Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		2.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Paranoia Agent Blu-ray Movie Review

An essential anime masterpiece.

Paranoia Agent is a mind-trip of an anime series that takes viewers on an outstanding journey unlike anything else out there. A dark, original, and compelling anime, Paranoia Agent explores the human psyche in a compelling and thought-provoking way. Produced by Mitsuru Uda (The Girl in the Sun, Your Eyes Tell) and Satoshi Fujii (Sailor Moon, Ergo Proxy), the anime series aired on the television network WOWOW in Japan and was license rescued for re-release in the United States by Funimation Entertainment (following years as an out of print release by Geneon).

Tokyo has found a new menace – a young boy who has drawn the attention of the media: Lil' Slugger, an unidentified boy who is traversing across the city streets with a big bat and is bludgeoning people unexpectedly while leaving them behind in the dust. Police detectives Keiichi Ikari (Shozo Izuka) and Mitsuhiro Maniwa (Toshihiko Seki) are tasked with investigating the dangerous menace to society and the strange circumstances surrounding the Lil' Slugger and his gold baseball bat. As the mystery starts to unravel, Ikari and Maniwa start to realize that there may be strange connections between the victims of the bat-wielding menace. And the aftermath of the attacks leads to some strange developments. Who is the Lil' Slugger and what is his true aim?

As the series unfolds, the drama begins to delve into psychological territory as it explores the lives of the characters who were victims of the Lil' Slugger attacks. The anime focuses on the characters lives before being attacked and after being hit with a golden bat – and all that is entailed. The series walks a fine line between feeling like a horror-thriller and a psychological character-driven drama. The series is unafraid to ask big questions and to play with the emotions of the audience. The end result is something far more complex and invigorating to watch unfold than a typical anime series.

From creative genius Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue).

The animation is one of the greatest highlights of the program. Under the impressive art direction by Nobutaka Ike (Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers), Paranoia Agent is a visually imaginative series that features striking character-designs and evocative background artwork. The style is unlike most other anime series out there – dark, edgy, and complex animation weaves together throughout each episode. The animators clearly brought their A-game to the production and the end result is a series that is much more cinematic in approach than a typical television program. Without a doubt, Paranoia Agent stands as one of the best visual achievements in the anime medium: the cinematography by Katsutoshi Sugai (Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, Tokyo Godfathers)

The original music score composed by Susumu Hirasawa (Paprika, Millennium Actress) is perhaps the most haunting element of the series. The music score is quirky, offbeat, and unforgettable. The stirring opening theme (perfectly matched to the iconic imagery of the laughing cast of characters) is one of the best theme-songs to any anime series – setting the tone and reminding audiences that they are in for an unexpectedly wild ride. Each episode is given a greater sense of depth and weight through the use of music. When the storytelling is dark and edgy, Hirasawa finds the perfect notes to strike. When the program is quirky and comedic, Hirasawa doesn't miss an opportunity to surprise.

Written and directed by Satoshi Kon (Millennium Actress, Perfect Blue), Paranoia Agent is in certain respects the greatest work of the late auteur filmmaker. Each episode finds a new way to explore the storyline and take audiences on an unforgettable mind-trip. The series is ridiculously dark at times – without ever forgetting to find moments of grace. Kon, one of the greatest of all anime filmmakers, crafted a true gem. A psychological horror-thriller that will keep audiences guessing to the very end, Paranoia Agent is an essential masterpiece. Don't miss it for the world.

Paranoia Agent Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, Paranoia Agent is presented in 1080i upscaled high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. To say that the presentation is lackluster is to put things mildly: the standard-definition source-material (produced during anime's strange transition years between cell-based anime and computer-drawn productions) leaves the art-work in a lower-resolution for the rest of eternity – this masterpiece anime series will never look as good as a naturally filmic production or as sharp as a modern anime finished with our latest technological advances.

As a result, the best that could be done is to upscale the standard-definition source – and give it a bit of a boost in regards to color reproduction and compression. The best thing about the presentation is the evocative colors and the depth exhibited in the vivid reds, blacks, and grays. For those who own the previous DVD editions from Geneon, the uptick in color is likely the most impressive aspect of the entire set. The compression is moderately more impressive as well – although, the fact that the video comes from a standard-definition source is never forgotten. There are many instances throughout the transfers that the interlacing is obvious and a bit of an eye-sore. The art work is never as crisp, clear, or well-defined as a modern high-definition production. Nonetheless, Paranoia Agent is such a unique and compelling visual creation that these high-definition-upscaled encodes manage to preserve the colorful and iconic style of the series nonetheless.

Paranoia Agent Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Dolby TrueHD 2.0 Japanese (with English subtitles) and Dolby TrueHD English 2.0. Either lossless audio option will provide viewers with an exceptionally crisp, clear, and dynamic audio presentation. Though the video-presentation isn't much to write-home-about, the audio tracks are notably better with the lossless encoding. Everything from the iconic opening theme song to the eerie score tracks and the startling sound effects sounds more crisp and well defined on the Blu-ray collection. Despite the lack of a 5.1 surround sound mix, the stereo audio field is reasonably engaging and the audio easily manages to pull viewers in to the story and the complex narrative of Paranoia Agent. A solid encoding.

Paranoia Agent Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Satoshi Kon & Susumu Hirasawa's Paranoia Agent Talk Show (SD, 18:21)

Paranoia Radio: Audio Commentary Episode 11

Paranoia Radio: Audio Commentary Episode 12

Paranoia Radio: Audio Commentary Episode 13

Director Satoshi Kon's Hand Drawn Storyboards for Episode 1 (SD, 21:00)

Paranoia Agent Trailer (SD, 00:32)

Paranoia Agent Promotional Video (SD, 2:26)

Paranoia Agent Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One of the best anime series of the 2000's, Paranoia Agent is a masterpiece of storytelling that takes viewers on one of the strangest journeys ever seen in the anime medium. Under the guidance of the genius auteur Satoshi Kon (Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika), Paranoia Agent is a must-see series. The animation is spectacular and the storytelling will have viewers glued to their seats. There are few programs as compelling as this one.

Long out of print, it is a joy to see that Funimation Entertainment has license rescued the cult-classic anime series. The Blu-ray presentation quality is a bit inconsistent – having been sourced from only standard-definition materials. Yet the series is essential and is worth checking (even if this doesn't manage to feel like an essential upgrade if one already owns a previous release). Recommended.