- Paranoia Agent Dub Or Sub
- Paranoia Agent Episode 3 English Dub 2
- Paranoia Agent Episode 3 English Dub Sub
- Paranoia Agent is a Japanese psychological thriller anime series created by director Satoshi Kon and produced by Madhouse. Music for the series was composed by Susumu Hirasawa.3 The series premiered in Japan on WOWOW from February 2, 2004 to May 18, 2004. Paranoia Agent was previously licensed in North America by Geneon Entertainment who produced an English dub.
- All throughout episode 8 of Paranoia Agent, 'Happy Family Planning', we see the main characters for that episode trying to kill themselves and failing in slapstick-y fashion, over and over.Then the oldest of the three, Fuyubachi, starts to take a pill, suddenly seems to be having an attack of whatever the pills are supposed to ward off, it seems like he might die.
Paranoia Agent Dub Or Sub
DVD 3: Serial Psychosis
| Synopsis: | |
Lil' Slugger/Shonen Bat becomes a legend as word of his exploits spreads. To those who are suicidal he is a savior; to others he is a favorite topic of gossip and the subject of a growing body of urban myth. To those struggling to get the animated show Maromi the Dog on the air, though, he is a deadly menace who seems intent on striking down the entire staff. | |
| Review: | |
With the aptly-named “Serial Psychosis” writer/director Satoshi Kon steps Paranoia Agent away from the main storyline established in the earlier two volumes to look at the peripheral effects of Lil' Slugger's actions and growing infamy. In one episode we have a mismatched trio merrily trying to figure out the least messy way to commit suicide and lamenting that Lil' Slugger hasn't come to visit them yet – and when he finally does, the result isn't what you might expect. (Pay careful attention to the artistry towards the end of the episode, after the trio's encounter with Lil' Slugger, or you'll miss a telling revelation which only throws up a whole fresh batch of questions about the episode.) In another episode, women gossip about the alleged exploits of Lil' Slugger, with some of their stories being quite far-fetched. The volume rounds out by bringing back Maromi, the doglike creation of the distressed Tsukiko, in a faux behind-the-scenes story about the deaths involved in the production of his anime and a troubled gopher/production assistant in the midst of them – although Lil' Slugger is, of course, also involved. That episode is also noteworthy for providing a rare breakdown of what, exactly, the various positions listed in the credits are responsible for in the production of an anime episode. What these episodes do not do is give any kind of continuation on story elements raised in the first two volumes. Although the episodes are all creative and well-written, whether or not “Serial Psychosis” actually contributes much to the Paranoia Agent story beyond furthering the mystique of Lil' Slugger is debatable, as these three episodes have the feel of filler. We are talking about the work of Satoshi Kon, though, so it's entirely possible that their importance and relevance will become apparent in the fourth and final volume. There's certainly no shortage of the series' typical disconcerting elements laced throughout these episodes, especially the way some characters move their mouths when they talk or the jaunty tunes we hear while characters set up their own suicides. And let's not forget the seemingly happy girl who can't be more than 10 or 11 who seems as fiercely committed to killing herself as the two older men she has a suicide pact with. (Never let it be said that Kon isn't daring in his subject matter!) The artistry and technical merits of Paranoia Agent continue to be superb, easily making it one of the top titles of the past year in both regards. Its artistry doesn't stick out as much as some other titles because it isn't as bright, flashy, and pretty, which is why you might not notice the quality at first. Character designs favor rounded features and, unlike with most anime titles, the artists aren't shy about using unattractive and unappealing designs even for protagonist roles. The quality of the work is still exceptional, though. Also, the artists have discovered exactly how creepy a character with an oversized mouth and big teeth looks when talking and exploited it fully, which suits the series quite well. Backgrounds and their integration with the character animation are as good as you'll see in series animation, and animation itself doesn't get much smoother. Also watch for some creative stylistic effects in episodes 9 and 10. Musical scoring and sound effects are very well-done, with the director knowing exactly when to let a scene pass without accompaniment or spruce it up with appropriate – or in some cases diametrically inappropriate - ditties. Music and graphic elements come together to produce one of the best-made and most effective openers of recent memory; any good opener should not only be quality work but should also set the tone for the series, and Paranoia Agent's opener has both factors strongly in its favor. (Anyone else find those maniacally laughing heads to be at least a bit unnerving?) The odd closer is also a delight to watch. Cast credits in the closer list each character with both their English and Japanese voice actors at the same time, which is always a plus in my book. The English script for Paranoia Agent is done the way a good dub script should be done: stay as close to the original script as possible, but alter wording where necessary to keep it sounding smooth. The only notable discrepancy between the two scripts is one place where a mother refers to her son's “dinner” in the dub but “midnight snack” in the sub. And people will, of course, quibble endlessly over the English script translating Shonen Bat to Lil' Slugger (although, interestingly, there are a couple of places where “Shonen Bat” sneaks into the dub, too). The dub itself is well-done; that it's not one of the better examples of lip-synching out there is irrelevant to the evaluation, since clearly that was sacrificed to maintaining the flow of the dialogue. All of the cast members are New Generation regulars who turn in uniformly solid performances, though the roles in this volume are never longer than a full episode. Extras found on “Serial Psychosis” include company previews, character designs, and the cover art from the Japanese releases of the DVDs. The reversible cover on this and other volumes features some of this original cover art. Menu Design is also good, with a separate “signs only” subtitling option as well as a full English sub option – which is, like any proper anime DVD production, separate from the language options. The graphic content in this volume is as bloody as in previous volumes and subject matter is mature. This is a series for adults, not the kiddies. Anime fans have been waiting for years for Satoshi Kon to finally produce a series, and he's certainly not disappointing with this effort. Paranoia Agent is not only creative and original but a perfect example of a series where all the show's elements combine together to establish a certain mood. It is an unsettling, disconcerting series, but that's exactly what it was meant to be. |
| Grade: | |
Overall (dub) : A- Story : B+ Art : A + top-rate artistry and technical merits, excellent at setting mood | |
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What with the alternate selves and identity questions, this week's Paranoia Agent largely played out like a very concise version of Perfect Blue. Slideshow producer professional. As the episode proceeded, Harumi's approaching.
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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.
Paranoia Agent Episode 3 English Dub 2
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.
Paranoia Agent Episode 3 English Dub Sub
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.
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