List of Boogiepop Characters - Boogiepop and Others

Boogiepop and Others

Echoes (エコーズ, Ekōzu?)

• Voiced by: Taiki Matsuno (Japanese), William Hirsh (English) (Boogiepop Phantom)
• Japanese actor: Yasufumi Teriwaki (Boogiepop and Others)

An alien sent to Earth to evaluate humanity. When Echoes takes on human form to engage with human society, he inadvertently takes on a form more highly evolved than current humans. His knowledge is sealed away by restricting his ability to speak to only repeating the words used by others around him. This is why he is named Echoes, in reference to the Greek nymph, Echo. The names of many characters in the Boogiepop series are also references to Western music, particularly rock. Echoes is a song from the album Meddle by Pink Floyd. Sometime after coming to Earth, he was captured by the Towa Organization, who misinterpreted him as a mutant human and experimented on him, creating their synthetic humans from what they learned. They also attempted to clone Echoes, but their failed attempt resulted in the creation of the human-eating Manticore. When Manticore escaped from the lab in which it was created, Echoes gave chase. Boogiepop and Others begins with Echoes becoming disheartened in his search and disillusioned with humanity. As he collapses in the middle of the city, Boogiepop gives him the encouragement he needs and helps him when he is mistreated by the Police. He then meets Kamikishiro Naoko, with whom he shares a telepathic link. Kamikishiro learns about who he is, what he has been through and what he is trying to do. She shelters him at Shinyo Academy and calls for her friend, Nagi Kirima, to help. After Kamikishiro disappears, Kirima captures three students, believing that Manticore would be disguised as one of them, but Echoes senses that they are all ordinary humans. After he releases the students, one of them, Saotome Masami, stabs him through the throat with a poisoned mechanical pencil. With Echoes weakened, Manticore reveals itself, and attacks him. Echoes is unable to face Manticore and is bitterly defeated. When all hope seems lost, Echoes speaks his own words for the only time: "my body into information, transmit to source." At this, Echoes turns into a pillar of light that passes through his enemies, disintegrating Saotome Masami and mortally wounding Manticore. From Echoes' perspective, we are able to see how unjust prejudice is. He also demonstrates how insensitive modern society is to the misfortunate.

Boogiepop Phantom often references the pillar of light and, just like Echoes, Kisaragi Manaka speaks in repetition. Echoes makes a brief appearance at the end of the second-last episode.

Appearances: Boogiepop and Others, Boogiepop at Dawn, Boogiepop Phantom

Naoko Kamikishiro (紙木城直子, Kamikishiro Naoko?)

• Japanese actor: Asumi Miwa

Kamikishiro Naoko is a third year student at Shinyo Academy, and going out with both Kimura Akio and Tanaka Shiro. Though known to be a kind, happy-go-lucky girl, she often sings Life is Brief. By chance, she finds Echoes collapsed in the street, and is compelled to help him. Despite his inability to communicate effectively via speech, Kamikishiro finds that she shares a telepathic link with him, and learns of Manticore. It is suggested that Kamikishiro saved humanity through the compassion she showed Echoes.

Appearances: Boogiepop and Others, Boogiepop at Dawn, Boogiepop Phantom

Akio Kimura (木村明雄, Kimura Akio?)

• Japanese actor: Tetsu Sawaki

A second year student at Shinyo Academy, he finds himself in love with Kamikishiro Naoko.

Appearances: Boogiepop and Others

Kyouko Kinoshita (木下京子, Kinoshita Kyōko?)

• Japanese actor: Takako Baba

A second year student at Shinyo Academy, Kinoshita is introduced to the drug Type-S by Kusatsu Akiko.

Appearances: Boogiepop and Others, Boogiepop Returns: VS Imaginator Part 2, Boogiepop Phantom

Seiichi Kirima (霧間誠一, Kirima Seiichi?)

The father of Nagi, and a prolific writer, Kirima released several novels, but is best known for his works on psychology. His works are frequently referenced in the Boogiepop series, and also feature in the Jiken series.

Akiko Kusatsu (草津秋子, Kusatsu Akiko?)

• Japanese actor: Erika Kuroishi

A first year student at Shinyo Academy, Kusatsu has a crush on Saotome Masami.

Appearances: Boogiepop and Others

Kei Niitoki (新刻敬, Niitoki Kei?)

• Japanese actor: Kai Hirohashi

A second year student at Shinyo Academy, Niitoki is the President of the Discipline Committee. Though she looks like a much younger girl, other students often come to her, seeking her assistance and treating her like an older sister.

Appearances: Boogiepop and Others, Boogiepop Returns: VS Imaginator Part 2, Boogiepop Overdrive: The Piper

Masami Saotome (早乙女正美, Saotome Masami?)

• Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese), Crispin Freeman (English)
• Japanese actor: Hassei Takano

Saotome Masami is a first year student at Shinyo Academy with an unusual desire: he wishes to be killed by a woman stronger than himself. His advances on Kirima Nagi were rejected, but when he meets Manticore he professes his love, and seeks to help it conquer the world. Under his direction, Manticore takes the form of Yurihara Minako, and they experiment in controlling humans --- Type-S (S for Slave) results from this. The two fall deeply in love with each other.

Appearances: Boogiepop and Others, Boogiepop in the Mirror: "Pandora", Boogiepop Phantom

Keiji Takeda (竹田啓司, Takeda Keiji?)

• Japanese actor: Daijirou Kawaoka

Takeda is a third year student at Shinyo Academy, with aspirations to become a designer. He is going out with Miyashita Touka, and becomes Boogiepop's first true friend.

