Paranoia Agent (UMD)

Paranoia Agent is a truly well-animated series with an interesting structure. It twines together the stories of seemingly unrelated characters who are all somehow connected to a rollerblade-wearing kid committing serial assault with a baseball bat. This release is marred, however, by a problem common to most anime series that have come out on UMD--the fact there is only one volume.

"Li'l Slugger," as the teenaged assailant is called in the English version of Paranoia Agent, is the glue that ties the series together. The first episode is about a character designer with the artistic equivalent of writer's block who is attacked on her way home. She is the one who first offers the description of the bad guy to the police: he wears golden rollerblades and a baseball cap, is junior-high age, and attacks with a bent golden baseball bat.

In the second episode, our character-designer protagonist becomes a minor character, and instead the action switches to a super-popular rollerblading kid. People have begun to suspect him of being Li'l Slugger.

That's All?

The series continues in this way, with a police duo attempting to track down the evildoer by investigating each incident. Unfortunately, if you're watching this anime on UMD, you won't know that, because not only is this volume the only one out on UMD, but it only has two episodes on it. Also unfortunately, two episodes per UMD isn't uncommon, with many of the other anime releases being the same. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is a notable exception, with four episodes, while Samurai Champloo has four UMD volumes available.

Nothing Extra

Also like most UMD releases, Paranoia Agent Volume 1 doesn't have any extras (GitS is the notable exception here, too). There aren't even any trailers, though the packaging is at least nice. The cover insert takes advantage of the clear box, with some nice art on the back, and the usual "Quick Start" instructions actually lists chapter stops on the back.

The Verdict

Whatever the shortcomings of the UMD offering (and I continue to have hope, as I really like watching anime on my PSP), Paranoia Agent is fantastic viewing. If you get a good deal on the UMD, go for it, then watch the rest on DVD.