Poputepipikku TV Special

As per April Fools tradition, I am obliged to review this entry continuously until I reach a point in which it can never get deleted due to external reasons (i.e. failure to follow simple guidelines).

So what do we have here? Pretty much everything Pop Team Epic is about, just slapped into a special episode, longer than the rest. It follows all the same gimmicks, that is surreal humour, memes, exaggerated story, and many more from the weird and wonderful mind of Jun Aoki.

I suppose I could speak about the story, but there isn't anything unique here to go on about. I don't know what you ... could expect other than a full outrage like something out of those crazy Asano Naoyuki shorts. But I suppose I can inform you that quality is consistent throughout the entire series. So that is a plus. From what I remember too, the plot is some Vietnam War thingy and that other time travel save-the-day thingy. Nothing too special, but there you go.

Now I look forward to a good Pop Team Epic S2 but in some seriousness, chances are it isn't for me to believe that it can go even further than it has done so. Unless it takes a Gal & Dino route, that'd be wild.

I can't remember what I gave this before. I got 2 from a random number generator ranging from 1-10, but that seems too low so I will just +10 to it.

12/10 I guess.

Hoshiiro Girldrop was one of my favorite animes of last year, and I went into the second season with the expectation that it would be similarly meaningful. And when it started off, I had every reason to believe that it would be. Needless to say, every episode was easily the highlight of its week, and I watched each one at least 28 times (maybe twice that for episode 10, which I’m sure other viewers will understand). But looking back on this season now that it’s reached its conclusion, it doesn’t fit together as neatly as I would have hoped. It sacrificed cohesion in favor of ... maximizing the bombast of every individual episode, and while I’m sure will appeal to some viewers, it fails to capture the magic that made the first season so special to me.

A major factor in this is that Daichi’s role in the story has been significantly reduced. I think that this likely because Daichi became a rather controversial topic in the fanbase after he broke up with Sosogu midseason, and that many fans were only interested in content related to the Drop Stars. However, Daichi’s motivation for his actions (insecurities over feeling that he was getting in the way of Sosogu’s growing career) resonated deeply with me, and it was the resolution to this arc that made the show so personally affecting. But I know that not everyone is a Daichi apologist like I am, so I can understand why they chose to handle him how they did.

Still, I can’t help but wonder if the writers were a bit too concerned over catering to their audience. The first season had some bold choices that definitely risked alienating parts of the audience, and everything in this season felt sterilized in comparison. Many of the moral complexities that had been previously introduced, such as Korona’s connection to the Yakuza or Erika’s custody battle with her ex-husband, seem to have been dropped without explanation. This gradually reduced my investment in the characters as the season went on, though I think the writers more than made up for it in the homestretch. I wasn’t expecting an anime to have such a nuanced take on the role of social media in our lives today, and I found the climax of the season to be both engaging and informative.

In conclusion, the Pop Team Epic Special is a delightful showcase of experimentation with different mediums. Nearly every art form explored over the course of the main series makes a reappearance, along with the new addition of clay work. I don’t think any of the segments are going to have the same longevity as some of the highlights from the main series, but I also don't think that's the point. All I care about is that the staff were able to have fun making something that they thought would be interesting, and on that front, this is a huge success.

Fall in love again next week~

Hoshiiro Girldrop finally got an OVA and it's everything you'd expect and came to love from these cute girldrops.

While it may seem like a rethread of previous episodes, this new OVA in fact does bring in some new plot points you may not have anticipated before, effectively recreating the emotional roller coaster that was the original series. The charm and humor are still there, but what's most impressive is that since it's luring in you with a false sense of security, Hoshiiro Girldrop hits you hard with the cruel twist just right in the beginning and leaves you not knowing what to do. Indeed, the ... moment Sosogu literally rips herself in half is a defining moment for the Spring 2019 season.

Hoshiiro Girldrop est vraiment une marque de maîtrise. C'est la marque de hors-la-loi que vous connaissez et aimez. Et qu'est-ce que ne pas aimer? Et comme toujours, la rediffusion change juste assez de choses pour rendre les choses intéressantes une seconde fois.

And so, the Pretty Candle Star shines ever so brightly in the deep abyss of the skies above...


8/10


Thank you bkub. You magnificent shitposter you.