Paranoia Agent, Perfect Blue, Paprika, and Millennium Actress all share the same theme; blurring the lines between reality and fantasy/fiction. Same meaning, slightly distinct executions.
(WARNING: SPOILERS!)
This anime had me questioning wether which things were real and which weren't, (it is to be expected since it's Satoshi Kon here). When I realized that all Lil' Slugger victims had weak mindsets during their "attacks", I searched around for what Lil' Slugger could represent. From what I've found, he could serve as an escape for the mentally weak, like a temporary salvation from all their problems. The thing that intrigued me the most was how the sick wife of the detective stated that Maromi and Lil' Slugger are the same, which is true but they have different effects of this salvation:
Maromi serves as a comfort character, the little voice in your head saying "it's not your fault" while Lil' Slugger serves as the debilatating side of escapism, the pain we inflict on ourselves, and running from a current situation.
My favorite scene from this series was how the sick wife was able to avoid Lil' Slugger's violence, she held her ground and challenged her negative thoughts, thus, driving Lil' Slugger away.
The ending put me at ease because Lil' Slugger and Maromi's existences have been erased.
(THOUGHTS, NITPICKS)
1) One of the things that bothered me a little bit was how in the English dub, Ichi, Lil' Slugger, and Ushi's voices are a little too deep to be childrens' voices.
2) I feel like episodes 8-10 didn't hold any sense or value, since the two men and little girl were trying to off themselves in so many different ways, their storyline wandered off from the current storyline with Tsukiko and the rest. The four women talking about Lil' Slugger and the exaggerated stories about him didn't hold any weight either.
(FINAL CONCLUSION)
I enjoyed watching this anime, with all its flaws and imperfections, I love how one of the main themes are how the human mind can be so fragile and can be one's greatest challenge/weakness, like how the mind and body are truly interconnected.
If you like deep, psychological stuff like this, I recommend this anime for you. ♥ ♥