With the fourth DVD, Boogiepop Phantom comes to a close. While not as devoid of answers as the also wonderful Lain, do not expect total revelations. Rather, expect much of the same wonderful, linearly-challenged storytelling.

As with the previous volumes, characters from the past constantly play a role in the present narrative. The story continues to challenge the viewer to think and both correlate and reevaluate information previously revealed in light of the newly viewed footage. In other words, a viewer will most likely get something new out of every viewing. I challenge anyone to catch everything the first time through.

The first episode of this disc continues almost directly from the previous episode. It concerns Poom Poom and his red balloons that pull the childlike aspects out of an adult and give it a wraith-like existence in an abandoned theme park. The character of Nagi Karima plays an excellent role in this episode (I'd still like to see this character in a series by herself). Furthermore, Boogiepop finally makes an extended appearance.

The second episode begins to spin things radically different as the revelations about what is actually causing all the craziness begin to fly. The forces behind all the events slowly become revealed, tying together the threads that have run through all the episodes (hope you remember the first few shows!). Be prepared, though: every answer leaves more questions. Be even more prepared for - two Boogiepops?!? In reality, it is one Boogiepop and one Boogiepop Phantom. Confused? Join the crowd.

Boogiepop Phantom (not to be confused with Boogiepop) confronts Manaka about her actions.	The true Boogiepop ties up a final, and very surprising, loose end in the final episode.

The final episode is more of an epilogue, finally connecting Manticore, Kuroda, and everything together. There are a lot of items left unexplained, but enough is answered to allow a feeling of satisfaction and even a sense of hope, which is very pleasant after some of the macabre events of the series.

Technically, the transfer is again very good. Even with the extreme dark colors and blacks, the picture looks incredibly clear. The animation and character designs are as good as ever, and there is even an action scene or two. The bright colors of the final episode are an excellent relief from the pervading darkness of just about every other episode in the series.

The music is more pronounced in these final episodes, and it is very well done. At times, the music creates a disharmony that creates the perfect atmosphere for the show, while at other times, it's rather harmonious and pleasant.

The extras are much better this time. There is some nice line art and Right Stuf finally included the Japanese credits, but there is still no insert or liner notes, which, in this series, would have been very useful. The most interesting and useful extra were the U.S. producers note and character information. Reading this gives a great background into what is really going on. Hopefully, one day someone will release the manga and novels in the U.S.

The final episodes of this series impressed me greatly. I was surprised at the turns the story took at the very end, but they made sense. Enough was answered so that I felt satisfied, but enough was unexplained to keep my mind wandering and wanting more.

This is truly one of the finest anime series I've seen, simply for the depth and complexity of the plot and characters; but the animation and music is top notch as well. Consider Boogiepop Phantom for you essential collection; it is definitely a series I will continue to pull out of my library and watch again and again.

Note: I have yet to be able to purchase a fully functional DVD of the final volume. I was able to get the DVD to play in my PS2 (Go figure!), while my Pioneer player would have fits with it. I have never had an issue playing DVDs in my Pioneer, so be aware when purchasing.

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