Boogiepop wa Warawanai

Dementia is one of the rarest genres when it comes to TV anime. There are currently only 3 of them listed on MAL: Neon Genesis Evangelion, Serial Experiments Lain and Boogiepop Phantom. Most anime watchers have probably heard of the first two countless of times while Boogiepop does not get the same amount of recognition. So why is Boogiepop not considered a classic as well?

Let's start with the story. Boogiepop has an episodic and non-linear structure that works surprisingly well. Each episode focuses on one character and a theme related to said character. Some episodes move the plot forward more than others, but each of ... them adds something to the main mystery. In the end, none of them serve as filler and all have some relevance to the plot.

The themes in Boogiepop are complex and mature, there are few shows that manage to be analytical of the human psyche in this way. There is however one big downside about Boogiepop's approach, and that is a lack of focus. Sure, it covers a fair amount of themes, and for the most part it does it well, but it never puts a lot of focus on the same one since we do not get to follow the characters for longer than one episode. It is enjoyable to watch for what it is but we do not spend enough time on a single theme for it to have that much of an impact, lowering the memorability of the series. Another thing that deserves mentioning is that it can feel a bit convoluted at times, but it never gets to the point where it becomes too overwhelming and loses its meaning.

The episodic nature of the show serves the mystery well, establishing it early on in its first episode. Throughout the entire show, it keeps adding tiny bits to the puzzle until we finally get to see the whole picture. Each episode raises its own questions about the story, that are answered in a later episode that showcases another perspective on the events. The way we got to see how the actions of one character made an impact on other people’s stories was interesting. The way this is handled is masterful, making every episode both intriguing and satisfying. On the flip side, there are two problems with this aspect of the show. For starters, not everything gets explained. There are plot threads that do not get a proper resolution. But to be fair, the main mystery does, so that problem ends up being merely something that could have been improved on. The second one is that a lot of characters look too similar, making it sometimes hard to identify them, adding some unneeded confusion.

Apart from that, the art on its own is nothing too special, the character design is pretty cookie-cutter and has a realistic look to it, but the dimmed down color palette is what makes the visuals stand out. Animation-wise, this show does not have much to offer. There is usually not much movement happening in each frame, sometimes none at all, and it even goes as far as to replace animation with footage of real people walking for no other discernible reasion than to save budget.

So why does it not fail in this department? Because it works well together with the sound to create a somber atmosphere. Boogiepop uses sound effects extremely well, it is arguably what the show does best. Most of them are electronic sounds, which not only fit the story, but also complement the scenes in which they are used to create the strongest possible atmosphere. The music tracks are solid, working well in favor of the anime whenever they play. Perhaps the reason it works so well is because it is a different approach to sound that is not frequently used in anime. Using silence to build tension is another trick that Boogiepop has up its sleeve.

All that being said, what factor about the show brings it down to "only" being a good anime? That would have to be the characters. While the cast is not bad, it is not exactly good either. The main problem of the cast is that it is not memorable at all. With the focus being shared between a lot of them, none serve to make an impact in the long run. They are enjoyable to watch for what they are, and work well in delivering the theme they are set out to deliver but none of the characters get enough time in the spotlight to be remembered. Add the fact that some of them are flawed in their execution and do not do much outside of filling a specific purpose, and in the end you get a cast that is nothing special.

On the flip side, some of the more enigmatic characters fill their niche quite well. The way they are presented contributes to making them interesting, and revelations about the mysteries surrounding them are handled in a satisfying manner.

Compared to the episodic characters, the main characters do not get explored much, if at all, though they still serve their purpose just fine. In fact, that would be the best way to sum up the entire cast of Boogiepop Phantom: they work for what they are, but they do not make a big difference to the series as a whole.

Despite its not so impressive cast, Boogiepop manages to be entertaining throughout, in quite a few different ways. Both as a psychological show, thanks to the thematic studies, but also as a mystery show because of the way the plot is presented. It even scratches the horror niche because of how atmospheric it is. Through clever use of audiovisuals and content it delivers on the tension well, and is sometimes straight up uncomfortable.

