The First 5 – BoogiePop and Others

BoogiePoP and Others or BoogiePoP wa Warawanai, either way, I decided to watch this when I was going through the new releases we could be expecting this season. The synopsis piqued my interest and I wanted to see more of what it was about.

Episode 1

Humanity is in danger so a teenage kid develops a split personality and starts to ignore the main character. I hope that the split personality aspect doesn’t become a scapegoat and ‘explains’ any plot holes if there are any. The episode got dark really fast and I was surprised to be introduced to a man-eater. I was so confused with BoogiePop not facing off with the monster and just leaving in the first episode. I thought it was so anticlimactic for someone else to have beaten the monster. It was a really sudden shift.  The jumps in time were subtle but clearly there. It made me wonder what the heck was going on.

Episode 2

I was so glad to learn that the release was a double episode. The second episode gave the first a bit more perspective. It cleared up a bit of the confusion from the first episode. I enjoyed watching the development and display of the teaming up and relationships during this episode. I also liked that not every death was planned, that some part of it was a complete coincidence.

Episode 3

I like that there is no one main character, but a selection of characters that were needed to make all of the events work. The starting at the end of the story and jumping around in time was jarring at first but I think it is an interesting way to tell the story. I am starting to adapt to the style. I rather enjoy the art style and the way they depicted the villainous psychopathic teen killer and the manticore. Their facial expressions showed the lack of humanity brilliantly. I am looking forward to the whole revealment of events.

Episode 4

I am getting used to the change of character perspectives. The teacher is pretty interesting. I like his ability and am wondering how it will link in with the bigger picture. I enjoyed the part of the story shown in this episode, I felt pity for his former student.

Episode 5

Another character shift. This time delving into the development of a relationship between an unlikely pair. Seeing the other kids bully the one guy felt mildly off. The stalking kid was also a surprise to see but less so than seeing someone else with an ability to ‘brainwash’. It was fun to see BoogiePop actually getting involved and directly participating in something. This episode made me wonder, is the teacher going to be ‘good’ ‘bad’, or neither.

Will I be sticking with it or dropping it? I want to solve the mystery of why everything is happening. I want to unravel the timelines and characters. So I guess, I will be sticking with this anime. The first five episodes have left me wanting more.

What are your thoughts on BoogiePop and Others?