[First Impression] Correction: Pop Team Epic May Damage Brain Cells

My last post on Pop Team Epic…had unexpected results. It was something that intentionally lacked substance and disguised itself as a legitimate review talking about cute girls doing cute things, which is why I called it “Pop Team Epic in a nutshell.” Tetrax glorified that post by calling it really “meta” – it’s probably not that sharp of a post – just like Pop Team Epic isn’t that smart of an anime. I wasn’t sure I’d convince anyone, but apparently, I’m more convincing than I thought, haha. Well, bullshitting is my specialty after all (it’s basically what I major in). Moya does not truly enjoy juicy fan-service, regardless of what you may think now.

I must clarify though, all the screenshots did come from the show, and I totally didn’t make it up completely! Just…watch it and you’ll know. (I feel like my double “First Impression” posts are going to end up promoting this show)

Here’s the actual review of Pop Team Epic that I hid from you guys. I actually wrote this one first, and that one yesterday, ahem… I had my fun. I am kind of sorry.

 

I…did not need this in my life, but then it was…kind of great? Great not as in I’d sit through 11 more episodes of it, but as in it exceeded expectations and is currently the most unforgettable show in the season.

Story

Non-existent: yeah. Each mini gag is stand-alone and lasts about 30 seconds.

Cute girls bait: I actually really loved that part. The episode disguises itself as an harem/idol show with an opening showcasing the most adorable girls, and even has a next episode preview to provide false hopes for any naive viewer who still thinks they’re going to get some quality idol show in the end. Darn, that opening got me hooked.

Reference-dropping: I generally enjoy shows that drop random references or have a meta sense of humour, and Pop Team Epic is both. That Kimi no Na Wa reference cracked me up, no matter how much I hate to admit it. There were also many meta skits, one of which involved people looking through security cameras and seeing Popuko and Pipimi stagger at an excruciatingly slow pace during their grand escape. One of the dudes actually commented that they should let them do whatever because what’s a 4-koma about nothing going to do in the anime world anyways? In many of the other skits, I missed the reference or just couldn’t laugh about it. Is Pop Team Epic absurdist? I can’t really see it as a show that’s that smart (at least not consistently), and don’t really appreciate laughing at things because they’re just unimaginably dumb. But then I sat through the episode up to the halfway mark and did exactly that a couple of times. I am kind of angry that Pop Team Epic fostered the degradation of my intelligence when the school term has only just begun.

Characters

Keep them away from me, please: I can’t believe I’m actually reviewing this episode in a proper order. Popuko and Pipimi are walking nightmares to look at, hear, or think about. Nah, that was too harsh. If you’re an easygoing viewer, you can perhaps call them cute? I appreciate how they’re there to shatter the illusion of cute high school (gamer) girls, but still…keep them away from me.

Style

Dank memes: I’d call it Tumblr as an anime, but then that makes it sound a little too thrilling. Trust me, you don’t want to see trashy Tumblr posts in animation for 24 minutes (or 12, if you choose not to watch the practically identical second half). Hmm…after saying that, I feel like a lot of people might want just that. If you thoroughly enjoyed it after the episode, your life is probably more hopeless than mine.

Meme art is not art: if you like purposely horrible MS Paint art drawn using a mouse, then be my guest. I am still trying to forget that hippo scene. I still cannot come to comprehend it…

Misc

Surprise French: About a minute of the episode was in French with no subtitles. I’ve heard that the second half puts the subtitles on, but unfortunately, I didn’t get far enough. It was a fun touch – I always laugh when anime suddenly speaks a different language gratuitously (like when they spoke Chinese in Ping Pong. The first episode killed me…).

 

I honestly never planned to watch it, and am not entirely sure why I did. Maybe the thumbnail alone had the power to brainwash me. As for how I thought – well, I’m glad I watched it even if only to be in on what it’s about. It was an interesting experience that I would recommend to anyone with 12 minutes and some extra brain cells to spare. I would most likely not watch more of it…