Popee the Clown

First off, this is the only anime you should watch. Ever. Out of all anime. This is the only one worth watching. Alright? Alright. If you like offbeat cult favorites with penchant for looney tunes style slapstick paired with senseless violence, gore, a detestable protagonist, and surreal Dali-esque landscapes, you're in for a treat. The graphic nature of it is shocking with how blatant it is, but the only thing that separates it from other cartoons of the same nature is the fact that 'Popee' isn't afraid to show a little blood. Or a lot. There's a particular instance where, true to cartoon form, Popee isturned invisible and wreaks havoc, only instead of stepping in ink or covered with a sheet to foil the mischief, Popee is only discovered when they're completely drenched in a torrent of BLOOD. Beyond that, there are a few grossout gags as well, but they don't surpass the violence. In later episodes, most episodes go from slapstick violence to surreal fever-dream like scenarios in an instant. But honestly most of 'Popee' feels like a fever dream. So I hope you're into that. I know I am. As for artsyle- I see a lot of people critiquing the art style without taking into account when and how and why the series was made. In 2000, CGI was just beginning to be used to make films and shorts. Most of the beloved CGI films we call classics hadn't been developed yet. As well, 'Popee' was made as a series of shorts, for a kids network, on a probably tight budget. The stiffness of the models in a medium that was far from being perfected is perfectly excusable. That said, the character design itself is phenomenal! The designs of Papi and especially Kedamono are incredibly unique and colorful, and Popee's pink striped bunny ears outfit might as well be iconic with how recognizable the silhouette is. All in all 'Popee' is the best anime I have ever seen in a long, long time. It might not be up your alley, which is fine, but that doesn't stop it from being a masterpiece.

Popee the Performer is a fascinating gem that has garnered quite an audience since its release. Its uncanny CG art style has led itself to have a mostly negative reputation outside of its fanbase, with many calling it immature and ugly. Yet it's this bizarre and masterfully crafted surreal CG art style that gives this anime such a unique identity for itself. It makes the most of its raw, uncanny art style alongside its surreal comedy-horror to force the audience to be utterly baffled at all times. This unique identity of Popee is one that is unanimously celebrated by its fanbase. However, an aspect Idon’t see talked about nearly as often when it comes to Popee’s identity is its creators. This identity goes hand-in-hand with the creator’s own visions and ideas during production. Masuda Ryuuji (director and writer) and Wakako Masuda (art director, art designer, and character designer) are masters of their own imaginations, making the most of the production and scheduling limitations to realise their own vision and ideas for Popee, forming what is undoubtedly the greatest surrealist comedy you can find in the medium. Here’s how. Before Popee’s release, CG animation was already a common practice to aid the animation process; however, it was very uncommon to see projects made with a fully CG animated art style. Many that did at the time, for example, the full-CG 2000s film A.LI.CE, felt too uncanny and strange in a way that wasn’t particularly endearing; what makes Popee any different? Popee the Performer had a low budget of ¥100,000 a month to work with (roughly 1,000 USD). Thus, one may notice that Popee’s animation feels stiff, the backgrounds are always just vast deserts that rarely differ, and the designs are simple yet weirdly creepy. However, all of these elements are exactly what makes Popee so endearing, as it's how they’re utilised and executed that makes it all work. Popee’s animation works because of its absurd exaggerations. We see characters' faces deform as their eyes pop out of their sockets, or turn into devils with maniacal smiles. We see Popee propelling like a rocket by shitting fire out of his ass, and Kedamono driving an invisible car. The raw and unpolished-feeling CG animation only serves to assist the absurdity of these moments, and they would not be as funny any other way. This distinguished visual style is further supported by surprisingly good cinematography, amplifying both the funniest and creepiest moments by virtue of highlighting their absurdity. One example of this is in episode 1, when Kedamono looks up at Popee as he’s being cut in half during a magic trick; the sun is directly behind Popee as he’s looking down, causing his face to be hidden in a shadow. This simple shot highlights the uncanniness of Popee in this scene by use of lighting. It’s fascinating how the CG animation allows for such shots to be achieved, and Popee uses this to its full advantage with many interesting camera movements throughout the anime. Another element of Popee’s visual style is the setting. A vast and seemingly desolate desert surrounds the bright, colourful circus, where most episodes take place. While the choice of taking place in a desert was a decision made due to a lack of resources and budgeting (more on that later), a lot of Popee’s surrealism is achieved because of this decision. In a way, the vast desert feels like a canvas for any crazy set pieces the creators might come up with. We get to see this in full swing after episode 14, when Popee’s production started to take off after the show’s length was extended due to its increasing popularity. My favourite example of this is episode 25, during a scene where Popee and Papi are terrorised by a massive creature looming over the skies, with the vast desert there to accentuate the surrealism of the scene. The designs are very simple and childish, which is why the surreal horror-comedy style works all the more. Like when Popee smiles maniacally after running over Papi in episode 26, or when Popee’s face turns into a demon in episode 3; it’s creepy when these seemingly childish designs put on a horrific face. All of these visual elements work incredibly well in tandem with one another to form Popee’s unique comedic language. This is why many find Popee the Performer to be so endearing. It wears its absurdity on its shoulders with pride, utilising the CG art style to facilitate its absurd horror-comedy. Though, what’s more fascinating is looking into