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Japanese publisher Kadokawa will publish a novel newly-written by director Mamoru Hosoda based on his own 2006 anime film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time , under the title The Girl Who Leapt Through Time A Novel based on the Animated Film , on August 29, 2025. The Mamoru Hosoda-directed anime film was released in Japan on July 15, 2006. The film was critically acclaimed, winning many awards at film festivals in Japan and abroad. It became Hosoda's first real step as a highly acclaimed animation film director, which continues today. At the time of the film's release, a manga adaptation illustrated by Kotone Ranmaru was published, but this is the first time a novel based on Hosoda's 2006 film has been released. The price of the 264-page book in Japan is 3,080 yen (including tax / 21 Usd). Digital edition will be also available simultaneously. The book will also include eight full-color pages at the beginning, designed with background art and scenes from the film.

In 2006, Japanese animator and director Mamoru Hosoda released The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Toki o Kakeru Shōjo), a coming-of-age anime that has since become a staple of modern Japanese cinema. It was subtle and deep, balancing the line between the fantastical thrill of time travel and the melancholy of adolescence, change, and loss.

But what many fans of this beloved film do not know is that the version they know and love today only came to be after a huge creative risk: Hosoda abandoned the script after four complete revisions. Behind the film’s gentle visuals and resonant emotional cues lies a chaotic and uncertain production journey filled with self-doubt, ambition, and ultimately, reinvention.

Makoto Konno from The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. | Credit: Madhouse

The very idea of giving up on a script after multiple revisions is usually considered a worst-case scenario in the film industry. But for Hosoda,...

Daihachi Yoshida, despite not being as “loud” within the festival circuit as some of his colleagues, is actually one of the most distinct voices in contemporary Japanese cinema, drawing respect from both audiences and critics. Known for his genre-defying storytelling, sharp social commentary, and striking visual style, Yoshida’s films often explore the contradictions of modern life, blending dark humor, mystery, and emotional depth. From breakout hits like “Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers!” to the last year’s big winner in Tokyo “Teki Cometh“, his filmography is both varied and consistently compelling. In this list, we explore the essential works that define his singular vision and why they deserve a place on every cinephile’s radar.

But before going into the list, take a look at an interview with the director during the 2024 TIFF

1. Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers! (2007)

Daihachi Yoshida‘s debut is based on the homonymous...

For generations, the anime medium has only grown more and more popular in the West, with brand-new titles being announced constantly. There is truly a genre for any viewer, and a story that is sure to remain in their memories for years to come. Alongside several animated series, a wide roster of movies also expands over time, with many films correlating to existing anime and manga.

When it comes to movie nights, it can be hard to pick a film to watch that everyone will enjoy. However, there is a great variety of anime films for the whole audience, even for those who do not usually like anime. These are stories that truly stand the test of time, and may even change someone's perspective on the anime medium if they initially do not care for it.

My Neighbor Totoro Is Wonderful for the Whole Family Stream My Neighbor Totoro on Max

My Neighbor Totoro,...

Amid the announcement of Christopher Nolan's next magnum opus, an adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey starring Matt Damon, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong'o, Robert Pattinson, and Charlize Theron, two of his most talked-about movies made their way to Netflix. On January 1, the streaming platform added Inception and Interstellar to its streaming library, a nice little New Year's gift for its subscribers as 2025 rolled in.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as professional dream thief Dom Cobb, Inception was what the internet liked to call a complete mind-fuck when it first came out in 2010. For many viewers, it did not make a lot of sense up until a second or third watch, yours truly along them. But several five-star reviews, millions at the box office, and eight Oscar nominations later, it became evident that Nolan had broken new ground in Hollywood.

However, Inception was definitely not the first sci-fi movie to...

“Teki Cometh,” directed by Daihachi Yoshida, is a moving meditation on the waning light of existence, in which the routine activities of a once-vibrant life fade into a strange, uncertain environment. Gisuke Watanabe, a retired French literature professor who is 77 years old, is the film’s main character.

His life takes place in the simple surroundings of his family home, filled with echoes of a past that is both loved and haunting. As he carefully moves through the intricate steps of his daily routines, a series of unsettling events interrupt his carefully planned solitude. An anonymous email tells him of an impending enemy, a cryptic message that stirs up ingrained fears about aging and mortality.

The movie “Teki Cometh,” adapted from Yasutaka Tsutsui’s book, explores the fragile nature of the human mind by fusing reality with Gisuke’s vivid but disturbing dreams. In this instance, the film goes beyond...

Yoshida Daihachi’s black and white drama Teki Cometh dominated the awards ceremony of the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF)today (November 6), winning the grand prix and the prizes for best director,and best actor.

Based on a novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui, the film centres around a retired and widowed college professor who receives a sudden and unsettling message telling him that the enemy is coming.The film marks the latest in a string of literary adaptations from Daihachi including Pale Moon, The Kirishima Thing, and Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers! which premiered at Cannes Critic Week in 2007.

