Boogiepop and Others Episode 2 Review: Boogiepop Does Not Laugh 2

Don’t be surprised that the second episode is already out because we were lucky enough to have a one-hour premiere for Boogiepop. I don’t know about you but I have no complaints whatsoever. Things started to get more complicated as we dive deeper into the characters and are introduced to Echoes and the Manticore.

Japanese Original Episode Title: ブギーポップは笑わない 2

Plot

Kyouko Kinoshita asks Suema to walk together back home after school, but Kyouko is suddenly attacked by Nagi suspecting that she is the Manticore. Kyouko then tells Suema about Akiko Kusatsu, a friend of hers that has been handing out some weird drugs at school and that some girls who took them have mysteriously disappeared. Suema visits Nagi at home and is surprised to find that her father is the famous author Seiichi Kirima (she is a fan) and asks Nagi more about the Manticore situation. Meanwhile, the Manticore kills and devours Minako Yurihara, observed by Masami Saotome, who later on formed a pact to help him find other victims he would eat or turn to slaves who could distribute drugs. Then we see the pale white-haired man wondering around the streets and being found by Naoko Kamikishiro. Naoko later asks Nagi to investigate more about the Manticore, who appears to be a clone of this alien man by the name of Echoes. Echoes came to Earth to find out more about humanity but was captured by an organization that tried to clone him. Its clone became hostile, killed everyone, and escaped. When Naoko goes to meet Echoes whom she had sheltered in the school, the Manticore, which now inhabits Yurihara’s body, accidentally kills her. Later, while looking for Naoko, Nagi finds Echoes but he is unable to speak and help her out.

Episode Highlights

Saotome is a lunatic: Okay, the Manticore is an alien being and cannot help itself from eating people, but what the hell is wrong with Saotome? He even gave him a nickname and helps him out? He believes that he is not a failed creation but the ruler of a new world? What the hell is wrong with that dude? Why does he want to see people get killed? Is he just bored or something like that? Or does he seek power and by teaming up with Manticore he will be able to ‘change’ the world? Oh boy, I can already feel the weird shit that we will witness later on.

They should treat Echoes a bit better: So it’s safe to assume that humanity is already fucked up if they keep treating Echoes like this. I mean poor guy tries to blend in the society and figure humans out, and they took him in, tested him, cloned him, and then left him out to die. The only hope was Naoko but she was killed by Manticore as well.

Nagi is going to kill everyone now: If she finds out that Manticore killed her friend or even worse that Saotome helps Manticore eat and make slaves, she will unleash all hell upon them. Even though she doesn’t seem to have any special abilities other than tech savvy skills and badass-ery, she will definitely put up a show for us later.

Themes & Trivia

Manticore: The manticore is actually a Persian legendary creature similar to the Egyptian Sphinx. It has the head of a human, body of a lion, and a tail of venomous spines similar to porcupine quills, while other depictions have it with the tail of a scorpion. The Manticore myth was of Persian origin where its name was ‘man-eater’. The English term ‘manticore’ was borrowed from Latin mantichora, itself derived from the Greek rendering of the Persian name, μαρτιχώρα, martichora. It passed into European folklore first through a remark by Ctesias, a Greek physician at the Persian court of King Artaxerxes II in the fourth century BC.

Comments

The soundtrack for this anime is really good. I loved the opening theme ‘shadowgraph’ by MYTH＆ROID as well as the ending theme ‘Whiteout’ by Riko Azuna. They fit in perfectly with the vibes of the show and honestly I really respect the fact that they tried to go for something acoustically similar to the previous season (English lyrics and overall chill ambiance).

When a man kills another.

Even though the timelines seemed to be very mixed up in order to confuse the viewer, I have to say that so far the pace is excellent and that it gives answers to many questions in a rather quick and enlightening way which makes it significantly easier to follow than Boogiepop Phantom.