Name	Paranoia Agent
Ja kanji	妄想代理人
Ja romaji	Mōsō Dairinin
Genre	Mystery, Psychological horror, Satire, Thriller

Type	tv series
Director	Satoshi Kon
Studio	Madhouse
Licensor	Madman Entertainment Geneon MVM Films
Licensor other	Dybex Anime Virtual Sandrew Metronome MC Entertainment
Network	WOWOW, Animax
Network en	G4techTV Canada Adult Swim
Network other	MCM Animax Hyper Cuatro Canal 9 ZTV
First	February 2, 2004
Last	May 18, 2004
Episodes	13

is a Japanese anime television series created by director Satoshi Kon and produced by Madhouse about a social phenomenon in Musashino, Tokyo caused by a juvenile serial assailant named Lil' Slugger (Shōnen Bat, or Bat Boy in the original Japanese version). The plot relays between a large cast of people affected in some way by the phenomenon; usually Lil' Slugger's victims or the detectives assigned to apprehend him. As each character becomes the focus of the story, details are revealed about their secret lives and the truth about Lil' Slugger.

The series first aired on Japan's WOWOW between February 2, 2004 and May 18, 2004. A series of four English dubbed and subtitled DVDs produced by New Generation Pictures were released in North America and Europe between October 26, 2004 and May 10, 2005 distributed by Geneon. A UMD version of Volume 1 was made available on October 10, 2005. The English dubbed version began airing in the U.S. on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on May 28, 2005 followed by an encore airing that began on June 6, 2006. In Canada, it began a run on the digital channel G4TechTV Canada on July 27, 2007, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Creation

During the makings of his previous three films (Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, and Tokyo Godfathers), Paranoia Agent creator Satoshi Kon was left with an abundance of unused ideas for stories and arrangements that he felt were good but did not fit into any of his projects. Not wanting to waste the material, he decided to recycle it into a dynamic TV series in which his experimental ideas could be utilized.

In the case of a film to be shown at theatres, I'm working for two years and a half, always in the same mood and with the same method. I wanted to do something that allows me to be more flexible, to realize instantly what flashes across my mind. I was also aiming at a sort of entertaining variation, so I decided to go for a TV series.

Synopsis

Tsukiko Sagi, a shy character designer who created the immensely popular pink dog Maromi, finds herself under pressure to repeat her success. As she walks home that night, she is attacked by an elementary school boy on inline skates. Two police detectives, Keiichi Ikari and Mitsuhiro Maniwa, are assigned to the case. They suspect that Tsukiko is lying about the attack, until they receive word of a second victim.

Soon the attacker, dubbed Lil' Slugger (Shōnen Bat in Japanese, meaning "Bat Boy") is blamed for a series of street assaults in Tokyo. None of the victims can recall the boy's face and only three distinct details are left in their memories: golden inline skates, a baseball cap, and the weapon: a bent golden baseball bat. Ikari and Maniwa set out to track down the perpetrator and put an end to his crimes. Their hunt is unsuccessful, however, and the investigation eventually leads to both men losing their positions as police detectives.

As the attacks continue, it is revealed that they are not random. Instead, Lil' Slugger seems to target people in crisis, and the attacks, though violent, lead to some improvement in the life of the victim. Maniwa becomes convinced that Lil' Slugger is a supernatural force, driven to rescue the desperate from their tragedies through violence. He becomes obsessive, broadcasting his warning about Lil' Slugger via shortwave radio and seeking a way to kill the supernatural assailant.

As public fear of Lil' Slugger intensifies, so do his (supposed) attacks, and the line between truth and fiction become blurred. At the same time, public anticipation for the launch of the Maromi television series reaches a fanatical high, almost as if the fear of one is feeding (and feeding off) the anticipation for the other.

Things come to an end on the night that the Maromi show is set to air. Ikari, now a private security guard, and Maniwa, now a wandering "knight," attempt to battle Lil' Slugger, now an incredibly powerful force. They confront Tsukiko, and she confesses that Maromi was based on a real puppy that Tsukiko had in childhood, whose leash she had one day accidentally dropped, allowing the puppy to run into traffic where it was killed. Instead of taking responsibility for the puppy's death, young Tsukiko invented a story about a bat-wielding, skate-wearing puppy killer—Lil' Slugger's first "attack."

