Fantasy Kaleidoscope ~The Memories of Phantasm~

幻想万華鏡~The Memories of Phantasm~
Fantasy Kaleidoscope ~The Memories of Phantasm~

Memories of Phantasm first DVD box cover

Circle

満福神社 (Manpukujinjya)

Director

蕨抜六 (Warabi Nukeroku)

Writer

トミー朕 (Tommy)

Composer

幽閉サテライト (Yuuhei Satellite)

Number of Episodes

18

Gensou Mangekyou (Fantasy Kaleidoscope) ~ The Memories of Phantasm ~ (幻想万華鏡~The Memories of Phantasm~)" is a fan-made animated video series composed of 18 OVAs produced by the doujin circle Manpukujinjya. The series first debuted at Comiket 80 on August 13, 2011, and its most recent OVA aired on May 7, 2023.

It's first PV was released in May 2011 in a trailer on Niconico, although the project itself dates back to 2010 with music releases by the circle to promote the series launch, there is also a previous promotional video released on a abandoned version of the Nico mapujinka account.

Synopsis

The series addresses events from Perfect Cherry Blossom, Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, Phantasmagoria of Flower View, Mountain of Faith and Subterranean Animism, It also briefly delves into Cirno's story from Touhou Hisoutensoku, However, these events do not always align with the narratives of the games themselves.

In episode 17, there was a hint that the plot of Scarlet Weather Rhapsody would be fully tackled, but as of now, it has not happened.

Production

The original script for the first OVA was supposed to be written by a different writer instead of Tommy. However, since that person apparently never showed up, he quickly came up with a new script. It was soon adopted as the definitive plot, the most drastic change according to himself [1] was the inclusion of an actual conflict for Marisa and Reimu to deal with it.

The director was concerned about whether the animation would be captivating enough to hold the viewer's attention. As a result, they decided to incorporate a plethora of cherry blossom petals. Additionally, they opted to play the opening song during the final battle to intensify the confrontation [2]. Originally, the idea was to have the cherry blossom viewing scene at the beginning to create a cheerful atmosphere, but it was ultimately moved to the end of the episode due to Tommy's dislike of starting the series with a flashback. [3]

Another point that was addressed is the voice acting. Michael J. Dog, the sound effects supervisor, mentioned, according to Tommy, that the effects he added wouldn't complement voice acting. Therefore, the focus shifted to producing music for the series. [4]

The first episode was intended to have two separate releases, with the first part scheduled for May 2011 during Reitaisai 8. However, due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, it was consolidated into a single part and subsequently released at Comiket 80 in August of the same year.

Reception

It initially received widespread acclaim following the release of its first two episodes, and to this day, it maintains a generally favorable reception among viewers and it's frequently cited as their introductory media to many fans. However, as the series progressed, a significant portion of the audience became disillusioned, primarily due to perceived inaccuracies in its lore and an increased focus on fan service by the team behind it.

Episodes

Episode Title Release Date
第1話: 春雪異変の章)
Episode 1: The Spring Snow Incident
August 13, 2011
第2話:紅霧異変の章(前編)
Episode 2: Scarlet Mist Incident (Part One)
May 26, 2013
第3話:紅霧異変の章(中編)
Episode 3: Scarlet Mist Incident (Part Two)
December 30, 2013
第4話:紅霧異変の章(后編)
Episode 4: Scarlet Mist Incident (Part Three)
May 11, 2014
第5話:花の異変の章(前編)
Episode 5: The Flower Incident (Part One)
May 19, 2015
第6話:花の異変の章(後編)
Episode 6: The Flower Incident (Part Two)
October 18, 2015
第7話:巨大妖怪伝説の章)
Episode 7: Legend of the Giant Youkai
May 21, 2016
第8話:永夜異変の章(前編)
Episode 8: The Eternal Night Incident (Part One)
December 29, 2016
第9話:永夜異変の章(中編)
Episode 9: The Eternal Night Incident (Part Two)
November 11, 2017
第10話:永夜異変の章(後編①)
Episode 10: The Eternal Night Incident (Part Three)
December 29, 2017
第11話:永夜異変の章(後編②))
Episode 11: The Eternal Night Incident (Part Four)
May 06, 2018
第12話:肝試しの章(前編))
Episode 12:The Courage Test Incident (Part One)
December 30, 2018
第13話:肝試しの章(後編))く 第六話
Episode 13 The Courage Test Incident (Part Two)
May 5, 2019
第14話:妖怪の山決戦の章(前編))
Episode 14: The Youkai Mountain Battle Incident (Part One)
December 31, 2019
第15話:妖怪の山決戦の章(中編)
Episode 15: The Youkai Mountain Battle Incident (Part Two)
September 15, 2020
第16話:妖怪の山決戦の章(後編①)
Episode 16: The Youkai Mountain Battle Incident (Part Three)
April 28, 2021
第17話:妖怪の山決戦の章(後編②)
Episode 17: The Youkai Mountain Battle Incident (Part Four)
March 20, 2022
最終話:霊夢暗殺計画の章)
Episode 18: The Reimu Assassination Plot
May 7, 2023

Music

The entire soundtrack used in the series is composed by Yuuhei Satellite.

The following is the list of songs that were featured in the openings and endings:

Promotional Videos

Trivia

  • One of the most popular Japanese fandubs of the series was done by a single voice actress.
  • The animation frequently features torn clothes and onsen scenes. According to the writer himself, most episodes feature an uncensored version. [5]
  • Sanae was originally supposed to appear in the first opening, but the team scrapped the idea, choosing instead for her to appear at the end of episode one. [6]
  • There are frequent rumors about the next episode of the animation being the last, this is a rumor that dates back to episode 15. [7]

Gallery

External Links

Official Series Playlist on Youtube

Manpukujinjya Official BOOTH page

Manpukujinjya X's Account

Manpukujinjya's FANBOX