Paranoia Agent

Swinging into two huge themes in the Japanese collective subconscious - fear of blame/responsibility and escapism - Paranoia Agent feels more like an outlet of raw ideas than a work of great anime storytelling. Some of it is wonderful, some of it is funny, some of it is a misstep (e.g. how the climax -while understandable- discolours the whole thing). Ultimately, it meanders itself into a good offbeat art piece series about facing reality.

Kon's best and most ambitious work, which is really saying something.

Kon had a lot of fun with this one. The visual style of these vignettes was eclectic and surreal, all reflecting off of that same, harsh mirror that Kon held up to us all too well.  It was interesting getting a feel for the lives of these characters, it all felt so tight and purposeful. I put this off for a long time and I wish I hadn’t, but I’m glad I finally came around.

Insane sprawling ensemble series touching on everything from mass hysteria to terrible production assistants. Gossiping housewives. Prostitute alter egos. Suicidal ghosts. That kid with his fucking smile! A strong work from Satoshi Kon. Though I do have to say, the ending was a bit of a let down from the great buildup. Still, very much recommended!

disquieting contemporary anime

the opening alone would get this a near-perfect score. Kon's best, and one of the last great Anime New Wave series brought about in the mid 90s by Eva and its immediate successors.

The series goes nuts later on, but Vol. 1 ('Enter Lil' Slugger') is one of the better animés I've seen.

The story was partly missed some direction, but there were some interesting ideas

I don't know honestly. Very weird and somewhat disturbing, the pacing is all right, but I feel like I didn't enjoy it truly until the last two episodes. The animation style and music I didn't quite like, but the overall vibes were good.

Slow to start but awesome ending