's apartment for a split second.
* StalkerWithACrush: Dr. Osanai towards Chiba

* VoiceOfTheLegion: If you're thinking, "Why has so many people saying the same thing at once never sounded so scary before?", that's because in Paprika, they use the same pitch changes and speak at EXACTLY the same time, creating an effect that's pretty [[NightmareFuel unnerving]].