Paranoia Agent

The is so weird as well as amazing. It is rare to find this kind of psychological anime. It has every single thing to blow your mind and keep you wondering. It is hard to guess, is all those incidents are supernatural or delusion?

Though story seems bit complex at first, but all things become crystal clear at the end and put end to my curiosity. The story amazed me that much that I kept googling about it to know more.

When I first heard of this series, I was doubting myself whether Satoshi Kon's "Paranoia Agent" would be worth my time. I've watched "Tokyo Godfathers" and thought it was really great and touching. When I watched "Perfect Blue" I began to think what was the point of the movie... it was just about an actress suffering from hallucinations and there were many unnecessary sexual references. I thought that Satoshi Kon was just wasting his time making the anime. It was pretty pointless and too twisted.

Curious, I started to watch the first episode of "Paranoia Agent". I became interested in it after seeing how modern Japanese citizens run their own lives, while trying to deal with their own problems. The main character, Tsukiko Sagi, is the first to get attacked by Shōnen Bat (Lil' Slugger in English). Folowing next is a series of attacks, also conducted by Lil' Slugger, which are aimed at random people. The mystery here is for the police to solve and try to figure out the connections between the victims. The journey continues up until episode 13.

Viewers are also encouraged to come up with their own theories: Why is Lil' Slugger attacking the victims? Is there something deeper about this case? "Paranoia Agent" explores society issues, and also makes us question whether human emotions and psychological conditions are strong enough to create their own illusions. Is Lil' Slugger even real? Just like other Satoshi Kon films, this series also contains many symbolisms, which help us viewers to understand more about the story.

My last word is, if you like psychological thrillers, then "Paranoia Agent" is a must-watch. If you prefer lighter anime series, then don't (because this series can only be understood by more mature audience). The story may be way too complex and seem like it's going nowhere, but once you start watching it you'll become addicted and try to solve the mystery too.

I saw the Japanese audio version with English subtitles.

This is definitely a series for mature audiences. It's not afraid to go into unhappy situations and unpleasant characters, and show people battling with their various dysfunctions. Very psychological and surreal. If you've never seen Satoshi Kon's other works before, be prepared to initially go "What the...?". (Actually, I was still saying that more than halfway through this series, but that didn't stop me from watching it almost completely straight through.)

Satoshi Kon has a distinctive style of delving into people's heads and meshing reality with fantasy. After first viewings of his works, I always get the feeling I'm going to have to go back several times and figure out everything I didn't catch.

On the whole, this series is very deep and dark, but there are many humorous moments. Some of the episodes depart from the "main" characters and go off in really creative directions. It's not the best series I've ever seen, and it's certainly not for everyone, but it's good. If you are looking for something really different and are up for the mental stimulation, this is it.

The first half of this series is very engaging, like a David Lynch Anime could be. The second half completely derails and becomes too incomprehensible, with a thrown away ending that doesn't explain anything and doesn't make any sense whatsoever. I like the filler episode parodying the online death seeking cults, however.

Hello all! For those who like their anime a bit darker, and as intertwined as ivy that grows up the side of a college school building, then this is for you!

Just so you know, the American release of this series is called: PARANOIA AGENT. If you see it in the store, I'd get it, because once it gets out about how cool this series is, you might not be able to get it!

Having seen "Perfect Blue" and "Magnetic Rose", and trying to get a hold of "Millenium Actress", and "Tokyo Godfathers", I'm interested in any work produced by Satoshi Kon. I love how his work makes the story twist a bit more than the usual, and makes you think harder.

The story, which revolves around a character who only becomes known as "Shonen Bat". Shonen Bat is boy in what looks to be his early teens who wears golden in-line skates, and carries a golden metal baseball bat, that looks like it's tried to slug a wrecking ball. The characters, and their stories intertwine with Shonen Bat and with one another. I give it a 9/ 10, and I HIGHLY recommend seeing this anime.