Teki Cometh,...

Considering that Japan is the most aging country in the world, it is by no surprise that films about the elderly have seen a significant increase lately. Daihachi Yoshida tries his hand also in the topic, by adapting Yasutaka Tsutsui‘s homonymous novel in a black-and-white movie that follows a non-linear approach.

Teki Cometh is screening at Tokyo International Film Festival

Gisuke Watanabe is 77 years old, a retired professor of French literature. His wife passed away before him, and he now lives in a traditional Japanese house that has been in his family since his grandfather’s time. He cooks for himself, enjoys a drink with his dinner, and although he has lost touch with many friends, he occasionally shares drinks with a few close ones. Sometimes, he invites former students over for dinner. He calculates how much longer his savings will last, in other words, how much longer he will live.

In its deliberate pacing and thoughtfulness, Daihachi Yoshida’s new film Teki Cometh is characteristic of the Japanese filmmaker’s career. The feature, which has its world premiere at the 2024 Tokyo International Film Festival, and is competing in the festival’s main competition, is yet another literary adaptation from a director who is an avid reader.

“Right at the start of the pandemic, the bookshops were closed, and so I reread books I had. One of those was Teki [title of the original book and the film in Japanese, meaning enemy]. People around the world being unable to go outside and meet others, it was something akin to everyone living an elderly lifestyle like the main character in the story,” recalls Yoshida, talking to The Hollywood Reporter on the day of the Tokyo fest line-up announcement.

Daihachi Yoshida

Literary adaptations have proved incredibly fruitful for Yoshida. Following two decades of making commercials, music videos, shorts and TV dramas, he made his feature...

Paprika and Inception are two fantastic movies with a relatively similar premise, yet the 2006 Satoshi Kon film accomplishes something that Christopher Nolans 2010 blockbuster did not. Following the massive success of The Dark Knight, Nolan was finally able to make his Inception script into the movie he wanted. Nolan has talked about how, before making Inception as a studio movie, you have to make The Dark Knight. Fortunately, the director had all the resources and creative freedom to pull off Inception, which remains one of the best Christopher Nolan movies 14 years later.

From the trailers to whether Cobbs top stopped spinning, Inception was a pop culture phenomenon in 2010. It was the first time Nolan directed an action-packed blockbuster outside of the Batman films and proved that the filmmakers original movies could be as successful as his Dark Knight trilogy entries. However, as much as love Inception, my favorite film about the...

When it comes to horror manga, one name tops above all, Junji Ito, whose narrative gives a spine-chilling effect to readers. He began working in this genre back in 1987 with the publication of Tomie in the niche periodical Shôjo Horror Magazine Monthly Halloween. In over three decades since, Ito has firmly established himself as a master of the horrifying tales.

Uzumaki Chapter 1 | Credit: Viz

The master of horror is mostly known for his disturbing imagery and psychological terror and cites Japanese novelist Yasutaka Tsutsui as a key inspiration for his portrayal of insanity. Ito’s works like Uzumaki and Tomie speak the roots of his artistic vision. However, knowingly or unknowingly draws fascinating parallels to an iconic villain, Joker, who has a similar kind of insanity just like Ito’s.

Junji Ito’s Perspective on the Depths of Madness

In the course of the interview at the 50th Angoulême International Comics Festival,...

Spoiler Alert !!!This article contains spoilers from the manga Uzumaki

Uzumaki is a celebrated horror manga masterpiece. It is also one of the notable works by the horror mangaka Junji Ito. From contortions to spinning eyeballs, it is bone-chilling. This holds especially true with the use of body horror. The anime directed by Studio Drive is scheduled to release on September 29th. However, there are things viewers should know.

A panel from Uzumaki. Credits: Viz Media

The anime is a much-anticipated release. Before watching the anime, here’s a recap of the manga. From the settings to themes, this recap is a glimpse. Moreover, it is a peek into the essence and philosophy of the spiral story.

Uzumaki outlines the insanity revolving around spirals

Uzumaki revolves around the fictional town of Kurouzu Cho. It follows the journey of protagonists Kirie and Shuichi. What starts as a coincidence becomes a living nightmare.

A connoisseur of the psychological thriller genre, Satoshi Kon, only brought the best in the game. His 2006 film, Paprika, is a unique blend of science fiction and the surrealistic genre into a thriller. It was also the director’s fourth and final film before his passing in 2010. His films continue his legacy as one of the best filmmakers of the 21st century.

Paprika by Satoshi Kon. [Credit: Madhouse]

The film was adapted from Yasutaka Tsutsui’s novel published in 1993. Kon knew he wanted to make Paprika after Perfect Blue, another psychological thriller film, but something held him back. Despite the idea’s inception in 1998, the director waited to meet Tsutsui personally and actually get his blessing to make the film. It’s like an honorable way to pass the baton to someone.

