9 Famous Storylines That Hollywood Stole From Anime

9. Inception (Paprika)

Inception was lauded for its subject matter when it was released in 2010, with Christopher Nolan in particular receiving high praise for the creation of a film that was innovative in its portrayal of the titular concept of Inception. In the film, Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a professional thief that specialises in stealing extremely valuable information from important individuals through the concept of dream thievery. By sedating the target and hooking them and himself up to an enigmatic machine, Cobb is able to enter the dreams of anyone he sees fit whereupon he's able to manipulate them into revealing secret or even subconscious information. In Paprika, a revolutionary psychotherapy technique - aptly named 'dream therapy' is invented, which allows the user to enter the dreams of other individuals in order to treat patients on a subconscious level. The film's titular protagonist, Paprika eventually begins starts to use the device (DC Mini as they're called in the film) illegally, by using it on people outside of the research building that it was created in and without supervision. Dr. Atsuko Chiba eventually invents an alternate version of herself (Paprika) in this dream world, and uses its subconscious powers in an attempt to solve the meaning of a recurring nightmare that a police detective has been suffering from.

Inception and Paprika may not share the same plot, but the similarities between the two films are undeniable. Nolan's film not only features a dream machine that can enter the minds of others, but it also deals with the concept of reality vs. virtual reality and how an individual can really tell whether they're in the 'real' world or not. Both films are different enough to warrant separate viewings, but Inception undoubtedly borrows rather liberally from the 2006 Anime film.