PARANOIA AGENT (2004)

Buy it!

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Wow, was this anime series a lot of fun! No mecha, no sexy teen girls in school uniforms, nothing that is typical to anime "aimed at adults" makes an appearance in Paranoia Agent. But it's really for adults--though I think kids would enjoy it just fine. It's a show about a psycho-sociological phenomenon (like a fad that effects how people think) that sweeps the city (but it's a lot more fun than it sounds).


Technically any good? I usually don't care for stories that blur the line between reality and fantasy but creator Satoshi Kon manages to blur and blend that line so skillfully, I didn't care. The characters are so well defined, the story is so intriguing and the acting so solid that I just kept watching even when I couldn't quite reconcile what I was looking at with reality.

The reality-bending stuff is explained in the end, but only if you look for it. That's, of course, what I like about a lot Japanese media--they don't spoon-feed everything to you.

So, on a technical level, this series is about as solid as solid can be. Even the animation (save for one episode) was impressive for a series (usually series get smaller budgets than movies).


How did it leave me feeling? Definitely satisfied. The show makes a very interesting and critical statement about culture and how humans can give into fear and paranoia and, in a way, enjoy it.


Final Rating? GSN - Go See Now. This is an anime that is safe for most ages. There are isolated acts of violence, but they are quick. The only catch with kids watching this is that it is a very mind-bending show at points. Of course, that's one of the reasons I loved it so much.

Sadly, it appears to be out of print in the US. I do think it's worth seeing if you can find a copy, though. I found mine on Netflix.

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Orignal From: PARANOIA AGENT (2004)