Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom, despite the unnecessary redundancy of its anime title, seems like a gritty serious anime series that spawns from an even grittier, more detail dense series of light novels or manga. However, most unexpectedly, the Phantom anime is actually an adaptation of a visual novel called Phantom of the Inferno.
While not the first visual novel to have a particularly brutal story, the Phantom of the Inferno visual novel is – truthfully – even more brutal than its anime adaptation.
Alternative Titles:
- ファントム
Year Anime Premiered: 2009; 2004 (OVA)
Animation Studio: Bee Train; Arcs Create (OVA)
Number of Seasons: 1; 3 OVAs
Source Material Country of Origin: Japan
Source Material Available: Game
Entry Last Updated: November 4th, 2024
Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom Versus Phantom of the Inferno
In terms of adapting the visual novel story, the Phantom TV anime is not a perfect adaptation, but very close.
The Phantom of the Inferno visual novel is separated into three chapters. In the first two chapters of the game, the player can choose between two route – the Ein Route and Claudia Route in Chapter 1 and the Ein Route and Cal Route in Chapter 2. Route choices and other choices affect which of the sizable handful of endings you get in, primarily, Chapter 3, though lesser endings can be gotten in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 as well.
The Phantom anime primarily follows the Ein routes to what is called the Road to the Cerulean Sky ending, which is what is considered the true ending for Ein’s route. In the game, you can also explore true endings for Cal and Mio instead, but the anime doesn’t touch on those much, choosing instead to focus on Ein and Zwei’s relationship.
The biggest issue with the Phantom anime is that it changes the ending in a fairly significant way in which too many people die in comparison to the visual novel (where plenty of people still die).
Outside of that, what the Phantom anime changed was mostly due to what it had to leave out from the other routes.
Do note that if you play the original visual novel release, the character designs will differ a bit from the anime. However, the Xbox 360 remake of the game used character designs more aligned with the anime, as well as the anime voice cast.
The Phantom OVA Versus Phantom of the Inferno
While most know Phantom from its TV anime from 2009, the series was also adapted in a 3-episode OVA in 2004. The OVA uses character designs more in line with the game, and essentially tells the same story (the ein routes) at a very fast pace.
While the OVA has more gore and hits all the key elements from the story, it shouldn’t be used to replace the TV anime or the game.