Paprika Was Still a Personal Commitment to Him Paprika by Satoshi Kon. [Credit: Madhouse]

For Satoshi Kon, Paprika was more than...

A creepy tale full of lingering regrets unfolds in Riisa Naka's clever horror short “Kaburagi.” Before this, Naka established an extensive career in acting and remains an active actress to this day. International audiences may remember her for voicing Makoto Konno in Mamoru Hosoda's anime film “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time,” based on the novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui. Beyond this, she's very active on YouTube and even has her own fashion brand. Now, with “Kaburagi,” she showcases her talents as a director.

Kaburagi is screening at Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia

Kaburaki is a photographer for a weekly magazine. While highly regarded by his peers, he's overwhelmed with guilt after exposing a scandal that drove an actress to suicide. Despite his depression, his colleagues and boss encourage him to continue his line of work. One day, he receives a message from an unknown source that tips...

The world of anime and manga is rapidly spreading throughout the world. It is no longer subjected to only a particular audience and accessible to basically the entire world. Kadokawa has taken the initiative to bring these mediums even closer to the general public. Mangas have been adapted into many forms for decades now.

Kadokawa Masterpiece Comics

From movies, animes, and live-action adaptations to even novels. There is no medium that hasn’t seen the masterpiece born of the most talented mangakas. Complains have been rising slowly and steadily, concerning the pace and future of the Anime and Manga industry. This pertains to the fact that Western influences have very quickly taken over the craft that held a lot of cultural significance. However, Kodakawa has other plans.

Kadokawa’s Masterpiece Comics Initiative

Kadokawa, a popular publishing house for manga, light novels, and magazines has taken up an initiative unlike any other.

Japanese publisher Kadokawa today announced a new label called "Masterpiece Comics" with the aim of adapting well-known, classic books from Japan and other countries into manga by up-and-coming artists. Kicking off the initial lineup is Paul Gallico's The Silent Miaow , which is being adapted by I'm a Cat, Said the Dog 's Katana Sajima and will be published on July 20. The Silent Miaow cover (not final) Sample page Related: Viz Media Announces Vagabond Definitive Edition, One Piece: Heroines and More An adaptation of Kunio Yanagita's Tono Monogatari by Kujiraba will follow suit in September, then Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist by Tamaki Nakamura in November, Yasutaka Tsutsui's Zanzo ni Kuchibeni wo by Hiroaki Terada in January 2025 and F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby by an undisclosed artist in March 2025. Source: Comic Natalie...

Kadokawa has announced the launch of a new initiative titled ‘Kadokawa Masterpiece Comics (Kmc)’ dedicated to adapting classic literature, from Japan and other parts of the world, into manga.

A website for Kmc was unveiled on June 3, 2024, to commemorate the announcement.

The inaugural line-up of classics which are getting adapted into manga include:

The Silent Miaow by Paul Gallico, illustrated by Katana Sajima, set for release on July 20. The Legends of Tono by Kunio Yanagita, illustrated by Kujiraba, scheduled for September. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, illustrated by Tamaki Nakamura, slated for November. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time by Yasutaka Tsutsui, illustrated by Hiroaki Terada, planned for January 2025. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, artist to be decided, expected in March 2025.

Kmc’s mission is to curate stories that will be celebrated as masterpieces even a century from now. Checkout their official statement below:

From world-renowned masterpieces to hidden gems.

Fans of crime procedurals are finding Flex X Cop to be their new favorite as the Korean drama is hitting big with the masses. Based on the 2015 Russian series titled Silver Spoon, the Disney+ series follows the story of Jin Isoo, an immature rich heir who gets into some trouble and the following circumstances force his hands into joining the police force where he partners up with an intelligent veteran detective Lee Gang-hyun, and together they solve dangerous and complex cases. So, if you love the thrills and comedy of Flex X Cop and want to watch more shows like it then you should check out these similar shows next.

The Millionaire Detective Balance: Unlimited Credit – Fuji TV

A rich cop with a seemingly unlimited bank balance and an idealistic cop team up to fight crime, if that sounds familiar to all of Flex X Cop’s fans, then you...

Paprika, a psychological thriller anime masterpiece by Satoshi Kon, is now available to watch for free on YouTube, providing greater accessibility to a new generation of fans. The film explores the blending of reality and fiction through the ability of a psychiatrist to enter dreams, presenting dangerous situations and raising questions of identity and desire. Paprika features a star-studded voice cast and is a stand-out production from the early 2000s that shouldn't be missed by fans of science fiction and anime.

The stunning anime film, Paprika, is now available to watch for free on YouTube. Released in the early 2000s, this psychological thriller masterpiece by Satoshi Kon focuses on the titular heroine, who is the alter ego a psychiatrist uses to get inside her patients' minds. This movie is one that anime and science fiction film aficionados shouldn't miss out on.