Perhaps because of the variety of genres Boogiepop Phantom combines, the show never got boring to watch. While not the most memorable anime in history, nor one that everyone will enjoy, it is definitely a good show. But it also could have been so much more if it just had a more memorable character cast. Still, a definite recommendation.

(Review by me and Fellener)

First of all, Boogiepop Phantom will be confusing as hell if you don't know the storyline of the first novel (and the sixth novel, Boogiepop at Dawn, which is a prequel to the first novel). The easiest way to avoid such confusion is to watch the anime "Boogiepop and Others" (2019) first, since it adapts both those novels. I'm serious, watch that first.

Note: I have not seen Serial Experiments Lain, so I can't make any comparisons to that like many other reviewers have.

Boogiepop Phantom is an original story set right after the first novel, and I mean RIGHT after, because the mysterious pillar of light ... that starts the events of this series is the climax of the first novel.

Here's the plot: A pillar of light in the sky involving aliens makes electromagnetic waves that give a bunch of people freaky psychological X-men powers. All the people are mentally ill or traumatized, so they use their powers in ways that usually hurt other people, even if they don't mean to. There's a secret organization trying to stop this "evolution" but they frequently end up making more trouble than they prevent. The X-men problem solves itself. Later, there's a serial killer and Boogiepop catches them. The end.

Was that a spoiler? Not really, since the whole show is atmosphere. It's pretty episodic, but the stories have a few threads holding them together, with recurring characters here and there. The plot of a typical episode: "Here's a person being weird / freaking out / trying to kill himself. Through flashbacks, sound effects, voice overs, and references to the novels I assume you read, I will show you how his mind is screwed up, how he got an X-men power, and what he did with it." How interesting the separate stories are depends on how much you relate to the characters in them.

Most of the time, the art doesn't look good. The characters have severe same-face syndrome. Maybe it aged badly or something, but nothing about it sticks in my memory. It's all in a fuzzy sepia-tone, which reflects the messed-up minds of the characters. It's like when I forget to take my meds and end up wandering around then looking at my hand and thinking about how weird a hand looks and I just keep going down a rabbit hole of strange realizations. So congratulations, Boogiepop Phantom: you've successfully captured the perfect atmosphere for stories about mentally ill people losing it. It also had good sound effects, and the OP and ED were fine but definitely dated.

As for the actual characters, only one or two made a lasting impression on me, the butterfly girl and Boogiepop Phantom. If it weren't for the 2019 Boogiepop anime and the Wikipedia page, I wouldn't be able to keep ANYONE else straight.

Another thing: this show scared me. Boogiepop—or something that looks like it—is out there lurking in the dark hunting all these people who are doing drugs, stealing souls, or getting eaten by a serial killer... that's creepy as hell. I even dropped it for a while. It might not scare you, but there are some gruesome and gory scenes in there. There are a couple I'll remember in the middle of the night.

All in all, Boogiepop Phantom is a mess surrounding a surprisingly simple plot, and it mostly makes sense in the end. If you liked the 2019 series but wished it was creepier, definitely watch this. If you like the "Dementia" genre of anime, definitely try this show out. If you're into psychological anime, you might like it. If you want to see an anime time capsule from the year 2000 and are okay with confusion, here's your show. Otherwise, you can safely skip Boogiepop Phantom.

Well, Boogiepop Phantom has a well-structured and enigmatic atmosphere in an urban city and throughout the episodes they give information about light and neo-humans, the entity dedicated to Shinigami, the aliens and the serial killer, and gathering all this information will arrive understanding and characters are used in the puzzle although they are just passing disposable fragments for the final plot and are not the main solution, the anime provides all the information needed to get to the ace of the matter but watch marathon or not watch closely, possibly lack holes without resolution to the viewer and such understanding will be contained in the ... anime that passed and can draw the conclusion and interpret that Boogiepop Phantom too complex but actually it's not quite that, sometimes Boogiepop lacked to make its main objective more explicit by the way after watching what can I say I learned from anime? I must get over my traumas and move on or past and present are linked or people should be happier, honestly I don't know, and Boogiepop Phantom reminded me of Serial Experiment Lain having some similar aspects like the dementia genre, and themes about criticism social and especially the ambiance and even layers of realism, I even wonder if Lain and Boogiepop pass on the same plane but it's just a thought.

