Paranoia Agent
| Paranoia Agent | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Director/Artist | Satoshi Kon |
| Format | Anime (TV) |
| Made By | Madhouse Studios |
| Episode Length | 25 Minutes |
| # of Episodes | 13 |
Contents
Genre
Sum it up in a Sentence
Main Description
In Musashino, Tokyo, an enigmatic juvenile "serial attacker" is at large. Known as "Shounen Bat," he wields a bent, golden bat and rides a pair of golden rollerblades. While his legend begins to grow among the people of the town, two detectives are assigned to track down Shounen Bat. As they begin to investigate the connections between the victims it becomes clear that there is much more to Shounen Bat than anyone had thought.
Characters
Paranoia Agent features an enormous cast of characters, most of whom only feature prominantly in a single episode. The following four characters are the most central, and show up in many of the episodes.
Sagi Tsukiko
Sagi Tsukiko is a meek young woman who works as a character designer. Famous for her creation of the character Maromi, she's under extreme stress to produce another hit. She is the first victim of Shounen Bat, and for some reason the unfolding events seem to somehow revolve around her...
Ikari Keiichi and Maniwa Mitsuhiro
The two detectives assigned to investigate Shounen Bat soon find their lives inexplicably warped by the case. Ikari Keiichi is an old-fashioned kind of detective who feels out of place in the complex modern world. Maniwa Mitsuhiro is something of an idealist, and is one of the first to believe that there might be something paranormal happening around Shounen Bat.
Shounen Bat
At the center of the mystery in Paranoia Agent is Shounen Bat. Appearing as a grinning juvenile, his crimes defy rational explanation and as they continue, he comes to be viewed as something of a mystical figure by the people living in Musashino.
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Personal Opinions
TwoPly
I found this series really enjoyable, on the whole. It starts off as an interesting mystery and then turns into a much more interesting mystery. It's wierd, but without being incomprehensible or obnoxious. Also, the interactions between all the different characters and the bizzarre atmosphere made the whole series feel cohesive, even though some of the episodes have very little to do with the central plot.
helopticor
Similar to Satoshi Kon's movie works, in half-season form. Better than Paprika, worse than Millenium Actress, IMO.
