Boogiepop Phantom

Publisher
ADV
Director
Takashi Watanabe
Production
Madhouse, Project Boogiepop, TV Tokyo
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
12 episodes
Year
2000

Boogiepop Phantom: Evolution Three

By John Huxley
27th Apr 04

Episode Summary

Episode 7: Until Ure in my Arms Again

Mamaro was never like other guys, but he suddenly discovers that he has little in common with humans at all. Closest to his sister, he still beats her regularly. To the rest, he is merciless. His life is spent looking for life's redundant parts...society included. And, one day, he finds the parts which are...useless.

Episode 8: She's so Unusual

Nagi Kirima goes through life with a single purpose: carry on the investigation which has bought her to the Manticore. Her father would have approved, as his theories (jealously gaurded) form the basis for so much of Nagi's research and world view. This pursuit has left little time for a personal life. Up to now it hasn't been a problem.

Episode 9: You'll Never be Young Twice

Saki is a gifted pianist. Popular and talented, she is being manipulated to become something that she never will be. Her parents want only the best for her, and are sacrificing everything for their goal. In the park late at night, though, there is rumoured to be someone who brings a resolution for life's problems...

Volume Review

As Boogiepop Phantom continues into its third volume of bizarre tales we are treated to one or two revealing explanations. Although each episode is a self-contained story that starts and finishes within the twenty-five minute timeslot, there have been several reoccurring characters and incidents that have remained unexplained - the evil Saotome, the freakish policemen, the Boogiepop Phantom of the title and the bizarre flash of light that apparently gave so many teenagers strange and fantastic abilities - all of these are given some explanation during the pivotal eighth episode.

Unsurprisingly to those who've seen the first two volumes, this episode revolves around Nagi Kirima, the cool biker girl who can be seen chasing the Boogiepop Phantom throughout the series and seems to know exactly what's going on. If Boogiepop Phantom had a hero or a heroine, Nagi Kirima would certainly it - she's an all-round likeable sort of person who selflessly helps others in her one-woman quest for truth and justice.

Truth - I've said that we get some explanations from this eighth episode, but we are far from the truth yet. If Boogiepop Phantom were a jigsaw then we've just been given the hallowed corner pieces and maybe some of the edges - now we need to piece together the middle. To solve the puzzle you'll need to go back and watch earlier episodes with the knowledge you've gained; this should shed new light on previously confusing events, conversations and characters which in turn helps you better understand the later episodes.

This method of story telling, while not entirely original, has never really been attempted on such a large scale before. And it's the scale which causes most of the problems. In Pulp Fiction we were easily able to connect events because the whole thing lasted no more than a few hours, everything fresh in our minds to be recalled at a moment's notice. On the other hand, Boogiepop Phantom is spread over several volumes (each similar in length to the average feature film) - a format that causes problems when you need to remember exactly what happened in the seventh minute of episode three to be able to properly understand a scene in episode six which you watched two months later. It's a confusing state of affairs which isn't helped by the increasingly large amount of stories and characters and how frequently they cross paths. No matter how diligent you consider yourself to be, I guarantee you'll be confused before the end of Boogiepop Phantom.

You could just watch the whole series from start to finish, of course. This may give you the best chance of fully understanding everything Boogiepop Phantom has to offer, but it would also require a marathon session of anime which could become so tedious that it detracts from many of the series' finer qualities.

And despite my personal reservations, Boogiepop Phantom does have lot to recommend it. Confusing though the story may be, it certainly doesn't insult your intelligence. You really feel like this is an adult animation in (almost) every sense of the word, the likes of which you'd never see on Fox Kids or Cartoon Network. The soundtrack (you'd have difficulty calling it music) compliments the unusual animation with a fitting selection of static noises and spooky beats, giving Boogiepop Phantom the kind of atmosphere most horror-based anime could only wish for.

This volume is an improvement on previous instalments, not only because of the revelations of episode eight, also because the three episodes on this disc are the best Boogiepop Phantom has had to offer so far. Episode seven in particular is a highlight, a captivating tale about a girl so devoted to her lunatic brother that she'll risk everything to be at his side.

Boogiepop Phantom fans should have no hesitations in picking this disc up as soon as they can - you finally get some answers to those questions that have been bugging you for months. Everyone else should give serious thought to buying this unique, beautifully crafted series.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English 5.1 Dolby Surround audio, Japanese 2.0 audio, director's commentary, English subtitles, 2 min promotion, special edit ending, evolution 1-6 promotion, ADV previews

Release information: UK release date: 20th October 2003, ADV

Notes: Compared to some of ADV's recent releases this is disappointingly a bare DVD. However, there is a 5.1 Dolby Surround sound option for those with the equipment and the commentary is still well worth a listen. There's also a special edit ending, an alternative to the regular ending with some nice visuals that seem to suit the tone of the series much better than the one they actually use. Too bad. The other features are less interesting and most likely won't hold your attention for more than a few minutes.

-- John Huxley 27th Apr 04

Boogiepop Phantom Images