Paranoia Agent Volume 2

So where to start with reviewing Paranoia Agent #2? This is not the kind of series that lends itself well to brief critical appraisal- to simply class this is a “mind bending” thriller would not be doing justice to some disturbing characterization and such an exciting visual flair. If you thought you had Paranoia Agent figured after the first four episodes, Satoshi Kon will destroy your assumptions with this decidedly supernatural volume; what started out as a straight forward thriller is fast becoming a chilling (dare I say it) ghost story. We are no closer to understanding Paranoia Agent, but that is all a part of the fun; this is a series that demands speculation and assumption.

We ended the first volume on something of a cliff hanger; Shounen Bat (aka Lil’ Slugger) had been caught and arrested. So that’s the end of the series before it even started right? Wrong. Paranoia Agent is anything but conventional.

Shounen Bat is interrogated by police detectives and it becomes apparent that he is nothing more than a delusional kid with an over active. He eventually claims to be behind a few of the attacks but his eccentric behaviour hardly fills the police with confidence. Naturally, this leads them to assume that most likely Shounen Bat never existed and to confirm their wasted time, they recall the young first victim Tsukiko Sagi to again recall the night of her attack. At the climax of her mental recollection and amidst accusations of being a liar, Tsukiko collapses as if hit by an invisible weapon.

For the benefit of a brief synopsis above, I’ve ignored an important element from this volume; another new victim of Shounen Bat. She is a young girl whose fall from grace is perhaps the most disturbing yet. I don’t want to spoil the surprise for you but suffice to say; it’s becoming clear now that Shounen Bat only “attacks” the people that need (or are even asking for) help.

The big question we are left with is “who or what is Shounen Bat?” I’ve now all but lost hope that “he” is a physical boy- there are certain things here that suggest he is some kind of metaphysical manifestation of human trauma, a savoir of those suffering from extreme mental stress; whether or not the appearance of Shounen Bat is merely a form of paranoid reasoning used by his victims to escape from the fact that they are essentially harming themselves is up for debate. This is the brilliance of Paranoia Agent; Satoshi Kon has created a genuinely thought provoking narrative here, a deliberately paced thriller sprinkled with the occasional revelation only to snatch it away moments later with yet another mind blowing twist.

The first episode on this volume is perhaps the most vivid example of Kon’s visual flair. In a move reminiscent of his earlier work Millennium Actress, the viewer is (and his interrogators are) literally sucked into the bizarre thoughts of the impostor Shounen Bat. This is a massive departure for this previously gritty, realistic and downbeat series and provides us with some much needed comic relief before the next round of shocking characters and gruelling speculation.

In Summary

At the risk of constantly repeating myself, Paranoia Agent is a brilliant series. It’s now obvious that Satoshi Kon’s trademark of toying with the mysterious human psyche is going to play a massive part in determining the eventual series outcome.

I can’t help but highly recommend Paranoia Agent #2; anime fans who like a bit of mental bite to their pretty series will cherish this fine series. It may be sounding a bit too heavy for some, but Kon directs in such a way that the narrative is never frustratingly obscure or intentionally smug.