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20 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
dark and psychological, 23 February 2005
Author: torinomad from Japan

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.

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18 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
Beautiful Masterpiece About A Human Fallacy, 21 August 2005
Author: syphonboa from E-town, New Jeru

PA is a wonderfully beautiful and mind boggling trip into the minds of people.

People who deal with real problems. There's no alien invaders, no demons, no ghosts, no monsters. Only themselves. There's no gratuitous nudity, no fanservice, no sexual innuendo, no awkward teen hero.

We are given one Miss Tsukiko Sagi, creator of Moromi, a popular dog character that everyone loves and has merchandise of in one form or another (think Hello Kitty). One night walking home, she is attacked by an unknown assailant, to be forever known as Lil Slugger, a boy on rollerblades with a baseball bat.

So begins a series that will make your eyes bug out and go "Huh!? I don't get it?!" Don't worry, its like that. Its a great 13 episodes with an emotional and powerful climax thats a metaphor for life itself.

A MUST SEE for anyone in general, even if you don't like anime, this is a masterpiece.

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21 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
Satoshi Kon is back!, 17 December 2004
Author: BKJ30PA from United States

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.

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20 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
First episode is looking promising, 22 December 2004
Author: klosterfelder from Montréal

I only watched the first episode of this series, ("Paranoia Agent" in English), and it is looking good. The animation, as is always the case with Satoshi Kon productions is excellent. Characters have way more depth than too many of those silly redundant anime. For those of you familiar with Kon's world, you will notice some characters common to his world: the homeless, the working folk, the psychotic killer.

The mood of the show at the beginning is similar to that of the excellent "lain" series. Despite this it is very original in its treatment, though some element or "camera" angles are very much like any (live-action) thriller, in the same way that "Perfect Blue" reflected a classic thriller style. There are also some fantasy bits which will arise in the show if I must believe the walking-talking Maromi doll (a doll designed by the main character of the first show). From the looks of it, this is very much worth seeing.

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10 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Before you watch this show, check your sanity at the door., 10 July 2005
Author: Keno Reeves (spywatcher459@yahoo.com) from Roxboro, North Carolina

I began watching Paranoia Agent when it premiered on Adult Swim late night a couple of months ago. Needless to say, this show has freaky moments and it will leave you questioning the sanity of the characters, as well as your own.

The story begins with a doll maker named Tsukiko, who constantly feels pressure at her work place from her boss, her fellow co-workers, everyone. Then one night, Tsukiko is attacked by an evil-grinning kid with gold Rollerblades and a baseball bat. Tsukiko wakes up in a hospital and it seems the attack has changed her. But did it change her for better or for worse? As two Japanese detectives are brought in on the case, they discover a rash of other assaults from various other people who range from a snobbish elementary school kid, a nosy tabloid reporter, a crooked cop, a teacher with a double identity disorder and so on. Besides almost suffering from nervous breakdowns and strings of paranoia, they all have one other thing in common: their assailant is the same person who attacked Tsukiko, Lil' Slugger, the kid with golden Rollerblades and a golden bat. At first, the two detectives can't find any connection to the attacks, but as they dwell a little deeper, one of the cops starts to see a pattern of behavior between the victims and their assailant. As more and more clues start piling up, the cops begin to realize that the suspect could be anyone and it can be no one. The suspect is right in front of them or he could be somewhere down the street.

At first, I thought this show would be a waste of time, but I was wrong. It had me on the edge of my seat as I wondered who Lil' Slugger was and why he has a tendency to clonk people on the heads who are mentally and emotionally depressed. It seems that no matter how hard I tried to figure it out, I just couldn't get a possible answer behind the mystery of the show. Kind of like a detective trying to solve a murder. Paranoia Agent is more like a Japanese version of the Twilight Zone, where nothing is what it seems. This show is not to be missed and it will definitely have you on the edge of your seat, from start to finish. But remember, before you pop this movie into your DVD player, check your sanity at the door. The person that you would least likely expect to be the culprit is possibly the one you should be watching out for.

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8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Quite Possibly the Most Thoughtful Anime Ever, 29 May 2006
10/10
Author: FatherBrain from Watham, MA USA

I caught this series by accident on Cartoon Network, but I was instantly hooked. This series tackles more weighty topics than almost any live-action drama on television today, and does so with rare intelligence.

Throughout this parable of a city struck with fear over a (possibly imaginary) serial assailant, the show presents some powerful insights on the terrible price of repression, on the thin line between reality and perceptions, and on the fragility of social order. The inter-twining stories of the victims are both entertaining and thought provoking.

