5 Anime Like Paranoia Agent, Must Watch

The Japanese anime television series Paranoia Agent, directed by Satoshi Kon and produced by Madhouse, is about a societal phenomenon in Musashino, Tokyo, brought on by a young serial attacker named Lil’ Slugger (the English translation of Shonen Bat, which translates to “Bat Boy”).

The action is narrated by a massive cast of characters who are all somewhat impacted by the occurrence; these are frequently Lil’ Slugger’s victims or the police tasked with finding him. Details about each character’s private lives and the truth about Lil’ Slugger are revealed as they become the center of the narrative.

The quiet character designer Tsukiko Sagi, who made the wildly successful pink dog Maromi, is under pressure to duplicate her success. One evening as she makes her way home, an elementary school boy on inline skates attacks her. Keiichi Ikari and Mitsuhiro Maniwa, two police detectives, have been tasked with the investigation. Until they hear that a second victim has been found, they believe Tsukiko is lying about the incident.

The assailant, known as Lil’ Slugger (Shenen Batto in Japanese, which translates to “Bat Boy”), is soon held accountable for several violent street attacks in Tokyo. Only three specific features, including the boy’s golden inline skates, baseball cap, and weapon—a bent golden baseball bat—remain in the memory of the victims. None of them can recall the boy’s face. Maniwa and Ikari set out to find the offender and stop his misdeeds.

1. Boogiepop Phantom

Boogiepop Phantom
Boogiepop Phantom

You’ll adore Boogiepop Phantom’s eerie episodic storytelling if you liked the horror anthology structure of Paranoia Agent. Boogiepop Phantom, like Paranoia Agent, hinges on a homicidal mystery that is more based on urban legend than actual events.

Rumours are circulating that a new string of murders occurred five years after a strange sequence of killings terrorized a Japanese community. The Boogiepop Phantom, a boogieman reputed to kidnap anyone unlucky enough to meet her during the night, is in the middle of this struggle.

Streaming on Crunchyroll and Amazon Prime.

2. Monster

Monster
Monster

Monster is a compelling psychological thriller about a doctor filled with guilt for effectively saving the anti-Christ, even if it is never as aesthetically surreal as Paranoia Agent.

Dr. Tenma’s choice to operate on young Johan Liebert rather than the town’s mayor comes back to haunt him nine years later, proving that no good deed goes unpunished. Johan, a gorgeous and heartless serial killer who has been nurtured to become the next Adolf Hitler, frames Tenma for a string of killings. Tenma is now committed to clearing his name and putting an end to the monster he once saved.

Available on Amazon Prime and Netflix.

3. Death Note

Death Note
Death Note

Death Note is a psychological thriller similar to Paranoia Agent and Monster in that it centers on a cerebral cat-and-mouse game between Light Yagami and L.

Before being introduced to the terrifying abilities of the Death Note—a book that can instantly kill any victim whose name is written inside its pages, in any manner created by its author—a shinigami monster by the name of Ryuk, Light was a disinterested high school student. The light utilizes Death Note to build a perfect society. Still, world-famous investigator L is alerted by the startlingly high murder rate.

Showcasing on Hulu and Amazon Prime.

4. Ergo Proxy

Ergo Proxy
Ergo Proxy

Ergo Proxy provides an I, Robot-style mystery in a futuristic yet postapocalyptic universe for a more cyberpunk spin on Paranoia Agent. The only remaining human population resides in the octagonal city of Romdo. Still, the final hope for humanity’s survival is in jeopardy due to a string of killings carried out by artificial androids.

The “AutoReivs,” androids designed to hasten humanity’s recovery, are coming into contact with a particular sickness, causing them to become self-aware. The task of looking into these deaths has been given to Inspector Re-l Maye and her AutoReivs partner Iggy.

Available on Hulu and Netflix.

5. Shigofumi

Shigofumi
Shigofumi

A supernatural drama called Shigofumi: Letters from the Departed examines the gloom of the afterlife. Shigofumi is spiritual messengers that bring the last words of the unexpectedly deceased to a loved one still living. The “after dead letters” frequently contain sentiments that the deceased could not have expressed in life or identify the perpetrators.

A young postal carrier named Fumika discovers that she is still aging, indicating that she may still be alive. However, shigofumi mail carriers are dead people who are no longer mature.

Streaming on Amazon Prime.

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