In 2004, a peculiar series took the anime world by storm. Investigative stories can be compelling on their own, but Paranoia Agent brought something extra to the genre that still gives fans chills. However, the series was released at a time when anime wasn’t nearly as popular as it is today, which means that it flew off the radar of many potential fans. In a couple of months, however, this will be corrected — MVM announced that the series is getting a gorgeous steelbook Blu-ray edition, barely a year after its 20th anniversary. The special edition hits shelves on August 11.
Paranoia Agent centers around a series of violent crimes that start taking place in Musashino, Tokyo. In the incidents, people are attacked with a bat, and the attacker gets around the city on inline skates. The problem is, the only suspect is a little boy who, in theory, shouldn’t be able to overpower full-grown adults. So what is going on? Police detectives are assigned to figure out the case and, more importantly, why the victims were selected.
To say that Paranoia Agent is a must-watch is an understatement. The anime series hails from the mind of Satoshi Kon, the Japanese filmmaker responsible for bringing several masterpieces into the world, including animated movies Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress and Paprika. Kon also helmed Tokyo Godfathers, which is considered one of the best anime films ever made. At Rotten Tomatoes, Paranoia Agent boosts a perfect 100% score, which only underscores its quality.
Who Is The Team Behind ‘Paranoia Agent’?
Paranoia Agent was written by Seishi Minakami, a prolific anime series creator who penned the screenplay of titles like Beyblade, Bakuman, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts. Due to its short run — it’s only 13 episodes long — Paranoia Agent is the kind of easy binge that stays with you long after you’ve watched it.
The studio that brought Paranoia Agent to life is Madhouse, Inc., which later became famous for several other high-profile titles like Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Trigun (which is getting a sequel series soon), Parasyte: The Maxim, the first season of One-Punch Man and three of the biggest anime titles in the world — Death Note, Hunter x Hunter and surprise hit Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. Paranoia Agent was just one example of the studio heads’ knack for detecting top-quality stories.
The Paranoia Agent Blu-ray steelbook hits shelves on August 11. You can already preorder it at the Anime On-Line website.