Do you remember the work "PUI PUI Molcar", which suddenly became a hot topic on social media in 2021 and became an animated work of the moment? Despite being a short work of less than 3 minutes, this work, which asserts a mysterious interaction between the Molcars in the work and a sometimes deep theme that contains a warning to humans, has attracted many people's acclaim despite being a low-budget work. In this article, I would like to take a closer look at why this work alone has such cult popularity among the many video works that exist. It can be said that this is a particularly unique work among the recent trend of video works that only high-budget works are broadcast and attract attention, so even fans who did not have a chance to see this work in 2021 should definitely check it out!
Broadcast as a stop-motion animation for children
PUI PUI Molcar is a video work that was broadcast on television in 2021 as a stop-motion animation for children. The Molcars are guinea pigs but also cars (?) and while they interact with humans, they don't always go the way humans want them to.
Simple structure that even children can understand
Basically, it is a work for children, so it is an animation with an easy-to-understand structure that even children can understand. It is one of the few works that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and genders.
Is there also the crazy direction that is unique to works for children?
This work is aimed at children, so there are sudden developments that adults cannot understand and crazy developments that are unique to children. "Why is that happening!?" is what adults would naturally ask, but there are many developments that make children burst out laughing.
Why is a guinea pig in a car? Keep that question in your mind as you watch.
One of the settings that adults may find puzzling is, "Why is a guinea pig a car in the first place?" But this is never explained in the film. Keep that question in your mind.
Suddenly it became popular on social media
This work, "PUI PUI Molcar," is full of strange things, but the most strange thing about it is that "it suddenly became popular mainly on social media and even became a social phenomenon." From here, I would like to introduce why this work became so popular on social media.
Why did this work become a buzz?
Now, the reason why this work suddenly became popular on social media seems to be due to many factors. Let's consider it from a broad perspective based on the release of this work and the social situation at the time. At first glance, it may seem like a simple work, but if you dig deeper, you will notice many things.
Short videos are a good match for social media!
The first thing to note is that this is a "short animation" that unfolds in an extremely short time. There are few people who watch long videos on social media such as Twitter, so works that have a beginning, development, twist, and conclusion that can be enjoyed in a few minutes tend to attract attention.
Content that makes you want to tweet
Furthermore, the fact that this work is aimed at children is also one of the factors that made it a work that attracted the attention of many people. It is not a work with a monotonous structure, but rather has a crazy element aimed at children, which is why it became a work that made you want to tweet about it.
You can also watch it on YouTube! !
This work was distributed not only on TV but also on YouTube. Therefore, even those who would not normally be able to watch this work, which was broadcast in the early hours of the morning, could easily watch it. In addition, the work can be enjoyed in just over two minutes, so even busy office workers could easily enjoy it.
Stop-motion animation and short videos go well together
Now, I would like to introduce the most noteworthy technique in this work, "stop-motion animation." It is a historic technique that has been used not only in this work but also in many other works, so be sure to learn it.
What is stop motion animation?
Stop motion animation is a technique that uses the afterimage of the eye to depict something as if it is moving by quickly replacing normal still images. It is the easiest technique for drawing animation, so I'm sure many of you have tried this technique using photos of plastic models at home.
It goes well with short animations that rely on ideas
Stop-motion is one of the easiest techniques, but because of its simplicity, stop-motion has the weakness that unless you put in a lot of effort, the images will look unnatural and people will get bored of them. That's why stop-motion works go well with short animations that rely on ideas.
The interesting worldview is also perfect!
From that perspective, the film's innovative idea of a guinea pig turning into a car and the plot development that even children can understand are very suitable for stop-motion. This is a work that can truly be called a model for the world of stop-motion.
Considering the trends of young people in recent years
From here on, I would like to look not only at this work but also at the trends of today's young people who watched this work at the time. Why did this work become so popular? I would like to analyze the characteristics of young people in their early 20s who supported this work at the time.
Double-speed videos are the norm
First of all, a characteristic of young people in recent years is that "it's normal to watch anime and dramas at double speed." In recent years, many other attractive video works have become available in addition to dramas, and people have less time to spend on each work. Therefore, young people tend to shorten the viewing time of each video and increase the turnover rate.
Short films over long ones
As a result, in recent years, the traditional 30-minute TV time slot has begun to feel a little long for younger generations. Even on YouTube, it's rare to find a single video that's over 30 minutes long. This is a short film that suddenly appeared in this somewhat impatient generation.
The ratings are visualized
Also, in recent years, it has become easy to see the ratings of dramas and anime before watching them. That's why there is a tendency to try out works that others have rated. In that sense, the fact that it was a buzz online has further increased the number of people who want to try watching this work.
This work fits all of these criteria
In this way, it can be said that this work perfectly meets the demand for anime that young people today are looking for. Unlike the traditional anime industry, why did such a short work become a hit mainly on social media? If you can consider the trends of today's young people, it becomes clear.
The COVID-19 pandemic also boosted this work
In this way, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to more people staying at home and watching videos, which is why there are more people who want to watch more videos and more widely. One reason for this is that there is a demand not only from regular anime fans, but also from people who are looking for something to kill time.
A work with a bright atmosphere
In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many people to become victims of the coronavirus. Even if people were not infected with the coronavirus, this period has suppressed people's desire to go out and be as active as possible. This work has attracted particular attention precisely because it was at a time when the entire society was filled with an atmosphere that made it easy for frustration to build up.
Stay Home and Animation
In this way, perhaps this work fulfilled the role that animation should play during the stay-at-home period better than any other animation. What people were looking for during the frustrating coronavirus pandemic was this work, "PUI PUI Molcar."
Summary
What did you think? In this article, we have introduced the appeal of this work, "PUI PUI Molcar," focusing on the era when this work was popular and the demographic that supported it at the time. Even among the many animations in the Japanese anime industry, this work is unique in both its audience and content, so if you are interested in this work after reading this article, please give it a watch! A new anime series is also scheduled to air in 2022, so we're looking forward to the sequel!
