Forum SettingsEpisode Information
Forums
New
What did you think of this episode?
DO NOT discuss the source material beyond this episode. If you want to discuss future events or theories, please use separate threads.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
Pages (2) « 1 [2]
Jul 27, 2017 12:32 PM
Offline
Mar 2013
302
Liked Chono but don't like the story
Aug 13, 2017 9:59 AM

Offline
Jun 2014
654
that's one really felt perfect blue vibes
Sep 19, 2018 6:45 PM

Offline
Jun 2013
6123
Great episode, even though it did confuse me quite a bit.
Feb 14, 2019 1:51 PM
Offline
Aug 2017
11
Fantastic episode. Great editing and plotting. The second half was so well done and cinematic.

Intrigue and insanity building up nicely.

It did kinda feel too much like Perfect Blue but I'm not complaining. That's what I was hoping for anyway.
May 15, 2019 10:07 AM
Offline
Aug 2018
1230
Third episode and it's already so intense. Shonen Bat found his 5th victim.
So many characters that have a screw loose, one way or another.



It's amazing to see how Maromi, which appears to be some sort of coping mechanism for Sagi, manages to shield her from everything that involves "Shounen Bat".
Something is up with that "toy". Sagi tries to remember how she saw someone resembling "Shounen Bat" in the past, he blocks it.
He turns off the TV when the policeofficer Hirukawa (one of "Marias" clients) is about to talk about the arrested suspect.
Aug 30, 2019 10:22 PM

Offline
Feb 2017
2389
I like how there's a slight thread that connects all of Shounen Bat's victims so far. Hard to say how "real" that perpetrator is, but it makes me think that he's like a mind-virus that attaches to distressed people before somehow manifesting?
Sep 26, 2019 12:24 PM

Offline
Oct 2013
7761
Incredible. This episode was just incredible. "Paranoia Agent" is surprising me in every episode of it.

Poor teacher. Her disorder made her life very problematic. It could be even more dramatic if in fact Hiromi was fake personality and Maria was the real, main one.
Oct 1, 2019 10:25 AM

Offline
Mar 2017
483
I might get some flak for this, but this, imo, is the worst episode of the series, and a black mark against the series as a whole, and this is coming from someone who loves this series deeply.

Harumi's experiences are a grotesque misrepresentation of Disassociative Identity Disorder. The idea that she has an 'evil' personality and that her two personalities are trying to fight each other and take over is like something out of a schlocky B-movie, and is really a disappointing blunder in a series that overall, felt like it had pretty good grasp on psychology.

There's also the fact that the only sex worker in the series is a villainous side of an otherwise pure and traditionally domestic woman... barf

I'd honestly rec most watchers skip this one. It's not exactly plot rlevant other than setting up Harumi as a victim of Lil' Slugger.
"Bang." -Spike Spiegal

"Everything... is connected." -Lain Iwakura

"Life is too short to watch bad anime. Long Live the 1st Episode Drop." -InkSpider

"Anime fans make me embarrassed to be an anime fan." -InkSpider
Jan 14, 2020 7:17 PM
Offline
Apr 2016
13215
That was just CRAZY. The alter ego struggling was a fascinating sight; it was perplexing, terrifying, and beautiful! The prostitute version of her didn't seem to struggle too much, while the real one seemed to get consumed by utter insanity day after day. An awful balance. Makes me wonder what triggered the alter ego in the first place... Seems like Shounen Bat is targeting ill people, and that honestly makes me wonder really hard--is he trying to help? I was confused at first by how he's not killing anyone, despite very clearly knowing what he's doing--if he even is a person--or even real.
May 1, 2020 9:55 PM

Offline
Jun 2016
231
When the episode started, i thought "ok, is a hooker" but when she took off the wig my mind blew up and turned into pieces.
May 3, 2020 12:38 PM

Offline
Apr 2017
30
This time we are dealing with a woman with a split personality.
One personality (Maria) deals with prostitution at night and second (Harumi) is a
teacher/tutor during the day. And yes she's the same tutor teaching the boy from the previous episode.

