Prepare to enter the realm of fantasy and imagination — where reality and dreams collide in a kaleidoscopic mindscape of sheer visual genius. The magical tale centers on a revolutionary machine that allows scientists to enter and record a subject’s dream. After being stolen, a fearless detective and brilliant therapist join forces to recover the device — before it falls into the hands of a “dream terrorist” in this gripping anime thriller from acclaimed director Satoshi Kon.

For thoughts on Paprika, please check out my piece on TikTok here.

Video Quality

Paprika arrives on 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a 2160p/Dolby Vision transfer from a new 4K restoration effort that is incredibly bold and vibrant with a tremendous amount of depth. This disc provides some welcome improvements over the older Blu-Ray in almost all areas including more vivid, natural colors, deeper black levels, and the elimination of any digital artifacting. Not only this, but the old Blu-Ray from 2007 was windowboxed which has been corrected with this newest release. The old Blu-Ray was not bad by any means, but it is a product of its time. The new release includes a Blu-Ray disc that uses the new remaster that may appeal to even those who haven’t gone 4K UHD just yet. The 4K disc keeps colors bold without veering into hyper-saturation so that we stay in line with the original source material as intended. This feature is less bubblegum bright than films from many American studios, but there are plenty of hues that dazzle.

The implementation of Dolby Vision yields some fetching enhancements to the dynamic colors on display such as in the costumes or nearly any area of the dream world, and the disc provides much deeper black levels for a cleaner viewing experience free of black crush. The source elements have also been cleaned up with any hiccups eradicated to reveal the textured artwork. This presentation handles the subtle gradients of the artwork in a way that is just excellent. This disc provides admirable line detail and more distinct shading, which gives the characters greater definition. That being said, the source does not call for this film to be razor sharp, so expect a bit of a softer appearance than you typically witness. The good folks at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have knocked it out of the park with this one.

Audio Quality

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with an impressive Dolby Atmos track in the original Japanese that features the sounds of the film in a way that strives for authenticity. This track gives a marvelous amount of life to the world that is respectful to the artistic intent while really pushing the limits of your sound system. For those who want something artistically pure, Sony also provides the original DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix in Japanese, English, and numerous other languages. The movie prioritizes dialogue, even during chaotic dreamscapes, and clarity is never an issue. The track makes good use of all of the surround speakers, with ferocious flourishes and varied environments adding a lot of subtle activity.

When you are in the final stretch with the worlds colliding, the array of sound effects comes fast and furious. The height channels are used to carefully expand and complement the sonic palette rather than carry the main load. The positioning of the sounds is never an issue, and the track delivers significantly on the low end of the spectrum. The channels all maintain a crisp fidelity and separation so that everything is even more precise. The movie has a glorious score which is balanced well with the developments of the story. All tracks are an excellent sounding experience from start to finish.

Special Features

Sony has provided Paprika with a sleek, colorful new SteelBook that is truly lovely in person. The front artwork is a nicely animated depiction of Paprika made up of a world of smaller photos, and the rear features Chiba in the same style. The interior sports a very busy parade space with tons of characters. Video of the Steelbook can be found at the top of this review.

4K UHD

Restoring Paprika: A new nine-minute featurette is provided in which the restoration team discusses the care taken to restore this film in 4K UHD with Dolby Atmos while honoring the original look and sound of the film. There are interesting anecdotes about which scenes proved to be the most challenging as well as the technology used to create the film.

Blu-Ray

Audio Commentary: Director Satoshi Kon, composer Susumu Hirasawa, and associate producer Morishima provide a great archival commentary track in which they delve into the creation of the music for the film, adapting the source material into a film, the voice performers, and much more.

Tsutsui and Kon’s Paprika: A 30-minute piece in which author Yasutaka Tsutsui and film director Satoshi Kon discuss the process of adapting the story for the screen, translating dreams from the page, the storyboard process, a special cameo, and more.

A Conversation About “The Dream”: A 29-minute conversation between Tsutsui, Kon, and voice actors Megumi Hayashibara (Atsuko) and Tôru Furuya (Tokita) in which they discuss some of their favorite scenes, their own memorable dreams, apprehension around capturing certain moments, and more.

The Art of Fantasy: A 12-minute discussion with art director Nobutaka Ike in which he discusses the larger ideas behind the fantastical dream reality, the meaning behind certain choices, symbolism, the use of color, and more.

The Dream CG World: A 15-minute piece with Director of Photography Michiya Kato who discusses the use of CGI in conjunction with traditional hand-drawn elements.

Storyboard Comparisons: An option to get a look at storyboard comparisons, original drawings, and character paintings for the parade scene, the ruins scene, and the skin-slitting scene.

Trailers: This disc provides the Domestic Trailer (1:23) and the International Trailer (1:46).

Final Thoughts

Paprika is a tremendously inventive and thrilling feature that tackles so much on a thematic level without ever faltering in a significant way. Satoshi Kon was a master of his craft, and your heart breaks for all of the great work we never got to experience with his loss. The ambition of the animation is quite amazing as worlds bleed into one another and the line between dreams and reality evaporates. There is so much going on in any one frame that you almost feel obligated to watch it multiple times to get more from it. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has delivered a 4K UHD Blu-Ray that kicks serious butt in the A/V department along with some cool supplemental features. The film is housed in a Limited Edition SteelBook that should be on the shelf of any serious anime fan. Recommended

Paprika is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray in Limited Edition Steelbook Packaging.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.