Paranoia Agent: A Case-Study of Fear and Repression. Paranoia Agent, despite being extremely short, is a very intriguing series to watch.Its disturbing imagery plays upon our innermost fears and the characters we're introduced to show the various forms fear can take. Paranoia Agent (Japanese: 妄想代理人, Hepburn: Mōsō Dairinin) 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 (the English equivalent to Shōnen Bat, which translates to 'Bat Boy').The plot relays between a large cast of people affected in. 'Enter Lil' Slugger' is the first episode of Paranoia Agent.
Paranoia Agent, despite being extremely short, is a very intriguing series to watch. Its disturbing imagery plays upon our innermost fears and the characters we're introduced to show the various forms fear can take. For those who have never seen Paranoia Agent before, it's set in cotemporary Japan, beginning with a young woman named Tsukiko Sagi, who is being pressured by her company to create a new character that is just as popular as Maromi, a cartoon dog with pink fur and extremely large eyes. But one evening as she's walking home, a mysterious boy wearing rollar blades assaults her with a gold baseball bat. While the police are doubtful of her story, they send two detectives Keiichi Ikari and Mitsuhiro Maniwa out to catch this kid, dubbed Lil' Slugger, who is assaulting other people as well. Unfortunately, the only clue these detectives have to go on is that Lil' Slugger usually assaults someone who is on the verge of a mental breakdown.
The cause of these breakdowns is unique for every victim Lil' Slugger attacks (see Fig. 1), but they typically come from some deep-seated psychological problem that is brought to its full-height by fear. For this reason, they are unable to deal with their present circumstances. This inability then causes them to look for something that will alleviate their problems, whether it be something as masochistic as Lil' Slugger, or deceptively comforting as Maromi. But what it all boils down to is repression, and its consequences.
For example, there is one kid named Taira Yuuichi who is extremely egotistical and conscious about how others view him. While he tries to hide these flaws through his role as class president, his popularity starts to rapidly decline when the students start comparing him to Lil' Slugger because of his age and what he wears. He even goes to the point of suspecting another kid for spreading the rumors, though he has no actual proof. So by the time Lil' Slugger knocks him out with the bat, Taira's fear of losing his status as the popular kid has overwhelmed him completely. But what occurs after he's hit is very interesting, because despite having a head injury, Taira is no longer stressed, and he doesn't remember what caused it.
The same thing happens to the other victims, but as the series progresses, we discover that these so-called 'cures' are only temporary. This in turn causes the fear to return, and Lil' Slugger feeds off of these fears until he nearly consumes all of Japan. Now whether he is real or not is debatable, but what the show implies is that he's a psychological demon created from Tsukiko's denial when she accidentally killed a puppy, who happened to be named Maromi, when she was a little girl. So when she created the character Maromi many years later, the reppressed guilt began to surge, and then combined with the fear of losing her fame if she couldn't meet her company's demands, Lil' Slugger came back, and she once again used him as an excuse to hide from her troubles. But because she was so famous, the image of Lil' Slugger spread into the unconsciousness of the millions who heard the police report, who was then summoned by the mentally deranged who needed a form of escape, which included a sleazy reporter, a woman with split-personality disorder, a man whose ideals clash with a low-life reality, a boy who sees the world as a role-playing game, and a mediocre employee who murdered everyone on his production team.
All of these people are so far off the beaten path that fear is like a disease to them, and the only solution is through self-inflicted pain, which temporarly makes them forget it. But not everyone is completely clean, because as the influence of Lil' Slugger increases, so does the popularity of Maromi. Born out of a disturbing event that Tsukiko tries to forget, Maromi also represents repression, but with a more comforting appeal. While Lil' Slugger's demeanor is dark and frightening, Maromi's is innocent and cuddly (see Fig. 2). Its adorable face makes one forget one's troubles in an instant, taking them to a happier place that lies outside of real life. However, the characters who experience this are completely out of touch from reality, leading to a false black-and-white interpretation that lingers as long as the complex fears remain reppressed. An example of this occurs when Keiichi, after being laid off the Lil' Slugger case due to a suspect being murdered under his and Mitsuhiro's pr0tection, falls into a vivid daydream where he's back in the days of his prime as a cop while being accompanied by Maromi and a younger version of Tsukiko posing as his daughter, even though he never had one. Eventually, images of his wife start to appear, reminding him of the fear he has for her weak health and their shaky marriage. Through her, he learns of her recent death, which snaps him out of the false reality he's created under Maromi's influence.
