Boogiepop wa Warawanai: Boogiepop Phantom

TheGruesomeGoblin

~~~img500(https://i.imgur.com/qAfG3lM.png)~~~ Boogiepop Phantom is a Madhouse adaptation of the Boogiepop novel series by [Kouhei Kadono](https://anilist.co/staff/97933/Kouhei-Kadono). This adaptation was made in 2000 and nearly twenty years later, Boogiepop is getting yet another adaptation in 2019. ...This review is of course centered on the original, and most likely in the future can and will be compared to the inevitable review I end up doing on Boogiepop 2019. ~~No matter how it turns out.~~ _It should of course be noted that I went into Boogiepop Phantom with no actual knowledge of the novels and etc. So... this entire review was written without me knowing that for one, the entire events of this series is actually like a sequel to the first Boogiepop novel. In addition, Boogiepop 2019 is apparently going to be an outright adaptation of at least that novel._ ___ #Something is out there. Are you safe?# ~~~img500(https://i.imgur.com/hB1qWQv.png)~~~ Jumping right into it, Boogiepop Phantom 2000 is perhaps one of the bleakest anime series I've ever watched. The atmosphere and the purposeful darkness that the entire series is wrapped up in honestly almost feels suffocating at multiple points of the show. Like you look at some of the other shows tagged under horror and it's... it's almost depressing. There's just not a single iota of genuinely effective creepy or dark atmosphere in [these](https://anilist.co/anime/99531/Devils-Line/) [series](https://anilist.co/anime/100010/MAGICAL-GIRL-SITE/). ~~*And that's if they even try [at](https://anilist.co/anime/99698/Kings-Game/) [all.](https://anilist.co/anime/100226/EVIL-OR-LIVE/)*~~ img440(https://i.imgur.com/wpXVPng.png) So when I watched Boogiepop, all at once it felt as if somebody just suddenly kicked me _in the fucking face._ _"The reduced brightness and sepia color palette for most of the episodes, added to the anxieties and depressions of the characters, were designed to make the series play like a psychological horror. Production staff later commented that the color scheme was more effective than they had originally intended, and __were surprised by how bleak the series turned out.__"_ img440(https://i.imgur.com/rKXzms3.gif) I think Boogiepop 2000 is a very rare case for me in that I probably love the structure and the look of the show probably way more than the actual stories and characters it presents. Granted I like those too, but I'm not sure if I would as much if it wasn't for the presentation which I think I would go as far to call almost perfect. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/qHh7ac4.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/crBgm5S.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/veiqTfi.png)~~~ ...While I definitely want to know more and/or read the original novels, I kind of simultaneously don't? I don't know if that makes any sense but like... the point where I realized I absolutely loved this show is episode two. Like it immediately starts out with Boogiepop chasing a guy in the darkness, and the guy seemingly eventually gets away, and he finds this weird looking bug. He starts laughing, his hand starts shaking, and he compulsively starts devouring this weird gross looking insect. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/wnEJtgR.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/bU8bviK.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/VMlRIRm.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/S62RtU5.png)~~~ Then, in a flashback, it's shown that he's just been going around and getting spiders from girls' chests and just compulsively eating them. That's weird, actually kind of disturbing, gross, and there's actual reasons for it. Because it turns out that there's another character that appears throughout the entire series that just spreads butterflies of light which show people their memories when they come into contact with them. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/CW1mfHm.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/Alxolad.png)~~~ And yet there's also this guy who's like eating these disgusting fucking spiders, is in actuality consuming these girls' bad memories. Like there are just so many of these sorts of these things throughout this show that I just really love and probably should actively want to know like more about how they fit into this world because there are still some threads or questions I don't really know the answers to. Like one of these earlier episodes, there's like this drug that more or less just makes the people who take it horribly dependent on it but also eventually drives them completely batshit insane. img440(https://i.imgur.com/fYt7ign.png) And for the rest of the show in the back of my mind, I was wondering what happened to that or how did that fit into the rest of it? Because that episode where this guy who becomes rapidly more addicted to it to the point where he can't distinguish reality from his dating sim game leading him to become horribly creepy was amazing and disturbing. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/81gXpZ1.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/bYbCtGe.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/gb9WCjS.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/ib31WxV.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/bpZF46U.png)~~~ This entire goddamned show I found myself thinking "where is all of this going" and actually NOT in a frustrating way. Like I was absolutely riveted throughout most of the episodes. Where is this going? Why is this seemingly exact same conversation between these two cops happening over and over again? img440(https://i.imgur.com/I1fJ1aG.png) What about this serial killer in the news? What's with this odd smiling girl with these butterflies made of light? What the hell even *IS* Boogiepop??? What are they even doing or where are they taking these people that they're claiming to be saving??? ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/0jS3M37.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/JzG1896.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/Z5UNPYz.png)~~~ ___ #Conclusion# img440(https://i.imgur.com/ISxpuRd.png) I honestly can't think of the last series off the top of my head where I departed it with this many questions but also overwhelmingly enjoyed the experience of watching it. I mean genuinely, the series does provide a conclusion to several of the threads that it mainly focuses on but I still have so many questions and partially really am interested in finding out more about the world of Boogiepop, whether it's through the new 2019 anime which I hope for the love of god is more than "just a remake", or through the original novels which will soon be released in English... img440(https://i.imgur.com/cPXdkbp.png) But the original Boogiepop Phantom 2000 is absolutely a must watch if you're looking for a horror anime. Like an actual creepy, dark and dirty, get under your skin, ___HORROR ANIME___. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/0EQsIiL.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/pe3uwfJ.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/9XU7lwd.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/UfXDoTE.png)~~~ Obviously, I do think that the horribly bleak and dark tone and look of the show isn't for everyone, but personally, I *just ate it the fuck up*. I'm not gonna hate Boogiepop 2019 if it goes outright in a completely different direction as long ~~as it manages to be good while doing so~~, but I do really hope it doesn't outright drop the more horror stuff that is just... EVERYWHERE in the original. A __9.5 out of 10__ or __95 out of 100.__ As I said previously, it’s __almost perfect__ in my eyes. ~~~img500(https://i.imgur.com/CQyR3EF.png)~~~

carothersmarx