the intent of this style from its creators. A friend of mine interviewed Masuda Ryuuji last year in the hopes of making a Popee the Performer video. While that video never came to fruition, they were kind enough to share the information with me, and there are some interesting details to mention. First of all, the inspiration for Popee comes from a 1983 Suntory beverage commercial (check sources for the link) that features circus performers traversing a desolate desert out in the middle of nowhere. It is surreal and weird, even featuring a character in Popee’s iconic red and white striped suit. The commercial is based on Picasso’s Family of Saltimbanques, a painting that portrays circus performers not through the cheerful perspective of their performances but as an isolated group within a static and melancholy image; an image that symbolises the poor, independent, and isolated. This is most fascinating when talking about Popee, as this isolation is conveyed through the desolate desert landscapes and lonely circus performers only ever performing for themselves. Masuda Ryuuji wanted to combine this world with a slap-stick animated cartoon, which is why the world that Popee conveys is so surreal and uncanny. As for Popee’s artistic influence, Masuda says that listening to music influenced him the most. He listened to various songs and cherished the images that popped in his head, as that’s the easiest way for him to expose these ideas he had. Knowing this, it makes a lot of sense why Popee’s humour is the way it is. Masuda Ryuuji says that the surrealism in Popee the Performer is his own taste, and the production he had to work with matched that. Popee’s crude CG animation helps support this surrealism Masuda had in his mind. Popee’s conception came to be when Kids Stations needed to fill in a 5-minute time slot. This was Masuda’s chance to try creating the 3DCG animation he always hoped to do. It’s no secret that Popee had a low budget, with ¥100,000 to create two episodes a month. The limitations of the CG tech at the time really meant that Masuda had to make the most of what he got, and makes the most he does. With how inherently weird early CG animation is in the first place, Masuda is able to use this to his advantage to realise his own surreal ideas, accentuated by the humour being as absurd and offbeat as possible. This is exactly why it’s so endearing. Not only this, Popee is also able to consistently execute such bizarre ideas every episode because of the freedoms that CG animation allows. In Episode 6, Kedamono uses his imagination to drive an invisible car. This is a bit that would’ve certainly been possible using 2D animation, however, the utilisation of Popee’s style not only accentuates the gag, but does so in a way that feels natural for the show. I really can’t imagine it working any other way. The CG opens up so many possibilities in the animation, and we’re able to see Popee take full advantage of its medium to create very surreal and funny moments throughout the series. Building more on Popee’s conception is something Masuda mentioned in a Vice interview back in 2018. He talks about how the story of Popee the Performer is ironic. Popee has ideals; he wants to be a good performer, and he tries to be the best at what he does. In the process, however, he becomes mad with disappointment, and disturbed with the realisation that he cannot be the best. Masuda sees a lot of this in himself and in the people around him, those who become obsessive of their ideals. Disappointment in themselves, turning into competitiveness, and ruining themselves. Popee himself is not a good influence whatsoever, however, he does represent a rebellion. Masuda explains this in the Vice interview, and I will actually quote this part since it’s very interesting (keep in mind that I’m using DeepL to translate from Japanese to English, so there will be some mistakes): “Children's minds are repressed. They are told, ‘Don't fall down,’ or ‘Don't cry because you are a boy.’ Their emotions are not free. When children are drawing crazy pictures, their parents stop them and tell them to draw cheerful pictures. But people will always have feelings like anger or hatred. It is for adults to think about how to express those feelings. Beating people up or stabbing them with a knife may be one expression, sure, but it is a safer expression to draw. Adults should teach children safe ways to express themselves, not suppress their emotions.” Popee represents these emotions—these feelings of anger and frustration that we suppress—very openly, in an often sadistic fashion. Its visceral surrealism and violence come from expressing these emotions, and viewing the series from this perspective is rather beautiful. Everything about Popee feels rebellious, from its story all the way to its art style, and that’s something I really like about this anime. Popee the Performer is an incredibly important anime to me, as it was the first anime that made me genuinely think about what “art” means. Popee went against all of my sensibilities towards anime up until that point. It was weird, disgusting, and unapologetically violent. It was unconventional in almost every way. I was initially put off by it, but curiosity led me to try it anyway. I was blown away. I had so much fun with an anime that I initially judged it due to my surface-level evaluations. It made me think that perhaps I shouldn’t be so quick to judge art just because it deviates from my sensibilities. This mindset led me to try many weird and niche anime that I would’ve never thought to try before. I’ve become more open to researching art, and in turn, I find myself with even more appreciation for the things I like. All of a sudden, it felt like there were endless possibilities within this medium, and I only just took my first step into it all. I’m forever grateful for this experience I had with Popee back in 2019, an anime rooted in unconventionalism and the rebellion of norms from the very beginning. Popee the Performer fucking rules. I hope this review convinced you to give it a try. Sources: Popee Wiki: https://popeetheperformer.fandom.com/wiki/Popee_the_Performer Vice Interview: https://www.vice.com/ja/article/evkjqj/popee-the-performer Commercial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy-z421FwGQ Also, special thanks both to @twinsister for editing and providing support with this review and Eva for providing information from their Masuda interview.

