Moho Forum

http://www.sonyclassics.com/paprika/main.html

Apparently this new animation is having a sneak preview tonight here in Portland at the Northwest Film Center, but I'm not planning on attending.

This is obviously an animation tour de force, technically speaking, but I find the storytelling all overripe and overblown.

I find the music ironically emblematic of the visuals. You know how Enya is a mixture of Euro-haunting/yearning and Euro-weirdness? Okay, take Enya and run her through an aggressive filter of Japanese cheesiness. The result is weirder and a lot more bubble-gummy.

However, those of you with a taste for anime will be in for a major treat with Paprika, so I thought I would share.

The music doesn't seem to match the visuals at all. I saw Kon's previous Perfect Blue, and thought it was a brilliant psychological thriller (Ebert agreed, compared it to Hitchcock's best efforts), one of the best movies I know of in any form of media, live action or animation. I haven't seen Tokyo Godfathers; that one didn't appeal to me, but this one looks like it might, if I can trust the visuals over the musical choice.

I saw the trailer about a month ago, and I'm really very much looking forward to it. I think it will be excellent.

Music of the trailer is not necessarily included in the final film ...

This film was shown once in Germany so far, on a festival elsewhere, and I'm waiting for it to open at a more closer space. The story idea seems to be "lifted" gracefully from Robert Zelazny's "He who shapes", so it is a must-see in any case.

I was thinking the same thing, the music may not be used in the same context, or at all.

Not that I find anything wrong with the music. I think it works just fine, in fact, I like it.

"Evidence that Japanese animators are reaching for the moon, while most of their American counterparts remain stuck in the kiddie sandbox."

The trailer pulled a great quote from the New York Times, but they shouldn't be blaming American animators. Blame economics. Paprika will be lucky to turn a profit, while Spongebob Squarepants makes millions. Not so hard for an entertainment exec or producer to choose. But one day someone is going to make a box office hit feature that breaks the Hollywood perception that animation must appeal to children. Then we take those Huggies off.

I think Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network is a great ally to the gradual changing of public perception of animation. The more people who are exposed to animation aimed at the older crowd, the more profitable and economically feasible it will become. The economics are largely driven by the greater public's unfamiliarity with animation other than that produced for kids.

I think Anime is also going to play a big role. Anime has a ton of everything for every age group, and kids will keep watching it into adulthood as they move on to more mature content. Can't say the same for western cartoons unfortunately.

DarthFurby wrote:Then we take those Huggies off.

Ummm, there's a web ring for that... somewhere... I feel sure...

Are you talking about a website for people taking off diapers or wearing them? Wait. I don't want to know.

DarthFurby wrote:I think Anime is also going to play a big role. Anime has a ton of everything for every age group, and kids will keep watching it into adulthood as they move on to more mature content.

15 years later, I'm still waiting for that to happen. I say Adult Swim specifically, because the most widely known anime amongst the general US public is the kind aimed at kids, like Pokemon, or going back slightly Sailor Moon or Dragonball. Adult Swim, however, shows the more mature anime like the unfortunately-named Cowboy Bebop and Evangelion, as well as western cartoons aimed at adults such as The Venture Brothers or Family Guy. That's why I consider them our strongest ally.