mante.lucie - 2015-09-26 17:27:06

On the outside, Phantom may seem like just another "girls with guns" action heavy thriller, full of over the top scenes. But really, there is something more going on. The Bee train studio did a great job of adapting a Urobuchi VN, and made it something their own, paying homage to classic film-noir, especially with fatalism.

NEGATIVE: A few troublesome plot holes. Characters manage to survive multiple gun wounds, and always seem to escape situations unscathed that in real life would leave them crippled. But, I would argue these moments of inconsistency with the real world, are in fact, insignificant, because it is a piece of fiction. Phantom is not supposed to be completely realistic like it lets on, as it harbors a very fictional element to it, which are the heightened survival instincts that certain individuals possess, that allow them to survive situations normal people would not.

There are also some lackluster characters, and some poorly written dialogue, but most of these issues are very minuscule.

POSITIVE: Mainly the atmosphere. There is a fantastic sense of impending doom that always lingers around the characters. It's a slow burn, brooding mood, that is conveyed through fatalism. This fatalism is expertly established through the use of subtle symbolism. This symbolism is so subtle it feels like a spoiler to give it away. One blatant example though, is the opening, Karma, which is neat to implement with the story itself.

Characters are also highly engaging, especially the internal conflict they have as they deal with being forced to kill people. There are different coping methods the characters use, mainly nihilism, convincing themselves life is pointless, we all die in the end, so killing is not wrong. However, as the characters find pockets of hope to a normal life, their outlooks on life slowly change, and they begin to realize the implications of their actions, and know they are guilty of sin.

The show is not about physical conflict, the characters themselves are expert assassins; it is a mental conflict, as they deal with guilt, despair, hope, and love. And in this regard, the show is great. The impending atmosphere I mentioned earlier has not to do with their physical capabilities, but their spirit to live on and continue killing, and how much longer they want to delay their inevitable karma.

penelope.wintheiser - 2015-06-10 11:37:55

a nice serie with a lot of road i cannot say this is bad or good im not sure how to feel about this serie but anyway thats can be cool he have something different than others anime so lets begin !

About The Story
the serie begin on a parody Scarface scene with a lot of action but you dont very what is going on... after that they skip a couple of years and you have 0 hints about what is happening ... and a lot of things happen in the story sometimes the road completely change his road this is a little difficult to stay in the anime at the beginning because of the strange story begining but when you are at 10 or 8 .. i dont really remember the correct episode.. the serie is more interesting to follow ... so yeah i spoil nothing but the end is very deceiving.... the end is not soo bad but.... can deceive some people.. and if you dont follow correctly what is going on... u will never understand the end..

About The Animation and Soundsthe animation is normal i think thats a nice animation , for the sounds i have liked some BGM the Opening and Ending are good too but i recommand to only watch the 1st and 1st Ending if you dont have see the anime yet.. because the second OP/END contain spoil and can destroy the nice Thriller you have in this anime... so i leave you only the 1st OP/END

About The Characters
a lot of nice characters are present in this anime and a lot of asshole too but anyway you gonna like some characters

Zwei / thats the main characters with a nice personality but he is a little stupid at the beginning... give him a chance he dont have memories but fk it.. this is a good characters with a nice charm and skills

Ein / i will not hide it... this girl have pissed me off a lot of time during the anime because of is manner of thinking ... but yeah i dont hate her soo much.. she have just pissed me off sometimes.. if you forgot about this.. she can be a cool character

Cal Devens / i have liked this girl because of his personality and attitude she give me moral if we can call this like that LOOOl... she can make you smile okay ? u know what i mean now !

Lizzie Garland / thats a bestfriend.. clearly a bestfriend... she is a bad ass

Claudia McCunnen / no doubt about it... this is a slut.... i have never like this girl.. this girl are just manipulate the guys with his body ... just for power and trust..

Scythe Master / i dont know his real goal in the life if you forgot about the Phantom but this guy is special...

Raymond McGuire / this is just nice LOOOL...

About The Enjoyment
thats a nice serie but the beginning is a little weird and dont gonna put you too much in the anime but later in the serie this is better than the beginning you have a lot of more things and Thriller and Action and i like how serious the serie are !

so yeah this is it i have been fast on it i think.. thats a very nice anime with potential and i can recommand this anime but first you need to like Thriller and Drama with Mafia,Yakuza etc... if you like anime with guns go for it .. but this anime can deceive you sometimes thats the bad point in this anime some things are solved too fast..but anyway thats a good anime , i give him a hands of applause !