So as you can see, despite Maromi and Lil' Slugger's differences in terms of promoting repression, they are similar in that they were made by the same person, and they both feed on the fears of people to sustain their existence. However, their attempts at reppressing people are thwarted by certain individuals, namely the detectives and eventually Tsukiko, because instead of giving into their fears, they accept them in some form. For Keiichi, it was the love for his wife that gave him the courage to realize the truth about Lil' Slugger. Meanwhile, Mitsuhiro decided to take the path of the spiritual warrior, allowing him to confront Lil' Slugger on a physical and psychological level. As for Tsukiko, it was accepting the guilt of her previous actions, and that was what ultimately destroyed her inner demons.
What do you think? Leave a comment.
SO. This season I get to do some classic episodic reviews for ANN, diving into Satoshi Kon's one full-length series. I was excited to start this one, and the first episode definitely didn't disappoint – we're already playing in some compelling psychological headspace and front-and-center themes, all elevated through Kon's excellent direction. Anime rarely managed to do horror well, but Kon makes it look easy, consistently setting an atmosphere of distrust and hinted violence. This should be a fun ride!
You can check out my full writeup over at ANN, as well as my full notes below!
Opening with that maniacal laughter opening the shadow of the bomb. Things are not right here. Things are terribly wrong
So, modern paranoia, obviously. Fake laughter in the shadow of oblivion
Those great establishing shots with strong sound design, like in Perfect Blue. Warcraft 3 free game download. Incidental sound – here, a jackhammer in city traffic
People arguing and lying on their phones. Again, distrust of the modern age, of technology
It builds into static, and then fades to a little old man who looks a bit like Einstein writing a complex equation, ending with mc squared =
'Enter Lil' Slugger!' More of these great match cuts and natural transitions
Tsukiko Sagi's our lead, who designs mascots. Empty characters. A very modern age job
Maromi was her big hit character
'Everybody's so looking forward to your next miracle!' A job all about the 'spark'
Hatomura is her boss, breathing down her neck
Creepy old lady in the trash, disappears. The light fades. Building white noise, again, slowly complemented by a train warning
Paranoia Agent Episode 13
Another one of those great match cuts – the bat coming down into pens falling from their container
Vaguely remembering details of the assailant (short, fifth or sixth grade, a bat), and then the ringing alarm comes back
PUBG Online is an online version can be played for free on the PC browser without downloading. This is a well-made multiplayer online shooting game. Simulate realistic buildings and battlefields, and experience teammates' cooperation and exciting battles with rivals to survive. You can create rooms and invite friends to fight together. Pubg game free. PUBG MOBILE delivers the most intense free-to-play multiplayer action on mobile. Drop in, gear up, and compete. Survive epic 100-player classic battles, payload mode and fast-paced 4v4 team.
And now we see the 'genius old man' comatose in a wheelchair at the hospital
One of the cops doesn't believe her, the other's a creep
The detectives roll off the equation, revealing the answer to be '510'
Akio Kawazu is the scummy reporter looking for a scoop
'It's widely known that there's been an increase in juvenile offenders in society' What's wrong with the youth of today?
'It's not my son!'
'This is the result of our repressed society having the worst impact on those who are the most vulnerable… our children.' Directly after a scene of kids looking at porn, facilitated by an adult
'We have to teach children about the difference between the real world and virtual world'
Other kids also talking about kids today, and what they've read on the net
'Keep the violence in the videogames!' says a kid. The adults search for easy answers that absolve themselves, the kids are more integrated
The same thing happens to the other victims, but as the series progresses, we discover that these so-called 'cures' are only temporary. This in turn causes the fear to return, and Lil' Slugger feeds off of these fears until he nearly consumes all of Japan. Now whether he is real or not is debatable, but what the show implies is that he's a psychological demon created from Tsukiko's denial when she accidentally killed a puppy, who happened to be named Maromi, when she was a little girl. So when she created the character Maromi many years later, the reppressed guilt began to surge, and then combined with the fear of losing her fame if she couldn't meet her company's demands, Lil' Slugger came back, and she once again used him as an excuse to hide from her troubles. But because she was so famous, the image of Lil' Slugger spread into the unconsciousness of the millions who heard the police report, who was then summoned by the mentally deranged who needed a form of escape, which included a sleazy reporter, a woman with split-personality disorder, a man whose ideals clash with a low-life reality, a boy who sees the world as a role-playing game, and a mediocre employee who murdered everyone on his production team.
