Gênero: Avant Garde, Award Winning, Drama, Mystery, Supernatural, Suspense
Estudio: Madhouse
Sinopse:
The infamous Shounen Bat is terrorizing the residents of Musashino City. Flying around on his rollerblades and beating people down with a golden baseball bat, the assailant seems impossible to catch—much less understand. His first victim, the well-known yet timid character designer Tsukiko Sagi, is suspected of orchestrating the attacks. Believed only by her anthropomorphic pink stuffed animal, Maromi, Tsukiko is just one of Shounen Bat's many victims.
As Shounen Bat continues his relentless assault on the town, detectives Keiichi Ikari and Mitsuhiro Maniwa begin to investigate the identity of the attacker. However, more and more people fall victim to the notorious golden bat, and news of the assailant begins circulating around the town. Paranoia starts to set in as chilling rumors spread amongst adults and children alike.
Will the two detectives be able to unravel the truth behind Shounen Bat, or will the paranoia get to them first?
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Ranivus
For those who aren't used to a Satoshi Kon anime, be prepared. They usually start off as a normal type of anime, and then take a serious turn for the surreal. As for Paranoia Agent, it starts off as a normal detective-style anime but then the plot twists and turns worse than a twist-tie on a bag of wonder bread. For those used to Satoshi Kon's work (Paprika, Tokyo Godfathers, etc), none of this is news. Personally I enjoy a good "whodunit" anime since I also love CSI, 24, Prison Break, etc. These kind of shows actually get the viewer to really think howits going to unfold next or guess who is the real culprit. Just for general information I watched the whole show on Cartoon Network years ago, but then I rewatched the Japanese version and let me tell you there are ALOT of things they (Cartoon Network) cut in various episodes of the show. They even took out important parts of the show that were very important to making the episode make sense. But after watching the 'uncut' version many things made sense.
Even with that extra knowledge I couldn't help but think that half the episodes had a filler feeling to them. Many times you'll wonder why certain story arcs are being told or how that person is connected to the overall story but it will all make sense in the end (except for episode 09). The character cast is extremely varied, in terms of look and personality. The details show in most of their faces.Whats most noticeable is the older the character is, the more detail their face becomes. The voice acting in the english and japanese dubs are extremely top notch as well. For the serious otakus you'll definitely notice Mamiko Noto's voice or Haruko Momoi, but if you're open minded enough to listen to the english side of the voices you'll notice good voices as well like Carrie Savage or Sam Regal. But the attention to detail don't just stop with character style and voice acting.
Character props and background art is where this show shines the most, from an artists cluttered cubicle to an otaku's room filled with figures. I could have sworn you can actually see a layer of dust on an old bookshelf. Each scene is unique and different and you can tell they put alot of time and effort on all the small details to make this show stand out better than the rest. My only gripe out the artwork is that it is very earth tone and dark. Well not really dark per se but its color scheme is very warm and brownish looking which I didn't like all that much but you will soon overcome the problem the more you watch it.
Another gripe I am not to fond of how Kon draws his characters. Some of them look very normal, ordinary and sometimes cute. But the characters who wear their personality on their sleeves look very drastic. Like abnormaly huge mouths, beady eyes, fishy lips, all very strange to look at. The most that suffers from this type of look are the male figures in the show. I'm not fond of it but im sure most people will enjoy the change of pace from all the cute moe cartoons that plage the anime world.
If you have never seen a Sat-Kon anime, I highly reccomend watching this series simply because it will definitely be a different experience that you should see for yourself. With the outrageous plot twists and holes in some parts, the story does have a few problems overall. Like I said way back in the beggining the story starts out fine then it takes a serious turn for the surreal so take that however you may but I highly recommender this to anyone who doesn't mind a crazy mind trip of "Alice in Wonderland" proportions.
Venneh
Title: Paranoia Agent Anime: The animation production for Paranoia Agent was done by Madhouse (famous for work on Death Note and Paradise Kiss), and was directed by Satoshi Kon (famous for Perfect Blue and Paprika). It aired on Japanese television from February 2nd, 2004 to May 18th, 2004. Geneon (soon to be defunct) licensed it Stateside, and the fourth and final volume was released May 10th, 2005. The dubbed version also had a run on Adult Swim, the first of which began on May 28th, 2005, and an encore run on June 6th, 2006. Story: The first episode kicks off with character designer (Sugi)being pressured to follow up on her first hit and dealing with creative block. On her way home, she runs into an older woman rummaging through garbage and who randomly disappears -- never a good sign, especially in a Satoshi Kon work. Things get progressively creepier from there, culminating in her getting beat over the head by some random elementary school punk on gold skates with a bent bat, which draws suspicion from the detectives investigating the case. Soon, others are attacked in the same way and give the same description of the kid, who is dubbed "Shounen Bat" (Bat Boy in English, but I prefer Shounen Bat, personally :P).
From there, a different director takes the helm each episode, and the episodes become self-contained one-shots that focus on a different victim of Shounen Bat. Each of the episodes are, for the most part, self-contained, but, at the same time, link together (oxymoronic, I know) in the tiniest, subtlest ways to become a part of the larger series. It's only in the last third or so of the series that episodes actually pick up where they left off the last time and connect to each other. And each of the victims have one major common factor (but I can't tell you that, because it would spoil the series for you), but connect to each other in smaller, subtler ways.
This story is nothing short of phenomenal. You'll be on the edge of your seat as you watch each victim's story unfold, wait for the inevitable attack, and watch the mystery of Shounen Bat unfold.
Just be warned, though: this is classic Kon, which means there's going to be blurring between fantasy and reality, the occasional trippiness, and psychological problems. I think this is Kon Lite, though (then again, I may have just gotten used to his works).
WARNING: There's a bit of sex and nudity in here, and some trippiness, but, as I said before, it's nothing, compared to his other works. Still, nice to know that it's there.
Art: Madhouse's realistic style fits this production to a tee. They tend to use darker colors and shades, except for when they use brighter hues, usually to a darker effect (yes, I know it's oxymoronic, work with me here).
But remember how I said that directors changed each episode? Well, this applies to the art directors, too; this results in a subtle changing of styles each episode that affects what each director most wants to get across, while still remaining Madhouse's trademark realistic style. Art directors can even change several times within an episode, which makes for some interesting style changes.
Music: Satoshi Kon almost never does a work without Susumu Hirasawa, and this is where the latter has a chance to shine. The OP is absolutely eerie, and sets the tone for the series perfectly, and the ED manages to make bright music seem like the damn creepiest thing ever. The music for the series alternates between these two extremes, but it never gets old. The ED (which is also the theme for one of the series' main characters) and the theme for Shounen Bat will never fail to send shivers running up and down your spine.
Length: Perfect. If it were any longer, it would've started to drag, but if it were shorter, they probably wouldn't have been able to tie everything together like they did. The length allows for the perfect exploration of each victim, and for the larger mystery to unfold like it does.
Seiyuu: No particular standouts or any seiyuu that I recognize, really. Overall, good job.
Overall: A Kon work, through and through, with a phenomenal story and amazing art, all because of the changing directors.
This is one of the anime that I believe you must see at least one episode of before you die. So go watch it already!
Story: 10/10
Art: 10/10
Music: 9/10
Length: 9/10
Seiyuu: 8/10
Overall: 46/50; 92% (A)
JHawx
Paranoia agent is a series that keeps going steadily for 1 direction... worse. After 6-7 episodes, the story is left behind and taken to a stories wich has nothing to do with the main story itself... It really looks like they had a good idea, big budget and then they messed up, didnt catch any story idea and just told, eh, fuck it. Ok, so the artwork is great, the story starts decent but then flops totally, not being able to catch up, it just gets worse and worse every ep. After all, the characters backgrounds are slim as pancake, depth is nonexistent, only good is sounds, buta series with good tunes is only as good as no image.
Sorry, but i dont recommend this to be showed even to your worst enemies, and save your bandwith people. At this point if there was only 2 series left on the world to download to be watched, even if they were pokemon vs. Paranoia agent, the pokemon would not be bad choise.
