Customer Reviews

Boogiepop Phantom - Boxed Set (Evolutions 1-4)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Do you believe in urban legends? Did you ever feel like someone was following you, or something big was going on around you and you couldn't figure out what it is? If so, this is really the show for you.

This show is not for small children. It is a horror show and features some very grotesque scenes of violence. Of course, all of the violence is used appropriately. If there ever was a show that proved that all "cartoons" are not just for children, this is the one.

Boogiepop Phantom is an anime based on a series of novels in Japan. The story is told in a fractured way, each of the 12 episodes features a character and how the events that have happened have affected them. This can be good and bad. The way the story is told forces you to focus on one character at a time and keeps your attention. However soon you will start noticing characters from previous episodes interacting with the ones in later episodes, and you'll start to notice some very evident things going on. Boogiepop Phantom (the character) makes appearances in most of the episodes, but her motives are never given until the end of the series.

One of the most interesting things about this show is that most of the events happening during the series are taking place after a battle between a student and the Manticore. This battle is only shown in flashback for a few seconds twice. You never really see the whole thing, just flashes of it (and you have to pause your DVD to really see what's going on).

There have been many comparisons between this show and Serial Experiments: Lain, but they are two seperate entities. Both shows are very in-depth and require the viewer to think about things in a different perspective, but really that's all there is between them. Lain tells the story of one girl who is learning who she is (more or less), and Boogiepop Phantom is telling more of a traditional story (if you can call it that).

As for technical aspects, this DVD set is nearly flawless. Each disc has a beautiful video transfer, and there were no video problems that I could see. The audio is given as English 5.1, Japanese 5.1 and a dubbing director's commentary. The English 5.1 channel soundtrack is the best one I've ever heard. Sound effects, voices and music all make use of the 5 speakers and it's haunting how good this set sounds. For instance, each next episode preview features random lines of dialogue from the coming episode. The both 5.1 soundtracks have the a different voice coming out of each speaker, layering over one another until you don't know where to turn because there are voices all around you. The English dub of this show is very good, and I think it captures the original Japanese track very well.

All in all, this is an amazing DVD set, and an amazing series. It deserves all 5 stars that I have given it, and more.

Obviously the first thing that comes to mind when watching this series is Serial Experiments: Lain. Once you've made one great dark eerie series about [messing] with the heads of the people watching the show, you want to do it again, right?

Boogiepop follows a different format than Lain in the way the plot unfolds. You certainly don't need to watch most of the episodes in order. Each episode of BP is sort of self-contained. Each follows one specific character, and at the end of the episode, unlike the reluctant-to-give-information style of Lain, you have a wrap-up of the story that occurred in that episode. The next episode doesn't have much to do with the one you just saw. They all tie together in the end, but not as strongly as Lain. This also makes for a bit of an anticlimactic ending at the end of the series. The final episodes end in a similar way to the other episodes; The final scenes are not intensely dramatic. SE:Lain definetly had a more interesting ending.

Despite having whole episodes devoted to each, the characters seemed a bit flat to me. They were developed, but they didn't seem to have much emotion. Although that could just be a side effect of the dark, stern nature of the show. But it makes up for it in creativity. The episode about the guy obsessed with hentai games was definetly my favorite. Then the woman with daily amnesia, that freaky girl with the butterflies, the self-fashioned superheroine Nagi, the enigmatic monsters Snake Eyes and Manticore, and the mysterious Boogiepop herself. You could say Lain's plot was "a little" like something else; BP is definetly a show all its own.

Despite a few flaws, I have to give Boogiepop 5 stars. BP is all about suspense, about giving you the hints about what's going on but not quite telling you. I love that moment when it suddenly dawns on you, "That's who that guy in episode 3 was!" There's little second guessing in this series. Something interesting is happening, but you cannot explain it. CANNOT. Until it is explained to you. And even then, you may not understand, which gives the show even more meaning when you get to sit around and talk about what it meant with the others who saw it with you.

There are so few good shows that really make you think; Boogiepop does it. Maybe not as well as Lain, IMHO, but... apples and oranges. Watch them both. Then watch your brain ooze out of your head in a pudding form.