This series does not feature giant robots, monsters, or big breasted magical girls. Nor does this narrative stick to simple, linear story lines with obvious heroes and villains. This is a challenging but very rewarding look at the darker side of modern society. It is unlike any anime series I have seen, and I recommend it highly.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Beautiful and amazing, 19 May 2005
Author: Aiwaz_418 from United States

One of the finest animated series in ages, and one which plays with the conventions of animation in very self-referential ways which further the story and add insight. It may not all be very clear the first time you watch through, but after some thought and upon a second viewing, it is a bit easier to follow. Regardless of the psychological spider webs involved, and some episodes which do not at first seem related to the central story, it does all fit together in one incredible package.

If you have seen any of Satoshi Kon's previous work, you will have some idea of what awaits, and some of the themes explored are similar to past work ("Perfect Blue", in particular), but the presentation is so impressive those similarities will not be distracting. Perhaps not for the first time viewer of anime, but for those who like good, psychological drama well told, this is a masterpiece.

Brilliantly written and animated.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
An Essential Series That's Not Merely For The Anime Fanatics, 22 October 2008
9/10
Author: benjamin_lappin from England

A simply stunning anime, "Paranoia Agent" is a thoughtfully thought out trip into psychosis and the darker aspects of the human psyche. With a no holds barred approach to its philosophical and occasionally violent story telling, it highlights the very best that is achievable through the medium of anime with a plot line that is as dark as it is witty and as disturbing as it is intelligent. "Paranoia Agent" is one of those few serial creations that will have you hooked from the very first episode and have your mind salivating for more once it concludes, it is supremely assured from its style to its substance and will toy with your mind in the best possible ways.

Set over thirteen episodes of crisply created animation, "Paranoia Agent" is a paranormal, psychological thriller which charts two men in the Tokyo Police Force investigated the sudden spates of attacks of members of the public by an entity known as "lil slugger". With the first attack having taken place on the creator of popular creator of the sensationally cute dog "Mamori", we discover that "lil slugger" is a metal bat waving, rollerblading teenager. As the investigation progresses and the police become more attached to the case and more victims fall at the hands of this crazed child things take a decidedly more "surreal" turn as things become complicated.

Successfully fusing style, ideas, intrigue and compelling characters, Satoshi Kon has created not just one of the best anime's in recent times, but also one of the most sublime series in recent times. "Paranoia Agent" is a powerful tour de force that will veer from moments of you scratching your head to shocking your eyes, through to putting a knife through your heart. It is a study in humanity and the human psyche, handling characters in difficult positions that would in other programmes feel contrived and forced. It stretches the boundary of its environment and the sanity of your mind as you find yourself falling as deep as the characters into this surrealistically normal construct. Satoshi Kon has not merely created something that every fan of anime must surely possess in their collection, but something that certainly deserves wider recognition and broadcasting than that what is has achieved already. This is thought provoking entertainment that rivals recent animated hits like "Broken Saints" and leaves many others reeling in its wake, but "Paranoia Agent" must be seen to be believed and understood. Rollerblades have never been so scary.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Good overall, slightly philosophical, 7 January 2007
10/10
Author: somekid20170 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This series is something that should be watched in whole, and most people who rate it badly have either not watched all of the episodes or couldn't figure out the meaning of the ending. Towards the beginning, Lil' Slugger is shrouded in mystery and nobody can even begin to guess where the series goes. However, later on we see that things aren't as they seem and the "victims" aren't random targets. All the while two detectives (with very convincing characters) are trying to make sense of the whole thing. While some parts of the series that hint at its overall plot are a bit random (dolls coming to life and blurting out information), the viewer is kept guessing until the last few episodes, where the pieces finally start coming together. The plot is fresh and unique; a welcome break from the repetitive flow of many anime cartoons.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Another Classic in the Vein of 'Perfect Blue', 27 August 2005
Author: Simchi Pop (artetiegr) from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Paranoia Agent is very obviously the work of Satoshi Kon, the creator of Perfect Blue. It's dramatic, bizarre, downright creepy in some aspects, and very, very engaging.

Centering around the lives of the victims of a golden bat wielding, roller blading delinquent called Shounen Bat (translated as Li'l Slugger in the American series), the series is initially coherent and addictive, but towards the end becomes convoluted and confusing. It is my opinion that the series was meant to characterize the nature of paranoia and illustrate its destructiveness (which it did, from the first episode on).

Despite Paranoia Agent's difficult concept and volleying central characters (each episode has a new main character, though the central focus of the show is undoubtedly paranoia itself), it's intense, scary and a rush just to watch.

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