Fallow
Paranoia Agent No. episodes - 13 Story - It is very hard to give a rating for Paranoia agent that can be surmised using the numbers rating system. The story is quite complicated but excecuted with flair. Any dull moments serve to advance the viewers understanding of the complicated characters and scenarios. Plainly the plot revolves around a series of attacks on people who appear to be unrelated. The plot dedicates episodes to each of these victims and merges their paths together to weave a story of connections and basically highlight the power of Paranoia. This is a gritty and mature anime, it deals with issues suchas incest, violence, technology and consumerism, blackmail, hatred, the power of the media and the power of rumours as 'Little Slugger' becomes more fiction than fact.
I won't lie - The last 5 episodes are quite mind boggling, the plot shifts focus on random people and their own issues and encounters. This may frustrate keen viewers as it felt like a MAJOR detour to me... Luckily for us, there is a plot ending and resolution. Even a little closure. I personally haven’t seen something as mentally interesting since Neon Genesis, and that's a statement!
Art –
I fully believe this series deserves such a high rating. The animation was spectacular, fluid and very accurate. Right down to small nuances in each character and the intricacies of clothing and background. Paranoias animation techniques are supposed to be an almost realistic representation of people, not the typical big eyed crazy haired anime moe styles. The same director (Satoshi Kon) also directed thriller classics Big O and Perfect Blue. Kon also directed Tokyo Godfathers, so if you have viewed these titles before you know what to expect. Paranoia Agent utilises a whole variety of cinematic techniques which serves to make the show visually interesting. The reason the art didn't warrent a full score was because in the last DvD I felt that the quality and attention to detail had taken a back seat to let the crazy plot entertain us more.
Sound -
I thought Paranoia Agent did very well with background music, often creating an eerie intensity. The Opening song was as a bizarre reflection of the show. The melody is bright and happy while the lyrics themselves sing a different story. The Opening is very ironic but pretty catchy. The Ending clip and song was really disappointing. It’s really a very simple melody and even the clip was very boring. In the directors comments Kon mentioned that he comissioned the Opening sequence to wake the viewer up, and the closing sequence to prepare the viewer to wind down and relax. Also - I watched this in the English dub, no complaints! A top job. All the VA's matched their characters very well and really brought them to life.
Characters –
If went into too much detail here I would spoil the entire enjoyment of this show. The plot is primarily supported by the assortment of complex and interesting characters. Human emotions, sensibilities and weaknesses. If you're a fan of character driven shows Paranoia Agent should fit you perfectly.
Like I previously mentioned, animation is spectacular and brings the characters to life. Points were lost because the character of ‘Lil Slugger’ was so intentionally vague and this caused me a bit of frustration throughout the series. Although that's just personal... Other than that all of them were very interesting. The characters emotions have also been animated very well, really bringing out the grit of the series and letting us empathise with them. If
Overall -
I had some very Genuine moments of ‘wtf’ because this is the sort of show that illicites, wtf moments. A good friend of mine described the series as ‘General Mind f******’ pardon the language – but that perfectly summarises my thoughts too. If your into being messed around with and fantastic animation this show would be right up your alley. It’s bizarre, intense and very intruiging. Understanding human nature is essentially what this show deals with IMO so be prepared to have to think!
Totally recomend this!
BUT If you're distressed easily I would steer clear of this title because it can be quite confronting.
Arakkis
Satoshi Kon, director of such classics as Perfect Blue and Millennium Actress, is famous for pushing the boundaries of anime. His latest effort (and first series), Paranoia Agent, is no different. But, like his other works, you’ll either love it or hate it. This short 13 episode series is full of more twists and turns than you can shake a stick at, and the animation style is anything but traditional. The story begins with detectives Keiichi Ikari (AKA 'the Chief') and Mitsuhiro Maniwa investigating the street assault of Tsukiko Sagi, a famous designer for a toy company and creator of Maromi, a popular cartoon character. Sheclaims she was walking home from work the night before when she was attacked by a boy on roller blades wielding a bent baseball bat. When rumours get out of her attack, the people in the town begin to refer to him as “Lil’ Slugger” (in the dubbed version) or Shounen Bat (Shōnen Batto 少年バット in the original Japanese version). Unfortunately, there isn’t enough evidence to point Ikari and Maniwa to any significant suspects. They don’t have to wait long, however, before Lil’ Slugger strikes again.
The first four episodes of Paranoia Agent deal with Lil’ Slugger’s first five victims – Tsukiko Sagi, Shogo Ushiyama, Yuichi Taira, Harumi Chono, and Masami Hirukawa, respectively. Usually, Lil’ Slugger knocks his victims unconscious when he attacks them, but in the case of his fifth attack, Hirukawa manages to get to his feet and hit Lil’ Slugger on the head with a rock as he tries to skate away. With Lil’ Slugger captured, Ikari and Maniwa breathe a sigh of relief, believing the case is practically closed. However, they soon realise just how far from the truth that is…
I won’t give away anything else about the plot, but take it from me; it’s one of the most bizarre, mind-blowing anime series you’ll ever see. Satoshi Kon does such an amazing job of telling the story – fantasy and reality blur to the point of being indistinguishable from one another as the series progresses and the disturbing story behind Lil’ Slugger is slowly unraveled. The characters are rich and believable, and the writing is witty and intelligent.
Another thing about Paranoia Agent that really caught my attention was the animation style and character design. Madhouse really does a fantastic job on this series – the characters are dark, disturbed, and many are (perhaps most importantly) unattractive. Now that’s something you don’t see every day in anime. I’ve noticed that Satoshi Kon, who assists in character design for all of his works, feels the need to create characters that are actual people with actual problems – both mental as well as physical. Call me crazy, but I get tired of the traditional anime style. Paranoia Agent is a fantastic break from pink hair and over-exaggerated features.
The two detectives, Ikari and Maniwa, are interesting and easily relatable. Ikari, the chief, is a middle-aged man living in the past who can’t seem to get a grip on today’s world. He sees Lil’ Slugger as a symbol of what’s wrong with our youth in the 21st century, and is intent on tracking him down. Maniwa is much younger – an impressionable dreamer, but still very serious about his job. He provides the viewer with a different, more abstract take on who Lil’ Slugger really is. But, even with their clashing personalities and different opinions of the serial street attacks, they work perfectly together. I give it an A+ in the character design department, as it’s some of the best I’ve ever seen.
CONCLUSION
The moment I saw the first episode of Satoshi Kon’s Paranoia Agent, I knew the series as a whole would be a masterpiece. I was totally right. Out of all the movies and series I’ve seen (anime or otherwise), PA – in my honest opinion – reigns supreme as one of the most intelligent, inspiring, and flawless pieces of visual entertainment ever.
Proxy11
These are my Reviews if they're helpful great, if not, that's great too. I am NOT adept at writing/typing this is merely a contribution to the site. I assume the reader has finished the show. Story Paranoia Agent wants to confuse the hell out of you, unfortunately it's way more simple then it would have you believe. It confuses you and uses outrageous metaphors to deliver the most simple messages. Over and over each episode is delivering the same message in a new way, but it never delivers the plot. Which is basically people mentally breaking from minor life issues and blaming it all on a ..was about to spoil, I mean really it's not that difficult. I believe they forgot to tie in the weak story until the last two episodes resulting in a borderline filler middle and a rushed ending. If only they kept the continuity of the first four episodes my score would be higher because those four had potential! Went and gone off the deep end.
Animation
At first glance it looks great but don't look deeper. As the series progresses the animation and quality of the artwork suffer. This is inexcusable for a 13 episode series. Even though I agree with raising the quality of animation for important sequences only, Paranoia Agent takes a really weird route. Intended or not I wasn't impressed and felt more like they were cutting corners. Towards the end episodes were with cardboard characters.. I fail to see this as creative. If anything the diversity of character designs was the best part.
Sound
When the show decides to be serious it does well to give the viewer a creepy feeling, much thanks to the music. However these moments are so short and grow further apart. It sets the mood for certain situations fulfilling it's purpose but isn't showcased enough. Why? Moments to do so disappear the more Paranoia Agent moves forward. What could have been exceptional is above average when it tries. The opening theme made me feel like I was having a mental breakdown wishing someone would hit me with a bat. The ending theme was pretty damn catchy, but when it's in my head two days later it pisses me off, where's a bat? my problems are too much.
