Ask John: Is There a Live Action Boogiepop Phantom?

Question:
Is there a live-action version of Boogiepop Phantom?

Answer:
Kouhei Kadono’s Boogiepop wa Warawanai (Boogiepop Never Laughs) novel was the basis for both the Boogiepop Phantom anime TV series broadcast on Japanese television between January 6 and March 22, 2000, and the live action prequel movie Boogiepop & Others released to Japanese theaters in March 2000. The live action film, directed by Ryu Kaneda, starred Sayaka Yoshino (Renge in Moon Over Tao, Rikku in the Japanese version of Final Fantasy X). Like many other contemporary Japanese suspense/horror films, it is a slow paced, dialogue intensive film featuring Boogiepop, Toka Miyashita, Nagi Kirima, and other high school age teens- some included in the anime version and some not.

The film is available on Japanese VHS and DVD from Toei Home Video, but neither the VHS nor DVD include any English language translation.