I thoroughly enjoy Adult Swim most nights, but every time Paranoia Agent comes on, does anyone else feel completely lost? Someone clue me in on what I'm missing... or is it supposed to be this unenjoyable?

Also discuss other Adult Swim shows, even though other threads have been devoted to this already.

I dont usually watch Paranoia Agent, but when I do, I''m very lost.

I would like to say that I LOVE Samurai Champloo, or however that is spelled. That show is deliciously animated and the story is exciting and easy to catch onto.

for some odd reason, the planets have aligned and I agree whole-heartedly with Phil the tame goat...

the end is near.

Some anime simply isn't meant to be understood. I know Paranoia Agent is pretty crazy (especially if you start at some random spot in the middle), but you never experience true confusion until you watch FLCL.

Also, AS is not the best place to pick up on anime, seeing how unless you're lucky enough to catch something at the start of the series, a lot will be lost to you. I reccomend locating a fansub and watching those.

And I too agree, Samurai Champloo rocks.

The reason samurai champloo rocks is because its made by the same people who did Cowboy Bebop.

Just want till you get to the ending, its crazy.

I think I got the biggest kick out of the baseball episode xD

Paranoia Agent is meant to be confusing. I've seen all the episodes Adult Swim has aired, and I'm still sorta lost in the sense of no closure (really need to find the fuggin' thing so I can get the ending).

Anime usually are confusing. At least those in series form (meaning most of the time movies are ok). TriGun had its moments, as did Escaflowne and Evangelion (I really need to see Death and Rebirth, that's supposed to clarify the ending). Sometimes, you'll get an anime that isn't that confusing, and just enjoyable to watch, like Samurai Champloo (thus far...) and s-CRY-ed. But, as has been said, jumping into -any- anime in the middle is confusing. Is why I didn't much like Cowboy Bebop (jumped in like half way through and was so lost) the first time I saw it, but now, it's spiffy.

Outlaw Star still sucks, though...

Yeah my roomate was like what is that you are watching? when that episode played, he typically dislikes anime, and only reading the subtitles *i had headphones on* he had a blast watching the episode.

I am usually able to come to some sort of explanation for seemingly incomrehensible shows (for example: I understand nearly every single quirk and aside in FLCL, a series which I absolutely adore by the way). While Paranoia Agent has left me somewhat baffled on a great many points, I still feel that I have a decent grasp on the series and its overall meaning.

Originally the series is a phychological thriller of sorts, revolvoing around solving the mystery of Lil Slugger and his victims; but then it moves into the paranormal when Lil Slugger is revealed as something other than human. From here it takes some time to just go off on a tangent with episodes that serve little purpose other than to show more attacks that are not used for later purposes, and to elaborate upon the growing fear and interest the public feels as the myth of Lil Slugger grows and evolves into a pop-social phenomenon. In the last several episodes it relates both Lil Slugger and Maromi to an event in Sukiko's past with which she was unable to come to terms. Both Lil Slugger and Maromi are seen as social crutches and escapes that people have clung to in order to avoid the difficulties of their own lives. However, rather than keeping this on a metaphorical level, the ending leaves little question that as far as the story's world is concerned, the events and actions surrounding Lil Slugger and Maromi actually occurred, creating devastation on a physical level. This is intended to represent the degree of social degradation that comes when we abandon our goals and our troubles in favor of a comforting lie or fantasy. Essentially the series is supposed to be an allegory for much of what has been happening to Japan's working class over the last several decades; the show is a criticism of a media saturated, fad-oriented, pop-culture devouring society. The makers of the show seem to regard many social woes in modern Japan as problems stemmed from a general unwillingness of the common man to face up to his own troubles and responsibilities. This can be seen most clearly in the last several episodes when the chief's wife stands up to Lil Slugger and later when the chief himself breaks from his fantasies and helps Sukiko to come to terms with her past, an act that brings an end to the carnage and devastation.

At least that is my take on the matter.

Here's one. Why the fuck is Inuyasha so "popular?" I hate that show. It's re-fucking-tarded. It's like all the bad things in high school, with random Japanese things thrown in. So there's the 130 year old demon wolf thingie, a 12 year old Japanese girl from "our time," a horny "monk" that molests all the girls he sees, and then a moody and whiney chick that is a pity whore. The fighting isn't that spiffy (is the same thing over and over again), the dialog is so melodramatic, and the plot is nearly non-existant.

Discuss.

Concurred