Characters
All the characters had problems in life that weighed on them mentally and would progressively affect their behavior. However in most cases the problem did not make sense of the actions causing them to feel forced and just downright fake. Character development is their to a small degree, a couple I even enjoyed watching. The rest were either cast off too soon or uninteresting from the start, leaving me indifferent to whatever happens to them. New episode, new mental breakdown, some exaggerated reason and BAM! Is that a spoiler? I did think one of the detectives was hilarious even though it's not my kind of comedy. It's not all lost!
Final Thought
Paranoia Agent tries to lighten the story with comedy aimed at a younger "Shounen" audience while attempting to maintain it's thought provoking premise. It's been done successfully before but not this time. I'm not sure what exactly it wants to be. Humor was overdone in a attempt to hide how mediocre the show really is. Based off the ratings and reviews it's done that well. I feel like Kira was writing this story epically eating potato chips when he realized their was only one chip in the bag to begin with :D Let is resonate. Anyway my low score should imply I didn't understand the series right? No, I understood all of it and my score remains the same.
BugEyedSamurai
Paranoia Agent is a show that starts off with great potential; it's potential immediately diminishes after a few episodes. I began watching Paranoia Agent off the assumption it would be an intriguing detective mystery show that would blow my mind. If blowing my mind meant killing every brain cell in thirteen episodes then it's safe to say it did just that. I actually finished the series months ago, but it was so bad I had to make a review ranting about it. To keep things short, Paranoia Agent is about a murder mystery case. The idea of a murder mystery is to keep viewers on edge as they attemptto crack the case, correct?
The issue with this murder mystery is you can't apply logic to it.
Why? simple, after four episodes the writers start pulling shit out of their asses to the point that when they finally reveal the murderer you're convinced the plot for the show could've been made by a grade schooler.
Not to mention, they manage to throw in episodes that don't
contribute to the main storyline what so ever.
As of this moment in time Paranoia Agent is the only anime
I can say I truly dislike. Don't waste your time, you'll get more
entertainment from watching an episode of Spongebob.
Beatnik
From the director of the psychological thriller Perfect Blue is this 13 episode TV series which is both extremely disturbing and darkly hilarious. Tapping into the psyche of Japan in the 21st century, the main plot revolves around a teenage boy on rollerblades who smacks people in the head with his bent baseball bat and the myth that is born out of this, but the surrounding random storylines deal with Japan-centric topics such as paedophilia, work-related stress, suicide and degrees of illusion in our over saturated 21st century. It's weird as hell and builds to a climax that's like Neon Genesis Evangelion humping Akira in the leg.Not a keeper, but worth watching for the hilarious opening credits alone.
TheBrainintheJar
Bla bla bla this is experimental you won’t know what’s going on it can mean anything therefore it’s brilliant and not stupid like school harem fanservice bla bla Now let’s get to the actual review This anime is, first and foremost, about the atomic bomb. It’s also about a bunch of other stuff, mostly actual psychology. By that, I mean the anime is deeply concerned with humans, their emotions and how they view the world. It doesn’t stick philosophical jargon in the dialogue or has trippy imagery in order to insist how important it is. The situations demonstrate ideas, and psychology rears its head in character actionsand thoughts.
We need to talk about the bomb first. The general stort you hear in the West is that America is Big Bad mostly because it’s powerful and has a lot of money (As much as I love Star Wars, people watch it too much). Therefore, if they dropped an atom bomb on the Japanese then the Japanese are automatically innocent. They haven’t done a single bad thing in the war but were hapless victims of humanity’s worst weapon.
Of course, that’s not the actual story. Read about the Rape of Nanking, about Unit 731 and the Kamikaze. Japan was one of the main reasons why that era is humanity’s darkest hour. Thanks to the atom bomb, though, Japan could feel like a victim for a while. Victims don’t bear responsbility. They’re passive. Things are being done to them. The atom bomb saved Japan from the position of villain they might’ve been placed in once Unit 731 and Rape of Nanking were exposed to the world. Sure, you can buy books about these subjects but what do you hear about more – the Holocaust or these incidents? Germany was the loser, but Japan was the victim.
Shonen Bat and his victims mirror this. Notice how American-looking Shonen Bat is. The baseball bat is a distinctively American symbol, belonging to the country’s most beloved sport. The manner of his dress – the hat, the hoodie is also more common in American than Japan. Furthermore, he has a peace sign on his hat (which was originally the anti-nuclear symbol). How he acts is by targeting people who are cornered, some innocent and some are not. By beating them up, they become victims. He releases them from that stressful position, whether it is being a bully, juggling identities or a big debt. Oh, and his name is very similar to ‘Little Boy’.
Maromi symbolizes Japan’s obsession with cuteness. Many took it as a criticism of that. Supposedely after the war the Japanese escaped to these cute cartoons and figures. They rely on them for solace and escapsim. Its type of cuteness is called ‘yurui’, which tends to mean bumbling and mild. Japan was turned into ‘yurui’ after being devastated by the war. All the people who got beat up become like this. They become passive, smiling, mild and without much content. They vanish after Shonen Bat releases them from their victimhood.
Maromi isn’t a total rejection of that aesthetic. In the last episode Maromi fights Shonen Bat. Maromi represents hope. It may be false one, but it’s some kind of hope. He came from a pet dog. Shonen Bat, on the other hand, is a weapon whose purpose is total erasure. These are two different things.
Cuteness isn’t just an escape. It’s a total rejection of war and its stomping aggression. The problem isn’t in cuteness itself but how it becomes a slave to the technological aggression. By that, I don’t mean that Paranoia Agent is luddite and that it takes an anti-technological, nature-only stance.
It does take a look at how a deeply technological society, how humans’ attempts to build their own worlds cause isolation. The show opens with dozens of people rejecting others using their phone. The origins of Maromi are in the death of a dog by a car – a device integral for big city life. The work and school complexes put big pressure on their subjects. A failure at work doesn’t get help in improving himself, but his superiors constantly bully him instead of letting him go. A kid who’s used to being number one can’t imagine being anything else. The atom bomb wouldn’t be possible without a huge military complex.
It’s not impossible to use technology and cuteness for connection. The only people Shonen Bat rejects are a group of suicidals who meet thanks to the internet. It’s their connection that keeps them from being cornered. The possibility of suicide sets them free, and it gives them a better escape than anything Shonen Bat does. They work for their death and find human connections through it. Everyone else is trapped in systems they can’t exit.
Maromi isn’t free of the work system. It has appropriated him, turned him into another device. Now the people behind Maromi puts tons of pressure on Tsukiko to design another character and for the producers to get the show on time. The people behind the symbol don’t follow its idea. Neither the consumers – they storm the stores, instead of relaxing with the little plushie they have.
Such ideas about the nature of work and how it leads to pressure may promote laziness. The anime doesn’t. Work is necessary, and we do see the police officer who works two jobs so he’ll wife will be okay. Here’s why Shonen Bat doesn’t go after him. Like the suicidal three, the police officer has a way out. He forms connections with both his co-worker and has a wife to come home to.
They say Japan has a high suicide rate and puts a lot of pressure on their students and workers. That doesn’t sound like a culture that follows the ideas in cuteness. If the above statement is true, Japan isn’t one big child. Rather, it’s a man whose had so much pressure put on him that only a state of victimhood can give him escape. It’s not just a mirror to the atom bomb, but how the Japanese culture is too harsh on its subjects and encourages them to be victims.
The world in Paranoia Agent isn’t full of privileges, with problems existing only in the characters’ heads. It paints the modern world as claustrophobic. Social circles trap you in their gossip. Workplaces beat you when you fail but don’t let you go. Even the glory of being the best is trapping. In a society that has few options, victimhood is a way out. That’s very similar to war. If you can’t win, at least be a victim. It’s better than to lose.
You’ll hear often how weird the anime is, but that’s beside the point. Yes, the anime isn’t exactly linear. It blurs the lines between fantasy and reality in the last episodes. It’s never from a conscious desire to be weird. The anime locks on its themes. By the time episodes with unrelated characters arrive, it doesn’t feel out of place. Since the episodes are connected themetically and progress the ideas, they feel like necessary part. Paranoia Agent doesn’t rip the traditional structure for the sake of it. It has a structure of its own because that’s how it expands on its themes.
is the sort of brilliant narrative that doesn’t just define why anime is a worthy medium. It’s a brilliant piece of hard that’s worth your time regardless of what you like. It may be deeply concerned with the Japanese experience, but the atom bomb is a subject that should touch all of us. We’re talking about the worst weapon in the history of humanity. It also connects this to the universal human experience. Don’t let the tags of ‘experimental’ scare you. It’s accessible as it is brilliant.
