I've now watched the first episode of Paranoia Agent.

Whoa.

The opening credits, featuring characters laughing in bizarre surroundings, are even freakier after you've seen the episode and learned a bit about (some of -- not all appear in ep1) those characters.

Like Gokusen, the character designs are more realistic than in typical anime.

The plot, however, is a blend of realistic and bizarre. I'm now eager to watch the other two episodes that have come out so far, in an effort to determine how much of what's going on is "real" and how much is in characters' heads.