Kaikan Phrase (1999) — Story, Release Date, Rating

Synopsis:

Lucifer follows the intertwined journeys of five young musicians navigating the challenges of forming a band and pursuing their musical aspirations. Emerging from the remnants of a previous group, guitarist Yuki and drummer Santa assemble a collective with bassist Towa, guitarist Atsuro, and vocalist Sakuya. The series chronicles their efforts to establish themselves in a competitive music scene while grappling with internal dynamics and external pressures. Personal struggles – including familial disapproval and the bittersweet reality of former bandmates' success – complicate their path forward. Sakuya, in particular, carries the weight of a painful past and a complex relationship with a young lyricist named Aine, adding layers of emotional depth to the band’s evolving story. The narrative offers a realistic portrayal of ambition, friendship, and the sacrifices inherent in pursuing a shared dream.

Episodes:

Episode 1: Misty Blue (Aired: 04/20/1999)
Episode 2: Jam (Aired: 04/27/1999)
Episode 3: Into The Wind (Aired: 05/04/1999)
Episode 4: Time Up (Aired: 05/11/1999)
Episode 5: Day By Day (Aired: 05/18/1999)
... and 39 more episodes

Characters:

Kiryuu, Atsuro (Main) - Voice Actors: Suzumura, Kenichi
Nagai, Yoshihiko (Main) - Voice Actors: Sakurai, Takahiro
Ookouchi, Sakuya (Main) - Voice Actors: Matsukaze, Masaya, Shimamura, Kaoru
Sakuma, Kazuto (Main) - Voice Actors: Chiba, Susumu
Toudou, Yukifumi (Main) - Voice Actors: Miki, Shinichiro
Yukimura, Aine (Main) - Voice Actors: Enomoto, Atsuko
Atsuro's Teacher (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kawashima, Tokuyoshi
Brown, Freddie (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Manning, Jeff
Daisuke (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Itou, Kentarou
Doctor (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Asou, Tomohisa
Eiji (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Miyashita, Michio
Eri (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Saiki, Kaori
Grazer, Rupert (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Manning, Jeff
Grazer, Ralph (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Tobita, Nobuo
Hiroki (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Miyamoto, Mitsuru
Howard, Lawrence (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Itou, Eiji
Itou, Misa (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Katsuki, Masako
Itou, Misa's Husband (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Itou, Kentarou
Kai, Takako (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Hiramatsu, Akiko
Kiryuu, Yuuka (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Ishimura, Tomoko
Kiryuu, Mother (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Asano, Mayumi
Kiryuu, Father (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Onishi, Takeharu
Kiyoshi (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Hayase, Toshiyuki
Kudou (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Fujiwara, Keiji
Mamiko (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Asada, Youko
Marina (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kumagaya, Nina
Masaki (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Yamamoto, Naohiro
Master of Brown Lodge (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Hori, Katsunosuke
Master of Cradle (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Tsuji, Shinpachi
Mikako (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Toyoguchi, Megumi
Mizuki (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kishio, Daisuke
Neon's Vocalist (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kawashima, Tokuyoshi
Nomura, Kenzou (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Asou, Tomohisa
Okada, Producer (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Matsuo, Matsuo
Ookouchi, Reiko (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kawashima, Chiyoko
Radical's Former Vocalist (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Chiba, Isshin
Saki (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Takano, Naoko
Sakura, Ayako (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Watanabe, Misa
Sasaki, Kouichi (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Saitou, Moichi
Shizuka (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Nagashima, Yuko
Takahiro (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Katougi, Satoshi
Toudou, Father (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Soya, Shigenori
Toudou, Mother (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Satou, Ai
Yamashita (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Suzuki, Takuma
Yuki's Female Friend (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Hisakawa, Aya
Yukimura, Father (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Yasui, Kunihiko
Yukimura, Mother (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Aizawa, Keiko
Yukku (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Sato, Masayoshi
Yumi (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Natsuki, Rio
Yuuko (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Yoshizumi, Kozue
Yuusuke (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Sekine, Koji

Staff:

Furuichi, Naohiko (Producer)
Tokita, Hiroko (Director)
Aketagawa, Jin (Sound Director)
Fujimoto, Yoshitaka (Episode Director, Storyboard)
Furukawa, Masami (Episode Director, Storyboard)
Hiiro, Yukina (Episode Director, Storyboard)
Nakanishi, Nobuaki (Episode Director, Storyboard)
Suzuki, Iku (Episode Director, Storyboard)
Suzuki, Takuo (Episode Director, Storyboard)
Yamaguchi, Mihiro (Episode Director, Storyboard)
Yamauchi, Tomio (Episode Director)
Kamio, Ryuu (Script)
Kamishiro, Tsutomu (Script)
Koide, Katsuhiko (Script, Series Composition)
Tsuchiya, Michihiro (Script)
Yoshida, Reiko (Script, Series Composition)
Kikuchi, Kazuhito (Storyboard)
Taguma, Jun (Storyboard)
GLAY (Theme Song Performance)
Lucifer (Theme Song Performance, Theme Song Arrangement, Theme Song Composition, Theme Song Lyrics)
Mori, Yukinojo (Theme Song Lyrics)
Sakuma, Masahide (Theme Song Arrangement)
TAKUYA (Theme Song Composition)
Kouno, Jirou (Art Director)
Sakurai, Konomi (Animation Director)
Sawada, Kan (Music)
Shimizu, Hiroaki (Animation Director)
Shimosaka, Hideo (Animation Director)
Shinjou, Mayu (Original Creator)
Suzuki, Emi (Background Art)
Suzuki, Rumiko (Color Setting)
Tanaka, Jou (Animation Director)
Watanabe, Cheru (Music)
Watanabe, Nobuhiro (Animation Director)

