Boogiepop Phantom

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Boogiepop Phantom
Cover art for the 2012 R1 DVD box set
ブギーポップは笑わない Boogiepop Phantom
(Bugīpoppu wa Warawanai)
Genre
Anime television series
Directed by
  • Funimation Channel, Starz
Original run 5 January 2000 – 22 March 2000
Episodes12 (List of episodes)
Related Works
  • Boogiepop series

Boogiepop Phantom (

Boogiepop light novel series by Kouhei Kadono. The series is directed by Takashi Watanabe, from a screenplay by Sadayuki Murai, with original character designs by the light novel's illustrator Kouji Ogata, and sound direction by Yota Tsuruoka. Chronologically, the story follows immediately after the events of the series's first volume, Boogiepop and Others, while also making references to the prequel sixth volume, Boogiepop at Dawn
.

Premise

The story takes place in an unnamed

Boogiepop, an urban legend who is said to be the personification of Death
.

Structure

Each episode centers on different characters who sometimes have just a short involvement in the major events of the series. For this reason, many scenes are seen twice, from different perspectives, and some episodes are out of sequence, although there is a slow general time progression. An unusual visual style is employed wherein, for all but the last episode, a much reduced color palette is used in conjunction with a

active sonar pulse.[3]
Through the non-linear style of the series, the characters are used to develop the central themes of the series: Change, Escapism, Memory, and Relationships.

Boogiepop Phantom aired on

Right Stuf International
.

Summary

See also: Boogiepop and Others

Five years before the events of Boogiepop Phantom,

Boogiepop
persona.

The Boogiepop at Dawn light novel describes how Dr Kisugi witnessed Nagi's remarkable recovery and, through experimentation on rats, learned of the drug's powers to grant superhuman abilities, before administering it to herself. The drug changed the doctor into a composite human, granting her the vast increase in physical and mental attributes shared with all composite humans and allowing her to sense the hormones that produce fear and develop a craving for them. At first terrorizing her patients and sampling their blood, she then murdered a number of strong-willed girls to consume the fear they produced at the moment of their death.[4] Boogiepop Phantom shows how Dr Kisugi gave the drug to her patients, claiming it could heal them, and how it worsened their problems and resulted in their evolution. Kirima investigated the murders, and discovered Dr Kisugi was the serial killer. Nagi and Dr Kisugi confronted each other at the hospital, where The Fire Witch was initially overwhelmed by the doctor’s power, but managed to kill her with Boogiepop's help.

The Boogiepop and Others novel tells of

Nagi Kirima
, who was investigating the recent student disappearances.

Learning they were being pursued, Masami and Manticore set a trap for Echoes and Nagi. Events culminated one evening at Shinyo Academy, when Masami crippled Echoes with poison and killed Nagi, who did not expect Manticore to have a human ally. Manticore chased Echoes as he attempted to escape with Nagi's body, and beat him to the verge of death. Manticore and Masami were attacked by

Boogiepop
, who held Manticore in place while Echoes turned himself into light. The light pierced the sky and destroyed Manticore, with Masami committing suicide by flying into the pillar. Nagi was revived by Echoes before he left the planet.

Boogiepop Phantom is set one month later and revolves around the consequences of the pillar of light. Echoes' light inadvertently allowed the memories of that night to continue as

holograms, giving rise to a mixed reality where past and present co-exist,[6] and forced the evolution of the citizens, including those who were administered the Towa drug by Dr Kisugi. The series is concerned with these evolved individuals, how evolution affected their lives, and their disappearance after meeting Boogiepop Phantom. The Phantom explains it hid them below the city to save them,[7] and that although their bodies no longer function, their nerves extend across the city so they will keep dreaming until the day the rest of humanity catches up to them.[8]

Characters

See also: List of Boogiepop characters

Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
.

Voiced by:

Kaori Shimizu (Japanese); Debora Rabbai
(English)

Echoes
' light appeared in the sky. Amongst the memories scattered by the light it could only find Boogiepop's attire, but not his face, and so chose the appearance of Minako Yurihara at random. He claims to be Boogiepop, but later renames himself Boogiepop Phantom out of respect for the original. He too confronts the enemies of the world, but has his own agenda in mind.

