Boogiepop Phantom (ブギーポップは笑わない, Bugīpoppu wa Warawanai) is a 2000 television anime series based on Kouhei Kadono’s light novel series Boogiepop. It was produced by studio Madhouse with director Takashi Watanabe, assistant director Kenji Yasuda and writer Sadayuki Murai. The series first broadcast in Japan on January 2000 as part of the Winter season.
Background:
“Five years ago, a string of grisly murders shook the city to its core. Now terror has returned, and this time it has a name: Boogiepop. Everyone knows about Boogiepop: death incarnate, she stalks the night in search of fresh victims. Meet her and you simply… vanish. In the darkness, glass shatters and time stands still… There’s something out there and it’s coming closer. Are you safe?”
Plot Synopsis via Anime Limited, February 2022.
It’s been a long while since we have seen another ADV license rescue from Anime Limited here in the UK. Boogiepop Phantom is a pretty interesting choice considering it’s a sort of cult classic in the anime community for its theme and concepts. The franchise did get a recent anime adaptation by Madhouse also under the name Boogiepop & Others which is a direct adaptation, whereas Boogiepop Phantom is an original story taking place afterwards.
While I have yet to watch the first series, I did enjoy the second series but I will admit it’s definitely not for everyone as it’s structure is similar to the Monogatari series in terms of pacing but more serious and horror focused.
Now while I did state that it was distributed by ADV, technically speaking the main licensor for both the United Kingdom and in North America is Rightstuf and Nozomi Entertainment. Rightstuf used ADV to distribute Boogiepop Phantom on DVD in the UK while Rightstuf themselves did the same for the US. Eventually it was re-released on the Blu-ray format under the Nozomi brand. Anime Limited then did the same for the UK on the Blu-ray format.
Collector’s Edition Contents:
North American fans did receive a fancy collector’s DVD release but their Blu-ray is a regular set. Meanwhile in the UK, Anime Limited basically provides any series or film with a collector’s package if there’s enough material available for use, so Boogiepop Phantom got the treatment.
The package is presented as a rigid box with a digipack to house the discs and alongside the case is a 72-page booklet. The booklet features character designs and artwork from the series.
The artwork is free of any information or BBFC content and the info sheet covers the information and specification like previous Anime Limited releases. The collector’s edition Blu-ray set is limited to 1000 units for SRP £59.99.
The series was one of the 11 anime titles made available for pre-order as an Early Bird during Anime Limited’s 12 Days of Christmas 2021 sale. It was on offer for £34.99, but with the Anime (Un)Limited discount lowered the price to £31.50.
Physical Contents:
- Rigid Box with clean artwork and Digipack packaging
- Info sheet for specification and BBFC description
- 72-page Booklet
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: Anime Limited
Released: 14th February 2022
The collector’s edition release for Boogiepop Phantom contains all 12 episodes across two Blu-ray discs, with the encode and authoring produced by Nozomi Entertainment. The audio options available include Japanese with English subtitles and the Headline Sound Studios English dub commissioned by Rightstuf.
The yellow subtitles are unlockable during playback, and the regions are locked to Blu-ray players set to B.
Blu-ray Specs:
| Languages | English, Japanese |
| Audio | English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 |
| Video | 1080p High Definition Upscale format 1.33:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | B |
| Subtitles | English |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 2 BD-50s |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
Disc 1:
- English Audio Commentaries:
- Episodes 1-3 by Jeff Thompson (Rightstuf) & Joe Digiorgi (Headline Sound Studios)
- Episodes 4-5 by Jeff Thompson (Rightstuf) & Crispin Freeman (Voice Actor)
- Episode 6 by Jeff Thompson (Rightstuf) & Rachael Lillis (Voice Actor)
- Clean Opening “Evening Shower”
- TV Spots
- Opening Music Video
- Fruits Music Video
Disc 2:
- English Audio Commentaries:
- Episodes 7-9 by Jeff Thompson (Rightstuf) & Rachael Lillis (Voice Actor)
- Episodes 10-12 by Jeff Thompson (Rightstuf) & Angora Deb (Voice Actor)
- Clean Endings “Future Century Secret Club”
- Ending Music Video 1
- Ending Music Video 2
- Boogiepop Phantom Commercials
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
Boogiepop Phantom is available to order through multiple retailers across the United Kingdom. The collector’s edition Blu-ray can be ordered on Amazon UK and Anime Limited’s store.
(Disclaimer: Amazon links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)
The Normanic Vault 
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