Updated just 'cause...

So I'm in the middle of Boogiepop Phantom...and I guess this is for the people who thought Serial Experiments Lain's pacing was juuuuuust right but the story was way too linear. I'm not saying that BP is a bad anime--it's definitely got a good story with some great metaphors and interesting characters. But it definitely has it's flaws.

Boogiepop Phantom hails from the era of "more realistic anime is better". Instead of interesting character designs, I feel like I'm watching the same three people do creepy things even though they died in the last episode or something. It really is that difficult to tell who's whom. I still don't know who any of the "main" characters are except for Karima. She's the brunette with the longest hair. Also, she doesn't wear a school uniform. That's the only way I know her. For all that he's the titular character of the novel (and in particular this anime) series , Boogiepop doesn't show up that often. It's kind of an event if Boogipop's even mentioned, much less shows up. It's seriously a let down. Who is Boogiepop? What does he/she have to do with these kids? And what was up with that column of light? What exactly happened five years ago? WHO'S THE DAMN SERIAL KILLER!?

The pacing is almost non-existent, and the timeline jumps around so much that we're often told before each scene when it's supposed to take place. Each episode revolves around a different character with stories that do overlap with other characters, so we're often treated to the same scene that takes on new life with a different viewpoint. (Though the animation will often cheat by just re-using the same scene again and again.) The animation itself is dark and oppressive, which really fills out the atmosphere. Unfortunately, it hasn't held up especially well over the years. Watching it now often leaves me with the feeling that a lot of scenes are dark so that they didn't have to design a background for their characters to live in. But I'm just nitpicking now.

I still have to watch the second half of the series. I'm hoping some of my questions will get answered. Here's hoping that I've completely jumped the gun on some of this...

Alone in the Dark comes out tomorrow. It's Tony's birthday present (Tony is the boyfriend). I'm hoping that I won't get nightmares or bored of the gameplay. It looks seriously awesome, so I'm praying that the gamemakers didn't overreach in their goals. Also, I hope there's some girl in there to keep my interest. I'm a sucker for damsels and hopes for a romance budding under dire circumstances. Or something. Okay, pipe down. I know it's not gonna happen, but a girl can dream, right? Or kill zombies. Or zombie-esque things. Whatever. We get to light stuff on fire. That is pretty awesome right there.