~~~“The true ending is a privilege for those who haven’t been born yet. Once a person is born they will never feel at peace again as life goes on.”~~~ Boogiepop Phantom might not be your ideal horror anime to watch on hallowen night. The show only candidate for something that can be called as "ghost" does not appear to be threatening, the soundtrack while atmospheric was used to amplify the mystery and not the horror, and the scenes that can be called as jumpscares wont haunt you on your dreams. No, Boogiepop Phantom wont offer that experience. It's not chasing for the amusement of momentarily horror, its more interested to haunt and play with your mind. Boogiepop Phantom is a non canon spin off of Kouhei Kadono's long running Boogiepop series. It's an original anime story that was supposed to be a "sequel" to the unsurprisingly mediocre live action adaptation of the first book. Animated by Madhouse, it offers a bleak, dark sepia visual that may turn some potential viewers off. While it serve a purpose to make the show looks bleak and gritty and is a symbolism of human mental illness, it generally looks blurry, some scenes are too dark that sometimes I can't see anything but darkness, seconds of frames without any animation at all is not a rarity and sometimes it use heavily edited real life footage that shows even on the opening and the ad break, It is clear that Boogiepop Phantom does not have the best budget in Madhouse anime production history. The characters use the original design by Kouji Ogata. They looks realistic, with more grounded hair color and hair style, more normal looking uniforms that aren’t made for skimpy fan service. but they are admittedly looks too similar to each other that the only thing that separate them is their clothings. I won’t blame anyone if they don’t know the differences between Boogiepop Phantom and Kirima Nagi if they wear the same outfit. Boogiepop Phantom visual is stylish, but its admittedly looks cheap and made with minimum budget in mind. The same however cant be said about its direction, sound design, and superb writing. Scenes structures and how it handled timeline is something to praise, it constantly juggle between the past and the present to give more depth to the characters and their emotions when necessary while still keeping the flow going. Transition of scenes while looks cheap is fitting with the show theme and atmosphere they are going for with musics and ambience that flows together with the darkness. Having Tsuruoka Youta on board, the sound design in Phantom may sounds familiar, his signature style of playing with electronic sounds and ambience is making a return in Phantom giving it industrial vibes. The iconic wavy dialogue unfortunately does not translated well to the English dub audio, it does retain the reverbs but other effects that are on the Japanese audio is not existent. Unfortunate because the Japanese audio is superb. youtube(https://youtu.be/aPt4zmYRCys) The good audio doesn’t stop there because the soundtrack is something to be praise, electronic musics might not be the best genre to accompany a horror anime, but it works well here. And really helps with the industrial feels that the direction take Phantom to. And now, the story. ~~~__While I do believe that Boogiepop Phantom is not a show that will be ruined if you have been spoiled beforehand, the next section of this review will be full of spoilers, this is a warning. Don’t mind? Okay let’s go.__~~~ Boogiepop Phantom pick up right after the event of the first book, Echoes beam of light has kickstarted the evolution of some MPLS, evolved humans that has special abilities. Gone is the typical take over the world trope of the main series. The Manticore--or the man eater--itself is making a return in Phantom, but its not playing the role of the big baddie villain like it did in the first book. Manticore is only there to accentuate things, Because now is the time for a new set of enemy of the world to shine. What we get instead is a more grounded cast of characters with their own motives and state of mentality. The 12 episodes Boogiepop Phantom offered follow these characters and their story, that while can stand on their own, share some similarities and connection with the others. Most notably, their themes. There is two types of horror media, the first one is the fear of creatures that you don’t know, they’re scary because they’re powerful, can easily mess you up with a single hit, and they’re scary because you don’t know what they really are. The second one is the fear of human nature itself, the fear of rejection, the fear of own past is something that we might experience but never really realize. Boogiepop Phantom is the latter, Manaka power to draw people past opens up a lot of interesting plot points, the “You can never be young twice.” is the main showcase of this approach of horror, and it works wonderfully. Memories of the past, the fear of future, and most notably, escapism took a huge chunk of Boogiepop Phantom, there is an interesting dynamic between the character stories that might contradict the one that has been told in the previous episodes. The last episode does not really fit with the rest of the show, it serves its purpose of a conclusion of the gritty horror we have been through for 11 episodes and the exclusion of its iconic sepia filter is a really great symbolism of that the mental insanity, is finally over. Its so different that it feels out of place, and comparing manticore story conclusion to the super satisfying Manaka resolution make it really weak in comparison. The Boogiepop series villains are always likable, sometimes they’re a really by the book villains, sometimes they are “good” people with a relatable vision but approached things in the wrong way, Boogiepop Phantom villains falls into the latter category, they’re well written, give you enough impressions to sympathize with them but they’re somehow, forgettable. It might be because of their appearance that looks too similar to each other, but even after my second rewatch, I still cant name most of the character names, what happened to them is really memorable, their motives and themes blown me away in some of the episodes, but remembering their names or even their personality traits proved to be difficult, the writing is not bad by any means, no. The 20 minutes-ish I get to spend with each character was an enjoyable ride. But the storytelling format they choose make the characters feels like they are not fleshed out enough. The cast are like nameless shells that happened to do bad things, nobody know who they really are, where they are coming from, their origins, but everybody know what they did. ~~~Conclusion~~~ Boogiepop Phantom deserves its cult classic status. The superb music, writing, direction and sound was held back by the visuals, but that shouldn’t stop anyone to enjoy the escapism journey.