Ultimately, Lil' Slugger is a paranormal figment of Tsukiko's guilt and fear, brought inexplicably to life when the adult Tsukiko desperately needed to escape her responsibilities and then fed and nurtured by the fear of the populace. In a way, Tsukiko does fulfill her job by creating a character (Lil' Slugger) that becomes just as big a sensation as Maromi. When Tsukiko finally confesses the truth, and in doing so accepts the guilt for the death of Maromi, Lil' Slugger is defeated.

Characters

Although Paranoia Agent has an ensemble cast of characters, the following five are the main characters for the plot. : One of the central characters of the series, she is a famous, but timid character designer best known for a cartoonish dog named Maromi. She carries a plush toy copy of Maromi everywhere. She is Lil' Slugger's first apparent victim in the series, and the catalyst who jump-starts the plot. : The enigmatic figure the series revolves around. He appears as a grinning, baseball cap-wearing juvenile who travels on golden inline skates and attacks people with a gold-colored metal baseball bat that is curiously bent. : One of two police detectives assigned to investigate the attacks by the Lil' Slugger. He is extremely old fashioned and yearns for the simpler, less hurried times; he is often chastised for this by his young and idealistic partner Mitsuhiro Maniwa. Detective Mitsuhiro Maniwa : Young, idealistic, and a flexible thinker, Maniwa is the perfect complement as well as foil to the more rustic Keiichi Ikari. He is open-minded and unconventional in his methods. : Maromi is a popular Sanrio-esque mascot created by Tsukiko Sagi. A pink dog with big black eyes and droopy ears, Maromi is a parody of real life (relaxing characters), such as tarepanda and rilakkuma. In Tsukiko's presence (usually when she is alone), Tsukiko's plush Maromi toy walks, rolls its eyes, and talks to Tsukiko.

Names

Many of the characters in Paranoia Agent are often referred to with animal names, especially in each "Prophetic Vision" (a segment at the end of each episode that previews the next) and the episode "The Holy Warrior," in which some characters are depicted as animal-like creatures. In many cases, their Japanese names translate directly to the type of animal which they are referred to as: "sagi" means heron, "kawazu" is an archaic term for frog, "ushi" means cow, "tai" means sea bream or red snapper, "chō" means butterfly (chō-cho can also mean butterfly, possibly alluding to her split personality), and "hiru" means leech. Kamome means seagull.

Episodes

DVD

Paranoia Agent Volume 1 – Enter Lil' Slugger (October 26, 2004, Geneon, DVD)

Paranoia Agent Volume 2 – True Believers (January 11, 2005, Geneon, DVD)

Paranoia Agent Volume 3 – Serial Psychosis (March 8, 2005, Geneon, DVD)

Paranoia Agent Volume 4 – Sayonara Maromi (May 10, 2005, Geneon, DVD)

Paranoia Agent Complete Collection (July 5, 2005, Geneon, 4-DVD set)

Soundtrack

The music in Paranoia Agent was composed by Japanese electronica pioneer Susumu Hirasawa.

Opening theme: by Susumu Hirasawa

Ending theme: by Susumu Hirasawa

Film adaptation

The Japanese cult-film director Takashi Shimizu announced plans for a movie adaption of the anime.

References

External links

Paranoia Agent official website

Madman.com.au, Madman Entertainment's Official Paranoia Agent Website

Category:2004 television series debuts Category:2004 television series endings Category:Anime of 2004 Category:Anime with original screenplays Category:Films directed by Satoshi Kon Category:Geneon Category:Madhouse Category:Paranoia Agent

Name	Satoshi Kon
Birth date	October 12, 1963
Birth place	Kushiro, Hokkaidō, Japan
Death date	August 24, 2010
Other names	Yoshihiro Wanibuchi
Occupation	Animator, film director, mangaka
Years active	1984–2010
Spouse	Kyoko Kon (?–2010 (his death))
Website	http://konstone.s-kon.net

(October 12, 1963 – August 24, 2010) was a Japanese anime director and mangaka from Kushiro, Hokkaidō and a member of the Japan Animation Creators Association (JAniCA). He was a graduate of the Graphic Design department of the Musashino Art University. He is sometimes credited as in the credits of Paranoia Agent. He was the younger brother of guitarist and studio musician Tsuyoshi Kon.