When I watched the first episode of Popee the Performer, my instant reaction was "Where was this shitpost of the show all my life." Even though Popee the Performer is not what you want if you're expecting a typical anime, (if you can call it that?) it was one hell of a laugh. The animation looks like something that came straight out of Jimmy Neutron. No joke. Surprisingly, I wouldn't have gotten as much out of it if it was any different. Everything to the creepy ass expressions to the way they walked, it made it comedy gold in my eyes. Popee as a character isvery easy to anger and isn't afraid to recc someone if he gets mad. This show is a slapstick, so it makes sense because it adds some calamity to the show. He is my true life savior. Even if it for the wrong reasons, Popee the Performer is some of the funniest shit i've seen. Do I think everyone who watches it will get a kick out of it? Long answer, Maybe? Short answer, no. Even if I got a lot of enjoyment out of it, it really all depends on your type of humor. Honestly, I think about any screenshot you can take of this show can be a shitpost. I feel like anyone who wants any plot or good animation should stay clear from this, but if you want something to take a break from the norm, then this is the perfect show to watch. Also, did I forget to mention that this show has no dialogue? Oops. (Sorry if this is a poorly/crudely written review, it's my first time doing this sort of thing!!)

Popee the Performer is like if those weird Japanese commercials that get shared around had a series of shorts. In fact, I only found the show because someone retweeted a clip of it and it was so surreal that I had to know where it came from (the clips was from "Great Magic"). Two hours and 40 minutes later, I had watched all of the episodes on Youtube and had a fun time. Popee the Performer is hard to explain because the show makes no effort to explain anything and just throws you into the crazy mess. It's a 3D-animated cartoon where each episode is ashort exploration of an idea that may or may not be reflective of a circus. This can range from practicing knife throwing to dealing with half of the screen being dark because the sun got cut in half. The show definitely has a reputation for its sheer incoherence and oddities, but it's still more coherent than, say, a GMod video. There's plenty of violence that makes you wonder how it was a show for kids, and it's hard to overstate that violence because there are time where characters bleed from impacts, get impaled, and even die (only to return next episode). Don't worry, there's no gore. There are plenty of moments where characters make faces or do things that are just flat-out scary, too. The show revolves around three characters. Popee is a creepy, selfish, and irredeemable kid, but he isn't too annoying since his motives lead into the weirdness. The wolf with the mask, Kedamono, is the poor victim of Popee's antagonism and the only sole anchor of sanity in the show (and probably the one you'll be rooting for). The sun man, Papi, is introduced a ways into the series and is the definition of weirdness, existing to make things silly. There are a few supporting characters that show up from time to time like the frog, elephant trolley, and alien, but they pretty much serve as instruments for the three main characters to bounce off of. Despite its small cast, new episodes do a good job of giving their character more material to grow with. The sound design lends to the confusion you feel when watching Popee the Performer. There are no vocals, and even things like screaming and laughing are done through cartoony sound effects. And there are PLENTY of cartoony sound effects, with some being reused enough to become more than familiar with them. The music ranges from being normal to being unsettling and mindflooding. Watching it, I only felt like there were and handful of songs, but there are a good amount of them and some are actually earworms for me. The show doesn't look too good and there aren't many environments, but it didn't really bother me. After all, it IS a show from around the 2000s, so it's easily excusable unless that REALLY bothers you. Besides, I think it lends to the oddness. Some of the visual effects done with models actually look pretty neat at times, and the animation itself doesn't seem too bad for the time. I definitely want to give a shoutout to Kedamono's masks, since having the current mask fall off to reveal another for changes in facial expression is a really cool idea that I never got tired of because the wide variety of faces were drawn so well. Overall, Popee the Performer lives or dies by its weirdness. If things that make you ask "What the heck is going on?" or "How did they come up with this?" or "How is something like this made and aired?" don't tickle you, I could see it not being appealing. Regardless, Popee the Performer is a series of shorts, so I would recommend watching a few and deciding to continue yourself if you're interested at all.