jaylan77 - 2014-12-23 07:27:01

watch this if you like to watch people whine in monotone voices like angsty children forever

jhand - 2014-06-27 21:41:07

jamel12 - 2013-10-28 05:56:26

A year and a half after originally watching this anime, and two things still seperate it from many anime's I have watched.1) It's still my favorite anime of all time2) It still sends shivers down my spine when thinking about it.How far would you go for the one you loved? What lengths would you go to, to be a free person? Two exceptional questions to ask yourself when watching this. These are decisions the protagonist must make throughout the whole series. In this series, what attracts me is the heartbreak the leading male recieves, and how he can still push through. Despite being heartless and having no feelings, he still finds a way for them to show.The story is a 10 out of 10 for me. It drew me and it is to this day the only anime I have sat through in one night to watch. Being pulled in episode after episode is a real feat and this anime does it well. The art I gave an 8 out of 10. The art didn't bother me, but it wasn't what I was paying attention to throughout the series. The sound is a 9 out of 10 for me. It really brings up the intensitive level of the series.Characters are a 10 out of 10. Ein and Zwei are just loveable, even if they are heartless. While both can frustrate you, you can feel the despair they go through as they want to be taken away from their "slavery" and become their own person. You can also feel the nefariousness of Drei when she comes back, but she is also a person who just wants to be accepted.Enjoyment, 9 out of 10. It kept me up till 5 am, if that isn't enjoyment and anticipation I don't know what is.Overall, 9 out of 10. No series if perfect and I refuse unless the circumstance is extremely rare to give a 10, however if a series was to be given a 10 by me, this would be it. This is the epitome of a brilliant anime in my eyes.

felicita08 - 2013-10-19 20:42:34

Well I done a video review for Requiem for the phantom which you may find useful ^^

edenesik - 2013-09-09 04:51:36

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.

hilario.terry - 2013-06-23 17:52:41

Story:We meet this Pathologist named Zwei who is a tourist assasination. But all of a sudden She meets Ein who also a Pathologist. They both lost their memories by Inferno. He needs to survive and claw his way through in order to stay alive.As you move on through the story, the story expands more and get suspense. But, at the final arc it will get confusing and leads you to say wtf? Decent story but confusing.Rating 6/10Art:Looks fantastic. Background, and characters look just amazing. Have no problem with the art.Rating 9/10Sound:Liked the ost. Voice acting is pretty top notched. Fits each personatly with the characters.Rating 9/10Characters:They good. One problem i have is some of the supporting characters I don't really care of them. One good thing is they are not annoying like the other shows. Rating 8/10 Enjoyment:I highly enjoy this show. By each episodes it makes you want to see more of it. Rating 9/10Overall:It is fantastic anime to see. If you perfer action, dark with drama. Then this show is a must watch.Rating 8/10

qgraham - 2013-06-23 17:52:32

Story:We meet this Pathologist named Zwei who is a tourist assasination. But all of a sudden She meets Ein who also a Pathologist. They both lost their memories by Inferno. He needs to survive and claw his way through in order to stay alive.As you move on through the story, the story expands more and get suspense. But, at the final arc it will get confusing and leads you to say wtf? Decent story but confusing.Rating 6/10Art:Looks fantastic. Background, and characters look just amazing. Have no problem with the art.Rating 9/10Sound:Liked the ost. Voice acting is pretty top notched. Fits each personatly with the characters.Rating 9/10Characters:They good. One problem i have is some of the supporting characters I don't really care of them. One good thing is they are not annoying like the other shows. Rating 8/10 Enjoyment:I highly enjoy this show. By each episodes it makes you want to see more of it. Rating 9/10Overall:It is fantastic anime to see. If you perfer action, dark with drama. Then this show is a must watch.Rating 8/10

erica46 - 2013-05-31 22:15:02

"You have to be reborn if you want to live, from this point on you exist solely for the purpose of killing others"

This quote from Koichi Mashimo's Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom demonstrates the psychologically taxing philosophy that the main characters must adapt to and how that affects their nature and relationship with each other. Allow me to demonstrate.

Quick Disclaimer: I will not be addressing the aspect of voice acting in this review nor in any of my other reviews. This is due to my lack of knowledge pertaining to  the Japanese language 

STORY

The general premise of Phantom is similar to shows of the same genre, such as Darker then Black and Noir. However, though Phantom follows the general formula for series of this specific genre, it still manages to be able to have an intriguing and original story despite that. Though character relations are generally something that is ignored in this particular genre, Phantom puts emphasis on these said relations. The relationship between the main characters helps to illustrate the very nature of the said characters and the relevance of that relation has towards the story. The story revolves around two characters called Ein and Zwei. The story thrives off the relationship between the two and how it evolves over the course of time. Ein and Zwei are both forced to be puppets, in every sense of the word, for the underground mafia organization “Inferno”, they both struggle at some point in the series, Zwei most notably so, for some semblance or reason for their existence. They find this reason via their relationship with one another as is explicitly stated by Ein later in the series. The relation these two characters have holds enough uniqueness that the story is able to use it both as a plot device and a driving force for the story itself. However, their relation also serves to help represent the very nature of their respective psyche in a sense. Allow me to illustrate this by using a point within the series. !!SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT!! (If you wish to avoid being spoiled skip to the next paragraph). Despite having the relationship they do at this given point in the film Ein and Zwei end up on opposing sides. Zwei ends up joining a resistance group of sorts whose aim is the execution of the Scythe Master otherwise known as Dr. Giuseppe and Ein feels an obligation towards the Doctor, so it logically follows that she would aid him. As a result of this scenario, the expectant death of the Doctor is prevented by Ein whom jumps in front of the bullets and is thought to have lost her life by the hands of Zwei. As time goes on Zwei’s psychological nature begins to change and cause him to make otherwise unorthodox decisions which in turn not only serves as a plot device for the story, along with the afore mentioned relation of the two, but the inherent source of his mental stability at this time.

