Review of Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom
SPOILER-FREE™ Could you kill a person? I don’t mean some hypothetical “button you could press and someone you’ve never met dies.” I mean: could you look into the eyes of another human being and pull the trigger? For a long time now Gen Urobuchi and I have had a love/hate relationship. I’ve absolutely adored some of his works, while others have left me profoundly underwhelmed. Phantom Requiem, however, does not neatly fall into either of these categories. Some parts of the anime truly showcase Urobuchi at his best, and some parts are frustrating, clichéd or just downright stupid. STORY 8/10[This entire section was removed due to spoilers]
Ok, ok, I’ll at least try. Phantom Requiem follows the lives of assassins in the underworld as they struggle with shifting loyalties, their morals and conspiracies on top of conspiracies. The main character: Zwei finds himself in a world where he must kill to survive with no one to count on but himself. There are no solid factions, and certainly no “good guys.”
There really isn’t a whole lot I can say about the story without spoiling it. The whole paradigm of the world of Phantom gets turned on its head several times throughout the story. The story is very well put-together and it is probably one of the hardest plots to predict that I’ve seen.
That said, the story can’t resist indulging in some rather vexatious clichés. I always get a little agitated when I catch a whiff of the stench of harem, and while most of the girls who fall for Zwei have a damn good reason, at least one has no business liking him other than to increase his appeal as insert character. And, oh yes, part of this anime somehow manages to worm its way into a high school. These world class assassins, capable of confronting armies of thugs, are, of course, in their teens. But to be fair, this particular annoyance is not explicitly stated in the anime, only in the source material. That is really all these things are: annoyances. Annoying as these tropes are, they serve to distract rather than detract.
What does detract is the staggering amount of bullshit that permeates this series. Only a few examples: making impossibly long sniping shots in one try with no spotter, deflecting knives with knives and surviving clearly fatal wounds with no medical attention. The rules of Phantom Requiem’s world are extremely confusing, skirting the line between gritty realism and surreal action scenes where the characters perform unmistakably superhuman feats.
Although irksome at times, the story is really one of the best thrillers I’ve seen in anime. It kept me guessing at the edge of my seat the entire time. It is complex and emotional, despite its flaws. It hits hard, and best of all for such an intricate plot, manages to have no inconsistencies.
ANIMATION 4/10
I don’t want to get too technical, but to use a professional term: this show looks like a pile of ass. If I had to pick one gripe about this show, it would be the art. It is really unfortunate how a story like this is so let down by the visuals. The animation is choppy, the characters’ eyes are the size of dinner plates and they squeezed in as many still frames as they could. There is a lot of variety and the dark art reflects the show well, however it overall leaves the impression that the studio tried, but just couldn’t quite hack it.
SOUND 6/10
The sound track is mostly an intense mix of rock and hip hop, fitting the show excellently. The low production values do shine through a little in the great lack of variety and somewhat uninspiring openings and endings. The voice acting in Japanese is stellar, emotional and convincing. Skip the dub on this one, it’s terrible.
CHARACTER 9/10
Like the story, the characters of Phantom Requiem are a true strong point. The main characters are all truly top notch, but the side characters are also exceptional. Some are criminals for the money, some for the respect, some for the thrill and some are just insane. Even the few law-abiding characters are compelling and their interaction with these criminals can be some of the more interesting parts of the series. The side characters are generally very well characterized with believable stories and motivations. However, I would have liked to see a couple of them fleshed out a bit more.
The main characters are truly outstanding. Many “tragic” characters earn that title only by being the punching bag of the director. The main characters of Phantom Requiem all show truly tragic qualities. Again I am restricted by spoilers, so I won’t say too much. One thing Urobuchi excels at is working flaws into his characters; in this respect, the “Phantoms” are sublime. The plot may squeeze in a stereotype or two, but the characters are refreshingly original.
Ein and Zwei, the two leads, evolve beautifully both as people and their relationship with each other. Their development is gradual, strongly linked to their environment and acquaintances, and wonderfully absorbing. Because these two start out as essentially blank slates, the viewer is not permitted to assume anything about them, forced to rely on the superb character development.
Eventually we are introduced to the tritagonist, Cal Devens. The shifts in her character are powerful, driving the second half of the anime.
I will end this section here because I am already starting to bump up against the fuzzy line of “spoilers.”
ENJOYMENT 4/10
I won’t sugarcoat it: this anime is a tearjerker. Phantom Requiem is emotionally very intense. Mr. Urobuchi’s nickname, “Urobutcher,” is no coincidence. This series is dark, nihilistic and depressing at times, so it hardly appeals to everyone. Personally I was completely caught up at times, but often I found myself frustrated or angry. I think this anime is a lot easier to appreciate than to like.
CONCLUSION
I have not mentioned the ending of Phantom Requiem. I will not spoil it, but I can say I think any viewer will have a strong reaction to it, and it was completely unnecessary. It is very difficult for me to describe my feelings on this anime, my opinion is very much split. I can’t wholeheartedly recommend this series, but if you are a fan of Urobuchi you definitely shouldn’t miss this.