Paprika was released in 2006. It was produced by Madhouse,...

Universally acknowledged as the unequivocal master of horror manga, Junji Ito is beloved worldwide for his exceptional ability to capture the most raw and unimaginable fears through art. His most notable works — Uzumaki, Tomie, and Gyo — as well as countless other short stories and series, have developed an unprecedented cult following that spreads beyond fans of horror media. The art Ito creates can be appallingly disquieting and even downright disturbing due to the mangaka's hyper-detailed, unsettling art style and uncanny ability to evoke the readers' primal fears.

However, the man capable of creating such shocking horrors is, surprisingly, a kind and wholesome individual. The duality of Junji Ito and his unorthodox personality that combines a capability for creating frightening horror with a good-natured, life-loving character made the mangaka almost as adored as his works. Nevertheless, much of Junji Ito remains an enigma, which makes exploring the mind and background of...

Otaku have Rumiko Takahashi to thank for many of their favorite stories, from Urusei Yatsura to Maison Ikkoku to InuYasha. Takahashi writes mostly shonen stories, but her romances are some of the strongest parts of her pieces. She writes in varied genres, including historical isekai fantasy, contemporary romance, science fiction, and horror.

Takahashi's works are so loved that they've been translated into many languages, and they've influenced much of isekai anime today. InuYasha set the tone for many tsundere love interests to follow — before him, most popular tsundere love interests were women. Even Takahashi's lesser-known works, like Mermaid Saga, are thoughtful masterpieces.

Related: 15 Manga With Incredibly Artwork

Rumiko Takahashi Didn't Always Want To Be A Mangaka

Rumiko Takahashi is one of today's most legendary manga writers, but she didn't always know that creating manga would be her work. Takahashi dabbled in creative works but didn't really gather steam for that...

In the career of Nobuhiko Obayashi, his works from the 1980s are certainly some of the most interesting features the director made. Although some of these movies have become somewhat obscure and hard to find for film fans wanting to discover more from Obayashi besides arguably his most popular work today, his 1977 feature “House”. One of the director’s favorite works was “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time”, an adaptation of the novel of the same title by Yasutaka Tsutsui, which also served as the foundation to the 2006 anime directed by Mamoru Hosoda. In his approach to the source material, Obayashi and screenwriter Wataru Kenmotsu highlight the idea of the story being about growth as well as the various irritations when becoming an adult.

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on Terracotta

Kazuko Yoshiyama (Tomoyo Harada) is a high-school student living in the city of Onomichi. One day, as she is tasked with cleaning the chemistry lab,...

Some stories seem impossible to translate from the written page to the moving image, but a few brave creatives have taken on the task and created masterpieces. Japanese author Yasutaka Tsutsui's acclaimed 1993 novel "Paprika" is one such story, about a brilliant young psychologist named Chiba who begins experimenting with dream therapy. Chiba and her research partner, Tokita, develop a machine that allows them to not only view the dreams of others but experience them firsthand. When their dream-walking machine is stolen, the two have to figure out how to track him down in the real world while dealing with the repercussions in their dreams. It's mind-bending science fiction that works in part because of the limitless potential of the imagination. 

Now, Prime Studios has announced that they will be producing and releasing a live-action series based on the novel, helmed by "Birds of Prey" director Cathy Yan. It's going...

What if there was a device that allowed the user to enter other people's dreams? What if one of the devices was stolen by someone who could implant ideas in people's minds to control them? What kind of story could come out of this concept?

If your first thought is Christopher Nolan's "Inception," then congratulations, you played yourself. That film became the rare example of a movie that becomes a shorthand term for its premise — entering people's dreams. Still, it pales in comparison to the film it so blatantly rips off, Satoshi Kon's "Paprika," an anime movie adapted from Yasutaka Tsutsui's 1993 novel of the same name.

That novel was almost adapted to live-action over a decade ago by the late, great Wolfgang Petersen, but now Deadline reports that Tsutsui's "Paprika" is getting a second chance at becoming a live-action project, on the small screen. Cathy Yan has...

Cathy Yan is at a good place in her career. She’s got the acclaimed indie, “Dead Pigs.” She’s ventured out and directed a superhero film, “Birds of Prey.” And she even has earned herself an Emmy nomination for her work directing on the newest season of “Succession.” Now, it appears she’s found her next big project, a live-action adaptation of the acclaimed novel-turned-anime “Paprika.”

Read More: Cathy Yan’s Fandom Of ‘Succession’ Turned Into An Emmy Nod [Interview]

According to Deadline, Cathy Yan is set to executive produce and direct a live-action adaptation of “Paprika.” The source material is the 1993 sci-fi novel of the same name by author Yasutaka Tsutsui.