Yuuichi Taira was also attacked so it was not a dream.
Perhaps the only good thing about it is that they will stop bullying him.

That random propose.

She decided to end Maria's existence. However, it turns out that she cannot
control her other side.

Her second self is taking over more and more control.
This clown make up was thought-provoking. And in the end, she was attacked too by a strange boy with a golden bat.

More strange is that the victims feel much better after the attack than before.

May 9, 2020 11:02 PM

Offline
Mar 2014
1448
Had a feeling that kid's teacher had a dirty secret other life, but I wasn't expecting this. Nothing like a strong blow to the head to make the voices stop
May 23, 2020 6:00 AM

Offline
May 2016
12381
This definitely had the some hardcore Perfect Blue vibes and I think that I liked this more than the movie~ I definitely felt bad for Harumi when she was trying to leave her secret life behind only to be thwarted by her other self again and again.

I'm starting to see a connection between the victims of Shonen Bat and I'm curious on who the next one will be like.

The old guy's drawing this time was a butterfly, most likely relating to Harumi Chono's name since "chou" refers to such in Japanese. Her grasp on her identity slowly floating away is pretty reminiscent of a butterfly too.








Jun 17, 2020 12:00 AM

Offline
Jul 2016
819
Okay correct me if I'm wrong, but every victim so far has some sort of mental disorder?

Sagi has delusions that Maromi talks and acts as some sort of comfort because she is shunned at work.
Ichi is a narcissist that will do anything to remain the best in everyone's eyes.
Harumi has multiple personality disorder, so she struggles to understand her identity
Jul 31, 2020 1:34 AM

Offline
Jul 2019
89
This might be one of my favorite anime episodes ever
Aug 14, 2020 8:15 PM

Offline
Jul 2020
680
Damn, I thought that attack with Yuichi is just part of his delusion. So it was real after all.

And Harumi suffering from Dissociative identity disorder and some hallucinations and delusions make this episode really interesting.

I’m still thinking if that character Maromi is connected with the victims as it constantly appears (or maybe just because of its popularity).
SoraaaxiiAug 14, 2020 8:18 PM
Nov 13, 2020 8:41 PM
Offline
Jul 2018
564491
like someone else said, this episode has somewhat of a similar theme to perfect blue. i really like stuff like this.umm oh yea and i just remembered that she was his tutor so i feel like all of these victims definitely gotta be connected. my favorite episode so far, the show keeps getting better.
oh and the part where she was fighting her personalities in the street before getting attacked by shonen bat was probably my favorite scene
Feb 5, 2021 8:08 AM
Offline
Oct 2019
4226
it was interesting that she was the kid's tutor, but this one felt a bit different than the first two episodes. it wasn't so much what society and others were saying about/doing to the main character, but that the main character was having internal struggles of her own

I guess she had multiple personality disorder? schizophrenia? Idk

Unsure of how the victims all fit together. Unsure if Ichi was truly a victim or if he injured himself to get empathy from his classmates

back to questioning if little slugger is even real, or if he's just some sort of manifestation of...something
HagePotPotatoFeb 5, 2021 8:05 PM
Mar 19, 2021 1:47 AM

Offline
Aug 2012
3305
Loved it, definitely brought memories of Perfect Blue back to mind. Leaving phone messages to communicate between the two sides was a really clever too, both in practically but it also managed to make them act of having a message horrifying. And in terms of psychological horror, this is definitely the strongest episode thus far, they did a really good job of conveying Harumi's condition and the trauma along with Maria's constant rejection of Harumi's rejection. The VA was incredible too. The series all had a lot of great cuts and transitions that really elevated the material, and I'm interested though somewhat skeptical by the ending developments of Shonen Bat being caught.
Apr 26, 2021 9:15 PM
Offline
Nov 2020
269
This episode was absolutely amazing. I haven't seen anything quite like this since episode 20 of Ergo Proxy.
Jul 27, 2021 10:09 PM

Offline
Mar 2018
245
Hands down a masterclass episode, I enjoy the direction this series is going very much.
Aug 23, 2021 1:03 AM

Offline
May 2019
816
Love the new character perspective here in each episode thus far.