Voiced by: Mayumi Asano (Japanese); Simone Grant (English)

Kazuko Suema (末間和子, Suema Kazuko) was to be Dr. Kisugi's next victim, until Boogiepop and the Fire Witch put a stop to the killings. With the knowledge that her life had been in danger, she developed a fascination for criminal and abnormal psychology
, and a desire to not let anything occur around her without her knowing. She desperately seeks the truth behind the unexplained happenings in the city, and meddles with forces best left untouched. Kazuko longs to be closer to Nagi Kirima, who seems to know the answers she seeks.

Voiced by: Kyo Nagasawa (Japanese); Anne Benkovitz (English)

Manaka Kisaragi (如月真名花, Kisaragi Manaka) is a highly evolved being with the ability to draw memories from her surroundings in the form of butterflies of light. She was given the Towa drug by Dr Kisugi as an unborn child, which caused her abilities to develop. The "devil's child", as she was known, was killed by her dying grandmother. Echoes' light brought Manaka back to life and caused accelerated aging. Her grandmother died soon after. Her insight into people's memories makes her aware of Echoes, whom she emulates.

Voiced by: Sanae Kobayashi (Japanese); Rachael Lillis (English)

Manticore Phantom
(マンティコア・ファントム, Manteikoa Fantomu) is another product of Echoes' light, one who possesses the remnants of Manticore's consciousness and the visage of Masami Saotome. No longer the threat it once was, it now preys only on distressed, easy targets. Manticore Phantom seeks a way to sustain himself permanently when he learns that he will be gone once the electromagnetic field returns to its original state.

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese); Crispin Freeman (English)

Nagi Kirima (霧間凪, Kirima Nagi), the Fire Witch, has made few friends because she knows she is too dangerous for 'normal' people to associate with. She has a Messiah complex
, and seeks to save the world from whatever may threaten it. Her father's death and her brief friendship with Shinpei Kuroda motivated Nagi to become a defender of justice. She is very strong both physically and mentally, and uses her abilities and inheritance in her self-appointed mission.

Voiced by:

Yuu Asakawa (Japanese); Rachael Lillis
(English)

Poom Poom (プームプーム, Pūmu Pūmu) is a phantom created by Manaka Kisaragi. Born from the memories of Mamoru Oikawa playing the Pied Piper in a school play, it evolved to take on qualities of Akane Kojima's fictional character of Poom Poom. By handing out red balloons to people who regret the direction their lives have taken, he takes a manifestation of their childhood hopes and dreams with him to Paisley Park, leaving only an empty shell behind.

Voiced by: Rakuto Tochihara (Japanese); Jessica Calvello (English)

Touka Miyashita (宮下藤花, Miyashita Tōka) possesses the appearance of an ordinary school girl at Shinyo Academy, but unknowingly suffers from dissociative identity disorder
. At the age of twelve, she witnessed the death of Shinpei Kuroda, and the resulting mental trauma gave birth to the alternate personality of Boogiepop. Whenever enemies of the world appear, Boogiepop takes over to do battle. Touka is not aware this is happening, as she deletes her memories of being Boogiepop, and carries all of Boogiepop's effects in a Spalding sports bag without realizing it.

Voiced by:

Kaori Shimizu (Japanese), Debora Rabbai
(English)

Themes

Boogiepop Phantom is a story that primarily deals with change

Boogiepop parallels this dualism as he encourages people to move forward with their lives[14] while hunting down evolved humans thus preventing the possible transformation of society.[15]

Retreat from reality and the consequences of escapism are important themes that play a major role in the series.[15] The image of burning memories to forget them and so escape them is used throughout the latter half of the series to symbolize the theme of escapism.[16] For the characters Misuzu and Yoji, their retreat from reality has devastating consequences: Misuzu enters a despairing insanity after being forced to realize the truth of her reality, while Yoji goes through a mental breakdown as his reality is no longer the fantasy he believed it to be.[15] However, the question as to how people should live their lives goes unanswered by the series.[17] Later on in the series, retreat from reality is revisited in the form of Poom Poom, who represents the ultimate escape from reality into childhood.[15]

Relationships, and the tragedy of loss and misunderstanding inherent within them, are major themes in Boogiepop Phantom.[18][19] The relationships that the characters Mamoru, Manaka, and Shizue have with their parents highlights the lack of support that children receive from parents who are otherwise busy, and the resulting disconnection between parents and children.[15] With the actions of Poom Poom later in the series the theme of the Pied Piper is explored, as Poom Poom takes away the children because the parents have broken their promise.[20] The message the show leaves the viewer however is positive, as both Manaka and Shizue reconcile with their mothers, and so the parent-child relationship can be saved by open communication and understanding.[15] Another form of relationship is explored through the interaction between Moto and Manticore Phantom, where the physical surrender of Moto, who harbored feelings for Masami, associates the sexual relationship with death.[21]