Continue reading ‘Paprika’: Cathy Yan To Produce & Direct A Live-Action Series Adaptation For Amazon at The Playlist.

If this is a dream, please, don’t wake me up. Deadline reports that Cathy Yan is developing a live-action series inspired by Yasutaka Tsutsui’s mind-bending novel Paprika. The project is happening at Amazon Studios and Hivemind, with Yan directing and executive producing.

According to the novel’s official description, Paprika presents an imaginative narrative about a psychiatric institute that develops technology to invade people’s dreams.

“When prototype models of a dream-invading device go missing at the Institute for Psychiatric Research, it transpires that someone is using them to drive people insane. Threatened personally and professionally, brilliant psychotherapist Atsuko Chiba has to journey into the world of fantasy to fight her mysterious opponents. As she delves deeper into the imagination, the borderline between dream and reality becomes increasingly blurred, and nightmares begin to leak into the everyday realm. The scene is set for a final showdown between the dream detective and her enemies,...

Exclusive: Cathy Yan will executive produce and direct the live-action series Paprika, based on the Yasutaka Tsutsui novel of the same name, for Amazon Studios and Hivemind, Deadline has learned.

Amazon declined comment.

Paprika is a character-driven sci-fi series with a mind-bending narrative centering around a technology that allows us to invade people’s dreams.

Along with Yan, her producing partner Ash Sarohia will also executive produce under their Rewild banner, as well as Masi Oka, and Hivemind’s Jason F. Brown.

Yan recently received her first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for her episode of Succession, “The Disruption.” The episode marked her first time directing for a series.

Yan made a splash in 2020 as the director of Birds of Prey for Warner Bros and LuckyChap Entertainment centering on the DC Comic character Harley Quinn and the titular superhero team. The...

The live-action short film from writers and directors Léo Berne and Raphaël Rodriguez, “Censor of Dreams” (also known as “Le Censeur des Rêves”) had its world premiere at the 2021 Warsaw Film Festival and focuses on a team of people who try to block their host’s painful dreams and memories. After winning the Academy Award-qualifying Grand Prize at the aforenamed festival, the Iconoclast-produced film has now been shortlisted for the 2022 Oscars. In our exclusive video (watch above), Berne and Rodriguez shed light on the process of making the well-known titular theory literal, of trimming dialogue from their original screenplay, and of creating fiction versus directing music videos and commercials.

See 2022 Oscars shortlists in 10 categories: International Feature Film, Documentary Feature, Original Song, Score …

Inspired by the book “Yume no ken’estukan” by Japanese author Yasutaka Tsutsui, “Censor of Dreams” takes a brief glimpse into the life of a man...

“Milk” director Gus Van Sant has boarded Academy Award contender “Censor Of Dreams” as an executive producer.

The live action short, which has been shortlisted for an Academy Award, is directed by Léo Berne (Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money”) and Raphaël Rodriguez and stars Damien Bonnard (“Les Misérables”) and Alexis Rodney (“Guardians of the Galaxy”).

The 17-minute film won the Oscars-qualifying Grand Prix at the Warsaw Film Festival.

Inspired by Yasutaka Tsutsui’s book “Yume no ken’estukan” (“The Censor of Dreams”), the film tells the story of a mysterious “Censor” who moulds memories into dreams.

“Dreams, like cinema, are inspired fictions that have something to tell us,” said Berne and Rodriguez. “‘Censor of Dreams’ was built on an image that touches us in particular, and that carries as much joy as sorrow, the dream visit of a loved one who has disappeared.”

Berne and Rodriguez have previously...

Shintaro Kago is a Japanese manga artist, independent filmmaker and toy maker. He is a pioneer of the ero guro genre whose distinct style of distorting reality, deforming the human body and turning the ordinary into the absurd has given him a rather significant cult following also in the West.

Panos Kotzathanasis and Adam Symchuk questioned him about his influences, adapting his work into animated shorts, his work on the releases of Midori Implus, ero guro art, “Princess of The Never Ending Castle” and his future projects.

When and why did you first start making art? What are your most important influences?

I started back when I was a high school student. These would be: Katsuhiro Otomo, Fujiko F. Fujio, Eric Idle, Yasutaka Tsutsui.

Is there a difference between the way you draw manga and covers?

Cover illustration requires more attention than drawing manga.

How did you become interested in...

Exploring the tenuous relationship between idol and fan, Yoshikazu Takeuchi’s “Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis” follows the idol known as Mima as she begins to shed the image of innocence, in a bid to further her career. Existing in opposition to Mima’s desire to transcend her past is a nameless fan whose dangerous obsession leads to anger as he perceives the change as the work of outside sources. The man’s decline and drive to protect his ‘muse’ leads him down a path of murder, as he decides he must purify himself and others to match that sainthood he projects on the singer. As Mima’s career begins to take off because of her choices, the odd letters from the fanatic cause a scare but don’t prepare her for the violent clash with her biggest fan.