If you didn't like 'Serial Experiments Lain', I asume you'd back off reading I will compare these two. However, Boogiepop Phantom ("Boogiepop wa warawanai" in it's original japanese release) is so much more and in many ways also very different. The likeness to Lain inherits from the choice of subject which is pretty mature (even though Lain wasn't based on written short stories like BP) and the *tone* and feel of the series. Boogiepop makes you think. You _will_ watch the first four episodes over and over again. You simply have to till you get the connections between them. In short, all 12 eps take place at the same time, but you as the viewer take part of these events as seen from different angles. The subject is pretty 'adult' in ways and there are strong and uncomfortable scenes that can be pretty shocking. Even so, they are never out of place and the story would not benefit from their removal or alteration. The music and 'sound' of this series is a chapter of it's own. Since basically all dialogue is put through different filters, the sound setting adds a lot to the tension and suspense in each scene. The music there is (it's very much integrated in this 'sound setting') is basically drum'n bass and the opening/ending themes are great. I cannot recommend this series enough. Once you pick it up you will understand why, and I REALLY recommend you view the first four eps before deciding your opinion about this show. For the reader's reference I'd like to point out that I have based my review on the Japanese DVD-release.

Boogiepop Phantom is an anime that begins as a series of short story-style tales. Filmed with sepia filters for 11 of the 12 episodes, it creates a world that is dark and haunting throughout. What makes Boogiepop Phantom so incredible to watch, though, is the way its story is slowly unfolded across the tableau of episodes. You get the first hints of this when the second episode utilizes a scene from the first - and it only becomes more haunting when you realize what it implies.

The individual episodes are wrapped around a handful of incredible events. The way the show lets time flow around each episode is magnificent, and its impact as you slowly realize some of what is going on is always stunning. Every time you watch Boogiepop Phantom, you will understand more of its subtleties - don't get me wrong, it is *very* interesting on first viewing, but it's absolutely amazing to see an anime that you want to keep watching again and again to pick up on more small, but well-rendered, threads of its plot. The characters are all intriguing, and each episode usually provides a very penetrating analysis of at least one of the show's figures. The way it constructs its story (which has some horrifying moments that make what gore there is on-screen completely necessary - it actually strikes just the right note with each bit of weirdness) is marvelous.

It's kinda on the short side, but if you're of the right mindset to enjoy it, you will not regret picking up Boogiepop Phantom. You'll probably get a lot of great viewings out of it. It's a lot of fun to watch with others and compare theories; even more fun is showing people the series for the first time and watch them go through this fascinating mental maze. Give it a shot.

Sometimes, within reality, we draw lines in the sands of thought and imagine that they will always remain intact. We build legends in the mist and pretend that they don't exist, and that death doesn't come on swift wings for those that it wishes. Still, this reaction to the physical, this denial that something may indeed be looming and preying on the human wombs birthing thoughts without suspect, is sometimes wrong. It has only been a few nights since the bright light shined through the sky and people began acting differently, that the serial killer began stalking the depths of the city, and that "the angel of death" began taking away the children. They, special in their own rights, seem to call out to it and it comes, sending shockwaves through the minds of those that find the life they once believed in was nothing but a dream.

BoogiePop Phantom is a series that I found highly addictive, with its ups and downs tempered by the fact that it was atmospherically charged by the transitions taking place and that the characters in it were fleshed out so well. Each episode focuses on the life of one person as the events begin transpiring, and the people they run across and the things that they cause, no matter how mundane the interaction is or how horrible, can sometimes be an intricate portion of someone else's tale. Sometimes this leads to oddities with a sea of strange scenes, distorting pieces that seem confusing at first until you see them later and then understand exactly what went on in that certain someone's life. Then again, it sometimes does quite the opposite, making it all the more strange. The pulse of the show is enigmatic because of the way its told and the way the music is incorporated into it, with fragmentations of completion being fed to the watcher slowly and the mood being set like a tablepiece to accent the motions. Within it there are depths of shocking darkness, mysterious revelation, and sadness mingling beneath an electric sky, digging deeper and deeper into everything until its finally revealed exactly who the manitcore and BoogiePop are and why the world has become so perplexed. By then, however, the picture painted will have sent ripples through a microcosm of society that will be changed forever.

For anyone who enjoys a series that meticulously feeds you little pieces of a broadening horizon, letting you see things that accent the way people think and feel, then this would be a work for you. It is a darkened sky, though, complete with the fleeting images of demise and dying dreams, but that only adds to the aspects of what is taking place herein. Be warned that it does have moments in its pace that seem pointless in one episode to another and that sometimes frightens newer seekers, but this is because the series is actually one picture being painted on twelve individual canvases. Watch them all and ingest them in order, knowing that the concept will be a shadowy affair, and you'll find yourself addicted.

