CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

i'm trying to choose which of these two animes series should i watch first? i've heard a lot about paranoia agent but i haven't heard that much about mushishi. however, i know that mushishi is a really good anime (well so is paranoia agent) but mushishi sounds more interesting than paranoia agent. so i was wondering if you guys could help me out with some opinions...thanks.

i thought that the ending of paranoia agent sorta sums up all the loose ends? or is this anime really episodic?

is it a good anime though?...

If you don't like excessive violence, I'd avoid the Paranoia Agent. Mushishi was raved in fansub circles as an excellent, quiet anime. From what I've heard, it's a relatively clean anime. Don't take my word as final, since I've only seen a few episodes of this anime, but I'd give it a chance if I were you.

i can handle most violence actually. i don't know much about mushishi. i've heard that it is actually a VERY clean anime but i don't really know much about the story. however, it got high ratings so i thought it might be worth watching. it looks interesting enough...

KhakiBlueSocks wrote:I would suggest you check out Anime News Network--they have a lot of information about different anime, and it states it from an objective POV, so you can compare the two and pick for yourself--

Or just do what any other self respecting otaku with an expendable budget would do...BUY BOTH!!

i know about ANN but all i really learn about mushishi is the plot. i'm just asking for opinions from members of this site. as for buying both, i'm not sure if mushishi is being sold in America yet?...

KhakiBlueSocks wrote:Because I've never seen Mushishi before, I would recommend Paranoia Agent...but only if you're into anime that leaves you really, REALLY confused...

Oh, and if you're a fan of young kids on rollerblades and golden baseball bats, then this is an anime for you!

Uhm.... what? Okay... disregarding what you said... because your information is like... a bit inaccurate XD

I would say both anime. Both are very philosophical. Paranoia Agent is more episodic, subtle, symbolic, and violent. Mushishi is more quiet, still subtle, un-episodic, and quaint.

My vote goes for Paranoia Agent. It may take a number of viewings and some reading (on wikipedia or forums) and discussion to fully understand it. Both are highly respected, and both are masterpieces and works of art.

Mr. SmartyPants wrote:Paranoia Agent is more episodic

when you say that paranoia agent is episodic does the series still basically sum all the loose ends up for you at the end of the series? or does it leave you hanging?

jon_jinn wrote:when you say that paranoia agent is episodic does the series still basically sum all the loose ends up for you at the end of the series? or does it leave you hanging?

By the end, all the loose ends are tied up. A few things are left a bit of a mystery, but they're mostly things that happen to minor filler episodes, and that adds to the interesting discussion. ^^ And even though it's episodic, everything is actually connected--it's just not as obvious the first viewing.

Just to let you know, though--in episode three there's some nudity right in the beginning. If you fast forward through the first few minutes of it it's easy to avoid, but it's something you should be aware of.

I do really enjoy Paranoia Agent, though. Definately comes as recommended by me. ^^

Hey, you want a REALLY confusing anime? Check out Serial Experiments Lain!

XD both Paranoia Agent and Lain confused the heck out of me. I'm not sure I really understood either of them.

Personally, although I haven't finished it, I liked Mushishi better than Paranoia Agent. Paranoia Agent just had me going O.o for most of it. Though I must say, I loved the Happy Family Planning episode. *starts humming the Sore Feet Song*

I plan on watching Mushishi as soon as I finish Cowboy Bebop. The last anime I watched was FLCL (for the 2nd time, I LOVE FOOLY COOLY!) and I haven't heard... anything about Paranoia Agent I don't even know what it's about.

rocklobster wrote:Hey, you want a REALLY confusing anime?

i don't want a confusing anime. i just want an opinion of which anime, mushishi or paranoia agent, would be better for me to watch. anyhow, i still plan on watching both so...

Lain happens to be my #6 favorite all time anime.It's actually a lot more understandable than Paranoia Agent.The ending is sweetly bittersweet,plus the
main theme has a folk song quality to it.
Of course there are controversial aspects to both Lain and PA.

Mushishi... Wow, I've never even heard of that one. I'll hafta check it out...

Paranoia Agent is worth checking out if you can get past the content issues of the first couple of episodes. The level of craftsmanship in the show is far above what most Tv anime manages to pull off. I never really found it too confusing either, though it does take some very unexpected turns and bends reality quite a bit.

i watched both the first episode of mushishi and also the first three episodes of paranoia agent. paranoia agent seems to catch my interest more than mushishi but it IS pretty confusing. however, the confusing parts of paranoia agent make me want to watch more...

The ending of PA is a bit bizaare to say the least.

It's bizarre, but it made sense to me.

....Then again, maybe I'm just weird. XD

mitsuki lover wrote:The ending of PA is a bit bizaare to say the least.

Bizarre yes. Does it symbolically and allegorically represent something? Oh heck yeah. Big time. It's sheer amazement as to how well-crafted Paranoia Agent is.