If you were to mention the Ataoka works that have garnered the most attention in recent years, many readers would probably mention this work, "Pop Team Epic." When it comes to "Pop Team Epic," people tend to say that it's an "anime that's hard to understand but interesting" or "it's interesting precisely because you can't understand it," but in fact, the bizarreness of this work is drawn with great care! It would be a shame to dismiss it as just another Ataoka anime, so today we'd like to explore why this work has become such a popular animation despite being so incomprehensible, while introducing the features and strengths of this work.
Everything about this work is out of the ordinary!!
As mentioned at the beginning, this work is said to be "out of the ordinary," but what exactly is it about this work that makes it "out of the ordinary"? First of all, I would like to introduce the uniqueness of this work at the beginning. Just introducing the uniqueness would take up quite a lot of space, so I will give a brief summary this time.
The same content is shown in the first and second halves! ?
The biggest feature of this work and the biggest point of confusion is that "the same content is shown in the first and second halves." TV anime is divided into the first and second halves with a commercial break in between, but this work has exactly the same content in the first and second halves.
The abnormally thin content is its weapon! ?
In addition, the story structure of this work does not appeal to the viewer at all, and it can be said that it is a work that does not have a narrative body. It can be said that one of the peculiarities of this work is that there is no problem whether you watch from episode 1 or episode 10.
The voice actor is different every time! !
Furthermore, the voice actors for the main characters Popuko and Pipimi have not been decided. Even just the first half and second half of an episode have different voice actors, and once a voice actor has played a character in an episode, they will never be able to play that character again.
Extremism that cannot be measured by the illustrations
Furthermore, this work is known for its extremely radical content, which is inconsistent with the illustrations. The characters often give the middle finger, and many of their comments are very aggressive.
Why did this work become a hit?
So why was this Ataoka anime, "Pop Team Epic," a work that can be said to be unique and radical in every way, a hit? From here, I would like to introduce the fun of this work and the secret to its success while taking into account these unique points of this work.
What is the fun of this work? Let's take a look at voice actors and the anime industry!
One of the points that can be cited as the popularity of this work is "voice actors" and "anime industry". If you pay attention to these two keywords when watching this work "Pop Team Epic", you will find out how interesting it is and how ingenious the work is!
This work is a great encyclopedia of Japanese voice actors! !
Rather than calling this work an animated film, it might be more accurate to say that it is a comprehensive guide to Japanese voice actors. Because the voice actors are different in the first and second halves of the film, a large number of voice actors appear in this work, making it a very interesting work for fans of voice actors compared to other anime.
The fun comes from the fact that the content is the same in the first and second halves
When you think about it that way, the fact that the content is the same in the first and second halves means that you can purely enjoy the differences in the way the voice actors act and the differences in their voices. I'm sure there are many fans who watch Popuko and Pipimi as individual voice actors, rather than as anime characters.
Roles that show off the voice actor's personality
Especially with Popuko and Pipimi, their personalities are anything goes, and in a good way, they have so many quirks that you can act without worrying about anything. Therefore, from the perspective of the voice actors, they are the characters that allow them to act in a way that is most like themselves.
A must-see for voice actor fans
In this way, this work is not just an animation work, but a work that allows you to enjoy the major content of the voice acting industry to the fullest. It can be said that this work matches perfectly with the recent trend where attention is being paid not only to anime but also to the voice acting industry. There are many voice actors active in the industry, from voice actors who have been in the spotlight in recent years to big name voice actors who have been leading the industry for a long time, so it can be said that it is something that anime and voice actor fans of all generations can enjoy.
Why short works are suitable for the modern era
Another feature of this work is its overwhelmingly short length. It is an animation that fits in a normal 30-minute broadcast slot, but the first and second halves are exactly the same, so the length is effectively 15 minutes, about half the length of a normal animation.
Easily spread on social media
Works with such a short length have a clear beginning, development, twist, and conclusion, and are therefore easily spread on social media. This work was a perfect match for the modern anime industry, where information about anime is also spread on social media.
Is 30 minutes too long for young people?
These days, with the rise of YouTube, the appropriate length for a video is around 10 to 20 minutes, and many anime fans feel that 30 minutes of regular animation is too long. This decline in average viewing time and this work's length of about 15 minutes were a perfect match.
Works that can be watched while streaming are popular
In addition, the story progression is bland, so this work can be enjoyed even while skimming. It can be enjoyed casually by watching this work while watching another anime, or checking social media while watching this work. It can be said that the soil was easily accepted in modern society, where the advent of smartphones has made it common to do two tasks at once.
Short hits such as "PUI PUI Molcar" are appearing one after another
In this way, in recent years, short animations such as "PUI PUI Molcar" have become highly acclaimed in addition to "Pop Team Epic", and I think it is safe to say that short animations like this work will definitely attract more attention in the future.
A genre to watch in the future
Short animations are definitely a genre that could become a trend in the future, so you'll definitely want to check out this one and other titles in the future.
Let's take a look at the unique appeal of this work
Now, from here, I would like to introduce the appeal of this work in more depth. This is not just a short animation, but a work with many unique hidden ideas, so let's analyze it carefully.
You can enjoy it forever just by changing the voice actor
The greatest innovation of this work is that you can enjoy it semi-permanently by changing the voice actor in a single drawn animation. It can be said that it is a very groundbreaking work in that it discovered the fun of enjoying the different uses of voice actors by deliberately using multiple voice actors.
Enjoy the voice actors' honest acting
As a result, the voice actors are somewhat mischievous, or to put it better, you can see them acting in a way that is very much like them. For fans who love voice actors, it can be said that this is a work that has a truly unique charm.
Enjoy it with other works
In this way, this work is, in a word, an anime, but not an anime. It can be said that it is more of a moving voice actor picture book. Therefore, if you start watching it thinking it is a normal anime, you will be confused, but, in any case, there is no doubt that it is a unique work that is unlike any other, so please check it out.
Summary
What did you think? This time, we have introduced this work "Pop Team Epic" from various perspectives. This work is supported by many anime fans due to its overwhelming uniqueness and pure fun as a work, and it can be said to be a representative work of recent animation works. The work's structure allows you to enjoy it over and over again just by changing the voice actors, and the innovative technique of bringing the character of the voice actor in charge of the character to the forefront rather than the character's character is something that you can't experience in other works. There's no doubt that this is an animation work that will continue to attract attention, so be sure to check out this work in other articles.
