Boogiepop Phantom Evolution 2

“Morita, haven't we had this conversation before?�

The first three episodes of Boogiepop Phantom promised the most surreal and downright disturbing anime series for a good long time. So do episodes four through six make good on the promise? You betcha – volume two of this utterly creepy series provides another double helping of animated gothic weirdness. For a full introduction to the series, see my review of volume 1.

Certainly the labyrinthine plot introduced in the first volume only continues to get weirder here; with the mood remaining as intense as ever, and the frailties of the characters becoming even more acute. The series continues with its episodic structure; each instalment dealing with a particular victim of the bizarre cataclysm, and its subsequent ripples through the fabric of the city. Throughout, the episodes mete out titbits concerning the series’ central conspiracy plot that are at times excruciating small. And where details are forthcoming, layers of plot obfuscation mean that you'll still be scratching your head come the next morning.

Without wanting to give much away, this volume sees the serial killer that stalked the city streets five years ago, and who seems to have made a sudden reappearance, taking on a more prominent role in proceedings. Conversely, the mysterious figure of Boogiepop seems to have disappeared completely; at least for the time being.

Episode 4: My Fair Lady Yoji Suganuma is an oddball. Avoided by his classmates, this high school student and part time kitchen hand is subjected to constant academic pressure from his overbearing father. Seeking sanctuary, Yoji retreats to his room and the company of his simulated girlfriend (yikes!). When he inadvertently discovers a supplier of the new vogue drug ‘Type-S’, he doesn’t hesitate to acquire some. But soon he’s having trouble distinguishing between the new girl at work - Rie - and his virtual girlfriend; the lines between reality and fiction blurred by his growing addiction.

Episode 5: Interlude So what is the real story behind all these circulating rumours? A serial killer five years ago, the sudden appearance of this Boogiepop person? And now children seem to be disappearing all over the city! Just what the hell is going on? Could one beat cop already know the truth? Meanwhile, we follow the trials of a young pregnant woman as she develops complications with her unborn child. Just what does Boogiepop investigator Nagi Kirima have to do with this woman and the mysterious goings on at the Prefectural Hospital?

Episode 6: Mother's Day Under the shadow of her father’s death, the relationship between Shizue Wakasa and her mother nears breaking point when she witnesses her mother’s subsequent affair. But when Shizue is suddenly murdered by the serial killer, their relationship is left perpetually unresolved. Now, five years later, the memories of Shizue return to haunt her mother when she comes into possession of Shizue’s diary.

In terms of its animation, episodes 4-6 of Boogiepop see the continuation of the series’ realistic animation style and sombre, gothic visuals. The old-fashioned iris remains a constant fixture and while sepia tones still predominate, the odd instances of a sickly green and a cold blue tint are also beginning to appear. In terms of the digital transfer, the story is much the same as the first disc, with a sharp and detailed full-frame presentation throughout. With the mixture of painfully bright, and impenetrably dark scenes continuing, the muted palette is complimented by deep blacks and bright, clean whites. Shadow detail, or whatever passes for it in the animated medium, remains intentionally low to non-existent. There are no problems with the source material, and no aliasing or moire has been introduced. As in the first volume, there are several compression-related artefacts to be seen; specifically, instances of macro-blocking and chroma noise. On the whole, however, these problems are minor and certainly won’t ruin your enjoyment of this wonderful series.

Continuing the impressive yet unnerving audio presentation that was a standout from the first volume, this second disc is basically identical to the first; providing a Dolby Digital 5.1 English remix in addition to the original two-channel Japanese Dolby Digital track. While the Japanese track sounds just about as good as a Prologic soundtrack can (although with little use of the subwoofer) the English remix still suffers from those oh-so-American voice actors. As in the original volume, the English translation is perfectly reasonable, deviating little from the original Japanese dialogue, and Madman’s characteristically good subtitling is in evidence. All in all, this second instalment of Boogiepop is as immersive and as unsettling as the first; playing a pivotal role in the series’ success.

Like the first volume, volume two sports the same distinctive and subtly animated non-anamorphic menus. A similar group of extras are also provided, including what seems to be a continuing feature of the entire series - another interesting and entertaining audio commentary from the guys at RightStuf.

• Commentary: Geoff Thompson, RightStuf producer, and Crispin Freeman, voice actor and script adaptor for the series, carry on the wonderful commentary from volume 1; Crispin taking over from sound engineer Joe deGeorgie. The change in speaker is a good move, injecting a fresh perspective on the series, and allowing Crispin to discuss some of the issues involved in adapting the script for an American audience. Like the first volume, the pair also have many small observations about the episodes that you may have missed. Entertaining stuff.

• 100sec Promotion: A promo for Japanese TV that is basically the series’ funky Jpop theme and extended opening sequence.

• Evolution (Disc 3) Promotion: (1min 51sec) A carefully crafted montage of scenes to get you itching for the continuation of the series. Warning - viewing will most certainly lead to the depletion of your bank balance.

• ’Fruits’ Video: (2min 35sec) A totally gruesome music video featuring some CGI sequences obviously inspired by the series. The music is a conglomeration of the dance tracks that are featured quite prominently in episoes 4-6. Damn scary.

• Madman Propaganda: Trailers for four other DVD releases produced by Madman for region 4: Cowboy Bebop, Evangelion Death and Rebirth. Lain and Vampire Princess (Miyu).

Certainly Boogiepop is a series that continues to draw you in, even despite the copious, even frustrating level of plot obfuscation. Luckily, each episode holds its own, and although I’m finding the series very hard to describe (outside of the ubiquitous ‘creepy’), the draw to keep watching is growing with each episode. Maybe it’s just morbid curiosity, but Boogiepop remains a series to which I am riveted, and I recommend it highly to any of you more adventurous anime fans out there. I just can’t wait to see how it all ends...