Kemono Friends is a popular anime series that depicts the laid-back adventures of a group of animal girls in a mysterious world. One of the characters that is hugely popular not only with viewers but also with the Friends is the idol unit PPP (Pepap). Made up of five penguin friends, PPP is extremely popular, singing the opening theme and songs in the series. We'd like to introduce you to the popular idol group PPP.
Reunited! PPP
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
Penguins Performance Project, or PPP (pronounced "Pepap"), is an idol group consisting of five members (from left to right): Iwabi, Fururu, Koutei, Jane, and Princess. They perform at Japari Park. The current members are the third generation, and the group has a long history. Even when the third generation debuted, many fans from the previous generation were loyal fans, making them extremely popular idols from the start. Although Emperor is the leader, Princess called out to the others and reunited them, so Princess is the de facto leader and sometimes serves as center.
PPP Member Introduction
Emperor
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
Emperor Penguin is a friend of the Emperor Penguin and serves as the leader of the group. She has a large chest and butt, and a great figure, perhaps inspired by the large emperor penguin. She has a cool and serious personality, but she doesn't seem to have much confidence in herself as a leader, as she doesn't think she's as good at singing or dancing as her predecessor and she's not good at bringing others together. She's also extremely shy, and sometimes faints from nervousness while standing up. She also has a naive side, as she often makes mistakes when speaking.
Princess
Source: Kemono Friends © Kemono Friends Project
She is a Royal Penguin friend and the person who founded the third generation of PPP. She is a central figure in the group, coaching and leading the other members in practice. However, she prefers to leave the leadership role to Koutei and take center stage. She is a hard worker who practices singing and dancing more than the other members, and is a Friend with great passion for being an idol. However, she is sometimes troubled by the lack of a Royal Penguin among the previous members. Apparently, she's the scariest when angered.
Jane
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
A Gentoo Penguin friend, she is the sensible and conscientious member of the group. She's calmer than the other four, who tend to have strong personalities, and acts as a brake on the group. As an idol, she's a dedicated and motivated singer and dancer. However, she's not very good at performing. She's the fastest swimmer among the group members. She even wants to try acting.
Iwaby
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
A Rockhopper Penguin Friend, Iwaby has a competitive, boyish personality. She's the most reckless of the group, and she values momentum in practice and live performances. She is characterized by her flashy hair, the color of which is reminiscent of the yellow feathers above the eyes of rockhopper penguins. Although she sometimes argues with Princess, she trusts her deeply. She is the fastest runner among the members.
Fururu
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
She is a laid-back idol and a friend of the Humboldt penguins. He is so laid back that he often misses the flow of conversation or starts talking about completely unrelated things, confusing those around him. Before a live performance, even when the other members are nervous, he is the only one who remains calm and unaffected by nervousness. According to Koutei, he is the best at lying out of all the members.
The Third Generation of PPP Still Has a Long Way to Go
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
Since the members were gathered at Princess's request, their idol skills are still in the early stages, and they quickly become exhausted from the rigorous training under Princess' guidance. Still, they practice hard and without complaint, determined to carry on the legacy built by their predecessors.
A new member of PPP?
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
Among PPP fans, there's Margay, a longtime PPP stalwart. When she first appeared, she was watching a reunited PPP event from a tree. There, she met Kaban and Serval, obtained a platinum ticket, and was so moved by the opportunity to meet PPP up close that she collapsed, getting a nosebleed. After PPP's first live performance, she was appointed PPP's exclusive manager, a dream come true as she got to work with her idol. From now on, she will surely liven up Japari Park together with PPP.
PPP's huge success both inside and outside the series
Source: Kemono Friends ©Kemono Friends Project
She first appeared in episode 8, "Pepap Live," but had appeared in previews for each episode prior to that. The previews for the next episode take the form of casual conversation about the animals that will be appearing in the next episode, but because they are ad-libbed, they sometimes end up getting out of hand... They also sang the opening theme with Doubutsu Biscuits (Serval, Raccoon, and Fennec), and their debut song as a unit, "Ozora Dreamer," was used as an insert song in the series, expanding their scope of activity both inside and outside the series.
We look forward to seeing more of PPP's multifaceted activities!
Source: Kemono Friends © Kemono Friends Project
As the idol of Japari Park, she's incredibly popular with the Friends. Not only does she liven up the park and story in the series, but she also serves as a window into the real world, singing the opening and insert songs. With the addition of a manager named Margay, we can't wait to see her even more powerful in the new series. I hope that they will also appear at various events in the real world to raise awareness of Kemono Friends.