5 plushies out of 5
animestory
Paranoia Agent is very different from any of your average anime. It can also be pretty hard to keep track of, and there are some parts that are very... strange. The anime could also sometimes be trippy and disordered and also be labeled as creepy. In MY opinion I do not believe it was scary, but as a warning you should be prepared for creepy things. Story: If you ever watch Hell girl (Jigoku Shoujo) its something like that. There are a whole bunch of one shots but eventually they come together (sort of). A boy, Shounen bat in subtitles and lil slugger in dubbed,goes around with a golden bat and roller skates and attacks people. There is something strange about him though. He can walk through walls and change his appearance. You can immediately tell that this no normal case, and the more they search the more confusing it gets. You need to wait until the last few episodes before you can piece everything together. I did find some of the one shots to be boring or repetitive, but the repetitive is part of the plot. Overall I give the story a 7/10
Art:
I can say that I LOVED the art. The art looks more realistic than your "giant eye" anime characters. There are some...characters with "ugly looks". Some can have a really plump look, other can have ridiculous looking faces with huge lips. The art is often where the anime gets trippy. The art in my opinion has a "dull" look. Its not colorful, but its not boring either. I give the art a 9/10
Sound:
There isn't much to say about the sound. Some of the voices didn't really match the characters, but most of them did. The background music did a good job, making me feel suspenseful and on the edge of my seat. I can't really say more, so I give the sound a 8/10
Character:
The characters were...strange. Each with a different personality. There are a few characters in my opinion that really...disturbed me, I guess you can say. The way they acted or talked or looked just didn't seem right. I don't want to write much about them because it will lead to spoilers, but I'll say this. Every character is unique and if you don't like the episode, just keep watching it because just like the characters every episode is unique. I give it a 7/10
Enjoyment:
I really loved this anime. It gave me anxiety, but was worth it. There is an episode somewhere in the middle that will make you go like "Am I watching the same anime?" Don't worry. You are, but it did throw me off track, but after a while you will find out everything. This earned a 8/10
Overall:
I really cant say more. BUT I will recommend doing this. Watch the opening, and think. Did you like the song? What about the lyrics to the song? Did you enjoy the creepiness of the characters laughing (yes they are laughing)? What about the art and the characters? Did you like it? If you loved the opening then I really recommend you to watch the anime because I think it did a great job at portraying the anime. So overall I give this anime a 8/10
skankfish
Paranoia Agent It's a mystery to me why Satoshi Kon's animated Dolmio puppet designs get such a positive reception. His reasoning for making half his characters look like disturbing cast offs from glorified passatta adverts is anyone's guess, and for me personally his stories lack the depth that is so often accredited to them. Paranoia Agent is a good example of this kind of over-hype. A similar thought process occured when I watched Perfect Blue on its release. For the life of me I couldn't work out exactly what it was I supposed to think was so very good about it. The story didn't add up, wasimpossible to substantiate in a believable universe without attributing dementia to everyone within it, and had character designs far more disturbing than it's own leanings towards controversy. This equally applies to Paranoia Agent.
Story 5/10
The series starts out rather promisingly. The albeit very bland (frankly pathetic) main character gets attacked by what becomes know as "shounen bat" or "lil' slugger", or various other things. Struck down whilst under severe pressure at work (she is a character designer who has only had one idea since she was a little girl), she begins a trend for such attacks on similarly distressed people. There is some promise there, and I admit to having been intrigued enough to have higher expectations than before starting the series. However, after that it completely falls apart. The series is barely held together through its loosely connected and tiresomely formulaic middle-episodes which ultimately amount to an "etc" to what has gone before.
I read an interview with Satoshi Kon which described the 'budding idea' of Paranoia Agent as a collection of ideas left over from his films. Well, that explains a lot. A lot of disjointed concepts in one place, in quick succession, lacking, in my view, any charm or appeal.
Characters 5/10
The characters introduced in the first half of the series are interesting despite their looks. They have at least some level of on-screen charisma, unlike the leading lady whose unspoken pondering on self worth is tedious to the point of embarrassing. The main problem is that they are used and discarded before the viewer gets a good chance to appreciate any depth. The shounen bat character itself is one of the big letdowns of the series; visually unappealing and lacking in personality. The diversion into preposterous fantasy that his arrest leads to is also one of the worst writing choices made in an anime. Later characters have little to offer. Some are even as boring and faceless as the lead (can you tell I didn't like her?).
Maybe I'm being too harsh, but I'm completely sick of this kind of pathetic female anime lead. The limp-wristed, downward looking mute. Rei Ayanami's with no moments of relief. And this character in itself is supposed to carry the series into the brackets of "psychological", or "mindfuck". It is far, far too readable to succeed.
Animation 7/10
Apart from the hideous cross between the Wind in the Willows and King of the Hill that are the character designs, the animation quality is generally very high, if (contrastingly) nondescript. Nothing in the mes en scene makes it stand out from other recent series. In later episodes it does experiment with more interesting (though not wholly original) concepts such as animating the backing sheets minus cells, and using a version of puppet theatre to describe a man's ideal world. Whether I am just a skeptic or they were solely used for budget reasons rather than anything artistic I don't know. In any case it has been done before, though I did like the puppet world.
Sound 6/10
OP is nice the first few times (as is the sequence), but gets old. Incidental music is nothing special. Not good, not bad.
Overall 6/10
There's nothing here to bring me back, or anything much that I will remember. Having said that the scenario with the disgusting old man and his daughter was well put together.
In sum it was not much fun to watch this. In fact in places I wanted to just delete the damn series (relentlessly shit swordplay episode anyone?). Too many good opportunities are immediately wasted or not followed through. In a way I am glad I finished watching it, though perhaps not so glad that I started it in the first place.
To be fair, the last episode was a lot better than I had expected. The story was not surprising in contrast to what several reviewers have said (sorry!), nor was it powerful or did it carry an important message. BUT, if you liked Perfect Blue and similar series/movies, you may well like this too. Plus, it is only 13 episodes long. You could do worse things than watch this.
Lindle
Paranoia Agent is Satoshi Kon's only TV series, a curveball from his usual M.O. of doing films. Like several of his other works, it strives to confuse between reality and fantasy, often doing so by showing the world as perceived by the characters. Paranoia Agent is, in whole, a story of escapism, how society is falling further into it, and the negative consequences that will follow. The plot begins as Tsukiko Sagi, a woman responsible for designing the well-known plush toy dog Maromi, is being pushed to create a new design, and is rapidly succumbing to stress. On the way home, in desperate need of away out, she is suddenly attacked by a boy on rollerskates with a baseball bat. At first, the police don't believe her, and think she is making up excuses, but before long, other people are attacked by the boy now dubbed Shonen Bat (Little Slugger in the English dub). As the series progresses, we see how rumour and truth become distorted, and how Shonen Bat goes from a mysterious attacker into something far, far worse. All of this leading back to the question... just who, or what, is Shonen Bat?
What follows is 13 episodes of social commentary, clever writing, bizarre stream-of-consciousness mindtrips that blur the lines of perception and reality to both the cast and the audience, and overall mystery. Paranoia Agent manages to throw an interesting spin on what initially appears to be a whodunnit thriller. It does, on multiple occasions, dip its toes into the psychological horror genre, and when it does, it does so excellently. These aspects of it make great use of how the audience often does not know how much is real and how much is fantasy, and as a result manage to make some truly creepy moments. Most notably, Maromi is insanely creepy. Yes, Maromi, the little stuffed dog mascot thing. You heard me.