R2R

BlazingWaters

_Note: As of writing, I have read a small portion of the first light novel, of which Boogiepop Phantom is majorly based on. I was able to enjoy it regardless, but if that concerns you, do that first or watch the 2019 anime, which condenses the first 6 vols into an 18-episode package albeit with differences in tone and art._ Something that'll immediately stick out with Boogiepop Phantom is its soundscape. Hardcore dub, some breakbeats, synths and harsh noises reverberate throughout the runtime either from [a slew of guest artists](https://youtu.be/G8AgH2hnM2A) or - more commonly - its own anime staff, the latter of which contain Youta Tsuruoka and Kouji Kasamatsu at the helms for sound director and designer respectively, and both of whom had previously worked on Lain. Each ping of notes, growls of electric power lines, and macabres of physical or mental snaps the characters unleash makes for powerful and unnerving atmosphere, some of the best the medium's ever used at that. If nothing else, this is worth watching just for that alone, but luckily everything else about this is fantastic as well. Just the way the prose is formatted and speaks is enough to sell the illusion of a wispy yet industrialist-dominant city, the idea that trouble's brewing within it and if not careful, could blow over and set all of the denizens into peril. Some of the reviews here mention it pertaining to the thought bubble of the Y2K scare, which I agree with. I'm not certain I would classify the whole anime as horror, but there's certain bits such as Episode 4, 6, and 10 that are haunting to such a degree I'm kind of surprised it was utilized way back when. It also helps the devices in which each scene is laid out, be it by blocking, scenery, or even how it uses the sepia-distilled color palette to its advantage makes every scene stand out in such evocative manner, no matter how little or how much is going on. I mentioned Lain, but there's also works by Satoshi Kon - relevant to the themes here, Paranoia Agent and Perfect Blue - to draw from due to sharing writers Sadayuki Murai and Seishi Minakami. In this case, BP takes a more anthological approach, highlighting several different people with a few connecting dots to indulge unto the topic of escapism, regret, and frictioned relationships be it from acquaintances or parental. Number of characters here don't get their happy endings, yet even as it goes on it doesn't divulge into cynical spats, etching more and more chances of reconciliation and rehabilitation for the normal populace as those that fork away into special abilities engage in diatribes and philosophical musing. The past will always be the past, but how will that affect the now? Would there be chances to live with the regret, or will those find superficial means to ignore it without a care in the world? Is there anyway we could grow past its inclination and become our own being? BP leaves some of it in the air, but considering the ending's of an uplifting mood, I'd say that it encourages us to embrace the idiosyncrasies that make us who we are, and reflect that which we lay bear so that we don't succumb to foul misgivings. It's slow on occasion and not all of it lands, but there's something special and stand out about the Phantom 23 years after its run. Can't wait to dive into more of the mythos.

TricksHollow

_This is a very old script i was going to make into a youtube video but i think it will go good here as a review as well so here you all go, hope you like it :3_ img220(https://i.imgur.com/XGVFHWk.png) # The Horrific Beauty of Boogiepop Phantom ~~~~~~Let me start off by saying that there will be major spoilers in this and I completely understand if someone doesn't like this anime, It’s very weird, creepy, and complicated by the majority of people's standards but that's why I absolutely love it. Also if you want to watch this anime you have to be ready to commit and watch all of it because of how it is laid out, it is made into multiple stories and they all link into each other in some type of way, This makes it to where it won't make sense until the last couple episodes then it all clicks in place like a puzzle in your mind. Now with all that out of the way, on to the review. Boogiepop Phantom was created by Kouhei Kadono and animated by the studio