Boogiepop Phantom is also a series that is about memory and how memories help define who we are.[18] For most of the characters, their memories of the past and background are crucially important in determining the direction their lives have taken.[21]

Production

See also: List of Boogiepop media
Staff
Director  Takashi Watanabe
 Shigeyuki Suga (OP)
Screenplay  Sadayuki Murai
 Seishi Minakami
 Yasuyuki Nojiri
Original Character Design  Kouji Ogata
Character Design  Shigeyuki Suga
Art Director  Izumi Hoki
 Yuka Hirama
Original Novel  Kouhei Kadono
Art Design  Akihiro Hirasawa
Art Supervision  Hiroshi Kato
Editing  Takeshi Seyama
Music Director, Sound Director  Yota Tsuruoka
Producer  Kazuya Furuse
 Masao Nishimura
 Shigeyuki Suga (OP)
 Yasuo Ueda
Series Composition  Sadayuki Murai
Series Management  Keisuke Iwata
Sound Design  Koji Kasamatsu

Boogiepop Phantom was conceived as an original story taking place after the events of the novels Boogiepop and Others and Boogiepop at Dawn. Sadayuki Murai developed the series concept and wrote the screenplay for both the anime and the live-action prequel Boogiepop and Others, having previously worked on the script for

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.

A mixed media campaign was planned which would have had the live action prequel Boogiepop and Others released before the anime series, with the idea that people would watch the anime after seeing the movie, but the release of the film was delayed until after the series had neared the end of its original run, and so this strategy failed.

Artistic homages

Many homages are made to other works throughout Boogiepop Phantom. In particular, musical references are a characteristic trait of the Boogiepop novels, such as the character

Echoes being an allusion to the Pink Floyd song of the same name, which itself is a possible allusion to 2001: A Space Odyssey with its themes of evolution and transcendence. Another possible allusion comes in the form of a sonar-ping sound effect utilized throughout the series. The intro to Echoes was devised from an experiment where the band tried to recreate that particular sound on a grand piano. Further, Towa agent Spooky Electric is a homage to a personality Prince claims to have that encouraged him to write The Black Album.[23]

Mythology also plays a large part in Boogiepop Phantom. Two of the main protagonists are said to be Shinigami,[24][25] death deities of Japanese folklore who can take on many forms. Kitsune are fox spirits of Japanese folklore, they possess magical powers that increase with age and are capable of assuming human form, with Boogiepop being described as a kitsune by Touka Miyashita's parents.[26] The Manticore is named after the man-eater of Persian mythology.[27]

Music

See also: List of Boogiepop media § Music

Yota Tsuruoka was the sound and music director for Boogiepop Phantom. The

The Right Stuf International as a two-disc CD on 30 April 2002.[28] The songs "Evening Shower" and "Future Century Secret Club" were not included on the OST with the rest of the soundtrack, but were instead released separately by the artists. "Evening Shower" was published on 8 September 1999, prior to the initial airing of the series, on Shikao Suga’s album Sweet,[29] while Kyoko’s "Future Century Secret Club" was initially released as a single of the same name on 9 February 2000, and later as part of an album titled Under The Silk Tree on 8 November 2000.[30]

Releases

See also: List of Boogiepop media § Anime

Originally broadcast on

The Right Stuf International confirmed on 6 January 2001 that they had licensed the property for release in North America and Europe[32] while ADV Films would handle distribution. The English dub was recorded at Headline Sound Studios and received a 15 rating from the British Board of Film Classification.[33]

Boogiepop and Others
.

The rights to broadcast the series were acquired by

Funimation Channel, and the series aired in early 2007.[41]

Critical reception

Boogiepop Phantom was a hit.

nonlinear fashion.[44] Christopher Macdonald of Anime News Network gives special mention to Sadayuki Murai's skill as a screenwriter,[45] for being able to keep the viewer engrossed as well as tying all elements and plot threads by the final episode.[46]
But the series' intricate nature is counterproductive.[44] Its increasingly convoluted plot can discourage people from watching,[45] and viewers not familiar with the Boogiepop universe will leave with "more questions than answers".[47][48]

