Never see Boogiepop Phantom

[JustJack]

So, last night was an adventurous quest to spend some money. I was 'in the mood'....so, of course I decided to catch up on my anime purchasing. Well, concidering I've hear a-many good things about it, I decided to buy myself the first volume of Boogiepop Phantom....

Sweet Jesus that was bad. So...slow...so...bland....bug...eating....and....crap! I can tell that it's one of those series that you've probably got to watch the ENTIRE THING to appreciate it, or like it, even. But...that was so horribly bad, I don't want to wait and watch the whole thing. How the heck is this a good series? Please....someone tell me it gets better? Because this wasn't worthy of such good VA's taking a part in it...*sigh*....

And it certainly wasn't worth my purchasing....anyone want a copy of Boogiepop Phantom volume One? I'll sell it REAL CHEAP!

[Lunacat]

Visually, I think the show is brilliant. Story-wise however, I gotta agree with you. I only saw volume 2 (it was decent, not great) so I'm not sure how volume 1 was. I think Boogiepop Phantom could be compared to Lain (but I actually liked that show...)

I dunno, maybe I'll check it out agani for the heck of it, but for now the series holds no interest for me.

[adultswimfan]

I've never seen it, when is it on tv?

[Lunacat]

Originally posted by Lachesis
LET ME AT IT!

I LOVE this show. It's one of the creepiest things I've ever seen. The second episode with the bug-eating guy did nothing for you? Nothing?!

I thought the ending was a little weak, but man. . .the mindgames this series pulls off.

Yeah, this show has a major creepiness factor (the 2 episodes I watched gave me a sleepless night), but a series can't rely on that alone IMO.


Originally posted by adultswimfan
I've never seen it, when is it on tv?

Not on TV I'm afraid and I think it is safe to say that it never will be.

[Cyporiean]

The episode "My Fair Lady" just bugs the hell out of me.. not sure what it is.. but its the only one I don't like watching..

[Mynd Hed]

This series is not for everyone. Even if you don't mind a slow story and you really like horror anime and you like a "thinker" plot it's still no guarantee that you'll like it. But the people who DO like it REALLY like it. That's why I advise anyone who thinks they might like Boogiepop Phantom to rent or borrow the first DVD before they buy any of them. Unfortunately I don't know if Blockbuster carries this particular title or not (they've been better about getting new anime in to rent lately) but I know Hastings does if there's one in your area.

[PeppeRaskell1]

Maybe it'll get on some channel like Encore Action or Showtime Beyond. I watched the X movie on that channel a few nights ago (I just got Digital Cable!).

I've heard of Boogiepop Phantom from reading Animerica magazine. It's from the same artist team that did X, and one of the main characters looks like Michael Jackson.

[Cyporiean]

Originally posted by PeppeRaskell1
Maybe it'll get on some channel like Encore Action or Showtime Beyond. I watched the X movie on that channel a few nights ago (I just got Digital Cable!).

I've heard of Boogiepop Phantom from reading Animerica magazine. It's from the same artist team that did X, and one of the main characters looks like Michael Jackson.

Your thinking of Tokyo Babylon.

Boogiepop Phantom is not made CLAMP.

[Seafaring]

I loved Boogiepop Phantom. I have never seen anything like it before. I thought the art was beautiful, and the animationi the mood quite nicely I thought. The music was great as well, and well for me, it had to have been one of the most creepiest shows I have ever seen. But then again it doesn't take much to creep me out.

[batboy2001]

*cough* Can someone please explain what it is about? Seems interesting. I am assuming it is a Lain/Eva/weird show/horror anime.

[Cyporiean]

Originally posted by batboy2001
*cough* Can someone please explain what it is about? Seems interesting. I am assuming it is a Lain/Eva/weird show/horror anime.

Its something that you have to experience.. one of those shows that if you tried to write a description, you can easily spoil things..

[Lachesis]

Oh gladly.

