Paranoia Agent - Sayonara Maromi (Vol. 4)
As Satoshi Kon's intriguing and disturbing urban fantasy builds to its climax, the rumors about the murderous Li'l Slugger and the popularity of the cute little dog character Maromi spiral out of control. Gorged on media hype, Li'l Slugger and Maromi threaten to engulf Tokyo. The filmmakers evoke various anime genres and visual styles in these episodes: Ikeda enters a two-dimensional, idealized version of the past; Maniwa sees himself as the righteous hero of a supernatural adventure, dispensing justice and vengeance. Maromi becomes the star of his own TV series, and Li'l Slugger appears as a demon. As he did in the featuresPerfect BlueandMillennium Actress, Kon skillfully blurs the boundaries between reality and fantasy: neither the characters nor the viewer can be certain what exists and what is the product of a deranged imagination. At a time when critics and filmmakers complain that anime has settled into formulae,Paranoia Agentstands out as a work of unsettling originality. (Rated 16 and older: violence, tobacco and alcohol use)--Charles Solomon