Paranoia Agent Review

Nothing Like It.

 From anime studio Madhouse (Death Note) and director Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue), comes Paranoia Agent (Mousou Dairinin in Japan). Similar to his previous Satoshi Kon works, Paranoia Agent is may sound like your typical detective show, but then does a 360 and turns in a new direction. And after watching this neat series, it's time for a review.

STORY- Set in modern day Tokyo, the plot follows two police detectives, Kechii Ikari and Misuhiro Minawa, as they investigate the assault of toy designer, Tsukiko Sagi. She claims that she was assaulted by a boy on roller skates with a bent baseball bat. Rumors eventually spread about the attack, and the "Lil' Slugger" name is created. The story mainly revolves around on those who have been affected by Lil' Slugger and the detectives that are tasked with finding him.

Unveil the mystery of Lil' Slugger.

CHARACTERS- Asides from our two main leads, there are many complex and interesting characters featured throughout the story. All of which are affected by Lil' Slugger in some way. Many aspects of human emotions are showed such as loneliness, greed, and despair. Without going into spoiler territory, the characters as well as story will keep on the edge of your seat.

The cast characters show all kinds of emotions and weaknesses.

PRESENTATION- As always anime studio Madhouse delivers an excellent job in the presentation department. The backgrounds and character designs are neatly animated and eye-catching. You'll notice some changes in animation later during the episodes, which doesn't hurt the presentation at all. Sound-wise, it great as well. The first thing you'll see before watching is the creepy intro accompanied by an eeries song. I found fitting for a weird series, so it's alright with me. The rest of he soundtrack is really catchy and fits well with the series. The voice-work is also commendable with great performances.

Paranoia Agent packs some silly moments at times.

OVERALL- There isn't anything like Paranoia Agent, expect for other Satohi Kon works. While many won't get the ending and would laugh at the length of the series (only 13 episodes), I found the ending and pacing of the series to alright, despite some filler here and there. It's one of my favorite anime of all-time, and again there isn't much like it. Overall, give it a try if you're looking for a good mystery.

-There are some blood, sexual scenes, and violence in Paranoia Agent. There are profanity here and there, so it's mainly targeted for a mature audience.-

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