Batter Up!

Paranoia Agent (or Mōsō Dairinin) is a 2004 mystery thriller anime created by the late Satoshi Kon (who directed classic anime films like Paprika and Perfect Blue) and animated by Madhouse.

A mysterious street assailant suddenly appears one night in the city of Musashino, Japan. Victim accounts describe him as a boy of grade-school age wearing inline skates and wielding a crooked baseball bat. Thus, townsfolk have given him the nickname “Lil’ Slugger” (or Shonen Bat). Each episode follows the lives of his victims, and the two police detectives investigating the case, Keiichi Ikari and Mitsuhiro Maniwa. As more people fall victim and the case gets deeper, Ikari and Maniwa learn that Lil’ Slugger isn’t a normal street assailant and, perhaps, might not even be human.

Much like a lot of Kon’s work, this anime is trippy. It uses a lot of bizarre imagery and animation that scrambles your brain. However, I believe that it works well with the confusing nature of the show. Even though some of the animation is outlandish, it’s still executed beautifully and looks pretty smooth. The episodes themselves vary in quality story-wise. Some will be incredibly gripping and leave you wanting more. On the other hand, some are incredibly stupid and make you want to stop watching. Luckily though, the majority of episodes are the former. That being said, I enjoyed this anime a great deal. My favorite thing about it is the portrayal of Lil’ Slugger as this enigmatic, phantom-like entity that no one knows who or what he is. I especially like the juxtaposition of him being so mysterious while his design is so plain.

I would give you my thoughts on some of the episodes, but you should experience them for yourself. If you’re a fan of mystery, psychological horror, and trippy visuals, I’d highly recommend this anime.