In technical terms, Paranoia Agent is Satoshi Kon, Madhouse and Susumu Hirasawa all coming together on one project, which inevitably means it will excel in every single one of these aspects. The art is a strangely realistic style, if often somewhat exaggerated. The animation is completely fluid throughout the series, and is surprisingly produced to much the same level of high quality as Kon's movies are. The directing is, of course, top-notch, and as mentioned before Kon is a genius at blending reality and delusion in such a way that you often have to take a second to wonder what's going on, in the best way possible of course. The English Dub is excellent, and while nobody really sticks out, it's definitely one I'd recommend over the original Japanese track. The music is often very cheerful, and this is used as juxtaposition against the events of the series, creating something downright weird in the process. In particular, the opening and ending themes are some of the most unsettling things ever shown in anime.
Paranoia Agent does have some flaws, mind you. One is in the pacing. It's entirely possible that Kon's lack of experience (or transition into) the medium of a TV series caused this, but around the middle, a lot of the episodes don't really seem to tie in to the plot. Rather, they come across as episodes that strengthen the point of the series, but don't really lend themselves to it as a story. This is easily forgiveable in that the episodes in question are quite strong in their own right (and in some instances, oddly comedic). Another valid, yet easily forgiveable fault that the series has is that in its switching between the real and unreal, it takes some steps that seriously raise disbelief. In general, it's all done for the sake of a clever metaphor, but it's something that will undoubtedly nag at the back of the mind, especially at the ending, which is a rather monumental example of this.
Overall, Paranoia Agent is an extremely clever series. It's probably the most accessible thing in Kon's discography, if not necessarily (though quite arguably) his strongest. It's been described as a mindfuck series, but I'm not entirely sure it would fit into that category. For the most part, it is a realistic and grounded setting in which abnormal elements are introduced, and barring the aforementioned dips from reality it mostly stays that way. Regardless, Paranoia Agent is one of those anime I would definitely recommend to pretty much anyone, especially those into psychology, who would most likely love it for its insights and observations of the human condition.
Animation/Graphics: 10/10
Story/Plot: 8/10
Music/Background: 10/10
English Dub: 9/10
Overall: 9/10
For Fans Of: Paprika, Boogiepop Phantom.
sclitaire
I was very excited to watch this, reading many reviews that raved about the anime. While the first episode had me hooked, I soon became disinterested in the series and found myself forcing myself to finish it not out of enjoyment but instead just to see it through to the end. The story itself is very interesting, and is what really pulled me in from the first episode. But with the focus moving from character to character I felt like the plot was kinda lost. I understood why they did it, but I personally didn't like the style and really didn't like any of the characters.None of them to me were particularly memorable, most just seemed like they had no substance to them. While their backstories were interesting, I felt that we didn't really see enough of any of the characters for me to really engage with one and have a solid opinion on them.
The art style itself was nice, but again nothing that I felt was truly amazing. Same goes for the sound, okay but nothing I would personally remember after.
For me, it was confusing. On one episode I did have to look up what just happened because I was utterly confused. However, I found by the end of the series I didn't really understand any of what had happened and found the ending to be disappointing I guess? (I won't go into for risk of giving away.). I have realized that it was a complicated series, not something you can just understand from your first interpretation and I probably should have payed more attention. Regardless, as the series progressed I felt the series was just getting boring and confusing.
All in all I wasn't a fan of this series by any means, but if you are a fan of the psychological genre I do suggest you have a look at it. It is interesting and if you do enjoy this sort of story then it will probably be of high interest to you.
LIQfilms
Whenever Satoshi Kon is brought up in conversation, many things come to mind. His excellent storyboards and animation. His humanistic and grounded characters. Or simply the fact that Kon's unfortunate passing at the mere age of 46 is still not only anime's greatest tradgies, but also a great tragedy in the world of cinema too. However, the element of Kon's work that I find to be the most interesting lies in one of his most prolific themes: the blurring to two worlds. The reality and fantasy. In Perfect Blue, the protagonist, Mima, slowly becomes more and more paranoid and stressed over the duration ofthe narrative, leading into the blurring of her mental world and the real world, while commenting on the overstressed and overworked nature of idols within the industry and the dangers that come with. Kon's final feature film, Paprika, had similar ideas of social commentary through the use of the blurring of the fantasy and reality, most prominently during the parade scene where businessmen jumped off of buildings, representing the high suicide rates in Japan and the nature of working too; how they have to continuously keep a smile on their face despite their depression. However, out of all of Kon's work, the one that exhibits the most themes, ideas and psychology, is Paranoia Agent, produced by studio Madhouse in 2004, and remains the first and last TV anime series, Satoshi Kon ever made! Paranoia Agent benefits greatly from being a TV series, rather than a movie, which does allow for greater theme exploration and development, which there is a lot of, and while this is not my personal favourite thing that Satoshi Kon has made (that would be Millennium Actress) the sheer amount of depth and creativity in this show is more than enough for me to consider it great! While I will try my best to stay away from spoilers and the such, much of this review will be focusing on what each character represents idealistically as well as what this complete mind-melting narrative meant to me as a whole. So, grab your baseball bats, get ready to swing at some defenceless person, and let's dive into the mind-fuckery (is that a word?) that is Paranoia Agent!
Before diving into what I believe the show is trying to communicate, let's discuss the narrative. In Musashino City, a young boy, who wears roller skates while swinging around a baseball bat, is terrorising the residents. This young boy is referred to as "Shounen Bat" and becomes something akin to an urban legend within the city and this character can be seen as a physical representation of Japan's repressed desires since, whenever a character is feeling anxious, or, paranoid, Shounen Bat will swoop in, give a quick wack to said person, relinquishing them from all of their worries. I'll get into the specifics of what this entails a little later, but the narrative for Paranoia Agent is rather unconventional and becomes even more strange, lucid, and insane during the second half, blurring the lines between the reality and the fantasy more and more. The first half of the show, follows a typical sort of "monster of the week" formula type, in that a new character is introduced each episode, we learn of their anxieties and issues, and at the end of the episode, Shounen Bat hits them in the back of the head, erasing said anxieties. Each one of these episodes manages to hold on their own on account of how entertaining they actually are to watch, but also what each one represents in the context of Japanese society. As previously mentioned, the second half is where Kon's themes of two different realities come into play more and more, becoming harder for an audience to distinguish what is happening in the physical world and what is happening in the head's of the characters. There are two episodes in the show that can be considered filler episodes, in the sense that they don't advance the story and focus on newly introduced characters; episodes eight and nine. However, I personally find both of these episodes to be some of the most interesting in the show. In episode eight, three people who meet online, come together for a three-way suicide; a man of about sixty, another of about thirty and a young female child. It's very reminiscent of the suicide arc of Welcome to the N.H.K but a lot less depressing. It's, surprisingly, given the subject matter at hand, mainly played for laughs, and the twist at the end of the episode is actually very effective to boot. This episode was mainly a reference to the growing suicide rate in Japan in relation to the growing number of shut-ins too, and while it can feel somewhat jarring to watch since the tone is so different from the rest of the series, the three characters actually grow into a family and, as I said, the ending is great for this episode. We even learn something about Shounen Bat too.
Episode nine is the other episode that can be considered a filler episode and is about four housewives talking and gossiping about Shounen Bat. All of their stories are insanely over the top, exaggerated and overblown in silly ways and the use of housewives to convey this can perhaps signify the hyperbolic rumours and stories conjured up by people in a given society, and, to perhaps a greater effect, the representation of media itself. While these two episodes can perhaps stick out like a sore thumb, I believe what they attempt to communicate and convey is more than enough for them to be able to stand up on their own, and it allows for more interpretation of ideas, which I am all for in any show. The narrative for Paranoia Agent is pretty strong with plenty of vague imagery, imaginative use of narrative structure in the second half, and part of the charm of the show is trying to figure everything out and trying to understand what it all means. The show leaves you with enough information in order to do so and it dishes out these clues and hints at a consistent enough pace in the story to keep the viewer interested, immersed and engaged, but what is good about it, is that it never feels as if it is trying to be too artsy, or too cryptic for no reason. The use of symbolism and other motifs can be understood and interpreted since it leaves you with enough information to do so, especially if you're familiar with themes of Kon's work.
