aliz

This is my first time watching a Persian TV show in a while and to be honest I didn't really want to watch it but my fellow dormmate made me do this. Oh boy, I have a lot to talk about!
Viper of Tehran a TV show equivalent of "press X to remember" filled with fillers that are full of montages and "symbolisms" just the rest of Iranian shows and films in general. I mean, I always appreciate the symbolisms and stuff in films and movies but sometimes they just keep shoving it to viewers' face in here. Not to mention the inconsistency in the tracklist used for the scenes and montages that ruin the vibe. It's like they've picked off a random Spotify playlist without caring about the compatibility of the songs inside with the scene. Who in the world uses an upbeat music in the background for such an important ending scene like Arman confronting his mother after some decades? Or who uses an Imagine Dragon song when they've used a Jimmy Hendrix song a few episodes before? It's just so baffling for me personally because it's clear that wanted to be a poser and use western music, that's all!
It's also so surreal to watch something about a director struggling with filmmaking because the authorities keep making him remove some of his content when the TV show itself has censorships in itself; be it changed words and sentences in dialogues that are very obvious to notice or literal trimmed scenes. I can forgive them for this issue because this is made in Iran and they can't do anything about it but overall, I personally don't like the current pace of the story. It feels as if they could've wrapped everything up in a 1.5 or 2 hour movie. Not so hyped for the upcoming episodes so I just keep immaculate over time. The reason is that there is a huge mishmash of content, thus I can't see any good partition for the drama and realistic representation of everyday experience for each episode. Sometimes there's only a very tiny percentage of actual content that makes you engaged or think. It just doesn't leave a good taste in my mouth, you see? Thankfully they made it up in the endings of some episodes I guess, but it was still disrespectful for the viewers (that is if they care about the things I mentioned. Maybe they don't). I guess that is Persian media for ya and you can't get anything better than this there. On the bright side, the cinematography and editings are professional and not ugly compared to other media made in the country of origin. They surely have an eye for aesthetics and they didn't make scenes look too bland in terms of color grading and etc.
Lastly, I just hope that the ending doesn't end up as a cliffhanger like the most of Iranian series.

Paranoia feeds him.

First off I'm feeling pretty blown away by the amount of negative comments here compared to other platforms which is a sad thing to think about but anyway, let's get to the review.
Satoshi Kon's classic Paranoia Agent is a gritty anime TV series set in the metropolitan city of Tokyo. A mind-bending journey into human's complex nature and psyche. Kon's modern masterpiece of emotion, brings the viewer on the edge of their seats thanks to its beautifully crafted visuals and sounds. The characters, the narrative, the voice acting, the opening, the way it tackles the issues of modern society, the conclusion... I could go on all day about this wonderful masterwork. Paranoia Agent is ultimately about humanity and the way people avoid their responsibilities by the means of escapism and blaming others for it. Through the twists and bends of the story, this show compels us to confront our own fears and insecurities, making it a standout entry in the long list of psychological thrillers. It serves multiple episodes of thought-provoking exploration of each character's personal accountability and their consequences of avoiding their responsibilities and mistakes in life. One of the most striking aspects of Paranoia Agent is its ability to blur the lines between reality and fantasy, which is one of Kon's greatest styles of his works, causing the viewer to immerse their soul in the show. Lastly, this anime has left me a lasting impact that lingered long even after the ending screen of the last episode, giving me another reality check to embrace myself and accept my shortcomings to be able to move on and try to make it up for it.