Paranoia Agent

Publisher
Geneon / MVM
Director
Satoshi Kon
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
13 episodes / 25 minutes
Year
2004

Paranoia Agent Volume 4: Sayonara, Maromi!

By otaku_kei
5th Jun 06

Satoshi Kon is one of the true mavericks working within the animation industry at the moment. Kon is an auteur admired by his peers, a man whose career has been forged by pushing the boundaries on the type of story that can be delivered through animation. Tokyo Godfathers was a completely new type of Christmas story for the millennium. Perfect Blue was a dark and disturbing psychological thriller that can stand tall amongst the very best output from other masters of the genre, such as Hitchcock. Paranoia Agent has been yet another example of the quality of this man's work, a mind bending psychological police story about how one urban legend has affected so many lives in Tokyo. In this concluding volume, nothing is as it seems and the resolution to all the craziness could still leave you scratching your head in bewilderment...

Lil Slugger continues to dominate the idle chatter of the populace of Tokyo. Like Chinese whispers, this ethereal entity continues to morph and warp through each permutation of popular consciousness. Just exactly how do you stop an urban legend that the public will not leave alone, a public that seem to have an increasingly morbid interest in this violent icon. But with the public interest refusing to relinquish its attention, is there any way to kill off a menace that is untouchable by normal methods? Well former police detective Ikari seems to have given up all hope of finally putting this case to rest. Having left the force he now spends his days working as a security guard, filling his life with work away from home, and the sick wife that he has left there. But a chance encounter with a reformed criminal that Ikari himself had brought to justice sees events take a turn for the bizarre. Now, I know, many of you will be thinking this show cannot get much weirder, but trust me this show moves in a completely unexpected direction as it moves to a shocking conclusion.

As Paranoia Agent continues to roll to its finale each of the characters that have been affected by Lil Slugger are brought back just to see if his involvement really has brought any peace of mind. These fleeting scenes demonstrate just how little Lil Slugger has brought to the lives of those he apparently 'saves'. But as this show moves to wrap up the stories of all these separate lives as well as the connection between Lil Slugger and the cartoon idol Maromi this show spirals into the realms of madness. And yet Paranoia Agent never actually loses its way. The conclusion to this show is a fitting resolution to all that has come before and serves to neatly tie up the plot threads, even if you may not feel like you really 'got' the ending. But surely shows as good as Paranoia Agent will deserve a second viewing that may just clarify all those doubts?

MVM made a wise choice when they licensed this show for UK distribution, and I hope that anyone out there who has been following this show has enjoyed it as much as I have. My closing thoughts on this show are positive. It has been an experiment in complex storytelling through the medium of animation, and a thoroughly successful one. For anyone who is a fan of Kon's other works then this is surely a no brainer on your part. But for anyone who is looking for a show that challenges the viewer, and plays with your perception of what is going on then this show is very much up your alley.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English Language 2.0; Japanese Language 2.0; English Language Subtitles; Commentary with Satoshi Kon & Production Staff; MVM Trailers

Release information: OUT NOW

Notes: Once again MVM have presented another very nice volume of one of their flagship titles. The commentary track is always a welcome addition to any release, but I do have to say that I find less to connect to when the Japanese creative forces provide the commentary. Perhaps this is due to the way they express their thoughts about the show being rather obtuse, but for me the commentary tracks by the English staff and VA's always seem to ring more true. Even still the commentary does provide a few interesting points of reflection on the show.

-- otaku_kei 5th Jun 06

Paranoia Agent Images