Paranoia Agent
Seen it?2004 | 1 seasons | 25 min | Animation, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Saturday SpecialWhy it’s a Saturday Special
Critics loved it (100% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it's still drawing plenty of interest, despite a short run with a modest audience. A strong pick for the weekend.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who likes to be kept guessing, sci-fi fans and animation lovers. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Tense and unsettling.
- The pace
- 1 season: a few weeks of evenings, short, snackable episodes, about 5 hours in all.
- What might put you off
- Rated TV-MA: meant for adults.
- It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
Musashino, Tokyo. An elementary schooler repeatedly attacks people in the streets. Known only to the public as "Lil Slugger", none of the victims can recall the young boy's face and only three distinct details are left in their memories: golden inline skates, a baseball cap, and the weapon: a bent golden baseball bat. Detectives Ikari and Maniwa set out to track down the perpetrator and put an end to his crimes.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
100% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesSolid
7.9 out of 10
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Reach & staying powerBelow par
Ran for 1 season and reached a modest audience; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactStrong
About 246K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Created by Satoshi Kon
- Mamiko NotoTsukiko Sagi (voice)
- Daisuke SakaguchiLil' Slugger / Makoto Kozuka (voice)
- Haruko MomoiMaromi (voice)
- Shozo IizukaKeiichi Ikari (voice)
- Toshihiko SekiMitsuhiro Maniwa (voice)
- Hisako KyodaMysterious Old Woman (voice)
- Ryuji SaikachiMysterious Old Man (voice)
- Kenji UtsumiAkio Kawazu (voice)
- Mayumi YamaguchiYūichi Taira (voice)
- Makoto TsumuraShōgo Ushiyama (voice)