Boogiepop wa warawanai - Paranoia revenant
A new take of an old title seems like a safe bet, but it is always an enormous risk. It has to conciliate two opposing elements: the fans of the old title, who want to see more of the same, and the new public, who needs an accessible point of entry. Unfortunately, in this case I am clearly part of the former. I got into Boogiepop like the many few who did back in 2000, by watching the desaturated, obscure and existential anime series. Some kind of interquel to the books it was, pending by threads from larger plots and spinning around one important, unknown moment. After that, I made my way to the life action film and some (not all) of the novels of this magnificent bizarre universe.
At first glance, sure, there is a lot more color, and a whole lot cuter character designs. The tone of Boogiepop even contradicts the title, since she is always smiling. Although it sometimes goes with the intricate multiprespectivism of the novels, it also regularly breaks down into chronological narration. Sure, they couldn't do everything the same, fifteen years later. The greatest loss, I believe, is the fact that the narration is not subjective and angsty enough to fully submerge into the characters' neurosis. The action itself provides rather unspectacular visuals, and the psychological depth remains in the script.
And still, it is the little things that somehow bring me back, grow onto me into uncanny suspicions. Certain corners of the city are recognizable from the film or the old anime. Certain sounds in the background music buzz in reverse, recalling the ominous noises of the old soundtrack. Certain characters, put in the frame of connecting several arcs, seem to link back the old series to the book plots in ways I had overseen. Is it just me? Is this over-interpretation yet? Is this not the paranoia I was looking for?
All in all, even if done hesitantly as an adaptation, the series is watchable enough to purport the strangeness and complexity of the plots of the Boogiepop saga.
At first glance, sure, there is a lot more color, and a whole lot cuter character designs. The tone of Boogiepop even contradicts the title, since she is always smiling. Although it sometimes goes with the intricate multiprespectivism of the novels, it also regularly breaks down into chronological narration. Sure, they couldn't do everything the same, fifteen years later. The greatest loss, I believe, is the fact that the narration is not subjective and angsty enough to fully submerge into the characters' neurosis. The action itself provides rather unspectacular visuals, and the psychological depth remains in the script.And still, it is the little things that somehow bring me back, grow onto me into uncanny suspicions. Certain corners of the city are recognizable from the film or the old anime. Certain sounds in the background music buzz in reverse, recalling the ominous noises of the old soundtrack. Certain characters, put in the frame of connecting several arcs, seem to link back the old series to the book plots in ways I had overseen. Is it just me? Is this over-interpretation yet? Is this not the paranoia I was looking for?
All in all, even if done hesitantly as an adaptation, the series is watchable enough to purport the strangeness and complexity of the plots of the Boogiepop saga.
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