One anime from last season that I think deserves more credit is Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~. Based on the game Phantom of Inferno, the anime revolves around a Japanese tourist (codenamed Zwei) who is forced to become an assassin in the American underworld. Under the tutelage of Ein, nicknamed “Phantom” for being the deadliest assassin, Zwei trains to become the next “Phantom” while trying to convince himself that he’s not doing anything wrong.
The whole anime had a really dark tone except for one part in the series where Zwei spends some time with a little girl and gets a taste of what life was like before he became an assassin. There’s certainly no lack of drama as many characters will do whatever it takes to get to the top and others appear to be mentally unstable, making them and the story unpredictable. The game that the anime was based on had several paths that the story could take so even if you have the game, it’s worth watching the anime because you won’t know what will happen.
Naturally, a story about assassins is sure to have lots of action, and Phantom certainly doesn’t disappoint. From knife fights to gun battles to sniping and large explosions, Phantom has as much action as you can fit into an anime while still having a good plot. Some of my favourite scenes were the knife fight between Ein and Zwei at the beginning of the series, and the sniping operation in episode 15. If you like seeing people run out into the open and kill like a dozen guys without being hit (as unbelievale as that sounds), there’s some of that too.
Besides all the action and backstabbing, there is a bit of romance in the series. Personally, I didn’t think the lovey-dovey stuff going on between Ein and Zwei was all that great. There was one episode where the two of them go on a pretend date to scope out the site of their next assassination, which thought was a bit overboard. Did they really have to spend so much time making Zwei blush by showcasing Ein in swimsuits and other clothing? I guess it’s really up to the preferences of the viewer.
The music and animation for Phantom were both done really well. Most of the scenes were drawn with quite a bit of detail, and there were some parts which were done in 3D which was a nice touch. The opening and ending sequences were done in a dark, artsy kind of way which I thought fit perfectly with the story. The music also fit in perfectly with what was happening. My favourite track would be the pimpin’ music at the beginning of episode 12 when Zwei turns all cool and strts assassinating people with style (ie: walking on stage at a play and sniping a guy in the audience with a huge gun).
With lots of action, drama, and a touch of romance, Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ is certainly worth a look if you’re trying to find a good anime to watch.