Paprika with Aaron Wood - Episode 34

Paprika (2006) Is Better Than Inception?
Talking Satoshi Kon, Dreams, and Fandoms with Aaron Wood

This week, we’re diving into a movie I love with someone I think you’re going to love too—illustrator, designer, and board game artist Aaron Wood.

We’re talking Paprika (2006), Satoshi Kon’s visually wild, brain-bending anime that’s basically Inception before Inception—but weirder, and honestly, better.

Aaron had never seen it before, so we use that as a jumping-off point to explore:

• The ethics of dream-sharing

• The strange line between identity and avatars (online and in dreams)

• Why animation might be the only way to tell this kind of story

• Aaron’s work in fandom from the inside out—WPA-style fantasy posters, sci-fi tourism art, and board game design for games like Twilight Imperium

Topics we hit include:
🎭 The uncanny valley vs. hand-drawn magic
🎤 Why Vocaloids are both cool and unsettling
📺 The live-action Paprika remake (we're already anxious)
🌐 How fandoms, internet identities, and dreams blur together
😱 That time Aaron’s parents betrayed him… with Return of the Jedi
🎬 Why sometimes we just need a little nudge to finally watch a movie

This episode’s full of heart, nerdy insights, and plenty of sidetracks about art, animation, and how we experience stories.

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Follow the host:
Kt Baldassaro (MovieRuntime)
TikTok: @movieruntime
Instagram: @movieruntime
Letterboxd: movieruntime
Bluesky: movieruntime.bsky.social

Follow the guest:
Aaron Wood – Illustrator, graphic designer, and board game artist
Etsy: JustOneScarf
Instagram: @aaronwooddesigns
TikTok: @aaronwooddesigns
Twitter/X: @justonescarf

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🎧 Listen on your favorite platform:
Spotify: tinyurl.com/mr8ct67c
Apple Podcasts: tinyurl.com/3rarkktx
Other platforms: tinyurl.com/y43c2cc7