It is unlikely that many readers will be approaching...

Straying far away from the techno-industrial style of the two Tetsuo, Shinya Tsukamoto based this particular film on the homonymous Edogawa Rampo story that takes place in the Meiji era, in order to present a mystery/thriller/costume drama combination, which, once again though, thrives on visual and contextual deliriousness.

The film revolves around Yukio Daitokuji, a famous doctor who was decorated for his services during the war, and has now succeeded his father in the practice, amassing fame for both his past deeds and his present. Yukio seems to live a very happy life in the family mansion, with his parents and his beautiful wife, Rin. However, not everything is idyllic in his life. His parents disapprove of his wedding, since Rin is an amnesiac who Yukio found in the banks of a nearby river and took in, and no one knows anything about her past.

Yasutaka Tsutsui is quite well known (either you realize it or not), particularly for two of his works that were made into internationally successful anime films: “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” and “Paprika”. For the first book review here in Amp, however, we will deal with another of his novels, “Hell” where the surrealism and the satire, two of his central characteristics, are in full bloom.

The what and how people from different cultures perceive hell as a concept has been always a crucial one, and Tsutsui presents his own quite eloquently, through the words of a character in the book. “It’s just a place without God. The Japanese don’t believe in God in the first place, so what’s the difference between this place and the world of the living?”

Using this idea as base, Tsutsui presents his characters in a hell where people feel no emotion,...

From The Terminator to Back to the Future to Richard Curtis's new film About Time, movies love time travel – but it's strictly for men. Anna Smith wishes she could turn back the clock

Poor Rachel McAdams. Three time-travel movies and not a whiff of the action. First was 2009's The Time Traveller's Wife, in which Eric Bana played a Chicago librarian darting through time while his on-screen wife McAdams plodded on faithfully in the present. Then, two years later, came Midnight in Paris. Owen Wilson got to party in the roaring 1920s every day of his holiday, while oblivious fiancee McAdams went sightseeing. And now Richard Curtis's new film, About Time, sees McAdams stay home as her partner Domhnall Gleeson goes time-travelling in secret, in a bid to change his past and have a better future. This time it's a gift – passed down the male line of the family.

This is a sad bit of news, I've just learned about the passing of Satoshi Kon - an important Japanese anime filmmaker who gave us Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, and Paprika (from which was the last time we met with the filmmmaker). In honor of the filmmaker and his fans, we are republishing this sit down with Kon originally published May 24th in 2007. ---- Paprika is the latest feature length work from Japanese anime auteur Satoshi Kon (Tokyo Godfathers, Paranoia Agent, Millennium Actress), and adapted from a novel by Japan’s most renowned science fiction author Yasutaka Tsutsui. The plot centers around an experimental invention called the DC Mini, that allows its users to enter another person’s dreams. 29 year old Dr. Atsuko Chiba is a brilliant but conservative research psychotherapist working on the DC Mini project, and also uses the device to moonlight as super heroine Paprika, entering into...

From the moment we learned that Christopher Nolan's Inception would deal with a machine that allowed people to enter the dreams of others, anime fans have been comparing it to Satoshi Kon's highly regarded film Paprika. Based on a novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui, Paprika is a story about a research psychologist who can use a machine to enter other people's dreams. Nolan bashers have halfheartedly latched on to the similarities when arguing that the filmmaker is overrated and not particularly original (which is largely a matter of personal opinion ... ), and there are definite similarities between the two tales.

Those common elements are even more noticeable -- and funny -- in this fan-made YouTube trailer for Paprika's Inception. In this clever mash-up, Paprika's images are matched with the Inception soundtrack and voice-over narration. The level of synchronicity between the two is pretty amazing. I've never heard Nolan talk about Paprika,...

In an interview with MTV Splash Page, director Wolfgang Petersen talked about his plans for the announced live-action adaptation of Yasutaka Tsutsui’s novel Paprika that Japanese director Satoshi Kon and Studio Madhouse turned into an amazing anime in 2006.

Petersen praises Kon’s adaptation and states that an yet unnamed author is currently working on the adaptation but a screenplay hasn’t been written yet. Unfortunately, he also mentions something that always leaves a bad taste in my mouth when it comes to Hollywood adaptations:

We open it up a little bit more so it’s more accessible for a wide audience, but it comes a little bit sort of “Matrix” feel. [...] Not like Matrix but sort of the size of it all, the scope of it all. So that it becomes more of a film for a mainstream audience.

[via Quiet Earth]...

Yasutaka Tsutsui's novel Paprika has already been adapted into animation by Satoshi Kon, but back in August of last year it was announced that a live-action feature version would be directed by Wolfgang Peterson. Now Peterson has issued a brief update on the adaptation, and he sounds like he's planning for it to be big, if nothing else. MTV talked to Peterson, who loved the anime telling of the story, and says that he's got a very detailed treatment in hand that, if given the signal to move forward, should generate a script quickly. Peterson says, We open it up a little bit more so it’s more accessible for a wide audience, but it comes a little bit sort of "Matrix" feel. Not like Matrix but sort of the size of it all, the scope of it all. So that it becomes more of a film for a mainstream audience.