Biography

Early life

Satoshi Kon was born on October 12, 1963. Due to his father's job transfer, Kon's education from the fourth elementary grade up to the second middle school grade was based in Sapporo. Kon was a classmate and close friend of mangaka Seihō Takizawa. While attending Hokkaido Kushiro Koryo High School, Kon aspired to become an animator. His favorite works were Space Battleship Yamato (1974), Heidi, Girl of the Alps (1974), Future Boy Conan (1978) and Mobile Suit Gundam (1979), as well as Katsuhiro Otomo's . Yasutaka Tsutsui served as an influence on Kon's drawings. Kon graduated from the Graphic Design course of the Musashino Art University in 1982.

Early career

While in college, Kon made his debut as a mangaka with the short manga Toriko (1984) and earned a runner-up spot in the 10th Annual Tetsuya Chiba Awards held by Young Magazine (Kodansha). Afterward, he found work as Katsuhiro Otomo's assistant. After graduating from college in 1987, and wrote the script for Katsuhiro Otomo's live-action film World Apartment Horror. In 1995, Kon served as the scriptwriter, layout artist and art director of the short film "Magnetic Rose", the first of three short films in Katsuhiro Otomo's omnibus Memories.

Directing

In 1993, Kon scripted and co-produced the fifth episode of the original video animation JoJo's Bizzare Adventure. A suspense story centered around a pop idol, it was the first film by Kon to be produced by Madhouse. Aside from maintaining three elements of the novel ("idol", "horror" and "stalker"), Kon was allowed to make any changes he desired. Coincidentally, Kon's next work would also feature the theme of the blending of imagination and reality. Millennium Actress was the first Satoshi Kon film to feature Susumu Hirasawa, whom Kon was a long-time fan of, as composer.

In 2003, Kon's third work, Tokyo Godfathers, was announced. The film centers on a trio of homeless persons in Tokyo who discover a baby on Christmas Eve and set out to search for her parents. Tokyo Godfathers cost more to make than Kon's previous two films (with a budget of approximately 300,000,000 yen),

In 2004, Kon released the 13-episode television series Paranoia Agent, in which Kon revisits the theme of the blending of imagination and reality, as well as working in additional social themes. The series was created from an abundance of unused ideas for stories and arrangements that Kon felt were good but did not fit into any of his projects.

In 2006, Paprika was announced, after having been planned out and materializing for several years. The story centers on a new form of psychotherapy that utilizes dream analysis to treat mental patients. The film was highly successful and earned a number of film awards. Kon summed up the film with - roughly, "Everything but the fundamental story was changed." Much like Kon's previous works, the film focuses on the synergy of dreams and reality. Kon died on August 24, 2010 at the age of 46.

Influences

Satoshi Kon's most prominent influences were the works of Philip K. Dick and Yasutaka Tsutsui. Western films also served as an influence, most notably George Roy Hill's Slaughterhouse-Five (1972), The City of Lost Children (1995) and the works of Terry Gilliam (particularly Time Bandits (1981), Brazil (1985) and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989).

Filmography

Writer

Memories (Magnetic Rose) (1995)

Millennium Actress (2001)

Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

Paprika (2006)

Director

Perfect Blue (1998)

Millennium Actress (2001)

Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

Paranoia Agent (2004)

Paprika (2006)

Good Morning (part of Ani*Kuri15) (2008)

The Dream Machine (2011) (To be released posthumously)

Animator

Roujin Z (1991)

Perfect Blue (1998)

Millennium Actress (2001)

Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

Manga

Toriko (虜)

Kaikisen (海帰線) Fine Arts Publisher ISBN 4-568-73003-1

World Apartment Horror (ワールド・アパートメントホラー) Based on the original work of director Otomo Katsuhiro

Seraphim (セラフィム ～2億6661万3336の翼～) Based on the original outstanding volume of incomplete work of Oshii Mamoru

OPUS (Incomplete special volume compilation)

Paprika, Dream Children (パプリカ。ドリームチルドレン) Original draft, first work aimed at juvenile readers.

It is thought that after his statement that he intended to create Science Fiction works aimed at a younger audience that this was the prototype for successive works.

Literary works

"KON'S TONE – the Road to Millennium Actress" (「千年女優」への道〜)（2002, Shoubunsha）

References

External links

Personal website

Interview

English translation of Satoshi Kon's last words

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH SATOSHI KON

Category:1963 births Category:2010 deaths Category:Anime directors Category:Cancer deaths in Japan Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer Category:Japanese film directors Category:Madhouse people Category:People from Hokkaidō