Paranoia Agent

Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Psychological

Plot Summary: An elementary school boy on roller blades dubbed Lil’ Slugger (Shounen Bat) is said to be responsible for a series of mysterious hit-and-run assaults in Tokyo. The circumstances are always the same: none of the victims can recall the boy’s face and only two distinct details are left in their memories - golden roller blades and the weapon, a golden baseball bat bent like a dog’s leg.

Two police detectives, Keiichi Ikari and Mitsuhiro Maniwa, are assigned to the case to track down the perpetrator and put an end to his violent and random spree. What at first may seem like a typical act of juvenile vandalism soon turns out to bear the signature of an unclear evil. The attacks never leave their victims as they were before as each victim before the attack is overcome by stress, depression, or an emotional trauma created by their environment, their past, or their secrets. They are so overwhelmed that they enter a state of paranoia as they fight their inner demons. After a good smack in the head, they seem as if that their emotional trauma has been alleviated. Starting with the first victim Tsukiko Sagi, a shy character designer who created the immensely popular pink dog Maromi, the detectives follow what little clues they have and try to apprehend the boy. But just when they think they got it solved, things get more complicated as they reach the end of their line.