Paranoia Agent - The Most Terrifying Anime Ever?

This was the hardest video I ever had to do... partially because I'm the most vulnerable I have ever been in this video... and also because I spent HOURS TRYING TO FIND THE RIGHT MUSIC. :P

#anime
#spooktober

[No-Ink]

Paranoria Agent is the example of the mass hysteria taken from the collective unconscious. The mascot was the representative of taking a break from stress, however it was exploited to gain mass appeal. The very thing to help stress causes stress to people that made the mascot and with no way to escape she broke down and had a hallucination of being attacked. This in turn became a means of escape like the mascot and slowly took hold in the collective unconscious. Shonen Bat and Maromi are one and the same.

[dragonpjb]

Well she was suppose to create a popular new character and, she apparently did.

[NeoPotato]

"Sometimes its okay to run away. To retreat into your safe space. It provides a momentary ease of mind. But eventually, you have to face your problems head on. Always falling back to your safe space and escaping can have serious repercussions on yourself and the people around you, creating an illusion that everything is fine"

Is what I got after watching this show.

[OldManMose]

The easiest way to explain the boy with the bat is that he is a Tulpa, a spirit that is created through the very process of imagining it.

[astrochiken]

I find most media to be alien and impersonal compared to Paranoia Agent. Satoshi Kon was an artist who really understood what it meant to be human, and those are hard to come by.

[lazylass]

As someone with autism, I can agree. While most gore doesn't effect me, my real triggers of fear are those in facing reality and breaking under the pressure of reality. It's this haunting emotion of keeping up with the social standard and knowing anyone can crack and fall under it. There are many times I get scared of becoming so trapped in a horrifying state of either uselessness or utter insanity even though I feel like I'm the furthest away from that happening. But the fact it can happen to anyone, it haunts me everyday. I view my mistakes as teetering to an undesirable personality, and try to correct myself. Thankfully I have people who I can lean on that help me understand that is not the case and that I can do it. Not sure if this is something everyone on the spectrum feels, but from my personal experience, I have felt that before. That is why I can never handle psychological horrors cause they hinge too close to my real life fears

[doodlePimp]

Japanese culture often deal with the concept where if enough people believe in something supernatural it gains power to affect the real world. It is often a theme in anime and manga.

[SimnaibnSind]

You did mention that Maromi and Lil' Slugger were filling the same role, but it might also be worth pointing out in creating Lil' Slugger Sagi fulfilled the responsibility she was tasked with even if she and her employers didn't realize it.

[Chronostream]

For reasons I don't seem to understand - and I watched Paranoia Agent on Adult Swim, your breakdown actually had me sobbing at the mention of Ikari's wife. Its a common conclusion - as long as you have something to hold on to, you keep fighting. An overwhelming task, almost sisyphean. You are only held together by your purpose. Without it, there is nothing.

I'm fine now. Just this struck a chord right now.

[Savicurlly]

I always loved Paranoia Agent because I was living in an abusive household growing up. While I was watching, I felt a sense of release whenever someone would have an untimely end and it made me feel like there was validity in some of my darker desires to just go to sleep and never wake up again. It was when I finished the series, after that same talk the officer gave to his wife, that I realized that while I was doing my best the people in my life that were supposed to be protecting me just couldn't. Instead of just accepting the reality that they were trying to force me into, I went against it and discovered that if I truly tried MY best I could go beyond what they ever thought I could. It was a big reason why I was able to rgaduate college, and why I was able to pull my grades up in the first place.

Sometimes, it's in our darkest hour when we have to strain our eyes to see the light that's only a short distance away. And when we get to that light, we can't help but notice all the darkness around us. Worse, sometimes we have to step back into that darkness in order to appreciate the light we once stood in. This anime is so good that I wish more people knew about it, and hearing your experience with it makes me feel validated in my stance. I hope you can take some time for yourself and listen to the trees cheer you on as you go through life, feel the warm encouragement from the sun, and breathe in the fresh winds of change during a storm. Your videos are awesome, and I can't wait to watch more.

[thetalantonx]

You always manage to make me feel better by taking me through the darkness.

[finalbreath]

The intro to the anime says it all, unsettling laughter and a somewhat uncannily giddy song. There's a disorienting quality to it that was just so well done.

[BROLY]

This is one of the most amazing anime I have seen
The twists in every episode and the atmosphere changing
Like from funny to creepy
You don't know when it's going to be change
It shows you what you are not expecting
I love this

[nottheguru]

As someone with ADHD, I've been confronted by this beast, this responsibility many times. I acutely feel stress, especially social stress. So much like you, Max, this anime hit me hard.

And yes, Mrs. Ikari's confrontation with Shonen Bat was truly brilliant storytelling, especially for the message. Satoshi Kon will be greatly missed.

[remygallardo]

I appreciate your candid explanation for your fears, as someone else on the spectrum I also have a very unusual experience with fear. For me though I find the most terrible media I can consume revolves around the loss of the ability to communicate, in any capacity. For me that fear is born primarily from being born deaf and recovering my hearing when I was nearly 4. My ability to communicate is incredibly valuable to me, dare I say the one thing I value the most. And then on top of that you factor in autism, the inability to communicate effectively, the misunderstanding of the invisible world of neurotypical communication that defies explanation. Movies where people lose their communication and thus agency terrify me greatly. The Shape of Water, while heartwarming in the end, is a tragic and heartbreaking movie to me. While comedic, I cry uncontrollably in scenes of Kung Fu Hustle when the mute love interest of the main character tries desperately to communicate her silent admiration to the main character. Horror is a fickle thing on the spectrum, significantly more personal and all the more terrifying as a result.

[HollyLeymeister]

As a person with PTSD, not autism, I must say that delving into darkness cinematically is both breathtaking and enjoyable.

[rickwong]

Paranoia Agent is not just an anime but a documentary about the slow and steady 'downward spiral' of modern Japan.

[deltacharlieecho]

You’re not alone with psychological thrillers being the only kind of media that you find legitimately frightening. There is something masterful in creating media that tapes done enough into the introvert mind that it forces the viewer to face real life demons as a result. There is nothing more terrifying than having to face a real fear.

[themyth]

This was easily the most well explained and thought out breakdown of Paranoia Agent. Most explanations from other channels left me with questions and things I still didn’t understand. Yours on the other hand made the whole story click for me. Phenomenal job!

[kalypsodeepsea]

No wonder this terrified you. But if anything, this proves that you are strong. Yes, we all face horrors in our lives, and the very definition of life is to suffer. But there is a way to cope, and that is to see the positive things. If you are doing your best, then, don't let your negative thoughts poison you. The people who are in some sort of relationship with engage with you because they want to. As long as the right people are in your life, you are not alone. And they can help you cope and see the good, when all you can see is the bad. ☯️