Anime Reviews (2010-2019): Boogiepop and Others – The Complete Series (a Neo-Tokyo 2099 Anime on Blu-ray Disc Review)

 I did enjoy “Boogiepop and Others” much more than the original animated series.   It’s a dark anime series and while the light novels continue in Japan, one can only hope that there is not another 10-20 year wait for the next animated series.

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TITLE: Boogiepop and Others – The Complete Series

ANIME RELEASE DATE IN JAPAN: 2019

DURATION: Episodes 1-18 (450 Minutes)

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 4×3, English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: Funimation

RATED: TV 14+

Release Date: January 28, 2020

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Originally Created by Kadono Kouhei

Directed by Natsume Shingo

Series Composition: Suzuki Tomohiro

Music by Hyakkoku Hajime, Ushio Kensuke

Original Character Design: Sawada Hidehiko

Character Design by Sawada Hidehiko

Anime Production: Madhouse

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Featuring the following voice talent:

Yuki Aoi/Michelle Rojas as Boogiepop/Touka Miyashita

Onishi Saori/Morgan Garrett as Nagi Kirima

Aaron Roberts as Mo Murder

Naito Ami/Alison Viktorin as Makoto Hashizaka

Hanazawa Kana/Bryn Apprill as Suiko Minahoshi

Ueda Yoji/Chris Rager as Spooky E

Tsuda Minami/Christina Kelly as Sakiko Michimoto

Ohkawa Toru/Christopher Wehkamp as Kyoichiro Teratsuki

Christopher Llewyn Ramirez as Masaki Taniguchi

Ichikawa Aoi/Dallas Reid as Shiro Tanaka

Miyata Kouki/David Matranga as Echoes

Murai Yuji/Eric Vale as Kentaro Habara

Miyauchi Atsushi/J. Michael Tatum as Shinpei Kuroda

Ichinose Kana/Jad Saxton as Aya Orihata

Shimoji Shino/Jill Harris as Kei Niitoki

Kawada Shinji/John Burgmeier as Seiichi Kirima

Kinoshita Sayaka/Lydia Mackay as Makiko Kisugi

Asumi Kana/Mallorie Rodak as Kotoe Kinukawa

Kobayashi Chiaki/Matt Shipman as Keiji Takeda

Hosoya Yoshimasa/Mike McFarland as Jin Asukai

Kondo Reina/Natalie Hoover as Kazuko Suema

Hasegawa Yoshiaki/Orion Pitts as Shinjiro Anou

Kakuma Ai/Sarah Wiedenheft as Pigeon

Suwa Ayaka/Skyler McIntosh as Naoko Kamikishiro

Enoki Junya/Stephen Fu as Masami Saotome

Sugiyama Riho/Tabitha Ray as Shizuka Hashizaka

Taketatsu Ayana/Trina Nishimura as Minako Yurihara

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Believe it when they say—the legend is back! Boogiepop, the angel of death,has returned. Rumors fly as victims vanish in the night, but no one knows where they go. The mysterious specteris only a myth—at least, that’s what people think.

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Back in 2000, writer Kadono Kouhei and illustrator Ogata Kouji worked on the “Boogiepop Phantom” Japanese light novels, so popular that it is credited as kickstarting the light novel trend.  In fact, by March 2000, two million copies of the light novels were in print.

The light novels would lead to a 12-episode TV anime series of the same title.  And the original anime series revolved around a certain individuals who have something dark in their lives and waiting in the shadows is the rumored urban legend known as Boogiepop.

And in the city, people are beginning to disappear, others who are developing powers and those who are dead may be reappearing?  But who is this Boogiepop Phantom?  Is she good, bad or just simply a rumor?

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the novel debut of “Boogiepop Phantom” by Kadono Kouhei, a new series based on Kadono and Ogata Kouji’s “Boogiepop and Others” aired on television from January to March 2019.

In this new series, the stories are in several arcs as Boogiepop has returned to take on Manticore, The Imaginator, Dr. Kisugi and the King of Distortion.

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Back when “Boogiepop Phantom” was released as an anime series, not only did I feel it was dark, I also felt that it was an anime that featured how people are killed.

The original series took a while to introduce the Towa Organization, but the gist of the storyline is that the organization is a shadow group which seeks to control humanity through creating artificially enhanced synthetic humans with special abilities.  And the organization wants to kill off anyone who is more evolved and may possess special abilties.  Boogiepop, a shinigami, will do what he can to stop them.

We learn that the Towa Organization learned of this new technology by capturing Echoes, an alien sent to Earth to evaluate humanity.  By trying to clone Echoes, they ended up creating the human eating monster, Manticore, which escaped from the lab.

Perhaps I was a bit more critical of the anime series because I figured there had to be more that was featured in the original light novel series than what was featured in the original anime series.

And with the low-budget live action film “Boogiepop and Others” was released, I felt I was done.

Now here we are nearly 20-years later and the “Boogiepop and Others” was released and after watching it, I felt the newer series does a much better job of showcasing Boogiepop but a much better presentation of storyline, showing Boogiepop having to deal with other antagonists.

This anime series is based on four arcs: “Boogiepop and Others”, “Vs Imaginator”, “Boogiepop at Dawn” and “Overdrive: The King of Distortion”.  Each are very different and each has its own antagonist.

We see the return of Miyashita Touka, who has no recollection that she is Boogiepop and she pursues those that have the man-eating monster Manticore in them.

Meanwhile, did Echoes escape from the Trowa Organization? Who is the Imaginator?  What is Dr. Kisugi’s true intentions?  And is the King of Distortion a major threat to Boogiepop?

The animation is very good and everything looks crisp and clear and HD.  Both Japanese and English dub voice-acting are well-done and as for special features, it’s only textless opening and ending credits.

Overall, I did enjoy “Boogiepop and Others” much more than the original animated series.   It’s a dark anime series and while the light novels continue in Japan, one can only hope that there is not another 10-20 year wait for the next animated series.

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