Admit it.

It's natural for a person to deny he's a failure as a human being. That's why he (or she) searches for somebody who is more miserable than himself.

That's why so much animosity exists on the internet. Those who aren't able to find a more miserable person turn to the internet and call other people losers, even though they've never met. Just to make themselves feel superior.

Isn't that pathetic? There's a sense of security that comes from speaking badly of someone else. But... that isn't true salvation. Wouldn't you feel more relieved simply by admitting that you're a failure of a human?

-From Welcome to the NHK

Paranoia Agent

Recently, I realized that the medium does not matter, what's important is the message it delivers (although I admit that some mediums suit their messages more). So, I turned to anime. I've watched only those considered significant, those considered to be psychological animes that gives your brain a good massage.

The series I've watched ranges from those that begin with a good start and suddenly taking a depressive turn, only ending with the human race dying and a new world created with endless discourses in the nature of human suffering and reality (Rahxephon / Evangelion) to those that are just plain mind boggling and filled with so much social propaganda that makes your mind explode with all the allusions, illusions and philosophical discourses on human nature (Paranoia Agent).

I just finished watching Paranoia Agent and the story was, well to cite a review, it mind-raped me. The series was a 13 episode discussion on how humans refuse to accept reality because of traumas, psychological disorders and desires that man buries so very deep inside of them. The series also provides social commentary on topics ranging from consumerism, capitalism, mass media, regret and self-pity in such a symbolic way that many are not understood, much more are unanswered. Utilizing a wide range of characters that portray in such an accurate and diverse way the many personalities found in modern society, Paranoia Agent's main message is how people search for a temporary "messiah" to cure their wounds, those that have been sustained by a reality that they cannot accept. The antagonist in the story serves as the "messiah", releasing people from the realities in their life that they can't accept and robbing them of the opportunity of accepting this reality eventually as time goes by.

Paranoia Agent also has a habit of mixing reality and the surreal which reminds you of the flexibility of the chosen medium. This habit, unfortunately, screws with your mind so much that it turns off viewers and people with more mainstream tastes run off to find the latest episode of Naruto or Bleach or whatever is popular today.

As you can notice, this is not a proper review. This is an early morning ranting that does not deserve to be called a review, but a product of 4 cups of coffee. I've resisted giving out the story because it was so well crafted and executed in a very off-centered, out of the ordinary way that summarizing it for the viewer would be a very very big shame.


To those whose interest is aroused on Paranoia Agent, prepare to be mind-raped.

My head is spinning

An individual can only recognize oneself as an individual when a point of reference (another person) exists.

You cannot see yourself unless there are other people around.