The anime can be seen as an allegory for the atomic bomb that was dropped on two cities in Japan at the end of the Second World War. By doing so it alleviates Japan's input in the war; they're the victims, America was the enemy. Of course, this was not the case considering Japan's bloodthirsty, and downright insane soldiers such as the Kamikaze pilots, the bombing of Pearl Harbour amongst many other atrocities, but looking back at history today, it seems that Japan was simply a victim of the war. Not only is the atomic bomb referenced in the opening of the show, with a character laughing hysterically in front of a giant mushroom cloud, but the characters represent this idea of America as an enemy, and of Japan as a victim. For starters, the way Shounen Bat is represented in appearance is very conventionally American. He carries around a baseball bat, which is often connotated with America, and his clothes as well are more typical of a westerner than that of someone from the East. The most prominent feature of his design I believe, is the peace sign on his baseball cap, which was originally a symbol used against the use of nuclear weapons and activity. Shounen Bat goes around, striking people in the back of the heads, creating victims, and alleviating them of their mental hang-ups and stress. By assuming the role of the victim, the characters, and by extension, the audience can be released of their stress, anxieties, and wrongdoings which is what I believe Kon was attempting to convey with these characters. Despite the bigger picture of war and the atomic bomb, the characters themselves are each a representation of some kind of social problem in Japan while also remaining interesting and decently developed characters themselves. Harumi Cho is perhaps the most interesting and potent example of this. She is a woman with two personalities; one is a diligent hard worker while the other one works for a prostitute agency and sleeps around with a ton of guys. The sexual, party going side of Harumi can be seen as the repressed part of her life; the part of her whom wants to party and sleep around but can't due to the work-centric society she lives in. What is even more interesting is the use of her name, "cho" which means Butterfly; a creature who is associated as being ugly at first but then becoming beautiful, much like her transformation from her diligent self to her sexual self. Whatever part of her persona is the "ugly" and "beautiful" side is up for debate, but Harumi's character draws plenty of parallels with Mima from Perfect Blue. The detectives are also a great example, representing the overworked and stressed workforce of Japan.
There isn't a main character in Paranoia Agent per say since it focuses on a whole bunch of characters at the same time, but what is impressive is how each character's mental stability and representation are developed and explored in interesting ways, although a number of them do lack development as actual people. If I had to pinpoint an actual main character, it probably would be Sagi, who is the first victim of Shounen Bat and is the character that kick-starts the entire narrative. The reasoning and development of Shounen Bat were created by her, and while I won't reveal the twist in the story, her character can be seen as a representation of the results of strict and harsh parenting on children in Japan. Sagi's infamous character creation, a dog named Maromi, can draw connections to Japan's obsession with cute things, especially in episode twelve of the anime, where everyone throws riots in response to a reduction in Marimo merchandise; hell, there is even an episode where the cute dog gets his own anime! Cute things act as a distraction from our lives and worries; escapism, if you will and perhaps Kon was criticising the use of escapism in this show. After all, he has said in an interview that "In Japan, not just children but adults in their 20s and 30s will choose anime and manga as a means of escape from their real lives. But I think there is a danger too. If you go into that world, it is very vivid and colourful and seductive, but there are big traps within that, particularly if you let your real world deteriorate as a result” so this argument isn't too far out from left field. However, it also feels that Kon is projecting some kind of hope through this cute mascot character as he fights Shounen Bat in the finale of the show, and this battle can be seen as escapism fighting back against victimisation and the enemy, America.
The characters, and what they represent, feel genuine and have a purpose in aiding the narrative and theme exploration, even if some of the characters could have been better explored or expanded upon. There are plenty of other examples of what the characters represent in the context of Japanese society, but if I talk about every single little thing I'd be here all day, but I have (hopefully) conveyed my own ideas of what the show is attempting to say in regards to its characters and narrative. In terms of animation, it is very typical of what you'd expect from Satoshi Kon, only that it doesn't look as good as his movies, which does make sense considering that they have to spread the budget over thirteen episodes. It generally is pretty consistent but at times the character models can look kind of off and wonky at times, but this wasn't enough to really affect the quality of the show. There are a couple of action scenes which are pretty well animated and the show is just oozing with Kon's style. One of my favourite trademarks of Kon is when a character is speaking or reminiscing about some kind of event and the characters get transported to said place and interact with the changed world. This was amazingly done in Millennium Actress and is done well here when the two detectives are conversing with Shounen Bat and are brought into his reality. The music is also very well done too. The opening is creepy and disturbing featuring people laughing hysterically while in the background, shots of destruction are used to create a surreal, almost haunting atmosphere, while, in contrast, the ending is much more relaxed and calm, a reference to the character's alleviated stress and anxiety after being struck by Shounen Bat. I've heard somewhere that, because the show aired in a late night time slot, Kon purposely made the opening to wake people up, and an ending to put people to sleep. Aside from the opening and ending tracks, the rest of the soundtrack is great, complimenting the themes of paranoia very well.
In conclusion, Paranoia Agent is a great show with well explored and developed themes that relate to the social problems Kon faces in his country. It's truly sad that Satoshi Kon is no longer with us today, as he, unfortunately, died at the young age of 46, but what he has left behind is a legacy. His shows and films were unlike any other I can think of, and I do highly recommend this anime. With that all said and done, thank you for reading and goodbye! HOO-RAH!
themegamancave
Paranoia Agent, a series I literally only picked up because of the kid on the title screenshot with a bat, is one of the most surprising anime I have ever seen. Directed by the late Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers), someone known for his abstract themes and symbolism, this show is clearly not for everyone. Though the plot and over-arching message isn't as murky or convoluted as shows like Serial Experiments Lain or Evangelion, Paranoia Agent will surely scratch the itch of those wishing to use their brain a little more intellectually. Kon’s genius directing is put on full display here, encompassing a robustamount of subject matter and character personality types within its truncated 13 episode run.
The result? A mind-blowing tale with complex characters and an ending that will melt your face off.
Did I mention Paranoia Agent was produced by Madhouse during their glory years? (1998-2006) For some of you who are fans of Trigun or Deathnote, that fact may be reason enough to give it a shot. The main story begins as a “whodunit” of sorts, with a well-known manga artist being attacked by an unknown figure with a crooked bat on roller blades. Deemed “Little Slugger” (Shounen Bat in Japanese), a couple of detectives pick up the case and suspense ensues. Seems pretty straightforward right? That’s exactly what I envisioned, but as the plethora of victims were being explored with more detail, my preconceived notions crumbled around me like a sandcastle
Each of the early episodes are experienced vicariously through a different character’s first-person run-ins with the assailant Little Slugger. Although an immense amount of time isn’t spent on each character, their thoughts and personalities are dexterously explored within this small window. It’s actually quite impressive to see the wide spectrum of personas addressed by Kon. There’s the socially inept introvert, the pretty boy, the gary-stu, the bipolar, the facade, the innocent, the schizophrenic and the stubborn and naive. These characters encompass some of the most fragile or damaged parts of our own selves, making them oddly relatable. I’m also assuming they were meant to mimic the overly depressed populace infecting Japan itself. Though the initial encounters with Little Slugger appear predatory, as the episodes tick by the characters find a certain solace and relief when they are attacked by the individual, making the work of detectives Maniwa and Ikari that much more challenging.
Satoshi Kon’s works always seem to start out rather familiar only to spiral out of control mentally towards the end. Through his adroit directing, Paranoiah Agent evolves from a suspense thriller, to a satire about suicide, then to a delusional horror and wraps it up nicely with the healthy dose of omnipotent symbolism. And it manages to do all of this in the most subtle way possible. Whether it’s a scene of busy train-riders deflecting responsibilities on their cell phones or the collection of eery interviews and broadcasts regarding a sensationalized animated dog, Kon fills our heads with the right tools to piece together into a coherent and plausible synopsis. Little Slugger became a means of salvation for the mentally crippled to escape their inner demons. Rumors of his attacks spread like rapid-fire amongst a paranoid population, becoming even more dangerous than an actual criminal (especially a boy rollerblading with a bent baseball bat). A “ paranoia agent” is born and begins infecting society through media, here-say and other technology (Episode 9, while my least favorite, is a perfect example of this).
IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE SERIES, SKIP THE NEXT TWO PARAGRAPHS!!!