Wolfgang Petersen proved he had an eye for the fantastic with 1984's "The Neverending Story," but the imagery in the source material for his live-action "Paprika" adaptation may take him into scenes that look more like "Akira" or David Cronenberg's "Scanners." The "Troy" and "Poseidon" director loved "Paprika" as an anime, and the treatment he recently received could become a wide release that he compares to "The Matrix."

"We have a young writer on it, and he just delivered a very specific and detailed treatment that we’re working on," Petersen told MTV News. "And then if that’s a go then he will write the screenplay and that will go very fast because the treatment is already very detailed. So I’m very excited about that. I would say it’s on the fast track."

The "Paprika" story, which originally began as a 1993 novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui, but...

According to Moviehole, Wolfgang Petersen (yes, “our man in Hollywood”) is developing a live-action film based on Yasutaka Tsutsui’s novel Paprika that director Satoshi Kon already adapted into an anime in 2006. Not a bad idea in my eyes, since the basic theme of the novel (dreams meet reality thanks to technology) could work really well in live-action even though I could imagine that combining reality with the dream world would be much harder (and probably less “real”) using CGI.

But why Wolfgang Petersen? I know that he already did Sci-Fi but the man didn’t produce anything spectacular for at least 20 years…

Here’s the title song The Girl in Byakkoya by Susumu Hirasawa (available for download here) from the 2006 anime:...

Previously adapted into a truly splendid feature by anime master Satoshi Kon, Yasutaka Tsutsui's serialized novel Paprika seems set for the big screen again. This time round, we can expect a live action adaptation by Wolfgang Peterson, the perpetrator of Air Force One and Outbreak. The novel's story is a chase mystery revolving around a new technology that allows people to enter one another's dreams, so there's little wonder that Moviehole (via Firstshowing) invoke the director's NeverEnding Story in their rumor-starting piece. What I don't quite get is their assertion that this project would be Petersen "ostensibly out to court the youngsters again." I guess they don't really know the project at all. Is psychotherapy and psychosexual nightmare manipulation typically the stuff of kiddie fare? Kon's film is definitely an adult picture. Let's not get tangled up in knots over Petersen but instead focus on the source material. There...

Wolfgang Petersen has made quite a name for himself by having such a cool name. I mean, come on, the dude.s name is Wolfgang. A Wolfgang sounds like something Twilight needs more of (think: characters from Stand and Deliver, but werewolves). Ever since making one of the greatest children.s. stories of all time (The Neverending Story), it's been all downhill for Peterson. Maybe that means he should get back into kids movies, but instead he's adapting anime. Moviehole reports that Petersen will be adapting Yasutaka Tsutsui.s Paprika, a novel about a female therapist who must find a stolen machine that allows one enter someone.s dreams. The book has already been adapted as an anime once, back in 2006. This has the potential to be a pretty cool thriller, and all Wolfgang needs to do is get a decent special effects department to handle some sweet dream sequences.

Where has he been hiding? Wolfgang Petersen, the other German action movie director (not Roland Emmerich), hasn't directed anything since Poseidon back in 2006. He's attached to an alien movie called Uprising at Sony, but there hasn't been any movement on that for a while (as far as I know). Moviehole is reporting (without many details at all) that Petersen is attached to direct a live-action version of Yasutaka Tsutsui's Japanese novel Paprika. Anime enthusiasts may remember that an anime version of the book was produced in 2006. But a big anime remake just doesn't seem like something Wolfgang would do? Paprika is about a machine that allows therapists to enter their patient's dreams. When the machine is stolen, all hell breaks loose, and only a young female therapist can stop it: Paprika. Apparently it is a very trippy anime (watch the trailer) because it spends so much time in dreams.

Wolfgang Peterson, who directed The NeverEnding Story in 1984, is revisiting the fantasy genre. However, the results might be a little spicier this time.

Moviehole reports the German filmmaker, who has also helmed action-dramas like Das Boot and Air Force One, is developing a live-action adaptation of Paprika, based on a 1993 novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui. Originally serialized in Marie Claire, Paprika concerns an experimental machine that allows therapists to enter the dreams of their patients. When several prototypes are stolen, it’s up to a young therapist, Paprika, to stop a series of murders by entering the dream world herself.

If the title sounds familiar, you might have picked up one of several manga adaptations, or seen the animated film of the same name, which was released by Sony in 2006. The movie, directed by Satoshi Kon, has been praised for its visual style and integration of 2-D and 3-D animation.

No...