The mysterious paranormal events that occur to the characters about the powers shortly after the mysterious light are portrayed in a unique way, as a kind of human psyche reflected feelings of anger, denial, pain, etc., and each faces an ordeal before reality and some characters advance more in the plot than others, adding to the final mysteries and even intertwining in other episodes forming a connection between episodes and for some reason they are abandoned to make room for others and that's precisely why they become forgettable, maybe not having more uses or Boogiepop does not have a central protagonist each character has its screen space and some plots are better than others such as Jonouchi Hisachi is possibly the most memorable, the characteristics of the characters are common for a citizen, high school, to be any human not having any prominence what they both have and share is the problems that seriously surround them, and the even his features are portrayed more realistically and it is even difficult to distinguish them, because of this aspect it can become monotonous to watch not only this characterization, other factors imply such as rhythm, episodic, style, dull, added to all of this can influence the discontent and as a consequence for not watching carefully, something useful can be lost from the anime.

The art, the environment, characters, everything was intentionally used a somber color palette, made by MadHouse in 2000, I usually don't rate this kind of thing as it has to take into account various elements, so skipping these bureaucracies I assess in terms of I like simple personal and saying auto and of course I didn't like it, but obviously I don't take points for that because it's essential and crucial to have this darker aspect and I led to believe that Boogiepop Phantom had a low budget for animation, even because it's a stopped anime that doesn't need consistent animation but rather create an ambiance and setting to give the idealism and feelings of dark and realism, seriousness.

I really enjoyed this as a light novel reader. The series is mostly a set of one-off episodes which culminate in the plotlines joining together. However, if you haven't read the light novels, things can be a bit confusing as to why you should care about characters. Events from the first novel serve as the starting point for all of the weird incidents in the story. This is because Boogiepop Phantom basically serves as a sequel to the live action adaptation for the first novel. Main character backstories from the 6th novel are also briefly referenced but in a way that will be confusing to ... most viewers. Volumes 1-6 are translated officially, while volumes 7 and 8 are fan translated/being translated. I went in with knowledge from Volumes 1-6, which are quite easily and cheaply available through the two "Boogiepop Omnibus" releases that are available as overstock from Amazon. I really enjoyed the atmosphere, story, characters, and other aspects of the show, but I can understand entirely why someone would be confused beyond what is normally expected for a viewer of this type of show (i.e. Twin Peaks). It's sort of like a "Tales from the World of Boogiepop" more than anything.

Boogiepop Phantom is an enigma.
It's the type of anime you need to watch multiple times to gain somewhat of an understanding of all its deep unlaying concepts.
It's nothing like a traditional anime and tells its story through a non-linear lens, which seems designed to confuse, disorientate and scare the viewer purposely.
As a result, the cuts, the music and even the artistic scenes look like they were made terribly on purpose; however, this is far from the truth, as Boogiepop Phantom is a masterpiece in its medium, a "Dementia Anime."

Words alone can't describe the experience that is Boogiepop Phantom; it's better seen. ... Still, if I were to attempt to summarize, it's an anime about our perspectives of ourselves, which often leads us down to existential dread.
This anime focuses very heavily on what it means to be alive and our purpose in a world without purpose.
It tackles the question of what it means to be and finding our purpose despite being an illusion.
Questions like this are brought up:
Do we simply consume without a second thought?
Should we sacrifice ourselves for others and get lost on the path to doing so?
Is it okay to remove the memories of those who suffer to ensure they feel better?
If you had the power to change the lives of others, would you do it?
Does the world need to be understood, and do we exist or are we just holograms created by light fragments?

See what I mean?
Many of these questions require a lot of interpretation, and the anime will not give you the answers you seek but will nudge you towards thinking about them yourself because that's the point.

But here's the problem. Many watchers will be turned off by such complex thoughts, as most individuals watch anime to escape overthinking, while Boogiepop Phantom tells them to think and not distract themselves. Due to this, my anime score, which is already high, has been dropped to an 8/10.

I'd only suggest individuals who are okay with being uncomfortable or into philosophy watch this anime.
If you are looking for a good time, avoid this anime because it won't be a fun ride!
This anime is the type of anime that watches you as you watch it, if you get what I mean ;)