Pop Team Epic has gained a cult following in Japan and the West, thanks to its bizarre nature, pop culture parodies, absurdities, surrealism, exaggeration, and non-sequitur humor. However, beneath its wacky surface lies a clever creation that reflects the many layers of Japanese culture. The series is presented in two forms: the original digital comedy manga series and an adaptation television anime series, both featuring the unlikely teenage pair of Popuko and Pipimi.
1. Pop Team Epic is a Yonkoma
A Yonkoma is a Japanese comic strip format consisting of four drawings arranged in vertical order. Each drawing represents a moment in time, and the format is commonly found in Asian newspapers. The first Yonkoma was produced by Kitazawa Yasuji in 1902, who is considered the founding father of manga.
2. Pop Team Epic’s Yonkoma use Kishōtenketsu structure
Kishōtenketsu is a classic structure first used in Chinese poetry, consisting of four Chinese logograms that represent an introduction, development, unexpected development, and conclusion. This structure is used in Pop Team Epic’s Yonkoma comic strips.
3. Popuko: The Average Girl with a Bad Temper
In the Japanese version of Pop Team Epic, Popuko describes herself as an average 14-year-old girl. She has a short stature, slightly orange hair, and yellow eyes. Despite her cute appearance, Popuko has a bad temper and can become violent when provoked.
4. Pipimi: The Stoic and Protective Friend
Pipimi, the other half of the teen duo, is tall with light blue eyes and navy-blue hair. She describes herself as stoic and rarely gets upset. Although she appears to be the nicer of the two, Pipimi is not afraid to use violence to protect Popuko from those who tease her.
5. Not All Strips Focus on Popuko and Pipimi
While the 4-koma manga created by Bukubu Okawa primarily chronicles the bizarre adventures of Popuko and Pipimi, some strips feature other characters and their strange activities.
6. A Collaborative Anime Series
The anime series of Pop Team Epic features different animation studios and many animators for various segments, including Kamikaze Douga, Space Neko Company, Makoto Yamashita, AC-bu, and UchoPeople.
7. French Animator Thibault Tresca’s Contribution
Thibault Tresca, a French animator, writes and directs the “JAPON MiGNON” anime sketches, which feature Popuko and Pipimi’s travels through France. The sketches are voiced by two French native speakers and focus on humorous aspects of French living.
8. Pop Team Epic’s Love for American Pop Culture
Kotar Sudo, the series’ producer, is a fan of American pop culture, and the anime version of Pop Team Epic contains numerous cultural cross-references, including nods to Die Hard, Disney movies, Justin Bieber, Cuphead, Michael Jackson, Undertale, and various Japanese video games and anime.
9. Popuko’s Fear of Thunder
Popuko is terrified of thunderstorms and resorts to cursing at them to cope with her fear.
10. Playful Jabs at Publisher Takeshobo
Pop Team Epic often humorously targets its publisher, Takeshobo, with playful jabs such as placing the company’s sign on a waffle, offering a manga artist a better deal with their own publishing company, and even depicting the destruction of Takeshobo in Episode 12.
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