Madhouse, who also animated other amazing anime like Perfect Blue, the first season of One Punch Man, and Death Note. Boogiepop Phantom was released on January 5th, 2000, Its release here in America was greatly overshadowed by the release of a little show that came out the year before you might know as Neon Genesis Evangelion. If you didn't know this show existed don't worry, a lot of people didn't know either. I wanted to make a video about this anime because I felt as if it didn't get the attention and recognition it deserved, it truly is a beautiful and horrific anime. You might be wondering, what is horrific beauty? well in the world of Boogie Phantom, I like to put it this way. It shows you reality in its purest form, it shows you what goes on in people's minds, it shows you everyone's skeletons, everyone's insecurities, everyone's imperfections, everyone's intruding thoughts, and what would happen if we acted on all of those things. I find it beautiful because it shows unfiltered reality and I find it horrific because it shows why we need that filter. This filter, what we know as right and wrong, good and evil, was taken down by the main villain, the multicore, of the show using drugs and psychological manipulation on people whose filters were already getting old and dirty as well as other supernatural monsters and people with supernatural abilities. They were the last straw that broke the camel's back, the one that broke their filter. The loss of this filter causes many things that we saw in the show like how someone can become obsessive and a stalker, what happens if we don't grow up and try to cling on to our childhoods forgetting about the future, and even what happens if you only think about others and not yourself. They started to act and do horrible horrible things because they had lost their filter on reality, and that's where Boogiepop Phantom comes in. Boogiepop Phantom is a mirror of the original Boogiepop because of the “column of light'' event that split them and the multicore up along with releasing a bunch of supernatural energy giving a lot of people powers because the light “evolved certain people”. Boogiepop is seen as an evil shinigami, or grim reaper, that stalks and kills people; although this can't be farther from the truth. Yes, Boogiepop is a shinigami, but that doesn't mean they are bad. They show up whenever there is a threat that will destroy the world, yet they have absolutely no emotion. All they do is exist when something might destroy the world, seek out to destroy that thing, and this phantom we see in the show also “collects” the humans that have been severely affected by the “column of light” event. I love them because they are that filter, boogiepop is that “slap in the face '' blatant type of reality telling you exactly what has happened, what you did, and shows you why it was wrong. Although they don't have emotion I feel a warmness to them, if everyone knew how they really were it would be comforting knowing that there is this force out there. I feel that's why although Kirima doesn't like them, she just has a mutual understanding with Boogiepop Phantom. On top of all of this, this entire amazing carefully planned story is a wonderful and perfect art style and animation. The style of this show is very 90’s anime as well as the gain that comes along with it, which I love, but there is something else that is extremely special. In every episode except the last one, the colors are made to look grey and dirty as well as making the corners on the screen darker, which made watching this anime so much better. Though the vision of everything being gray it really does show how that filter of reality had been taken off of everyone and the world had become sad, dull, and depressing. And through all the grayed-out colors what one is the most clear and prominent? Bright blood red. Along with this amazing style of animation is the underlying music. This adds even more eerie and creepiness to the anime making it feel all-around terrifying to watch. I (Used to be hehe) pretty critical when it comes to anime and this show is without a doubt my favorite anime of all time. The animation, the creepy music, the characters, the plot, the themes, and the unique storytelling, all come together to make a truly horrifically beautiful anime.

