Ranked #4855

Popee the Performer

I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to get out of Popee the Performer before jumping into it. Looking at profile picture showing a clown with rabbit ears, wielding a machine gun and a chainsaw I knew this wasn’t going to be something ordinary. Overall I was both amused and disgusted, but mostly amused.

There isn’t any real overall story in Popee the Performer. The episodes are independent of one another other than the inclusion of certain characters that are introduced over the course of the series. Popee, Kedomono, and Papi perform various feats of magic, acrobatics, and mysticism. This usually results in mayhem and injury followed by bloody retribution. The humor is decidedly dark. If you are turned off by black comedy and comedic violence then you will not like this show.

As with any series that relies on collections of short comedy skits, the humor is hit and miss at times. Though I found the vast majority of the episodes to be extremely funny, some of them are pretty disturbing. While I am not really a big fan of this kind of humor, it just didn’t strike me as being downright cruel to a particular character. All of the characters are equally abused, dismembered, and blown up over the course of the story. I also found that like a fine wine, Popee should be enjoyed in small sips and I wouldn’t recommend anyone blitzing through a dozen or more episodes in one sitting.

Even though there isn’t any dialogue the characters and their thoughts come across loud and clear. Popee is fairly untalented as a performer as is frequently out done by practically everyone else in the cast. This leads to violent tantrums and jealousy. He's not likeable at all and he’s a real douchebag but that doesn’t mean he isn’t funny to watch. Kedamono is a bit more of an innocent and likeable character. His constantly changing masks that display his current emotions make him the most expressive character in the show. He is often the target of Popee's jealousy or harebrained performance ideas (which often go painfully wrong). Rounding out the cast is Papi, who shows up about halfway through the series. He is the one character I really hated. There is something disturbing about the way he looks and it got extra enjoyment at seeing him get hurt.

The art is done with CG animation and for the most part it’s good. It’s very basic looking and all the settings and backgrounds have very basic shapes. Even the characters are mostly nondescript and plain. The music is very simple as well but is fitting to the series. The major complaint would be that it is very repetitive as well. You are going to here the same 2 or 3 tracks over the course of the entire show. Another reason I recommend not watching too many episodes at one time.

I enjoyed my experience with Popee. I think. It has a number of laughs and its bizarre offbeat style really hits home. Other times it’s just so far out there I was left thinking drugs are bad. Still, I recommend it to anyone looking for something wickedly funny and don’t mind being splattered with a little blood.
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