Medium: Film
Episode Title:
Year: 2006
Writer(s): Yasutaka Tsutsui
"Original" Writer: Yes Writer(s): Seishi Minakami
"Original" Writer: No Writer(s): Satoshi Kon
"Original" Writer: No Own work?: No
Summary:
Three scientists work on a new device called the D.C. Mini, which allows people to record and watch their dreams. The device is stolen by an unknown thief and used to attack people's minds while they're awake. The three scientists search for the thief whilst their own minds are under attack by the device.
Era/Year of Portrayal: near_future
Distinctive characteristics of the world in portrayal:
The real world is depicted as a typical metropolitan city with some futuristic architecture. However, much of the animated film consists of dreams, in which the "real world" is twisted and contorted in fantastical and surreal ways. This includes flying pixies, giant humans, talking plants, and mermaids.
Technology
- Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: D.C. Mini
- Description of the technology: The D.C. Mini is a small, mobile, and vine-shaped device that allows the user to access their dreams. Much like a real dream, the "dream world" is depicted as a twisted and surreal yet vivid version of the "real world".
- Nature of task or activity: In the film, psychiatrist Atsuko Chiba uses the device to access her patients' dreams as way to therapeutically assist them. It is later stolen and used to attack people's psyches and destroy them.
- Performance of the Technology: The technology functions very well, but because the device is a prototype, there is an error allowing anybody to access any other person's dreams.
- Description of creator(s): The sole creator of the D.C. Mini is Doctor KÅsaku Tokita, is shown as an obese middle-aged doctor who is quite young at heart.
- Major goal(s) of creator(s): The goal behind the device is for psychiatrists and therapists to access their patients' dreams in order to understand and improve their subconscious thoughts.
- Description of users of technology: Doctors, psychiatrists, and therapists use the technology on their patients of varying ages and genders.
- Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: both
- Description of presence experience: The user accesses and experience another person's dreams, which varies depending on the person/dream.
- User awareness of technology during experience: The user is fully aware of the technology, but the person dreaming may or may not be aware that the technology is being used on them.
- Valence of experience: The user is assumed to find the experience enjoyable or at least tolerable. The dreamer's experience varies and depends on their dream.
- Specific responses: Chiba creates an alter-ego named Paprika that she uses when accessing the dream world.
Shima is affected by a dream attack and nearly kills himself by jumping out the window.
Himuro is also affected by an attack and his body becomes an empty shell. Osanai is shot in a dream and is actually killed in the real world.
The D.C. Mini's misuse nearly ends in disaster and death for all characters involved. Dreams and reality merge, and by the end of the movie, characters are in dreams within dreams, and all of the dreams must be finished in order to return to normalcy. Paprika and Chiba merge into one entity, and the thief's nightmare is destroyed, leaving the movie on a happy ending.
Other: Coder name: Marquise CruzCoder email: marquise.cruz@temple.edu
Coder affiliation: Temple University