Boogiepop and Others
Alternate Titles
ブギーポップは笑わない
Boogiepop wa Warawanai
Synopsis
In an undisclosed city of modern Japan, a handful of female high school students from Shinyo Academy are mysteriously vanishing without a trace. Rumors are rapidly spreading within the school that the missing students’ lives are being taken by a ghostly shinigami named Boogiepop, a popular local myth. Unfortunately for Keiji Takeda of Shinjo Academy, myth and reality collide as he runs into an enigmatic person claiming to be Boogiepop. What’s worse, the person has the same face as Takeda’s girlfriend, Touka Miyashita! But when Takeda later questions Miyashita about the encounter, she has no idea what he’s talking about. And that’s only the beginning of this mind-bending tale. Boogiepop and Others follows the experiences of five Shinjo Academy students as they navigate through a maze of kidnapping, conspiracy, and supernatural occurrences.
Background
Boogiepop and Others is an anime adaptation of a light novel with the same name written by Kouhei Kadono. The light novel was originally released in Japan in 1998, followed by a 12-episode anime in 2000 called Boogiepop Phantom that focused on the aftermath of the events in Boogiepop and Others. Although Boogiepop Phantom is related to the 2019 adaptation, the Boogiepop and Others anime boasts a different voice cast, crew, and visual look. Shinyo Natsume, famous for his work on the kinetic anime One Punch Man, is directing the project. The initial trailer for Boogiepop and Others reveals exceptional, vividly-colored action sequences, a sharp contrast from the overall sepia noir tone found in the 2000 animation. While Boogiepop Phantom has been praised by fans for its unorthodox nonlinear narrative, it is currently unknown whether Boogiepop and Others’ story will follow in its footsteps.
Characters
Touka Miyashita
A second-year female student at Shinyo Academy and the girlfriend of Keiji Takeda. She seems to have some connection to the mysterious entity known as Boogiepop.
Keiji Takeda
A third-year male student at Shinyo Academy. After high school, he plans to become a full-time graphic designer. One day, Takeda encounters a cloaked man that claims to be Boogiepop but has the face of his girlfriend, Touka Miyashita.
Kazuko Suema
Another second-year female student at Shinyo Academy, Suema was the target of a murderous stalker five years prior but survived. Her close brush with death sparked her fascination with criminal psychology, making her unusually well-versed on the subject at a young age.
Naoko Kamikishiro
A senior at Shinyo Academy and a confidant of Takeda’s, Kamikishiro displays a cheerful personality. Takeda laments that she seems to fall in love all the time, and is actually dating two male students at Shinyo Academy simultaneously.
Akio Kimura
One of Kamikishiro’s romances, he is a second-year student at Shinyo. He is aware of her other romantic relationship with Shiro Tanaka.
Shiro Tanaka
A skilled athlete in Shinyo Academy’s Archery Club and a first-year student. He is dating second-year student Naoko Kamikishiro.
Masami Saotome
A first-year male student from Shinyo who confessed his love for Nagi Kirima but was rejected. He has plans to take over the world.
Kei Niitoki
Niitoki is president of Shinyo’s Discipline Committee and a second-year student. She is one of the shortest characters in the story and has feelings for Keiji Takeda. However, she respects his relationship with Touka Miyashita.
Nagi Kirima
A tough-as-nails, second-year at Shinyo Academy. She is often absent from her classes due to her time investigating mysterious happenings, like the disappearing female students of her school. Her classmates tend to think she’s crazy and have given her the nickname “The Fire Witch.”
Boogiepop
An “angel of death” that is said to take the lives of young female students in order to end their suffering.
Manticore
A mysterious character that can take on the form of any human and control minds.
Echoes
A mysterious character searching for Manticore. It can not speak but it can communicate telepathically.
International Streaming
- Crunchyroll
Official Link
Staff
- Original Creator: Kouhei Kadono
- Original Character Designer: Koji Ogata
- Director: Shinyo Natsume
- Series Composition/Script: Tomohiro Suzuki
- Character Designer: Hidehiko Sawada
- Music: Kensuke Ushio
- Animation Production: Madhouse