Bad Movie Logo
"A website to the detriment of good film"
Custom Search
HOMEB-MOVIE REVIEWSREADER REVIEWSFORUMINTERVIEWSUPDATESABOUT
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?
March 29, 2024, 12:34:01 AM
713383 Posts in 53058 Topics by 7725 Members
Latest Member: wibwao
Badmovies.org Forum  |  Other Topics  |  Television  |  Paranoia Agent: What does it all mean? (SPOILER ALERT!) « previous next »
Pages: [1]
Author Topic: Paranoia Agent: What does it all mean? (SPOILER ALERT!)  (Read 22380 times)
Fausto
Bad Movie Lover
***

Karma: 134
Posts: 926



WWW
« on: July 28, 2007, 11:43:04 PM »

For those not in the know, Paranoia Agent is a 13 episode Anime series following a series of brutal attacks in Tokyo, and the strange circumstances surrounding both the attacker and his victims. The show, created by Satoshi Kon (Tokyo Godfathers, Millenium Actress) was featured on adult swim and is currently available on DVD in the US. If you have not seen the entire 13 episode series (or at least do not know how it ends), STOP NOW. Otherwise, scroll down.









*   *   *












Okay, so you've seen the show and know how it ends. So the question remains: what does it all mean?

According to an interview with Satoshi Kon (an extra feature on the DVD), the idea resulted from the concept of a person feigning injury or weakness to avoid responsibility - for example, a child claiming to be sick to get out of school. Though starting as a ruse, the child may feel actual symptoms, either because he is exaggerating minor problems, such as a headache or a bit of queasyness, or convinces himself he is ill to such an extent that symptoms appear.

The series deals with both supernatural and psychological themes, though its difficult to tell where the psychological ends and where the supernatural begins. In the case of Little Slugger, the attack on Tsukiko Sagi at the beginning was, as the old homeless woman testified, most certainly faked. Sagi hurt herself and placed the blame on a nonexistant being, just as she had as a child. However, the attack became public, and people began thinking of Little Slugger as a real person. Others, also dealing with serious issues, began using the character as an escape valve. As the "attacks" continued, the more the public believed in Little Slugger's existance, and the more real he eventually became.

The show is loaded with symbolism and metaphors, much of which would be almost impossible to decipher without a working knowledge of Japanese culture and history. The following link is to an article in a Japanse American news site and provides the best explanation for the series as a whole:

http://www.nichibeitimes.com/articles/artsent.php?subaction=showfull&id=1155242640&archive=&start_from=&ucat=3&
« Last Edit: July 28, 2007, 11:47:06 PM by Fausto » Logged

"When I die, I hope you will use my body creatively." - Shin Chan

"Tonight, we will honor the greatest writers in America with a modest 9 by 12 certificate and a check for three thousand dollars...three thousand dollars? Stephen King makes more than that for writing boo on a cocktail napkin." - Jimmy Breslin
Pages: [1]
Badmovies.org Forum  |  Other Topics  |  Television  |  Paranoia Agent: What does it all mean? (SPOILER ALERT!) « previous next »
    Jump to:  


    RSS Feed Subscribe Subscribe by RSS
    Email Subscribe Subscribe by Email


    Popular Articles
    How To Find A Bad Movie

    The Champions of Justice

    Plan 9 from Outer Space

    Manos, The Hands of Fate

    Podcast: Todd the Convenience Store Clerk

    Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

    Dragonball: The Magic Begins

    Cool As Ice

    The Educational Archives: Driver's Ed

    Godzilla vs. Monster Zero

    Do you have a zombie plan?

    FROM THE BADMOVIES.ORG ARCHIVES
    ImageThe Giant Claw - Slime drop

    Earth is visited by a GIANT ANTIMATTER SPACE BUZZARD! Gawk at the amazingly bad bird puppet, or chuckle over the silly dialog. This is one of the greatest b-movies ever made.

    Lesson Learned:
    • Osmosis: os·mo·sis (oz-mo'sis, os-) n., 1. When a bird eats something.

    Subscribe to Badmovies.org and get updates by email:

    HOME B-Movie Reviews Reader Reviews Forum Interviews TV Shows Advertising Information Sideshows Links Contact

    Badmovies.org is owned and operated by Andrew Borntreger. All original content is © 1998 - 2014 by its respective author(s). Image, video, and audio files are used in accordance with the Fair Use Law, and are property of the film copyright holders. You may freely link to any page (.html or .php) on this website, but reproduction in any other form must be authorized by the copyright holder.