The reduced color palette was applauded for highlighting the sense of "mental disease" and "emotional malaise" that affected most of the characters,[43] while the vignette effect allowed the viewer to observe inside the series rather than just watch it.[44] Character designs have been criticized as "bland"[45] but also "realistic"[46] since none of the characters have "outrageous hair styles or colors".[49] Reviews also recognized that "astute viewers may notice some rather interesting, although not very blatant, differences between the various characters",[45] and that the "realistic" character designs created a degree of "normalcy" that was important to the story[46] while also helping to draw in the viewer.[49] The audio of the series has been described as "unique"[3] and "incredible",[44] going beyond what is expected of normal sound design and enhancing the "creepy" atmosphere of the show.[49] Also noted was that the opening and ending songs don't appear to fit in well with the mood of the series.[46] The English language track was not as well received as its Japanese counterpart, but still reviewed favorably.[45] In particular, the performance of Jessica Calvello in the English dub was singled out and praised as being her best performance to date.[21]

References

  1. ^
    About.com. Archived from the original
    on May 12, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2020. A difficult and murky, but also fascinating, series, Boogiepop Phantom sits somewhere in the crossroads between psychological thriller, surreal horror, dark fantasy, and brooding drama.
  2. ^ Morrissy, Kim (March 20, 2019). "20 Years of Boogiepop". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2019. And because Boogiepop was an urban fantasy/sci-fi tale, this shaped Dengeki Bunko's brand even to the modern day.
  3. ^ a b c d e Smith, Lesley (February 14, 2006). "Boogiepop: The Ultimate Guide (Part 2 of 4)". Seven Seas Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 6, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
  4. ^ Dr Kisugi: "But it's when people are full of fear that the Angel of Death comes to take them. And Death prefers strong people get scared, their souls taste better. Weak people have an awful taste to them. Their souls are bitter." (2000). Boogiepop Phantom Episode 2 "Portraits in Darkness" (DVD).
  5. ^ Masami: "They escape the real world and lose their own identity. They’ll work for us like mindless robots. I want more. I want a lot of them." Manticore: "In order to remake human society, isn’t that right?" (2000). Boogiepop Phantom Episode 4 "My Fair Lady" (DVD).
  6. ^ Kishida: "Regular holograms are 3D images formed by interference patterns of recorded light. When Echoes light spread across the city as you say, might be that the memories of that moment took root as electromagnetic interference patterns." (2000). Boogiepop Phantom Episode 8 "She's So Unusual" (DVD).
  7. ^ Boogiepop Phantom: "Their evolution is not natural. Such powers would cause nothing but harm to other people and to this world." Boogiepop: "If danger threatens to engulf this world, I must nullify it. That is the purpose of my existence." Boogiepop Phantom: "That's why I brought them here." (2000). Boogiepop Phantom Episode 11 "Under the Gravity's Rainbow" (DVD).
  8. ^ Boogiepop Phantom (2000). Boogiepop Phantom Episode 12 "A Requiem" (DVD).
  9. ^ a b Jeff Thompson and Crispin Freeman (2001). Boogiepop Phantom Episode 5 "Interlude" Commentary (DVD).
  10. ^ Jeff Thompson and Angora Deb (2001). Boogiepop Phantom Episode 11 "Under the Gravity's Rainbow" Commentary (DVD).
  11. ^ Boogiepop Phantom (to Manaka): "Your power ties people down to their past and takes away their ability to move forward. I have no choice but to cut you off." (2000). Boogiepop Phantom Episode 11 Under The Gravity's Rainbow (DVD).
  12. ^ Snake Eye (to Officer Yamamoto): "The purpose of this organization is to prevent change in this world...You see this organaization doesn't like change. That's why they're only observing this world." (2000). Boogiepop Phantom Episode 5 "Interlude" (DVD).
  13. ^ Smith, Lesley. "Boogiepop: The Ultimate Guide (Part 4)". Seven Seas Entertainment Page. Archived from the original on June 25, 2007. Retrieved July 8, 2007.
  14. ^ Boogiepop (to Suema): "Please remember this Suema. There's a difference between missing the old days and being stuck in the past. In the same way that the city must change over time, it's important that people move forward in their lives." (2000). Boogiepop Phantom Evolution 2 Episode 5 Interlude (DVD).
