bmoore07
There are two kinds of anime. The first are the anime with well- known reputations, some so notable that they may be overrated (Anime that fall in this category are titles like Naruto, Bleach, Death Note, Fairy Tail and, of course, Dragon Ball Z). The second kind are the lesser-known anime, the cult classics that endear themselves to the true fan (For me, titles like Bartender, Outlaw Star, Rurouni Kenshin, and Monster come to mind). Paranoia Agent falls into the latter category and I think it's terrible that many people have never heard of this. A work of director Satoshi Kon, a product of the company (Madhouse) that produced my all-time favorite show (Monster), Paranoia Agent is a psychological thriller filled with drama, shockers, and memorable moments."When trouble rises, the hero is here!" This is Paranoia Agent's premise. When people feel mentally tormented, when they feel like they're trapped in an inescapable corner, a being named Lil Slugger appears to guide them away from their troubles, relieving them with a powerful hit to the head. Lil Slugger is the series' main antagonist, a boy with a red baseball cap, golden roller skates, a bent golden bat, and a love for spreading suffering. Paranoia places so much focus on Lil Slugger at an extent that I haven't seen since Monster and Johan Liebert. This anime portrays Lil Slugger as many things: a delusional maniac who views himself a hero, an urban legend generated by rumors, a prodigal criminal almost impossible to arrest, a messiah of the mentally ill, and even an outright demon with red eyes, an ability to feed on fear, and the ability to shift into an enormous shadow. In all of these forms, Lil Slugger's essence remains the same, that he is a malevolent menace to society.'Creepy' is the only word that does justice in describing Paranoia Agent's opening, a sequence that shows various characters laughing in a number of places, most of them scenes of natural or man-made disasters. Paranoia Agent's characters aren't just important to the anime; they are crucial, helping to construct the complexity of Paranoia's plot (Even the most unimportant characters, like a former thief or a seemingly gay employer, have significant roles). The characters are also accompanied by amazingly acted voices, the three main characters (and corrupt police chief Hirukawa) reminding me of voices in Monster. Tsukiko Sagi is Paranoia's central character, a beautiful yet timid cartoonist whose withdrawn whisper of a voice refuels memories of Monster's Anna Liebert. Liam O'Brien is the voice of Mitsuhiro Maniwa, a young detective that serves as another main figure, but he also starred as Monster's Dr. Tenma. In Monster, O'Brien only had two memorable scenes (the closed-door conversation with Inspector Lunge in "Lunge's Trap" and the climatic confession to Anna in "I'm Home") but, in Paranoia Agent, O'Brien is allowed more vocal creativity, in episode 7 (one of Paranoia's finest) shifting Maniwa's submissively gentle voice to a passionate one filled with fury and devoid of sanity. My favorite character has to be Keiichi Ikari, the bad cop to Maniwa's good cop, a short-tempered star of the police force whose gruff voice is like that of Monster's Richard Braun, and a mid-life crisis victim who wholeheartedly loves his wife, remains as stubborn as a mule, and often reminisces over his youth.Plotwise, this anime has one of the finest, where each episode is a potential favorite; there's just something unique about every Paranoia episode. For example, I've never been a fan of the perfect protagonist (thanks to Goku and his "I am the universe!" speech in Frieza Saga) and Paranoia Agent's second episode focused on a ridiculously popular kid named Yuichi Taira, and how the opinions of others turned him into a raving lunatic. Paranoia also specializes in (very dark) satire, poking fun at battle anime in episode 5, suicidal people in episode 8, the neighborhood gossipers in episode 9, and even animators themselves in episode 10. The animation, high- quality and meticulously detailed, was the first thing that stood out to me about Paranoia Agent and, throughout the series, the show loved to try different styles. First, it was the grotesque, child- like illustrations of episode 2. Then, the black-and-white manga in episode 4 (the voice of the manga's main character was excellent). Finally, it was the cardboard layout (yes, cardboard!) in the last three episodes. Throughout all of these styles, Paranoia Agent remained great.It's been a while since I've watched a truly exceptional anime, something that'll make me happily flip on the TV simply because I don't want to miss another moment, and Paranoia Agent did that for me. There wasn't one individual thing that caused my Paranoia binge- watching. It was all of the things I mentioned: the theme song, the characters, the plot, and the artwork. An anime has to be excellent to join my list of favorites and I just found a new addition.
Davidon80
The series starts off with a mysterious attack by an unidentified baseball wielding perpetrator on a young graphic designer. With this the mystery begins, the perpetrator is labelled 'Li'll Slugger' by the media and then a series of other attacks happen across Tokyo. The next is a young middle school pupil, then a corrupt cop. We shift time scales and narratives even realms of consciousness to eventually a final showdown to the root cause of Li'll Slugger's reign. Many unexpected twists happen along the way, each episode is dedicated to a different character.This amazing series by the late great Satashi Kon has all the hall marks of his best work: satire, artistry, pathos and strong character development. The satire in this series is jet black and aimed squarely on Japan, in many ways this series can be read as an artistic poke at modern Japan's cult of weird. Everything is lampooned in this series from kawaii cartoon characters to ritual suicide. It seems that Kon has drawn up a list of many of the weirdest facets of Japanese culture (at least to the eyes of a western audience) and enthused them into this script under the guise of a crime thriller. With all the narrative changes and the strong emphasis on shifting characters, the actual final showdown is a bit of an anti-climax. However it is clear that this series is not intended to be viewed as a completed narrative piece. The series is more about segments with the main thread holding the series together being a focus on modern Japan's counter culture fetish, by the final episode most of what Kon has set out to lampoon has already been achieved, with the finale merely offering a sense of closure rather than revelation.In my opinion this is Japanese animation at is best, Satashi Kon was a genius, he understood that anime can be challenging, political and in some respects a greater medium than movies. It is fair to say that all of his works attempted to bridge this gulf between anime and art, and never is this more evident then in Paranoia Agent. Of all the great Japanese animators Kon was the most creative, cinematic and consistent. Despite the fact that Kon has only a hand full of full features to his name, his impact on modern cinema has been far reaching. Darren Aronofsky and Christopher Nolan are two examples of Hollywood directors who hold Kon in high regard, both directly referencing the work of Kon in their own; Perfect Blue for Aronofsky and Paprika for Nolan. It is no coincidence that both men are two of the most creative and imaginative minds working in movies at the moment.Paranoia Agent is a fine example of Satashi Kon's genius and offered a glimpse at what Kon could have achieved if his life wasn't cruelly cut short. Paranoia Agent is a rare treat and one to be savoured.
Timothy McKann
When I first got to watch this show on Adult Swim,It was really killer,I have to say that out of all the anime that Satoshi Kon has created,this one is an ace in the hole. I only got to see the first 2 episodes,and they were very interesting. But when the show went off the air on Adult Swim,I had to see it again,and that's when I decided to buy it. When I started collecting the series on DVD,it was even more better. My favorite characters in the series were Keiichi,Tsukiko,and Maromi.My favorite episode in the series was the Happy Family Planning episode.I also want to say that this series is not suited for children,and can also give them nightmares. So if you want to see something killer,then this series is up your alley. And be careful when watching this series,it can mess with your head.