I wasn't sure if Ichi was attacked in the last episode or if he was hallucinating/imagining it out of paranoia. That was exemplified brilliantly.

The split in Harumi/Maria's personality really adds to the character and that psychological, eerie feeling of the show. It's pretty rare that someone has split personalities, mind, Kon really loves to play with this concept (like in Perfect Blue).
The tension just keeps building and it really plays with OUR minds as viewers, it's so well done.

There sure is a central theme of victimization of very emotionally and mentally vulnerable people. Not only that, the detective pointed out that people look relieved after their attacks. I wonder where that's headed.

Again, I love the character designs.



Oct 14, 2021 10:47 PM

Offline
Jul 2016
1677
ohhhhh MAN

the part where she's repeating the answering machine's message until her other personality, maria's voice disappeared and then reappeared inside her head was so masterful. now that's a little bit of horror. something that should stay outside our psyche in the real world, doesn't leave. it's relocated itself to somewhere worse where we truly cannot escape from it: our mind. GODDAMN GOOD
Nov 3, 2021 8:42 PM

Offline
Jan 2015
1996
Miserable situation with the disorder but amazing episode like the last one. Show has an incredible structure that's really pulled me into it, I'm loving this already, probably my favourite Satoshi Kon work if it keeps delivering.
Dec 10, 2021 2:17 PM
Offline
Nov 2020
2445
This episode was straight out of Perfect Blue! The different personalities/hallucinations vying for power reflects the different images of Mima Kirigoe and all the different characters played by the old lady from Millennium Actress. Satoshi Kon does it yet again!
Jul 18, 2022 9:15 AM

Offline
Sep 2020
4930
This was a tough episode 😰. Little sluger is a good guy fr.
ZXEANJul 18, 2022 9:30 AM
Aug 22, 2022 1:25 AM

Offline
Jun 2020
297
This was an amazing episode. Although the entire concept of someone having a dual personality that is against them has been used before, it was very well executed in this episode. The horror, tension, suspense, and most importantly, paranoia, was masterfully executed. It kind of reminded me of Perfect Blue. The framing, shot composition, and colours of the trash dump scene was beautiful. Overall great ep.


Nov 1, 2022 7:46 PM
Offline
Apr 2018
1
I'm feeling emotions slightly stronger than I usually do
Nov 29, 2022 10:55 PM
Offline
Feb 2022
16
a good episode. SET ME FREE
Jan 3, 2023 12:53 PM
Offline
Jul 2016
12
The show keeps getting more crazier, but we finally confirm why and how Lil Slugger chooses his victims. The victims seem to have an influence on their attacks
Jan 28, 2023 1:55 AM
Offline
Jan 2023
6
Somehow i doubt they caught the real lil slugger since we're not even halfway through the show
Mar 22, 2023 2:26 PM
Offline
Dec 2022
23
Does the team in charge of the audio also worked on resident evil or what? LOL
lets all love lain.
Apr 25, 2023 2:12 PM
Offline
Feb 2019
272
The episode was really amazing and I don't know what to say other than WOW!
May 25, 2023 9:47 PM
Offline
Oct 2021
5
Retrata la pelea interna de Harumi, con su otro yo, al cual ella no concibe como parte de sí misma , al mismo tiempo, María desea salir y tener el control, aunque esto signifique deshacer la vida de Harumi. Es un contrasentido de personalidades en el que ninguna de las dos va aceptar convenir. El enfoque es muy bueno, pude entender la desesperación de Harumi, ella intenta resolverse a sí misma, en vergüenza, con el miedo a no poder direccionar su vida. Por primera vez, me alegró que le dieran el tremendo golpe, aparentemente ahora está en paz 
evildubsMay 25, 2023 9:53 PM
Jun 3, 2023 3:33 AM

