Search - Boogiepop Phantom - Evolution 1 on DVD

The Sounds of Static and the Art of Demise

TastyBabySyndrome | "Daddy Dagon's Daycare" - Proud Sponsor of the Lit | 03/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With a name like "Boogiepop Phantom, " you might think that the "angel of death" would be a force to be dismissed and perhaps be jeered at as well. Still, if you look at the ranks of the schoolkids as they begin to disappear and the bizarre events unfolding in an otherwise "normal" community, you might rethink that first impression. In fact, you might yourself hoping beyond hope that the array of cryptic noises and accompanying doom never cross your path while wandering the streets alone. Here, three tales of misfortune painted to fit on a larger, twelve-step canvas are introduced, weaving their own separate entities that need one another in order to survive. It is a strange jigsaw puzzle to watch unfold, too, with it bits of gruesomeness coming slowly at first and then rushing in like crimson waves. Still, this is one of the reasons I find myself charmed and, at the same time, somewhat chilled by the concepts introduced. As far as an anime goes, the visual detail is stunning and the character depths work out really well. Instead of tales that introduce short lived characters to feed to the disposable wheels of a storyline, all of the episodes focus on one character and fleshes out their particular struggle. This adds an element that many plots find themselves lacking; that of empathetically appealing characterization and sometimes revilement because of the things taking place within the character's lives. Odd things that are spoken in one episode will make sense in another, and people that look like they might have been trustworthy in one tale could perhaps turn out to be serial killers in others. Couple this with the fact that the music reminds me of some of the most electronically inspired crypticness that I've listen to, that the ideas fleshed out within the tales themselves are some that work really were but that are a bit on the depraved side, and that this is a graphic depiction of the horrors that people inflict upon themselves and upon others, and you have yourself something that is actually a stunning piece of depraved artistry.For anyone looking for a story that drifts past the realms of normality, focusing its eyes instead upon something that would seemingly be mundane ant first but that explodes into the horrific, then this is a story for you. It is floating to the brim with spoiled hopes and dreams that clog the sight of the watcher, showing you why the phantom has decided to grace the world and why you shouldn't talk to strangers - especially if they look nice or if they appear in the forms of the ones your heart is most stricken by. You simply have to be patient with it and remember that it is a program looping into another and finally working toward a common goal, that of painting a picture that can motivate one to fear. Personally, I find that this gives me a warm feeling I can embrace all day long."