Appearances: Boogiepop and Others, Boogiepop in the Mirror: "Pandora", Boogiepop Overdrive: The Piper, Boogiepop Missing: Peppermint Wizard, Boogiepop Stacatto: Welcome to Jinx Shop, Boogiepop Phantom

Shiro Tanaka (田中志郎, Tanaka Shiro?)

• Japanese actor: Hideyuki Kawahara

A first year student at Shinyo Academy, and a member of the archery club. Tanaka is pursued by Kamikishiro Naoko, who professes her love for him. Though initially reluctant, he eventually goes out with her.

Appearances: Boogiepop and Others, Boogiepop Overdrive: The Piper

Masaki Taniguchi (谷口正樹, Taniguchi Masaki?)

A third-year middle school student, and the step-brother of Kirima Nagi, Taniguchi recently returned to Japan from Phnom Penh, and is currently living with his step-sister.

Appearances: Boogiepop and Others, Boogiepop Returns: VS Imaginator, Boogiepop Countdown Embryo: Erosion, Boogiepop Wicked Embryo: Eruption, Boogiepop Bounding: Lost Moebius

Minako Yurihara (百合川美奈子, Yurihawa Minako?) / Manticore (マンティコア, Manteikoa?)

• Voiced by: Mayumi Asano (Japanese), Simone Grant (English) (Boogiepop Phantom)
• Japanese actor: Ayana Sakai (Boogiepop and Others)

Minako was a second year student at Shinyo Academy, until she was consumed by Manticore, an imperfect clone of Echoes created by the Towa Organization who was considered a monster. It escaped from the lab it was created in, hoping to preserve its life. Minako started as a loner, so Manticore finds it easy to hide itself by interacting with as few people as possible. "Manticore" means "man-eater". The Manticore in Boogiepop and Others feeds on humans and gained its name after the Persian monster for this reason. Manticore initially aims only to survive and hide among human society. Saotome Masami, however, led it to believe in its own superiority. After killing Minako, Masami discovers Manticore, but before it can kill him, Saotome explains why Manticore would find Yurihara's form more beneficial and confesses his love to it. Listening to Saotome's logic, Manticore lets him live and help it, assuming the form of Yurihara to hide from its pursuer, Echoes, for whose superior power it held a deep-set fear. Believing itself safely hidden, Manticore managed to avoid conflict until it believed it had Echoes trapped, at which point it attacked him. As it begins to take on more human attributes, its motivations shift towards love. Seeking to align himself with Manticore, Saotome inquires to what other powers it possesses and gleefully explains how these powers could be used to control the world. When Manticore tells Saotome of its powers, he initiates experiments in controlling humans. As they work together, the two fall deeply in love with each other. Despite their initial success enslaving Akiko Kusatsu, repeated failures with the Type-S drug wear heavily upon Manticore. As Kirima Nagi draws close to them with her investigations, Manticore finds itself pushed into a corner. At this point Naoko Kamikishiro stumbles across Manticore and Saotome, looking for Echoes. Manticore kills Kamikishiro and Saotome devises a plan that would free Manticore from its past. He manages to stab Echoes with a mechanical pencil filled with Manticore's poison. Its greatest opponent now weakened, Manticore reveals itself and attacks. About to lose, Echoes transforms himself into light, directing the beam towards Manticore to destroy it. Manticore is saved by Saotome, who is disintegrated. It suffers severe burns to half its body. After losing Saotome, the only tie it had to humanity, it reverted back to being a monster. Seeking to use Kei Niitoki as a means to restore itself, Manticore chases her, but is captured by a wire. Boogiepop reveals himself, and tells Shiro Tanaka to shoot an arrow through Manticore's head, finishing it off.

In Boogiepop Phantom, remnants of Manticore survived the pillar of light through the electromagnetic field surrounding the city, though the fragments split in two. One part maintained the basic form of Yurihara, but took on the cloak and hat of Boogiepop to become Boogiepop Phantom; the other took the form of Saotome, and survived as Manticore Phantom. Boogiepop Phantom became aware that it would only exist for a short time and used this time to protect the "special children", ones who had evolved after Echoes became the pillar of light. It searches for evolved humans and preserves those it finds under the city, until the day when humanity catches up with them. It chooses, however, to avoid significant exchange with Nagi Kirima and Boogiepop. It also sees Manaka as a threat, but when it tries to kill her, Boogiepop intervenes, explaining that she has lost her powers. Manticore Phantom cares only about its own survival and continues to devour people in the city. After meeting Arito Misuzu, Manticore Phantom attempts to use her as a pawn to draw more food to itself. It also uses Kishida Ichirou in a similar manner, though while it revealed itself to Misuzu, Kishida remained unaware of Manticore Phantom and of what it had used his body to do. It then sees a chance to get revenge on Kirima, whom it still sees as an enemy, but Boogiepop Phantom intervenes before Kirima arrives. When made aware of its limited life-span, Manticore Phantom panics and enters the body of Ichirou Kishida, another "phantom" living through the electromagnetic field, and travels to Akihabara, a place with sufficient electromagnetic activity to maintain its existence. Manticore Phantom hides there for a year, devouring people in Tokyo, but Boogiepop finds it. Boogiepop destroys Kishida and Manticore Phantom with an electromagnetic pulse blast. In Boogiepop Returns: VS Imaginator Part 1, Boogiepop compares Spooky E with Manticore, claiming the Manticore is the stronger.

Manticore demonstrates the stark contrast between a person treated as an object or as a failure, and a person given love. Minako's name derives from a character from the song and album Tarkus by the band Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

Appearances: Boogiepop and Others, Boogiepop Phantom