Reviews:

User 2gud2btru (Score: 9/10):
I still have a "hang-over" over Nana so I was browsing for some animes thats relevantly similar to it. Came across Kaikan Phrase but had a dout coz its quite old. But I somehow ended up watching it and have no regrets at all. The story started of typically. A little bit slow but as it progresses you'll find yourself hooked. There's a lot of character development that would make one kind of attached to each band member. It was focused more on the band, on have they struggled, how they developed they're relationship to each other and how they overcame the obstaclesthey faced. It was pretty touching and inspiring. The "love story" started of a little bit late but for me it was just the right timing. You'll see how love can change someone. nnSound is ok, because the anime was done in 1999 so the music is a liitle off my taste. But I most probably would have liked it better if I saw the anime at that time. nnI'll give the characters an outstanding. Each one of them has different characteristics that would make different kind of people relate to them. Nobody stood up annoyingly or overly dramatic. Even the female leads character was done just appropriately.nnObviously I had a fun time watching it. Time well-spent! 44 episodes just not enough.
User arielphf (Score: 3/10):
I enjoyed the manga for this very much, though it did have some significant weak points, the adult themes and boldness of the storyline made up for a lot of shortcomings. Unfortunately, the anime production removed the one redeeming feature of the story completely! The artwork is very dated, for something produced in the 90's, it looks like something from the 70's, and while they give us a lot of background on the other members of the bands, they water all of it down! This manga is really ONLY interesting because it's racy and because of the very titillating relationship between the characters.The anime story line made changes from the manga that sterilized everything that was interesting or compelling out of it. nnIt comes off as a big yawn and if you have read the manga, don't bother with the anime - you'll be disappointed. If you have watched the anime, now go read the real deal in the manga - it's 1000 times better.
User Sapphire86 (Score: 8/10):
Kaikan phrase is quite the squeaky clean anime, although it is adapted from Mayu Shinjou’s manga and those familiar with her works would expect an amount of smut and ecchi-ness but in contrast this anime has everything but those steamy elements. The story starts off with making the band; each character is introduced with their set of problems as they try to become professionals. Whilst the band is discovering itself at the grass-roots level we’re frequently made to listen to their sounds, composed of catchy tunes Midnight Crow and Datenshi Blue (which are sang by the real-life Lucifer band – clever of the producers tomake an actual band as counterparts for the anime band). The ballad Dakishimeru hokani also leaves quite an impression as it pops up from time to time when the characters go through hardships.nnThe manga starts off with the female protagonist Aine Yukimura but in the anime she isn’t involved until half-way through the series. Once Aine and the lead vocalist Sakuya meet though the story picks up pace; on the highs and lows of becoming and being big in the music and media scene, ending practically every episode on a climax- yes you just have to watch the next episode (it’s a vicious cycle).nnThe art of Kaikan Phrase is as expected from animes made in 1999; it is pretty good and you get used to it after the first few episodes. nnIt would’ve been better if there was a bit more romance in the anime though- would’ve done justice to Mayu Shinjou the mangaka but I guess the emphasise was meant to be on the music world for this anime instead. But otherwise it is quite the enjoyable watch, where we never quite know what Sakuya will say or do- his level of confidence is beyond measure. Expect lots of drama, many dilemmas and a whole lotta music ~ Kaikan phrase.
... and 7 more reviews

Forum Topics:

External Links:

Related Anime/Manga:

Kaikan♥Phrase (manga - Adaptation)

Genres: Drama, Music, Romance, Shoujo, Showbiz
Themes: Music, Showbiz
Demographics: Shoujo
Studios: Studio Hibari
Producers: Shogakukan Productions, TV Tokyo
Rating: 7.33 / 10
Rank: #2727
Popularity: #5916
Users Listed: 14,793
Users Scored: 4,439
NSFW: No
Last Updated: 05/25/2022
Aired: April 20, 1999 – March 26, 2000 (Spring)
Type: tv
Source: manga
Age Rating: PG 13
Episodes: 44
Broadcast: Sunday at 00:20 (JST)

Kaikan Phrase