Offline
Oct 2022
216
Id hate being a total different person at night while trying to live an ordinary daytime. I'm glad the husband stayed with her even if she was acting a little paranoid when with him. I would have never guessed that she was doing sex work.
opin·ion
[əˈpɪnjən]

NOUN

  1. a view or judgement formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge:"that, in my opinion, is right" ·

Jul 7, 2023 1:02 PM
Offline
May 2019
4
one of the best episodes of anime , EVER
Sep 27, 2023 7:39 AM
Offline
Aug 2022
17
i liked this episode, I didn't thought she's personality was like that. these are called multiple personality?
Jan 27, 12:50 PM
Offline
Jan 2024
3
Duality written really well
Jan 30, 4:39 AM
Offline
Jan 2021
15
(First time watching)

This episode was very intriguing. Maybe not as fun as the 2nd one, but very thought provoking and interesting.

The depiction of Harumi’s mental illness is fantastic and very well handled. The usage of the phone as a measure of Maria’s control was a very cool touch, especially when she communicated beyond the landline.

Towards the end of the episode, we are introduced to a completely different perspective on the slugger. It’s almost like he’s a force of nature, and a positive one at that. What could be his intentions? Is he even human? They say he’s been caught, but I’m not convinced that they’ve got him. If they have got him, they won’t be keeping him for long.

Themes I’m noticing:
- [Crows] as bad omens
- [Mental disorders/unusual mental processes] (Harumi’s multiple personalities, hallucinations, and mania; Ichi’s narcissism; Tsukiko’s tendency to avoid communicating, her vivid imagination of Maromi talking to her and doing things such as switching the TV off)
- [Trash bags, sometimes containing the character’s troubles] (Ichi’s skates, Maria’s clothes), often a sign of the next victim.
- [Elderly people as prophets/mystics] (old lady handling the trash bags and disappearing, old man drawing the equations and the animals in the hospital, speaking cryptically)
- [Mysticism around shounen bat] (resolving characters’ troubles, right place right time, his choice not to attack Tsukiko again shows that this is likely intentional from him)
- [Mid screen title card] (butterflies for Harumi, a sign of purity, Tsukiko and Ichi having the dots that are connected)
lkj509Jan 30, 4:43 AM
Feb 22, 2:57 AM
Offline
May 2021
18
I remember, how i accidentally watched this episode on TV. I was 11 or 12 yers old. Now im 28. Since then, i have always remembered this episode, but only now i start watching this series from begining.
I also suspect that this episode influenced on my taste in women. All of Harumi's personalities are my type.
LithiumHead9Feb 22, 3:01 AM
Apr 21, 7:53 PM
Offline
Aug 2023
1
Absolutely heartbreaking.
Pages (2) « 1 [2]

More topics from this board

Poll: » Mousou Dairinin Episode 13 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 )

katsup - Apr 3, 2008

216 by au6ust »»
May 7, 7:24 AM

Poll: » Mousou Dairinin Episode 7 Discussion ( 1 2 )

Arashi89 - Aug 7, 2009

68 by LithiumHead9 »»
Mar 6, 1:01 AM

Poll: » Mousou Dairinin Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 )

LibreKoi - May 24, 2009

63 by lkj509 »»
Feb 7, 2:41 AM

Poll: » Mousou Dairinin Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 )

LibreKoi - May 24, 2009

62 by lkj509 »»
Feb 7, 1:45 AM

Poll: » Mousou Dairinin Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 3 )

kawaiimisato - Apr 11, 2009

105 by lkj509 »»
Feb 6, 5:08 AM
It’s time to ditch the text file.
Keep track of your anime easily by creating your own list.
Sign Up Login