Monday, April 9, 2012

妄想代理人 (もうそうだいりにん)= PARANOIA AGENT

 わたしの 一ばん 好きな アニメは 妄想代理人 です。 とてもおもしろいあにめ です。 そして 少し こわい です。
Paranoia Agent is a very complex and interesting anime. It is the story of a serial attacker dubbed lil' slugger (In Japanese he is referred to as 少年バット as in bat boy, which sounds slightly less weird) who attacks people when they are at some sort of emotional impasse. Each episode follows a different character that has some sort of serious emotional or psychological problem. By the end of the episode, once their condition has spiraled beyond their control, they are usually attacked by lil' slugger. This format is used to explore many social problems in Japan, particularly stress, bullying, and suicide. While the subject matter is often bleak, it makes a very mature and culturally relevant anime. Ultimately, the series has a fairly uplifting message.

My favorite episode is about a young boy nicknamed ichi who tends to be very arrogant and prone to bullying. While he considers himself very popular, his generally cocky demeanor lose him all of his friends and social standing. It is interesting that even a character that is sort of a terrible person can be sympathetic.

This series is far too complex to describe in detail here, but I recommend it to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers or would like a unique look at Japanese culture.

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