Bookhouseboy

I've just bought the movie Boogiepop and Others and the anime series "Boogiepop Phantom", but I'm not sure which one I should watch first. I don't want to want ruin the mystery of the show, but I've read that the movie makes the series more comprehensible.

Thoughts about this predicament, anyone?
And please don't reveal anything.

VamPirateXXX

The movie takes place first, and I believe was based on the first book that was written, though I don't know much at all about the books. The series takes place just shortly after the movie, and does reference events in the film. I had seen the series well before I knew that a movie even existed, or that the story came from a series of books. I found the series confusing at times, though still very enjoyable (it's one of my favorites). Even if you see the movie first, the series might still be confusing, due to the interlocking storylines, but a good deal of the backstory should be familiar to you, at least. And keep in mind that the movie isn't the best, so seeing it after the series might be a bit of a let down.

So, long story short, you're probably better off watching the movie, then the series, though there's really nothing wrong with watching them the other way around. Hope you enjoy them.

MBuhmann

I saw Right Stuf released the live action flick and, being a big fan of the anime, I've been tempted to buy this. But I haven't been able to find any reviews or comments on the live action movie. Is it any good?

Bookhouseboy

Thanks for the help, VampPirateXXX!

I'll probably watch the movie first. It could actually make the anime series somewhat better. I hope so.

I'm looking forward to the anime, because I've heard a lot of great things about it. It has also been compared to "Lain", which is one of my favorite anime series.

fnordboy

I haven't watched it in a while. Overall I liked the series better, but the film is good too. I haven't seen the R1 release of this, so I don't know how that disc in particular is.

VamPirateXXX

I enjoyed Boogiepop and Others. It's certainly not as good as the anime, but it was still fun to watch. The lack of a big Hollywood-sized budget shows pretty clearly. If you've seen Boogiepop Phantom, you'll recognize some of the main characters (Nagi Kirima, Toka Miashita), and events that are referenced in Phantom you witness in Others. I had downloaded a fansub before it was licensed, and I enjoyed it enough to purchase RightStuf's DVD, both to have an official copy and for the extras, but I haven't gotten around to watching the DVD yet. If you like Phantom, you'll probably like Others. If you've never seen either, Others might not seem like anything special to you. For me, the real appeal was seeing the characters from the anime in live action, and expanding on the storyline.

I hope that helps.

Chris Tribbey

I'm working on a review of Boogiepop and Others (story is OK, but the acting left a little to be desired, IMO). I'd actually watch the anime first, just because it was released first. The anime is one of my favorite of all time ... gory, creepy, scary as hell, etc. "Haven't we had this conversation before?" I could rewatch the episode with the two cops every day .....