People start disappearing after an incident involving a mysterious beam of light, that gave whoever saw it strange and dangerous powers Rumor is, they are being abducted by something called the Boogiepop Phantom.

Recurring players include a vigilante high school girl, a reporter, a very strange cop, and a little girl who can make butterflies. The episodes follow the specific stories of one character at a time. Nobody has the whole story of the Boogiepop Phantom, but everyone has pieces. So every new story gives you new information. One gimmick is that certain scenes are repeated in different episodes so you can see what's happening from different points of view.

It's mostly a horror show, as the main character in each episode usually dies or goes insane.

[batboy2001]

Hmmm, it sounds interesting actualy, why is it so slow?

[Mynd Hed]

It's made by many of the same people who worked on Serial Experiments Lain, so if you liked Lain you stand a pretty good chance of liking Boogiepop Phantom.

One of the big things that turns a lot of people off to BP is that, unlike Lain, it doesn't really have much in the way of a main character, so it's that much harder to really get into or understand without one main character that you can relate to, whose viewpoint you can follow.

But yeah, it's a rather artsy / "thinker" style horror anime series involving various supernatural occurences. It uses a lot of flashbacks, episodes don't necessarily follow any particular chronological order, another thing that turns some people off to it.

Of course, the very things that turn some people off to it will turn other people on all the more.

Don't want to get too much into the plot, like someone else mentioned you can't really give too much of a plot synopsis without flinging spoilers right and left, you kind of just have to watch it and find out for yourself. But give it a rent or a borrow if you can before you plunk down too much money on it.

[JustJack]

The main thing that pulled me away from enjoying it were those long span's of...oh...2-6 minutes where absolutely nothing is really happening. Sure, psychological crap is going on, but it's pretty bland and obvious to me, and it doesn't really take more than a minute to get it. But, they give it plenty of time for the slower viewer to get it. I found it more absurd than scary...I dont creep out easily anyway(I watch Horror movies for breakfast!).

The music was either really good, or really bad. And when it was bad...I mean....really bad. But the good was really good.

All I'm saying is that, based on just that first volume...I really have absolutely no interest in seeing the rest. The point of the beginning of a show, is to make people want to continue to watch it. I dont care if it's the most brilliant series ever...if a show doesn't catch your interest within the first 3 episodes....goodnight. *shrug*

[Zero Angel]

Originally posted by Galvatron
The episode "My Fair Lady" just bugs the hell out of me.. not sure what it is.. but its the only one I don't like watching..

"...Hey kid...calm down..."

yeah this episode really doesnt have much to do with the main plot of the animated series but for those of us that have had the oppertunity to sit down with the books (yes this one started out as a serialization of books in japan, just like VHD) there is quite a bit in the details of this episode that shows how much the man-eater was involved, or at least Mizohara.

yes this show was up and down as far as the start was concerned. here is the thing though. i was hooked after the first three episodes. so much so that i helped my friend purchase the second vol. the next day so we could continue to watch the story progress. it was something that filled in that void that i had after finishing up Lain and watching it for the 5th time. i heard that Key was really good but i had no way to access it and after seeing the first episode of this show at a con a year earlier i thought i would let my friend know it was really cool.

it wasnt until the second episode where the two stories between the different characters mashed that this show hit me. i love shows that go for different perspectives or point of views, this explains my love of Kurosawa's Ran.

further the story just sucked me in. i wanted to know what was going on, even after i had finished watching this one i had so many questions that i rewatched it again and again then went so far as having the first book translated and started reading a rough translation. (if you look on the liner notes of the dvd vol. 4 you can see how much they left out for the tv series.) i just think that the shows direction was genious and made those long psychological moments beautiful and well thought out.

personally i dont see how you (Jack) can like any anime similar in style to this one, ie Lain. this show breaks alot of the cliches that are to be had in an anime and reinvents some old ones when diving into some of the more mystical aspects of the show...even if it is all digital. then again one person can like Fast and the Furious and hate Moulon Rouge, it doesnt mean that they know which one is the better material...it just means they know what they like.