Boogiepop Phantom - Boxed Set (Evolutions 1-4)

Amazon.com

After a mysterious column of light rises over a city in Japan, strange things begin occurring: a rash of serial killings and suicides, kids developing weird powers, and the appearance of the Angel of Death as "Boogiepop Phantom." Based on the novels of Kohei Kadono, this gothic sci-fi adventure apes the visual style of Serial Experiments Lain, but its fragmented story is both confused and confusing. There are lots of grisly visuals: one boy sees "spiders" on people's hearts, captures them, and devours them; a child dressed as the Pied Piper lures unhappy teenagers into killing themselves; a disappointed musician slashes her wrists at the piano. But there's little coherent plot to support these events. The weird manifestations are the product of biomedical experiments into the future of human evolution and a mysterious creature referred to as "the Manticore." The hokey dialogue panders to teen-age angst with such self-conscious pseudo-profundities as "Why are we all alive? We all die." Director Takashi Watanabe abandons the rollicking comedy of Slayers for derivative monochromatic artwork, sepia-toned imagery (often so dark it's difficult to see what's going on), processed live-action footage and actions repeated four or five times in a single episode. As the fragmented story stumbles along to its indecisive conclusion, the flashy editing and artsy visuals become more and more about less and less. (Rated 15 and older: considerable violence, grotesque imagery, minor profanity) --Charles Solomon

Description

Get all twelve episodes on four discs in this special DVD Collector's Set! Plus, this multipack set also comes with a BONUS AUDIO DISC featuring the Boogiepop Version of Richard Wagner's "Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg" Overture!

Five years ago, a string of grisly murders shook the city to its core and now the rumors have begun once more. Boogiepop ... Everyone knows about Boogiepop: meet her one dark night and you are taken. People tell each other the stories and laugh: no one believes that she can possibly exist in this day and age.

Still, strange things appear to be going on just and the darkness is taking on many forms. Something is out there. Are you safe?

Customer Reviews:

Make SURE you buy other Boogiepop DVD's.......2007-05-01

This is the anime prequel to the Boogiepop world. Not having watched anything else in the Boogiepop genre, you may be a bit confused...or MORE than confused...you may be wondering (as I did) the whole four disc series what was going on and waiting for a plot.
Now I know it is a prequel, and relies heavily on the fact that you are more than passing familiar with the Boogiepop world, though the set does basically explain the existence of Boogiepop and is a wonderful prequel. It's just lacking coherency, it does not stand on its own, hence my caveat to purchase other DVD's in the Boogiepop realm to make sense out of this.
The animation is not to be missed though, quite quite wonderful. I'm waiting till my next paycheck to buy more Boogiepop products, as this gets you hooked with an almost obsession to find out more of Boogiepop...

Ahh yes, it all makes sense to me now.......2006-06-19

This is an excelent series for those who like having their heads messed with, however one thing is important to realize. This is not actually the first part of the story, in fact it is the second. The first part is layed out, much in the same way as this series in the novel Boogiepop and Others from Seven Seas entertainment, also available through Amazon.

Having watched this series before when it was on Tech TV, I admit that it diddn't really make much sense to me, but having read the novel recently, all the puzzle pieces fall quickly into place, and I find myself, shouting at the characters on screen to "Stay the heck away from that guy" and so on.

Definitely worthwhile to pick up both.

Fantastic Head Piece.......2006-01-17

For those who enjoy think pieces that go somewhere this will entertain. Yes, there are a plethora of characters to keep track of and the stories over various timelines could be confusing but if one can keep track of such things this is a really fun puzzle. The primary characters portrayed are easy to keep an eye on, but in each vignette it is all the surrounding characters that bring a continuity and whole to the film. I haven't enjoyed a film this much since "The Usual Suspects." *hint, hint* I hope those of you who go with this enjoy it as much as I did.

A must...now available on DVD.......2005-09-21

If you liked {{Lain}}, you will LOVE {{Boogiepop Phantom}} which is, in my view, much more interesting. Every episode has it's own story, and can be watched by itself. As the story progresses though, it all fits together to form a larger plot. One last thing; the music is excellent and very well used to create intensity.

A mind-melting experience.......2004-08-10

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.

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