It took me at least three viewings of this whole series, one of which was with the director's commentary, to fully appreciate the skill with which this series is woven. It is completely non-linear, told (but for the final episode) entirely in flashback. The narrative forces you to assemble the puzzle that is the Boogiepop world one seemingly random piece at a time, but once that's done, you will discover an unbelievable picture. The various narrative threads create an incredible tapestry, and it's all the more amazing considering that you are only shown the threads one at a time, completely out of chronological order.

This series requires an investment of time and dedicated viewing, and it's not for the hard of thinking. If your experience with anime is Yugi-oh and Sailor Moon...well, you're in for a surprise. A very big, possibly wet and squishy, and certainly very unnerving, surprise. However, if you're up for a truly lysergic experience, you will not be disappointed.

One final note: this series should be regarded as having set the gold standard for English dubbing. The English version is aesthetically equivalent to the Japanese in every way; a different, but artistically equally valid experience. And, if you're lucky enough to watch the 5.1 version, you're in for a REAL treat.

This is a great anime if you like a challenge. When you watch the first few episodes, you'll probably scratch your head and say "What the hell is going on?" As time goes on, however, most of your questions will be answered. To fully understand the plot line, I've found that you must watch all of the episodes a few times and make some mental notes, such as what sounds or people were in the backround of certain scenes. This may help you figure out when an event occured. The series tends to jump around between the present, 5 years ago, and one month ago. It can sometimes be hard to tell when the scene is going on. Over all this gets a VERY good review from me. It's intriguing, mysterious, and creepy up to the very last episode. If you liked Serial Experiments: Lain, you'll LOVE this. Well, that's about all for now. I hope this was helpful to you!

Boogiepop Phantom is an awesome excursion into the stuff that is mystery and the macabre. After a strange light appears in the center of a city somewhere in japan a serial killer only known as the manticore escapes from the labs in which it was created and various people start gaining rather strange abilities. However the strangest thing about it is the seemingly random appearances of the entities known as boogiepop and poompoom. A truly eerie foray into the dark recesses of mans world and crosses the line into the depths of darkness itself. I liked the dark twist for a change of pace.The storyline gets confusing only if you don't pay attention to the details and it is rather hard to see but it in my opinion allows for even more eerieness when your mind tries to compensate for what is really going on and plays off the all too common fear not of the darkness itself but what lurks in it.

To say that this series is exceptional is not untrue, but it is not all encompassing either. Boogiepop Phantom is a fantastic horror/drama anime that recalls "LAIN" in terms of style. It is a thirteen part story that is told with frenetic pace and beautifully horrifying images, some of which are among the most imaginitive yet seen in modern anime. These images, many of which are extremely darkened or grainy due to stylistic choices (The series has a film noir visual feel) benefit greatly from the DVD medium. All this considered, the DVD and the show have a few minor flaws; flaws which prevent it from receiving a perfect score.
The show, while intentionally disjointed, becomes somewhat too incomprehensible, and even multiple viewings do not allow certain episodes to be linked to Boogiepop's central idea. In short, some episodes drag, and do so until they reach an ending not worthy of the trip. Keep in mind that my all-time favorite anime is "LAIN", and what that show successfully managed with random sounds/images/etc. Boogiepop is unable to do. It seems as if they drop the ball once or twice.
As for the DVD's sound quality, the first disc's english 5.1 track is marred by some drop-out, as well as some surround effects that are blatant and misplaced. Disc's 2,3, and 4 are fine, but the omission of a Japanese 5.1 track (as is the case on many anime DVD's) is unacceptable.
Well, there it is. Boogiepop is a fantastic show that suffers only minor problems, and while other shows are to be viewed first (Kenshin, Evangelion, Bebop, Berserk...) don't miss out on this one!

If you're new to Boogiepop Phantom, take confortable a seat and watch THIS version. A confortable seat, as once it starts, there's no turning back. If you fall for it, you will want more (and the DVD box does gives us an easy time, no wait for the next disc). I know it as I have watched it on broadcast, so it was really hard to wait a week until the next episode.

While not a show for everyone, Boogiepop Phantom main appeal is the relation between the supernatural and urban legends, and how those myths became facts on society. The major challenge on this series is not for the main characters, but for viewers, who are supposed to solve a puzzle of facts from both present and past, presented in random order, which makes the storyline intriguing.

A mysterious light, followed by a short blackout starts a series of haunting events that Nagi Kirima, along with other secondary characters, will face during this 12 episodes series. Nagi and the infamous Boogiepop, who appears from time to time to settle unknown business, crossing path with Nagi from time to time. What is "it" or "she" is a question that will echoe all the way long, until the final episode, which ends this series in a unique way.