Paranoia Agent

L

louis1016

[sadht]Paranoia Agent[/sadht][sadhl=572]paranoia-agent[/sadhl][sadhdc][/sadhdc]

I just recently completed this series, and I want to know what others thought about it.

I found that it didnt make much sense, and many of the characters introduced were pointless.

People say its the most intelligent anime, yet I thought it just relied on symbols (example: lil slugger representing an easy way out for people to get away with their crimes) to tell a story that is really downright boring and unoriginal.

The final episode was just complete nonsense, although im fairly sure more symbolism rather then literal things were actually taking place, but im just not interested to even rewatch the series or even try to figure anything out.
 
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Re: Paranoia Agent overrated?

Thanks, i never even seen that,

I suppose the japanese audience did get a different experience then what i saw,

but I'm still disappointed overall.. oh well, I suppose its time for me to move on and watch something else.
 
Re: Paranoia Agent overrated?

louis1016 said:
Thanks, i never even seen that,

I suppose the japanese audience did get a different experience then what i saw,

but I'm still disappointed overall.. oh well, I suppose its time for me to move on and watch something else.
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it happens a lot, some people just dont understand japanese folklore. you should get you self a sig
 
Re: Paranoia Agent overrated?

louis1016 said:
I found that it didnt make much sense, and many of the characters introduced were pointless.
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No. A few were, as always, secondary. But its stories do make sense, if you know where to look.


you should get you self a sig
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BTW, you should consider shortening yours. There are no exact guidelines, but this is quite high.
Also, while linking to own sites is permitted, the entire signature consisting of three links to one's accounts on various sites, one in large letters, might be excessive.
 
Re: Paranoia Agent overrated?

louis1016 said:
I just recently completed this series, and I want to know what others thought about it.

I found that it didnt make much sense, and many of the characters introduced were pointless.
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Hmmm, it's a tricky one. I didn't really rate it the first time I saw it for not too dissimilar reasons. But then decided on a re-watch a while ago and I have to say that my impressions have changed for the better.


danielmer said:
read the analysis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranoia_agent#Synopsis
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- huh, had no idea.
 
Re: Paranoia Agent overrated?

Personally, I'd say it's underrated. Sure it has it has its diehard fans that run around singing its praises. However considering how many fans run around ranting and raving about how Great NG: Evangelion or SE: Lain are, I'd say Paranoia Agent could use a little more love.
 
Re: Paranoia Agent overrated?

I really think the thing with overrating NGE comes from the crowd behavior. "I'm not a part of the Ipod herd, because I use Sony Walkman!" - of that sort. NGE is regarded among otakus as something great and "not for all" (sure, almost the most watched anime is of course not for all), for true uberelite only. [And at the same time it's mostly just a mix of emo whining and mecha, nothing to stress the brain.]
So what's the most easy way to become "Walkman nonconformist" of anime? Watch NGE!

Then the newly converted ngetard goes around telling how superior he is to simple narutards. And as it flatters him, he believes it. The narutards finish naruto, finish bleach, finish FMA, and then the ngetard preaching gets to them... and the circle repeats.

Really I haven't seen just one person who would have watched NGE occasionally, on his own, without hearing from otaku, and felt as impressed as people who watched it on advice. I even did tests, people didn't feel anything much about it. The NGE fans have heard of it from other NGE fans, and, that's for sure, their "sempais" have talked of it a lot.

Very unlike the way it happens with, say, Paranoia Agent, most of which fans appear spontaneously, without hearing about it a lot.



NGE is a case where popularity supports itself, like it happens with many weak but famous movies. Go find someone who doesn't like Titanic or thinks it's a poor movie. Now find how many like Poseidon. And the difference between the films is quite meager. These are nice movies, but most people liking Titanic aren't into the genre at all, they just follow the trend.
People watch and adore lots of movies they wouldn't normally even finish, just because they're famous and everyone praises them. It would be strange if the same didn't happen within the much more internally conformist otaku subculture, wouldn't it?

*All "nonconformist" subcultures tend to be very conformist within themselves, the smaller the subculture, the more conformist.
 
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Re: Paranoia Agent overrated?

For the record, I wasn't attacking NGE buy any means, I was just using it as an example. I also apreciate the fact you're defending it actully. There's ALOT of "Let's Hate things that are POPULAR" mentality floating around Otaku circles lately. Pretty soon Otaku's are going to start hating air (the stuff you breath not the anime)/oxygen (once again the stuff you breath, not the channel for women...you know what? Screw it! Elitist otaku are going to suffocate and I won't care).
 
Re: Paranoia Agent overrated?

I really like NGE and i admit that its overrated but for the time it was release it did change the anime industry. i think the paranoia is really good but when it can out in america, people found it boring because it was right after samurai champloo and people did not understand the japanese folklore.
 
Re: Paranoia Agent overrated?

@V16:

I think one of the reasons why Eva is so (overly) praised is not necessarily because of the popularity (other ridiculously popular and marginally overrated shows like Nadesico have since fallen into obscurity). Rather, I think it is generally the first philosophical anime that people are exposed to.

...which is as it should be. Like it or not, anime released after Eva has been heavily influenced by the show. I think watching Eva as one of your first anime is a great choice, not because of quality (for me it's about a 7, about the same quality as Lain) but because it helps put the anime that came after it into perspective.
 
Re: Paranoia Agent overrated?

i think to be honest if anything paranoia agent is highly under rated i dont think many anime fans have either seen it or heard of it.
 
Re: Paranoia Agent overrated?

I found that it didnt make much sense, and many of the characters introduced were pointless.
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I actually enjoyed Paranoia Agent as a [slice of life] sort of show, so all the secondary characters were great things in my mind.

I have to agree that the last episode didn't make much sense to me at all, but the rest of the series was great if you like short stories with a semi-plot holding them together.
 
Re: Paranoia Agent overrated?

tehwalrus said:
I actually enjoyed Paranoia Agent as a [slice of life] sort of show, so all the secondary characters were great things in my mind.

I have to agree that the last episode didn't make much sense to me at all, but the rest of the series was great if you like short stories with a semi-plot holding them together.
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I thought the last episode was a great way to end the series.

The last ep basically wraps up all the story lines for many of the main characters, and they are basically freed from their own delusions and go back to facing reality. As personal demons to the main characters, Naromi and Little Slugger are defeated.

However, since Little Slugger and Naromi where manifestations of problems affecting Japan as a whole, the cycle just begins anew. This is made clear by the fact we have a NEW cute anime mascot to take Naromi's place and we see some characters who clearly haven't learned anything. Japan has to eventually deal with the whole mess again until it's permanently fixed, or the country destroys itself.

It's a LITTLE extreme of a view, but probably not too unreasonable for a country whose face to the rest of the world is often its animated shows and movies and which has a huge suicide rate.
 
Re: Paranoia Agent overrated?

Paranoia Agent was as interesting and disjointed as an anime like this could get without being completely pointless to watch like Ergo Proxy or Bobobo was, to me... FLCL I think had the best mix of them all because while the show had a decernable plot line and consistant timeline of events (no back flashes or forward flashes)... but PA comes in a very close second here so probably not as over rated as some may believe.
 
Re: Paranoia Agent overrated?

space cowboy said:
i think to be honest if anything paranoia agent is highly under rated i dont think many anime fans have either seen it or heard of it.
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Well...i'm currently watching it......so far watched two episode..and it's quite interesting....will continue the rest if i got time.... -.-"
 
Re: Paranoia Agent overrated?

I could only get to episode 6. I picked it up because of Boogiepop Phantom/Paranoia Agent recs. Wasn't it also by the same producers or something?
 
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