The second volume of Boogiepop Phantom (BP) continues to impress. The stylish, dark, horror series continues to slowly unravel the story of Boogiepop Phantom, also known as Death in the rumors of high school students in the series.

Once again, characters shift about seamlessly from episode to episode, being background characters in one and in the foreground in the next. Characters die, change, and disappear, but they are constantly remembered and connected to the whole framework of the series.

The first episode deals with addiction and the loss of reality. It is a cautionary morality play for those of us who enjoy escapes into video games and other worlds within our minds (I include myself in this group). Of course, this is Boogiepop Phantom, so there are sinister and supernatural overtones.

The second deals with the past and present, as two police officers discuss the present. Time seems to repeat, and yet the story continues to unfold without interruption. More than any other episode, this one begins to get to the root of the story, or, at least, begins to describe the main players. But, can any of it be believed?

Once again, the third episode deals with the past and the present. An overriding theme of BP is how the stories we tell ourselves create our reality. This time around, a mother gains possession of the last diaries of her daughter murdered five years before. It's a ghost story about dealing with loss and pain.

Overall, the quality remains exceptional, from the dark, yet clear, colors and designs to the wonderful ambient sounds and music. The writing is as succinct and powerful as the previous disc, constantly causing one to stop and pause in thought. There is zero dumbing down of the material to meet the lowest common denominator. The series was written for those with a mind to use, and it is truly exciting to see this kind of work.

If there were a down side, it would be that these episodes do not stand on their own as well. However, they were never supposed to. This is part of a series, and the series creates a living city with stories and characters that interact. Also, the explanations about the strange happening that were revealed in the second episode were a bit mundane. I'm half wishing they end up to be untrue.

As far as the presentation, the disc holds few extras. The menu is ok, but there is not much to find here. I'm still hoping for a clean opening, since the subtitles cover part of the kanji and characters during the opening. How difficult could it be to add that to the extras section?

If you enjoyed the first disc, the second is a must buy. If you were wavering after watching the first, the series does not get easier to interpret, but answers are forthcoming, I promise! In other words, there is a payoff for sticking with it. Another hearty recommendation for Boogiepop Phantom!

Video Quality: A
Audio Quality: A
Presentation: B
Content: A+
Overall: A