We’re big fans of Satoshi Kon’s animated film Paprika and today we have found reason to rejoice! The 1993 novel that this animated wonder was based on by author Yasutaka Tsutsui has been translated into English and will be available through Alma Books in the UK this April.

When prototype models of a device for entering into patients dreams go missing at the Institute for Psychiatric Research, it transpires that someone is using them to manipulate people s dreams and send them insane. Threatened both personally and professionally, brilliant psychotherapist Atsuko Chiba has to journey into the world of fantasy to fight her mysterious opponents. As she delves ever deeper into the imagination, the borderline between dream and reality becomes increasingly blurred, and nightmares begin to leak into the everyday realm. The scene is set for a final showdown between the dream detective and her enemies, with the subconscious as their battleground,...

Year: 2006

Release date: DVD (R1) Nov. 18th, 2008

Director: Minoru Kawasaki

Writers: Minoru Kawasaki & Masakazu Migita & Yasutaka Tsutsui (novel)

IMDb: link

Trailer: link

Amazon link: link

Review by: Kevin Ouellette

Rating: 6 out of 10

Japan has sort of faded into the background of the world consciousness in the past few years. Aside from the typical “crazy Japan” pop culture stories that seem to never get old for some, the western world seems to ignore the existence of this once larger-than-life nation. Gone is the fear of superior Japanese products killing the Us manufacturing sector—we’ve since come to terms with that as an unfortunate inevitability—and gone are the icy relations that existed when old men that still remembered World War II were running our respective countries. All we really have left is a shared military and a mutual fascination with each other’s entertainment industries. So what would happen if...

By Neil Pedley

On offer this week is a veritable gallery of the eclectic and the eccentric as M. Night Shyamalan goes R-rated, Edward Norton goes green, Werner Herzog goes to the Antarctic, and two of Herzog's fellow countrymen go to California to climb a big rock very, very quickly.

"Beauty in Trouble"

Czech director Jan Hrebejk and writer Petr Jarchovský continue their longtime collaborative partnership with this dense ensemble drama loosely inspired by Robert Graves's poem of the same name. This time, the duo who balanced humor with drama in the Oscar-nominated Holocaust-set "Divided We Fall," turn to the devastating series of floods that swept Prague in 2002, and tell the story of Marcela (Anna Geislerová), an overworked mother of two living in squalor. When her ne'er do well husband is taken in by the police, she's courted by a well-to-do businessman (Josef Abrhám) and Marcela is forced to...

• Paprika is the latest feature length work from Japanese anime auteur Satoshi Kon (Tokyo Godfathers, Paranoia Agent, Millennium Actress), and adapted from a novel by Japan’s most renowned science fiction author Yasutaka Tsutsui. The plot centers around an experimental invention called the DC Mini, that allows its users to enter another person’s dreams. 29 year old Dr. Atsuko Chiba is a brilliant but conservative research psychotherapist working on the DC Mini project, and also uses the device to moonlight as super heroine Paprika, entering into her patient’s dreams and helping them resolve anxiety and neurosis.When one of the DC Mini prototypes is stolen, Atsuko is forced into the role of a real-world heroine as her colleagues begin to go mad, haunted by terrifying waking-dreams of a doll torn from the mind of a schizophrenic patient. Someone is wielding the device as a weapon, and setting the

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TOKYO -- A movie about a time-traveling teenager took home the animation of the year award at the sixth annual Tokyo International Anime Fair on Thursday, while a Canadian production earned the grand prize in the open competition.

"The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" was one of 457 film shorts screened or distributed in Japan that was up for the award. Produced by Tokikake Film Partners, it tells the story of 17-year-old Makoto Konno, who can change events by traveling into the past.

In addition to winning the best film prize, "Time" also won the best director award for Mamoru Hosoda and best original story for Yasutaka Tsutsui, for a tale he wrote 40 years ago. It also earned a screenplay nod for Satoko Okudera, best art direction for Nizou Yamamoto and the character design prize for Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.

"I would like to thank all the people who worked on this title and gave us such great characters, story line and music," Hosoda said in accepting his award.

• Fans of Millenium Actress and Tokyo Godfathers know who Satoshi Kon is and have been waiting a couple of full moons for his latest release. Selected as part of the 63rd Venice International Film Festival the anime opens in New York on May 25, 2007 and Los Angeles on June 1, 2007, before expanding nationwide throughout the summer. Today, Sony Pictures Classics has passed on the one sheet and trailers below.Paprika is from an original story written by Yasutaka Tsutsui and based on the screenplay by Seishi Minakami & Satoshi Kon, Dr. Atsuko Chiba is a genius scientist by day, and a kick-ass dream warrior named Paprika by night. In this psychedelic sci-fi adventure, it will take the skills of both women to save the world...The near future: a revolutionary new psychotherapy treatment called Pt has been invented. A device called the "DC Mini" is able to act as a "dream detective

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