by PARCO released a commercial for its Winter Grand Bazaar, which opens January 2nd, on its official YouTube channel on December 16th. This year, the commercial is a collaboration with the legendary animated film “Paprika” by director Satoshi Kon, celebrating its 20th anniversary. Released in 2006, “Paprika” is a sci-fi, psycho-suspense film about the theft of the groundbreaking “DC Mini” technology, which allows people to share their dreams.
The protagonist, a psychiatric research institute employee, becomes a dream detective named “Paprika” and infiltrates the dreams of others to solve the case.
The story of dreams encroaching on reality, rendered with director Kon’s maddening, fantastical visuals, has become a shocking work. Inspired by anime, the commercial pays homage to the famous “parade” scene, where “things” like toys and home appliances parade, creating a chaotic finish as characters from the film invade the real-life streets of Shibuya.
The commercial ends with the protagonist, Paprika, dressed as an elevator girl, being invited to the Grand Bazaar. The song playing in this commercial is “Parade,” which is also featured in the film and adds an even more spectacular dimension to the strange scene of inanimate objects parading.
The music for “Paprika” is handled entirely by Susumu Hirasawa, a man of Kon’s fervent trust, who has continued to work on the music for director Kon’s 2002 film “Millennium Actress” and the 2004 TV anime “Paranoia Agent.” The soundtrack, which includes the ending theme “Byakkoya no Musume” and an arrangement of the title track from Hirasawa’s solo album “Byakkoya,” is just as popular as the film itself and is widely regarded as a masterpiece.
