Female students from Shinyo Academy have begun to disappear without a trace. With each new disappearance the school is rife with rumours that a Shinigami, an angel of death that can release people from their suffering is stalking the city. It goes by the name of Boogiepop and it has assumed the face of one of Shinyo Academy’s pupils. It’s arrival is signalled by a lone whistle and it comes to steal your soul. Rebellious female student Nagi Kirama is out to uncover the truth about Boogiepop but she doesn’t have a lot of clues to follow except for a new drug that’s appeared on the streets and a homeless man who’s more than what he seems. Nagi must piece together the entire story before more students end up missing…..or dead! But is Boogiepop the one behind the disappearances or is something else – a shape shifting creature called the Manticore the real culprit?
I watched the anime Boogiepop Phantom about 11 years ago and enjoyed the intriguing, intense and complex storyline with its unique characters that unfolded so when I found out that a live action movie had been made I jumped at the chance to watch it. This movie is the prequel to the events that take place in the anime. It was supposed to have been released before the anime was aired but it didn’t come out until the series had nearly finished it’s run. I don’t think it’s essential that you watch the anime before taking a look at the movie but the story might make more sense to the viewer. The movie reveals the backstory about Boogiepop’s origins and the relationships between certain characters. There are a lot of twists and turns in the storyline which could be confusing to some viewers but everything ties up by the climax. However on saying that, there are still some questions raised which are still unanswered by the time the credits come up. The structure of the movie is basically the same as the anime in that it’s non-linear – jumping back and forth in time. Most of the movie is spent with characters interacting with each other. I did find the story to be interesting, there’s a lot going on and it is never boring but that’s probably because I was familiar with the anime series but I fear casual viewers might switch off due to nothing really exciting happening. The acting by the cast is strong throughout, the story is well thought out and the movie’s pace though somewhat slow at times was fine with me. It builds up nicely to a decent conclusion.
Overall, if you’re a fan of Boogiepop Phantom and want to learn more about the characters’ background then check it out. It serves as a great introduction to the anime.
Sadako’s Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Sadako's Movie Shack 