As confusing as the last few episodes might seem on the surface, most people could come up with a reasonable explanation for the way things turned out. We all can come to an understanding that Little Slugger is not a real person, but a delusion spawned from our initial introverted damsel, Tsukiko. What’s more interesting is the apparent antithesis to this delusion, the kawaii pink dog Maromi, is actually more of a doppelganger of sorts. Both of Tsukiko’s mental creations infiltrated the masses, one inciting paranoia; the other mass hysteria. However, both Maromi and Little Slugger instilled a sort of salvation to the people of Japan. It’s a distinct parallel to the way the media sensationalizes hysteria and paranoia in our own world. Considering the fact this anime was drawn up in the early 2000’s is proof that Satoshi Kon’s ideas were hitting the proverbial “nail on the head.” The whole thing is actually sort of terrifying when you think about it. When the final episode plays out, although Tsukiko has reached her own deliverance, the vicious circle is seen itself playing out again with another animated character.
I wanted to make another point to those of us who have seen the entire series. When I first watched episode 8, I disregarded it as filler rubbish and moved on. After watching it a second time, it may actually be the most important episode in the entire anime. The three characters in this anecdotal episode are “actually” dead, but keep existing in an effort to kill themselves. None of them explain why they wish to die, or ever really exude pain and suffering, adding to the convincing nature of the satire. The characters even draw in Little Slugger at one point, pleading as to why he can’t come and end their suffering as well. In this episode, Kon pays homage to the “suicidal” nature of middle aged people in Japan, even having the characters attempt to hang themselves in a forest appearing to emulate the very real Aokigahara (‘suicide’) forest at the base of Mt. Fuji. It didn’t sit well with me, but definitely added to the vibe of the show much more than I previously realized.
SPOILERS OVER! YOU MADE IT!
The art is very dark and ominous in Paranoia Agent, especially as the series moves on. For 2004, it is quite good. As far as the character models are concerned, I have a similar complaint to many of Satoshi Kon’s works. Although the drawings make the characters essentially wear their personalities on their sleeves, the large mouths and lifeless eyes of some individuals were distracting and cringey at times. Not necessarily a bad thing, but moreso personal preference. It could also be Madhouse animators, since I didn’t care for the character models in Deathnote or Trigun either.
The OP and ED resonated with me more than I care to mention. If you read the lyrics for the OP after the show has been completed, the juxtaposed image of a nuclear mushroom cloud with laughing characters is beyond unsettling. I don’t know if there was supposed to be a connection to post-WW2 Japan and the setting for Paranoia Agent, but the thought makes it all the more disturbing. The lucid and creepy tonal electronic music of the ED is equally as unnerving, and I found myself honestly creeped out whenever the episodes would end. It teeters on the edge of genius and psychotic… I’m just not sure which.
I can’t say enough about the English dub for this anime. I tend to shy away from them entirely, but when Liam O’Brien (Monster, Fate Series) is involved, I’d be sure to give it a try. It appears Madhouse recruited their best for this dub, as I actually found it more appealing than the Japanese VAs. Some of O’Brien’s scenes as Maniwa becoming delusional were terrifying and compelling. Downright expert level acting.
Overall, I would recommend Paranoia Agent to either fans of Satoshi Kon’s films or those of us who wish to explore anime more in depth. Like I said in the beginning, although Kon doesn’t spoonfeed you the intellectual themes, they’re not nearly as faint or convoluted as in NGE or Serial Experiments Lain. Ergo Proxy is the biggest similarity in terms of mental capacity that I can think of off the top of my head. Saying I “enjoyed” Paranoia Agent would be odd, but I can’t think of many other anime that have stuck with me as much as this one has. Whether it’s the haunting OP, the controversial satire on suicide, or the overall relatability to modern culture, this anime will have you thinking for quite some time after you watch it.
HenriqueNeves
I like how Mousou Dairinin gradually confronts everyday social problems in a very paradoxical way. Of course, I am aware of the criticism that Satoshi Kon wants to pass on about what it is like to be an individual in Japanese society and this constant pressure that it is to be in this environment, but anime would not be good if it were just that. In fact, I think he takes advantage of this premise to develop a much deeper and surreal relationship with a more imaginative side of these problems. The anime begins episodic, developing characters who will face common social problems, and goes on towork the psychological of each one of them on this reality they inhabit. At first, the management behaves in a mild and contained way in relation to the way it exposes this society. It is all very slow and undisturbed, but at the same time, always containing an internal weight faced by the characters. This changes dramatically when the person himself is confronted by a supposed non-real element. When Shounen Bat is put on the scene, there is a deformation about this contained social form, achieving a very umbratic sensory result.
The way the anime is staged changes making everything more agile and distorting spaces, creating this imaginary dimension. There is not such a great evolution of the plot, but in this union of factors that this reality is increasingly unraveling. Every event that requires the involvement of Shounen Bat will create problems that will become stronger with the passing of the episodes. The character's presence becomes something that surpasses reality and the imaginative, until the two begin to blend.
The anime begins with a very strong control of these events, until all of this explodes completely. All that restraint is lost in the end, and things start to get really crazy and surreal. Several images start to jump on the screen, everything starts to become more distorted. Anime shapes this lack of control between reality and the imaginative. There is no explanation for what is happening at these events, they just happen without any control. This comment is not a negative criticism, on the contrary. Even without knowing what is happening in the interpretive factor of these events, the sensory unity of the anime violates the construction itself, causing an unexpected euphoric effect.
kekekeKaj
Being the only TV series that the late Satoshi Kon ever made, "Paranoia Agent" feels like his sandbox, a playground where he experimented with various ideas. The result is like a bag of pick 'n' mix - an assortment of different, delightful, sharp flavours (okay I admit I'm rather fond of pick 'n' mix so I'm a little biased). "Paranoia Agent" revolves around the mystery of Shounen Bat, a youth on rollerblades wielding a golden bat who has a tendency to assault people who are on the verge of collapsing under the pressures of everyday life. The mystery, it turns out, is not that complicated. After leadingthe viewer around on a string for the first half of the show, it soon runs out of steam and resorts to fillers to fill up the time before finishing up with a somewhat underwhelming conclusion.
Luckily though, "Paranoia Agent" is about far more than the mystery itself - a lot of it is about the fun of getting there. Other shows of the genre ("Serial Experiments Lain", "Boogiepop Phantom) can seem monotonously dark and dreary, but while "Paranoia Agent" also succeeds in being disturbing and even terrifying at times, it's able to convey a much wider range of emotions. With its blending of black humour, suspense and variety of story telling, "Paranoia Agent" can actually be straight forwardly entertaining. This is an almost alien concept for the genre, and it's something that makes it a much more accessible show than those other titles. What's more, the switch from one mood to the next is done so well that contrasting moods do not detract from another, not even when combined together. A great example of this is the dark finale of the gossiping women episode, where the show manages to be simultaneously hilarious AND disturbing.
"Paranoia Agent" mostly takes up an episodic format, with each episode introducing new troubled characters, characters who are facing all kinds of different social pressures that exist in modern Japan. The characters are all linked to each other in some way or another, and it's possible to start seeing connections within a couple of episodes. Character X who features in episode 1 might be a relative of Character Y from episode 2, who is in turn a colleague of Character Z from episode 3 etc. There's a certain amount of satisfaction to be gained from seeing the connections click, and it's something that's reminiscent of the way "Boogiepop Phantom" liked to do things. The similarities between the two shows are not limited to the superficial aspects - there are also interesting parallels between their underlying themes and ideas, but it's tricky to go into more detail without spoiling the show. Although I do think "Boogipop Phantom" was cleverer in its story telling, "Paranoia Agent" probably has the advantage in terms of variety, with almost every episode having its own quirky characteristics and feel.
As the show goes on, you'll come to realise that "Paranoia Agent" is all smoke and mirrors, with the surprisingly simplistic story made mysterious by the tricks in the story telling more than anything else. The conclusion feels a bit like an anti-climax and, to be honest, kind of cheap, especially when put against the sophisticated qualities of the rest of the show. The series' descent into surreal madness in the last couple of episode feels a bit too much - it increases dramatically in weirdness and drops sharply in the entertainment values that made the show transcend the genre. However, the message it tries to convey about escaping reality is a powerful and thought provoking one, and that makes up for the ending to a certain extent. As for the fillers, well, it's kind of hard to complain about them when they are some of the most brilliant episodes the series has to offer. "Paranoia Agent" is a perfect demonstration that, if you are going to do fillers, then do them in style.