The story of Phantom has a similar premise to that of series of the same genre. However Phantom presents news ideas and enough of a emphasize on character relations that it managed to present and original and intriguing story that captivated the viewer (at least in my experience) However there are aspects of the story that do suffer from the clichés of this specific genre such as amnesia, crime syndicates, assassination and the like. At times the progression of the story in terms of its legitimacy and common sense is thrown out. One such example is the dramatic change in physical aspects of a certain character over the course of two years. When everything that has been discussed is been taken into consideration it can be seen that the story of Phantom has an original story that will keep you enthralled and suspenseful but at the same time it has negative aspects to its story that are very prominent. I give this category a 7 out of 10  

ANIMATION

I would like to compare the art style of Phantom especially the opening and ending themes to an already existing one. However because its art style is so unique there is nothing that makes a good comparison Allow me to show you through video what I am trying to put into words. The following video is the first of Phantom’s two openings (credit goes to Dencell for supplying the video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3vq3WH4Xn8. As you can see the animation seems in a contradictory sense to be both surreal and realistic at the same time, allow me to explain my reasoning. The animation of the series in general seems to accurately portray a semblance of realism as well as an accurate representation of what organized underground crime syndicates are like. However on the same note the openings and endings respectively each seem to be dreamlike in appearance and feel. Moving on to the actual animation without influence from the opening and ending sequences. The animation of Phantom is some of the most unique I have seen, it boast realism that not only helps to liven the background but to draw out a sense of immersion from the audience. Though this may be due to the nature of the genre, Phantom still carries this attribute out notably using the menagerie of methods it has available to it. In conclusion the animation of Phantom seems to have prominent features within its art style that bring out its competence in this area and though at times the animation appears to defy common sense especially with the physical development some characters undergo and how it is completely illogical, those are essentially the only gripes I have with the animation. I give this category a 9 out of 10. 

SOUND 

In addressing this category we will again first refer to the openings and endings of the series. Let us again refer back to the afore mentioned opening. If you would be so kind as to go and listen to the selected song again this time paying attention to the lyrics and sound. Note how the lyrics seem to be rather suited for the theme of the show, which focuses on the psychological effects of the actions the main characters are forced to take. The feel and sound of the lyrics also seems, like the animation, to be surreal and dreamlike. I believe the soundtrack during the action sequences as well as the subtle romantic ones suits the feel of the series admirably. Since the series revolves around crime syndicates and underground crime organization the music and soundtrack played during missions, training, shootouts and the like is best described as such. The music played at such times tries to portray the aspect of suspense but not suspense for what happens next rather for what actions the characters will take given the current situation. In Phantom  the main characters are forced to take actions that can  affect them in such a way where they begin to descend into insanity. The music at such intervals and situations seems to not only portray this insanity but make you feel as if their insanity is justified. In conclusion the music and soundtrack of phantom knows where to be and when it should be there. This allows the viewer to experience the emotions the series attempts to portray and show. I give this category a 9 out of 10.

CHARACTER

I believe this section to be the weakest and least fleshed out. However there are some exceptions to this statement, those exceptions being Ein and Zwei. In terms of character development  the majority of the characters with the exception of  Ein and Zwei don't receive much development  or at the very least  not enough to generate a attachment to their character. One such example is Claudia and Elizabeth's (Lizzie) relationship. The two afore mentioned characters are both close friends but on the same note work for the same crime agency. This presents a problem because it is the duty(in a sense) of those involved with this agency to eliminate any threats that are presented to it. This causes discontent between both their character and beliefs. Following this there is a fairly significant  event that takes place between Claudia and Lizzie, however because they were so underdeveloped it felt empty and out of place being used only as a plot device. Compare this to the Relation that Ein and Zwei have (which was mentioned before) and all other characters as well as their personalities pale in comparison.  However though all character development save that of Ein and Zwei is  esentially ignored I didn't find it to be all that annoying or disconcerting allow me to explain why. Since the story (in a roundabout way) revolves mainly around Ein and Zwei's relationship and in rare occurances how they relate to Cal, the lack of other characters development seems to hold little importance. In summary the characters are not the best attribute that Phantom has going for it however the focus that Phantom has on the three main characters helps to cover for the staggering lack of development for the supporting cast. I give this category a 6 out of 10

Disclaimer: This next category will be heavily influenced by my bias

ENJOYMENT

I found to be Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom to be a excellent piece of work, is it flawed? yes. could it be improved upon? most certainly. However on the same note it does many things correctly and it does them (in my opinion) in a innovative way. However there are some things that do bother me some of them are as follows. The  rejection of common sense the series employs at certain points in the film as well as the sometimes repetitive nature of blind obedience I find to be irritable  However aside from these faults as well as the afore mentioned ones Phantom has ,in my mind, no other notable faults.  I give this category a 9 out of 10 

Thank you for taking the time to read and  evaluate my discourse