The Japanese anime industry releases a huge amount of animation every time, but have you noticed that in recent years, there has been a change in the Japanese animation industry? The animation industry, which has supported Japanese pop culture for a long time, has also been constantly changing, but the changes in the anime industry in recent years are different from those in the anime industry in that they are becoming more unique and reflect the climate of modern society. The distinctive animation that most reflects the climate of modern society is this work, ``Pop Team Epic.'' When it was first made into an anime, there were many voices saying that it was scary, but gradually the voices of favor increased, and it has now transformed into one of the most popular animations of the 2010s and 2020s. In this article, we will delve deeper into the mystery of why this eccentric work was accepted by so many anime fans, and also take a closer look at the trends in animation in recent years.
The most ridiculous work in anime history
If you were asked, "What is the characteristic of this work?", everyone who has watched this work would surely answer, "The story unfolds in such a way that it is confusing when you watch it." In fact, the story changes in this work are completely incomprehensible even if you follow the content carefully, and it can be said that the exhilarating story unfolding that makes no sense at all is the greatest power and charm of this work.
Originally a four-panel comic
Since it was originally a four-panel comic, the story unfolds at a very good pace. Therefore, the story unfolds so quickly that it's hard to believe that each episode is a 30-minute TV animation, and fans of the series can enjoy the well-paced laughter that never gets boring.
The first and second halves are exactly the same
Instead, the first and second halves of this work are exactly the same, and many viewers who watched it without knowing anything about it were surprised to see the same content playing after the commercials. There are no other anime works in which the first and second halves are exactly the same, so I'm sure there are many fans who were surprised by this bold composition when they first watched it.
A furious development that ignores compliance!
It's not just the story development that's challenging. The two main characters, Popko and Pipimi, also have very sharp personalities, and the dialogue between the two is extreme enough to violate compliance regulations, and the sudden, repeated, one-sided violence creates a suspenseful development for the viewer. The boldness of this is impressive, isn't it?
More like a voice actor encyclopedia than an anime
The first and second halves of the film are exactly the same, but the voice actors are different, so you can enjoy the differences in the voice actors' performances and the characteristics of their voices. Therefore, this film is more like a voice actor encyclopedia, where you can enjoy the individuality of the voice actors rather than an animation.
A work born because the appeal of anime has spread
So why did such a unique work become a hit? Normally, this is a work that would only be accepted by a few voice actor fans or anime fans who like new things, but the fact that this work has been accepted by so many anime fans could be a hidden trend in the anime industry in recent years.
Multi-development of anime is the keyword
One keyword that has become popular in recent years is the multi-development of anime. In the anime industry, rather than generating revenue from animation alone, they have created a system that allows them to recoup a wide variety of profits by collaborating with various events and focusing on merchandise development.
A new trend: "Voice actors"
In this environment, voice actors who voice anime characters have started to attract attention, just like goods and events. In recent years, there has been an increase in voice actors who are not just in charge of the voices of characters, but are also active as singers or actors themselves. As a result, more and more fans are paying attention to and supporting not only anime characters but also voice actors.
The concept of oshi
Especially in recent years, there has been a trend where people are not ashamed to have an idol or actor that they support. As a result, voice actors and others are more likely to have fans who support them as their own oshi, and voice actors themselves are more likely to attract attention.
Absorb the anime otaku with parody!
By constantly changing the voice actors, this work was able to attract voice actor fans, but by introducing many parodies of popular anime, it also succeeded in absorbing anime otaku who love anime works. Isn't it true that the wide support from these two demographics, voice actor fans and anime otaku, is the biggest factor in the success of this work?
Is a shorter length better?
I think there is another reason why this work is attracting attention. That is the short length of the story. Of course, this is a TV animation, so each episode is about 30 minutes long, including commercials, but since the first and second parts are the same, the content is completed in about 15 minutes, making it a very short work.
Is it the influence of SNS?
As for why the length is getting shorter, SNS has developed in recent years, and it is important that anime works are easily spread on SNS. In this trend, shortening the length makes it easier to spread as a short video on SNS, and SNS also played a role in igniting the popularity of this work.
Short anime such as "PUI PUI Molcar" are popular
In addition to this work, other short anime such as "PUI PUI Molcar" tend to spread easily on social media. In line with this trend, the content of this work itself is very simple and easy to understand, about 15 minutes long.
Double-speed viewing is becoming popular due to the development of VOD
In recent years, more and more fans are enjoying anime works on their smartphones using VOD, not just SNS. When watching on a smartphone, people often watch on the train or in between other things, so it has become common to watch at double speed to shorten the viewing time. For this reason, people tend to prefer shorter lengths.
Is 30 minutes too long for today's young people?
With the development of social media and VOD, 30-minute anime seems a little long for today's young people. For this reason, in recent years, hit anime works tend to have less content, but they have some other ingenuity and you can enjoy the ingenuity of the works.
A work that is perfect for casual viewing
Especially when watching anime on a smartphone, the purpose is often to watch in between other things, so rather than anime that you can't follow unless you're constantly looking at the screen, isn't it more likely that content like this one, where you can enjoy listening to the sound and occasionally looking at the picture, will be more popular?
Enjoyable with just your ears
That's why this work is made so that you can enjoy it thoroughly with just your ears. It can be said that this work was made with a focus on elements that can be enjoyed with the ears, rather than the movement of the images, which is the most important aspect of anime works.
The same content over and over again
When it comes to a work that you enjoy only with your ears, the system of switching voice actors is very reasonable. Even if the same image is played all the time, you only see it occasionally, so it doesn't bother you much, and in that sense, this work is by no means a random work, but a very calculated work.
Is it actually made after studying the recent anime trends?
As you can see, this work was actually created after studying the inclinations of anime fans in recent years. At first glance, it may seem arbitrary, but you can see that deep thought has gone into what the ideal form of anime in modern times is.
Funny anime can't be made without deep calculations
We often hear that comedians have to be smart to be able to make them, but it seems that funny anime can't be made without deep calculations either.
Watch out to see how the anime evolves in season 2!
Since this work was created after such intricate consideration, I'm sure the second season of the anime will show us even more surprising evolutions. I'm looking forward to seeing how it will evolve from the first season!
Summary
What did you think? In this article, we introduced the appeal of this work, "Pop Team Epic," and why it has been so popular. Of course, there are many other appeals to this work besides what we have talked about here, so please try to find your own fun in this work!
