Personally the idea of a secret organization hidden in the underground has always sent a small chill down the spine. One of thrill and a small yearn of wanting to join in on the fun. Grunge, guns, passion, hate, emptiness, lust, power, suits, death, and fancy cars; these are some of things that is offered in this forbidden and hidden world. At first glance it looks like a life worth trying out, but the void that can be created within one’s mind can become the very undoing of their life. Zwei is one of the most detailed characters I have experienced thus far that exhibits this trait.
What happens when you take a person, someone of a certain "innocence", chase them down, try to kill them and then brain wash them into doing the bidding of this underground world, with the reward of just their life? I for one have never experienced anything like that from the external or an internal source of the material world, so my input on a realistic level is incorrect. Although, one thing that I can speculate on is the psychological formula of one's thought process and emotional response, thus understanding the turn that could occur and stir inside the heart of this character.
This one minute characteristic of the show was the selling point that instant. Being a sucker for cute boys is a weakness of mine, but the devoid Zwei captivated the "poor lost soul" gap within me. The artist nature of his hollow eyes, blank expression, and puppet like movements coincide with the response that would be fitting for the overall effect in the story. The choice of when to have Zwei react in an emotional ran state or “phantom” state was right on the mark. There has never been a point in time that the “internal drama” lingered for too long, another winning aspect of Phantom.
The amount of conflict, emotional response and actions taken all fit together perfectly with no leftovers. The feelings of dissatisfaction, confusion, bewilderment, or boredom have not occurred yet while watching this animation. Waiting for the main climax to take shape tickles with excitement as the story unfolds and the characters become enveloped in the mix. Seeing all of this from a non living organism makes me want to experience it even more, maybe not personally, but from a third person perspective. To see this type of behavior develop in a real person would be something that someone faint of heart would not be able to accomplish; the absolute demise of a once innocent and “living” person. Do you want to see what happens when someone lives so close to death?