MMoonsong

First of all let me say that I started watching Boogiepop Phantom totally blind - meaning that I knew nothing about this anime other than it was a dark psychological thriller. I had not read or watched the prequel 'Boogiepop and Others' and so I did not have any background to it or know what to expect. That being said, let me ask one question - if an anime, or a movie, does not stand up by itself, meaning that it is easily misunderstood and purposefully leads the viewer astray, so much so that the viewer ends up so confused that they cannot actually enjoy said anime properly - does that mean that the anime or movie is not well executed? Does that mean that it is not actually a 'good' anime because its makers tried so hard to be obtuse and mysterious ON PURPOSE, that they actually failed to reach their audience and failed to pass on the original message they wanted to give? If your answer is 'yes', then I think Boogiepop Phantom will disappoint you, since this is exactly what it does. This anime portrays an episodic disjointed series of events which take place in different timelines, to different characters. What makes it more convoluted is that, unfortunately, the art is not the best, resembling early 90s anime, which means that most of the characters are pretty bland, and resemble one another so much that you actually end up asking yourself whether you already saw that person in a previous episode, or not. All the characters and episodes are tied together by a thin thread. An invisible thread which is, partly, exposed during the last two episodes. But it is not enough. Many of the plotlines and mysteries remain unresolved and many questions remain unanswered. Although each episode tries to focus on very mature concepts and themes (such as the relationship between parent and child, people's expectations, depression, etc), the plot lacks focus. We do not have the time to follow each character for more than one episode, and so, we do not really get to empathise with or care for any of them, which is why perhaps, most of these themes end up short when it comes to actually touching the viewer in any meaningful way. Although I was not impressed by the art, I did like the dark muted atmosphere. The oppressive and almost stifling tones used to present the city were a perfect foil for the ennui and sad incompleteness felt by most characters. I also loved how bit by bit, we realize that each one of the stories is a piece of a jigsaw puzzle, and that the actions of one character impacts the lives of others, albeit indirectly. However, as I said, the biggest downside for me was that not everything gets explained or resolved by the end. And not everything is clear to begin with. If you have to go look up an explanation on the internet to understand an anime, it's like the anime itself is lacking from reaching out to the viewer as it should. Another minus was that the 'main' characters were hardly explored at all. Boogipop Phantom, Manticore, Touka Miyashita, Nagi Kirima - in fact one hardly realizes there are any main characters at all, until the last two episodes. To conclude - as an atmospheric psychological drama portraying slices of life within the city, Boogiepop Phantom is a good mirror of what is hidden all around us. However as a mystery thriller, it certainly falls short, not only because nothing is clearly explained or actually resolved, but because we are never given the time to invest in any of the characters or situations.