  15. ^ a b c d e f Stanton, Robert. "A Thematic Analysis of Boogiepop Phantom". Anime on DVD. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  16. ^ Jeff Thompson and Rachael Lillis (2000). Boogiepop Phantom Episode 9 "You'll Never Be Young Twice" (DVD).
  17. ^ Misuzu: "What else was I supposed to do? Tell me, how should I have lived in this screwed up world where everything is painful?" Boogiepop Phantom:"......" (2000). Boogiepop Phantom Episode 3 Life Can Be So Nice (DVD).
  18. ^ a b Jeff Thompson and Jo DiGiorgi (2000). Boogiepop Phantom Episode 2 "Portraits in Darkness" (DVD).
  19. ^ Jeff Thompson and Rachael Lillis (2000). Boogiepop Phantom Episode 6 "Mother's Day" Commentary (DVD).
  20. ^ Jeff Thompson and Rachael Lillis (2000). Boogiepop Phantom Episode 7 "Until Ure In My Arms Again" Commentary (DVD).
  21. ^ a b c Jeff Thompson and Joe Diorgi (2000). Boogiepop Phantom Episode 1 "Portraits From Memory" Commentary (DVD).
  22. ^ "Perfect Blue Review". Akemi's Anime World. November 13, 2005. Archived from the original on December 2, 2000. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
  23. ^ Kadono, Kouhei (October 15, 2006). Boogiepop Returns: VS Imaginator Part 2. Seven Seas Entertainment. p. 226.
  24. ^ Jonouchi Hisashi (2000). Boogiepop Phantom Episode 2 "Portraits in Darkness" (DVD).
  25. ^ Manaka Kisaragi (2000). Boogiepop Phantom Episode 11 "Under the Garvity's Rainbow" (DVD).
  26. ^ Touka Miyashita (2000). Boogiepop Phantom Episode 5 "Interlude" (DVD).
  27. ^ Kadono, Kouhei. Boogiepop and Others. Seven Seas Entertainment. p. 67.
  28. ^ "Industry Wide April 2002 Release Schedule" (PDF). Right Stuf International. April 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 7, 2007. Retrieved August 5, 2007.
  29. ^ "Shikao Suga Discography". Shikao Suga Official Website. Archived from the original on August 10, 2007. Retrieved August 5, 2007.
  30. ^ "Kyoko Discography". Kyoko Official Website. Archived from the original on June 23, 2007. Retrieved August 5, 2007.
  31. ^ Original Japanese Trailers (October 2001) Boogiepop Phantom Evolution 3 DVD
  32. ^ "TRSI Confirms Boogiepop License". Anime on DVD. January 5, 2001. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  33. ^ a b Region 2 Boogiepop Phantom DVD Boxed Set (2005)
  34. ^ "TRSI Does The Boogiepop". Anime News Network. June 14, 2001. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
  35. ^ "Boogiepop Phantom Release Dates". Anime News Network. June 23, 2001. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
  36. ^ "Right Stuf February Releases". Anime News Network. November 20, 2001. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2008.
  37. ^ "TRSI Announces Boogiepop Phantom Special Boxed Set". Anime News Network. May 1, 2003. Archived from the original on April 27, 2007. Retrieved May 10, 2007.
  38. ^ "ADV Acquires 3rd Party Series For Anime Network". ICv2. May 1, 2003. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved June 10, 2007.
  39. ^ "Boogiepop on The Anime Network". Anime News Network. May 1, 2003. Archived from the original on July 13, 2007. Retrieved June 10, 2007.
  40. ^ "TechTV New Acquisitions". ICv2. June 2, 2003. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved June 10, 2007.
  41. ^ "FUNimation Entertainment Acquires Additional Broadcast Rights for the FUNimation Channel". FUNimation Channel. January 26, 2006. Archived from the original on September 15, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  42. ^ "Light Novels Becoming The Basis For More Anime". Anime News Service. January 7, 2005. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  43. ^ a b Robinson, Tasha. "Boogiepop Phantom Review". Sci Fi. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
  44. ^ a b c d Cynova, Isaac. "Boogiepop Phantom Review". THEM Anime. Archived from the original on June 27, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
  45. ^ a b c d e Macdonald, Christopher (November 15, 2001). "Boogiepop Phantom Evolution 1 DVD Review". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 5, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
  46. ^ a b c d "Boogiepop Phantom Review". Akemi's Anime World. July 6, 2004. Archived from the original on August 3, 2002. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
  47. ^ Robinson, Tasha. "Boogiepop Phantom Review". Sci Fi. Archived from the original on May 16, 2007. Retrieved June 14, 2007.
  48. Newtype USA. A.D. Vision
    .
  49. ^ a b c "Boogiepop Phantom Boxed Set Review". Anime On DVD. February 25, 2002. Archived from the original on June 7, 2008. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
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