Anime Review: Requiem for the Phantom

REQUIEM FOR THE PHANTOM: One of the most overlooked titles out there

Viewers have the tendency to believe that popularity is directly proportional to quality. This frame of mind has made some of them dismiss unpopular titles without even giving it a chance. It is a mere misconception, and it is very plain that many titles have suffered from diminishing audience share because of it. One of these overlooked titles is Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom, and it is a title that doesn’t deserve to be overlooked at all.

            The series features a story that revolves around trained assassins who work for an underground organization. It can be considered as a mafia account, so a lot of action is to be expected. Story-wise, the series is quite slow in a very good way. What makes this rather sluggish pacing effective is the overall treatment of the series itself, which is mysterious, dramatic, and elegantly dark.

            This style is used to portray an action-packed story of isolation, loneliness, betrayal, and other themes that have a solemn effect. All of these themes, when put together, create a contradiction between action and drama, which is very intriguing as a concept. The story is plagued not with senseless bloodshed, but with action that triggers a lot of different subtle emotions. And what makes the story even more interesting is its author’s courage to kill off the characters, who, I must add, are very easy to feel sympathetic to.

            Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom features an interesting pool of characters. The reason for this interest is their enigmatic nature. This air of mystery in the characters can be used as an excuse to hide their flatness, but this is not the case for this series. The characters are not flat at all. The viewers are able to see their motives, beliefs, and depth despite the vagueness of their identities. This fact renders them very well-made characters, and not just quiet individuals who pretend to be profound. And the way they interact are very sensual, sometimes, even erotic, that it has contributed immensely to the intense drama behind all the violence.

The problem I have with the series is the last Story Arc, which appears to be a little forced considering the timeline of events. Aside from that, I see no other faults. Taken as a whole, I consider this of above-average quality, for the story and characters blend well with their chosen themes, which, I must say, are portrayed quite elegantly.

            Without doubt, Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom, is a series worth watching. Don’t let unpopularity take away from you an experience that will make you realize that, despite the frailty of us humans, we have the ability to get back up and hope -- a hope that, someday, we would be able to transcend from our phantom-like existence.

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