Many works of entertainment are meant to distract you from the pain and anxiety of daily life. Paranoia Agent is the opposite. Satoshi Kon has constructed a universe where the lies that we tell ourselves come to life. Some lies are sweet some are savage but as long as you believe the lie you will never be able to accept the truth. And if theres anything you should take away from paranoia agent its this to grow as a person you need to face reality and accept the pain that comes with it. This show is for people who are willing to work for their entertainment and as long as you are someone who doesnt need a review to tell you what to think you ought to be able to piece together the meaning of paranoia agent. That said SPOILERS AHEAD. The plot consists of three perspectives: the police investigation to arrest a serial street attacker a woman who has a personal connection to the attacker and then a handful of episodic stories of people who were assaulted by said assailant. The episodic stories work together to establish the mythos of a phantom attacker who targets people who are trapped in their lives and feel that being struck down would be preferable to facing the problems before them. Looming deadlines social ostracization fractured personality lack of purpose and familial pedophilia all are explored to their pitiful ends. The stories are not linked together in any meaningful way aside from a desire to escape and the street attacker Shonen Bat is all to happy to oblige. At the height of their anxiety they will see him with his rollerskates and his broken bat. He hunts them down and strikes them in the head knocking them unconscious...or killing them. Those who survive find themselves relieved of their sources of anxiety for better or for worse. Detectives interview these happy hapless victims though cant seem to make any headway in the investigation... until they start considering the impossible. Shonen Bat isnt of this world. At this point in the show all focus is awarded to the detectives in charge of arresting our phantom and the woman whos the source of his power. Together they expose the long forgotten tragedy that birthed Shonen Bat. Paranoia agent is not the most straightforward show. It forces you to think though this isnt a bad thing. You ought to discover what the story means to you and being spoonfed would make for a weaker meaning. Satoshi Kon wants you to internalize Paranoia Agent to get the For some people it may be the kick in the butt that they need to get their lives back on track. lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll