About this episode

The episode discusses the influence of the anime film Paprika on Christopher Nolan's Inception and explores Satoshi Kon's legacy as a director.

Christopher Nolan has never mentioned Paprika. Not once. The dream heist machine, the corridor where people fall through shifting gravity, the entering of dreams to steal information, the characters who are shockingly similar. Inception came out in 2010, the same year Satoshi Kon died of pancreatic cancer at 46. He never got to respond. Richard Lewis, Thorin, and MonteCristo break down why Paprika is the masterpiece Inception borrowed from, why Kon might have been the best director of the 21st century, and why almost nobody has seen the proof.

People in this episode

Guests: Richard Lewis, Thorin, MonteCristo

Topics covered

• anime
• film analysis
• directors
• Inception
• Paprika
• Satoshi Kon

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Paprika, Inception

More episodes of Four Play

• Inception's Biggest Flaw Reveals Everything About Christopher Nolan · July 19, 2026 · 1h 38m
• Satoshi Kon Predicted the Internet and Nobody Was Ready | PARANOIA AGENT · July 12, 2026 · 1h 31m
• The Miyazaki Movie You Haven't Seen Is His Best One · June 28, 2026 · 1h 25m
• The Matrix Stole Everything and Understood Nothing · June 21, 2026 · 1h 34m
• Why The Internet Is WRONG About Akira · June 14, 2026 · 1h 37m

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