The sound department is one that's particularly important to the mystery genre, because mood and atmosphere is central to these kind of shows, and the ambient sound and background music are critical for setting the mood. It's no exception here, as "Paranoia Agent"'s strong sound production succeeds in greatly enhancing the suspensful atmosphere. A particularly good example of this is whenever Shounen Bat is about to appear, the music turns eerie, and is accompanied by the sound effect that's like someone running a bat along the rails on the side of the pavement. It's similar to the way the foreboding two-notes-alternating theme is used to signal the arrival of shark in that classic film "Jaws", and it's deceptively effective, making the hair on the back of my head stand up almost every time. The one thing that didn't work for me is the pseudo-yodelling opening theme, which strikes me as a bit too odd ball and doesn't particularly match the mood of the series.
What does match the mood of the series though, is the art style. The character designs and animations always right on the money, be it satirical portrayals of stereotypes such as lecherous middle aged men, or capturing the terrifyingly disturbing features of a mentally destabilised character at breaking point. The one major complaint I would have though, is that in one of the episodes, the episode revolves around shadows, and unfortunately the rendering of the shadows is a bit ambiguous in the episode, which made the whole thing more confusing than it should have been.
In the end, watching "Paranoia Agent" is a bit like going to see an extravagant magic show: you'll be mystified by the tricks, entertained and dazzled by the brilliant showmanship. Then at the end, someone reveals to you the secrets behind the performance, and you're left feeling a little disappointed - perhaps being left in the dark is the preferable option after all. But when all is said and done, you can still say that you watched a great magic show, and I can still say that "Paranoia Agent" is an undeniably great show put on by that great illusionist Satoshi Kon.
K_Carnival
This anime got such good reviews and high ratings that I, someone who is actually somewhat interested in psychological anime, felt almost bad giving it a measly 4. I'm sorry. Despite all the recommendations for me to watch this, I couldn't bring myself to say I enjoyed it. I got through it and that was about that. Oddly enough, it was an anime that proved to me that a series can have an intriguing premise... with ugly art, boring music, and straight up awful characters. Story/ 7 The story was the part that I didn't mind. Overall, it was fresh and inspired. However, the answersto certain mysteries seemed so anti-climatic to me. For example, while watching, I was fascinated by what Shonen Bat ('Lil Slugger in the English version) could be a metaphor for. While he did end up representing something fairly thought-provoking, his origins just felt a little too specific and lame to me. The scene revealing his origins left me feeling unsatisfied and perplexed about the rules of this world. The story ended up being an awkward mix between realistic and complete fantasy. But, overall, the premise of Paranoia Agent was something new and outside the box. Satoshi Kon, the director and a writer, is known for his psychological stories and meaningful satires. Paranoia Agent solidly told a story about guilt and mass panic and I loved this theme. But the final execution just left the taste of disappointment. The plot just never managed to entertain me.
Art/ 4
I won't say the artists didn't know how to draw. Clearly they did and they had a wonderful grasp on anatomy and proportion. When I say the art was terrible, I'm speaking of the style. Yes, yes, clearly this is a personal opinion. But, honestly, this anime had some of the ugliest characters I've ever seen. Besides that, the color palette was dull with Maromi (the pink stuffed dog) the only thing that was at all interesting to look at in the whole anime. Many will not mind the hideous settings and characters this show had to offer. But, personally, the many unattractive characters put a damper on my experience.
Sound/5
Can't say much about sound because I recall very little of it. But the company and composer responsible for the music in Paranoia Agent are also well known for working on projects such as the acclaimed film Paprika. Considering that I liked the music in Paprika, the soundtrack in Paranoia Agent was likely decent. As for the opening, it was catchy and pretty famous, but it isn't anything you'll ever see on my iPod.
Characters/ 3
Oh dear, these characters. Where should I begin? First of all, out of the tons upon tons of characters, I can count on one hand the ones that ended up being of any lasting importance. That's not something bad, per se. We've seen this kind of thing in anime such as Death Parade. But for the sake of review, it causes me to take a pretty general view on the characters. And, in general, few of these people were likable. For example, most of the male characters were simply disgusting creeps. If aliens had only Paranoia Agent as their knowledge of humanity, they would think that the majority of men were sexual predators. We got a reporter who allowed children to watch porn, a dad who peeped daily on his daughter as she changed and chilled with prostitutes, and an otaku who also bought prostitutes to pleasure him as he fantasized about his anime figures (to make things worse, I am still not sure of this particular character's purpose). I understand that these characters were required by plot to have issues. But when most of a cast of characters have zero redeeming qualities, the show starts to become hard to watch. The only people who remotely interested me were Tsukiko, the creator of Maromi, and Maniwa, the young, spunky detective. At least both had lasting value and weren't scum. Although, if either of them got killed, I still wouldn't have been heartbroken. Finally, there's Shonen Bat, the boy causing all the damage. I don't want to spoil too much, but basically he's a terrifying child who clobbers those looking for a way out of their problems. Because of what he really is (explained at the end of the series), he has little characterization apart from violence and the occasional creepy grin.
Enjoyment/ 3
I know you're supposed to grade anime mostly on the plot but who can enjoy the plot when the characters are boring and the art is hideous? Anime is made up of many parts: writing, sound, art, and animation. If one of those doesn't make the cut, it brings the series down. Such was the case with Paranoia Agent. Satoshi Kon was certainly on to something with the story but nothing else was enjoyable.
Overall/ 4
I wanted to be nicer but, in the end, I can't say my feelings about this show were enough to give it higher than a 4.
Gridfire
Be under no illusions; Paranoia Agent is essential viewing. Part mystery, part thriller, part social commentary, and part deranged acid trip, this series has much thematic meat to chew for long after the last episode. Bringing together the haunting compositions of Susumu Hirasawa and character designs of Andou Musashi, Paranoia Agent has the audio-visual hallmarks of Paprika. However, the nature of this work as a series rather than a film allows it to be more experimental visually as well as in narrative, and you shouldn't finish any episode knowing quite what to expect from the next. The story of Paranoia Agent begins with Sagi Tsukiko, theartist behind hit mascot character Maromi. With the interests of consumers ever shifting, she finds herself under intense pressure from her company to create a new character to replicate Maromi's success. Feeling stress from this, as well as the toxic jealousy of her female coworkers, walking home one night she is beset upon by a street assailant, a 'Little Boy' wearing gold inline skates and wielding and bent gold baseball bat who is soon referred to as 'Shonen Bat'. Despite suffering a concussion from the attack, along with injury comes a relief from becoming the victim and absolving herself of worldly responsibilities.
Subsequent episodes continue in a similar vein, introducing soon-to-be victims of Shonen Bat, their circumstances and the source of their stress, and how they find salvation in victimhood. The social commentary here is far-reaching, tackling bullying, prostitution, crime, and even the animation industry itself.
While these episodes are deadly serious, there is sense of humour in the presentation which allows the viewer to understand the psychological issues of the characters while at once avoiding sympathy for their irrationality. Yuichi Taira is a high-achieving elementary school student whose narcissism is pictured in humorous delusion scenes that are at first vivid, but become warped and surreal as bullying drives him further into paranoia and fear. A corrupt police chief reconciles his family life and debauched life of crime through a manga called 'A Man's Path' that frames his yakuza escapades as a form of noble masculinity. Not all of Paranoia Agent's episodes follow this format. There are several episodes which hardly advance the plot, but these are also the most ingenious in presentation.
There is nary a dull moment in this series. Every episode has its own brand of inventive imagery which keeps the series fresh and exciting up to its absurdly epic conclusion. Most importantly for a series with social commentary, it never treats any of the issues it raises unfairly. As much as Paranoia Agent is about the stress haunting modern society, it also rejects escapism as a solution.
Towards the end of the series, the line between delusion and reality becomes blurred, and the extent to which any previous events are real or fantasy can become a topic of debate. But to indulge in over-interpretation of Paranoia Agent's events is to an extent missing the point (not to say that there isn’t a wealth of deep meaning to be found). A decrepit old man in the first episode scribbles arcane formulae in numbers and kanji on the ground of the parking lot; the answer is a room number. While this series is bizarre and confusing its messages are fairly straightforward. Enjoy it for the visual and psychological treat it is and maybe you can reflect on the stress in your own life and how you cope with it.
