In a world where spirits roam freely, there are people who can tame them and control them with the power of music. They are known as the Dantists, their music as Commandia. The world of Polyphonica focuses on one Dantist and his spirit. Phoron Tatara, lonely, made a contract years ago with a very powerful, if somewhat feisty, spirit, Corticarte Apa Lagranges. Their jobs at the Tsuge Dantist Office are told at a relaxing pace, with their coworkers and people they meet playing a large part.
Originally a Visual Novel, Polyphonica has had two anime adaptations. The first, aired in 2007, shared the name of the novel and became infamous for being Off-Model, with a car chase scene in episode 7 overshadowing the rest of the series entirely.
In 2009, a new anime, Polyphonica Crimson S, based on the Crimson series of Light Novels, aired. This one is set during Phoron's years at the Academy, detailing his journey from when he met Corti for the first time since the night where she liked his singing.
Tropes in the world of Polyphonica include:
- A God Am I: Santera Borzon in Crimson S.
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Danguis in Crimson S, he does get better though.
- Black Knight: Domitiem in Crimson S.
- Bland-Name Product: Yamaga, take note that this is both the brand of one man orchestras as well as motorcycles.
- Blood Knight: Yardio
- Cast Full of Pretty Boys: Just about every male character who isn't a Gonk is a Bishounen.
- Chaste Hero: Phoron
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Corti wants Phoron to be hers and hers alone. Don't cross that line.
- Cool Big Sis: Eufinley
- Curtains Match the Window: Corti and Ellendus
- Cute and Psycho: Iyaritikki
- Dark and Troubled Past: Corti, used to be contracted to the leader of the Foreigners of Grief.
- Darker and Edgier: Crimson S has darker theme than the original.
- Elegant Gothic Lolita: The spirit Iyaritikki, complete with loads of hair drills.
- Emergency Transformation: Prinesca was saved by her father's spirit giving her life, effectively making her a sort of Half-Human Hybrid. Sufficient stimulus will also trigger her transformation.
- Enhanced on DVD: The DVD release fixed some of the infamous QUALITY VAN scene issues, keeping the morphing shark-dolphin a shark and making the sky behind the domed glass blue instead of bright sunlight.
- Fanservice Pack: Episode six of Crimson S has Persete becoming much sexier all of a sudden when she spends the night with Phoron.
- Fiery Redhead: Corti
- Fusion Dance: Prinesca and the spirit Doris-Rae in the backstory. It was noted that their personalities merged too. Also explains why her hair turns white.
- Groin Attack: In Crimson S. It's a wake up call, Corticarte style!
- Girlish Pigtails: Persete
- Glowing Eyes of Doom: Most berserk spirits. Domitiem almost all the time.
- Half-Human Hybrid: Prinesca is both a spirit and a human.
- Hime Cut: Prinesca
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Matia and Managa
- Immortal Immaturity: Corti does act like a child sometimes. Iyaritikki is much worse though.
- Improbable Weapon User: While not exactly lethal, in Crimson S, Prinesca likes to throw her shoe, usually at a certain bully.
- Iron Butt Monkey: Yardio, of course he isn't human. His first appearance in the anime even showed him being used as a crash test dummy.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Danguis
- Killer Rabbit: The little tanuki-like thing that Danguis "contracts" in Crimson S turns out to actually be a bigger, more powerful tanuki-like thing.
- Lethal Chef: Corti once tried to make sandwiches for Phoron. It was one time too many. Yardio is fine with her stuff though, so seemingly spirits can eat them without harm.
- Lady and Knight: Yukon and Domitiem is the Dark Lady and Black Knight variant.
- Likes Older Women: Prinesca once get a love letter from an underclassman.
- Magical Girlfriend: Corti, to some degree.
- Magic Music: The very basis of the world.
- Magic Pants: Corti automatically change to her usual outfit when unsealed, no matter what she was wearing previously. She then return to what she was wearing before when sealed again.
- Magic Skirt: For all the flying and short skirts...
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The Crimson Annihilator.
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Non-Singing Voice: Phoron's singing voice is clearly not his own. Hiroshi Kamiya has sung before, but as Phoron (outside of his image songs), he doesn't. - Off-Model:
- The first season of the anime, particularly the now-
memetic car chase that defies physics
so much so that one Annotation even said "Somewhere in the afterlife, Newton sheds a tear". - The shape of many characters faces are also different in any given scene.
- The first season of the anime, particularly the now-
- Ojou Ringlets: Iyaritikki has her hair done up in these.
- One Head Taller: Phoron is one head taller than Corti. When she is in her original form, she's the one who's taller.
- Ordinary High-School Student: Phoron.
- Power Gives You Wings: Wing-like energy appears on the back of all spirits when they power up. More wings, more power. Corti has a particularly nice pair. Or three. Or four.
- Really 700 Years Old: Shidara Leitos aka the Headmaster
- Sibling Yin-Yang: The Yugiri sisters. Persete is the outgoing one, Prinesca is the shy one.
- Silent Snarker: Wolfis
- Sitting on the Roof: Phoron, at both the beginning and the end of Crimson S.
- Sleep-Mode Size: 11 years before Crimson S, Corti was sealed by Ellendus and the Headmaster, so she ends up like this. She originally disliked it, but started doing otherwise after Phoron said she was cute like this.
- Spirit Song: Used towards the end of the series. Both the 2007 and the 2009 adaptations.
- Spoiler Opening: Narrowly averted in Crimson S. Badgers, Domitiem, Goriade, and Iyaritikki, along with the Foreigners of Grief members are shown in the opening from the start, but are shown in silhouette. They are no longer blacked out after episode 7.
- Stoic Spectacles: The Headmaster
- Super Mode: When Phoron starts the Commandia and Corti returns to her original form, someone's getting Spirit Lightning'd.
- Theme Music Power-Up: Notable in that the characters literally make it. And fight with it.
- Tin Tyrant: Domitiem
- Broken Faceplate: In the second last episode of Crimson S, Wolfis smashed his helmet and effectively ends his Glowing Eyes of Doom. A Bishōnen, just as expected.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Persete and Prinesca.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Corti really likes her fried eggs sandwhiches. Too bad she's not all that good at making them herself.
- Transformation Sequence: Phoron's One Man Orchestra in Crimson S does have a bit of a fancy transformation for a simple piano.
- Transforming Mecha: Phoron's One Man Orchestra in its motorbike form. A bit elaborate, but also kind of cool.
- Tsundere: Corti is type A, Persete is type B
- Utopia Justifies the Means: The Foreigners of Grief's goal.
- We Help the Helpless: What the Tsuge Dantist Office does, on a spiritual level.
