Of all the works of Satoshi Kon Paranoia Agent is the one I understand the least and that is an undeniably good thing.
After making his 3rd film, Tokyo Godfathers, Kon had a lot of leftover ideas that he wanted to use. “Paranoia Agent” is the child of those ideas. The series follows a group of people living in Tokyo and their interactions with each other after a series of attacks by a young boy with a baseball bat known as Little Slugger sweep the city. The interesting thing about “Paranoia Agent” is that there is no real central character. Each character gets his or her own time to shine in the events of the series and relate to the others in one way or another. If there’s one word I’d use to describe Paranoia Agent’s plot it would be confusing, but I mean that in the best of ways. Every episode will leave you confused one way or another but most things are explained by the end of the show’s 13 episode run. I think that’s one of the things I appreciate the most about Paranoia Agent. Kon had a story to tell and made no side trips or tangents in his telling of it unlike so many anime shows that prolong the lifespan of their show by filler episode after filler episode. There may be portions that seem nonsensical at first like the absolutely bizarre episode 4 but everything is there for a purpose and will ultimately be resolved by the show’s end.
There’s not much more I can say about the plot without spoiling anything so I won’t even attempt to but it goes without saying that this show is dark and very uncomfortable at times. The characters have many layers, ranging from thought provoking to downright evil. Kon is obviously not afraid to be political or deal with uncomfortable, taboo topics in society. There is a wide range of characters here which is refreshing and it’s interesting to see how he weaves them into each story he tells over the show’s run. And what a run it is! Paranoia Agent’s story has so many twists and turns, some great, some unlikely, and others downright bizarre. If I have one complaint with Paranoia Agent it’s just that; the plot at times is too weird for its own good. Some elements are cool and make sense in the context of the world presented but some, especially as the show gets closer to its finale are downright weird and made me wish that some things were left intentionally unresolved so the audience could create their own meaning behind it.
The animation is pretty standard for a japanese tv show. The quality is good. Occasionally there are people in the crowd who don’t seem to move or blink but that’s to be expected. The characters are well-designed and have a lot more personality than traditional animes. The voices are also pretty typical for an english dub. They are not bad, just not particularly memorable but Paranoia Agent is more about the mystery of the story then the acting anyways. Arguably the most problematic thing about Paranoia Agent is its availability. The US DVD set had an incredibly limited release and prices are now around $200 for the thirteen episodes which is crazy even by anime standards. It’s not available on Netflix Instant or Hulu but I was able to find all the episodes in English on Youtube and watch it that way but who knows how long that’ll last. My advice is watch it while you can. It’s a great show for those wanting a dark, mystery series that isn’t afraid to be controversial, just be warned that it’s not for kids.
4 out of 5 stars.
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