"Months before Inception hit the theaters forums were alive with rumors that Christopher Nolan either accidentally or intentionally stole some details from another film, the Japanese anime Paprika." "It is nearly impossible to deny the similarities between the two films on this account. The dream machine is meant to provide access into ones subconscious; it is the tool that allows both plots to flourish, but once that tool has been used, it takes the plots in different directions."