All of these people are so far off the beaten path that fear is like a disease to them, and the only solution is through self-inflicted pain, which temporarly makes them forget it. But not everyone is completely clean, because as the influence of Lil' Slugger increases, so does the popularity of Maromi. Born out of a disturbing event that Tsukiko tries to forget, Maromi also represents repression, but with a more comforting appeal. While Lil' Slugger's demeanor is dark and frightening, Maromi's is innocent and cuddly (see Fig. 2). Its adorable face makes one forget one's troubles in an instant, taking them to a happier place that lies outside of real life. However, the characters who experience this are completely out of touch from reality, leading to a false black-and-white interpretation that lingers as long as the complex fears remain reppressed. An example of this occurs when Keiichi, after being laid off the Lil' Slugger case due to a suspect being murdered under his and Mitsuhiro's pr0tection, falls into a vivid daydream where he's back in the days of his prime as a cop while being accompanied by Maromi and a younger version of Tsukiko posing as his daughter, even though he never had one. Eventually, images of his wife start to appear, reminding him of the fear he has for her weak health and their shaky marriage. Through her, he learns of her recent death, which snaps him out of the false reality he's created under Maromi's influence.
So as you can see, despite Maromi and Lil' Slugger's differences in terms of promoting repression, they are similar in that they were made by the same person, and they both feed on the fears of people to sustain their existence. However, their attempts at reppressing people are thwarted by certain individuals, namely the detectives and eventually Tsukiko, because instead of giving into their fears, they accept them in some form. For Keiichi, it was the love for his wife that gave him the courage to realize the truth about Lil' Slugger. Meanwhile, Mitsuhiro decided to take the path of the spiritual warrior, allowing him to confront Lil' Slugger on a physical and psychological level. As for Tsukiko, it was accepting the guilt of her previous actions, and that was what ultimately destroyed her inner demons.
What do you think? Leave a comment.
SO. This season I get to do some classic episodic reviews for ANN, diving into Satoshi Kon's one full-length series. I was excited to start this one, and the first episode definitely didn't disappoint – we're already playing in some compelling psychological headspace and front-and-center themes, all elevated through Kon's excellent direction. Anime rarely managed to do horror well, but Kon makes it look easy, consistently setting an atmosphere of distrust and hinted violence. This should be a fun ride!
You can check out my full writeup over at ANN, as well as my full notes below!
Opening with that maniacal laughter opening the shadow of the bomb. Things are not right here. Things are terribly wrong
So, modern paranoia, obviously. Fake laughter in the shadow of oblivion
Those great establishing shots with strong sound design, like in Perfect Blue. Warcraft 3 free game download. Incidental sound – here, a jackhammer in city traffic
People arguing and lying on their phones. Again, distrust of the modern age, of technology
It builds into static, and then fades to a little old man who looks a bit like Einstein writing a complex equation, ending with mc squared =
'Enter Lil' Slugger!' More of these great match cuts and natural transitions
Tsukiko Sagi's our lead, who designs mascots. Empty characters. A very modern age job
Maromi was her big hit character
'Everybody's so looking forward to your next miracle!' A job all about the 'spark'
Hatomura is her boss, breathing down her neck
Creepy old lady in the trash, disappears. The light fades. Building white noise, again, slowly complemented by a train warning
Paranoia Agent Episode 13
Another one of those great match cuts – the bat coming down into pens falling from their container
Vaguely remembering details of the assailant (short, fifth or sixth grade, a bat), and then the ringing alarm comes back
PUBG Online is an online version can be played for free on the PC browser without downloading. This is a well-made multiplayer online shooting game. Simulate realistic buildings and battlefields, and experience teammates' cooperation and exciting battles with rivals to survive. You can create rooms and invite friends to fight together. Pubg game free. PUBG MOBILE delivers the most intense free-to-play multiplayer action on mobile. Drop in, gear up, and compete. Survive epic 100-player classic battles, payload mode and fast-paced 4v4 team.
And now we see the 'genius old man' comatose in a wheelchair at the hospital
One of the cops doesn't believe her, the other's a creep
The detectives roll off the equation, revealing the answer to be '510'
Akio Kawazu is the scummy reporter looking for a scoop
'It's widely known that there's been an increase in juvenile offenders in society' What's wrong with the youth of today?
'It's not my son!'
'This is the result of our repressed society having the worst impact on those who are the most vulnerable… our children.' Directly after a scene of kids looking at porn, facilitated by an adult
'We have to teach children about the difference between the real world and virtual world'
Other kids also talking about kids today, and what they've read on the net
'Keep the violence in the videogames!' says a kid. The adults search for easy answers that absolve themselves, the kids are more integrated
Paranoia Agent Ep 1 Dub
Tsukiko checking her message board, which gets progressively more awful. Kon definitely gets the internet
Aaand Tsukiko's already talking to her animated mascot. The animation of the mascot, how it waddles around with its huge bobble head and floppy limbs, is fantastic
Akio finds her drawing in the old woman's tarp, and convinces her to talk with him
Paranoia Agent Episode 11
Akio's a creep too
'You're not finished yet?'
Once again building tension across the cuts. Heavy breathing, the building mechanical sounds, the drink perspiring, Akio making those awful slurping noises
And now she's limping down the street being pursued by him
