Popotan
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese adult
visual novel
developed by Petit Ferret
with character design
s by Akio Watanabe
under the alias Poyoyon Rock. It was originally released as a PC game
for CD-ROM
on December 13, 2002 and subsequently re-released on DVD-ROM and for the PlayStation 2
with certain scenes removed. The title Popotan is nonsensical word meant to reflect the prominence of dandelions, spelled in Japanese
;In the Japanese language, nouns do not have a separate form in the plural. Petite Ferret also produced a fan disc
shortly before the DVD-ROM re-release. Popotan has been adapted to other media, including a novel
series (Popotan～ Himitsu no Jumon～ Kōhen) by Sassami Yachiruda; manga series by Yūjiro Izumi; twelve episode anime
directed by Shinichiro Kimura
and licensed in North America by Geneon USA and Funimation; radio drama (Poporaji); and several art and reference books.
Gameplay
in Popotan follows a semi-predetermined plot; major events remain the same, but personal storylines can diverge from the player's choices. The game focuses on protagonist Chris, a drifter who meets three girls and their maid in a mansion near the ruins of Tokyo in the distant future. The player's goal is to make available sexual scenes and images
that the player can view or replay at any time depicting the protagonist
having sexual intercourse
with one of the girls. The player can pursue other girls once they have finished one of the sisters' storylines.
Sales of the visual novel and its fan disc made the top 50 list of bestselling bishōjo games in Japan multiple times and it spawned an internet meme when the opening was put to sped-up music by the Swedish band Caramell
. Reception of the anime has been mixed with those who reviewed the first volume critical of the anime's sexual themes, especially with regard to Mii while those who reviewed the series as a whole tend to give an overall more positive review.
in which players spend most of their time in reading dynamic text, representing either dialogue
between the various characters
or the inner thoughts of the protagonist
. After progressing through text, players either come to a "decision point" where they must choose from multiple options, or the text will end and the player must move to a new location, or, in the DVD-ROM and PS2 versions, use a shortcut option to continue to the next event. Time elapsed between decision points varies. The game pauses at these points and, depending on which choice the player makes, the plot will progress and may branch off in a specific direction. The player must romantically pursue the three sisters, and can seek other characters if one of the sisters' scenarios has been completed.
A special music mini-game
commences at certain points in Mii's scenario. The goal of the mini-game is to max out "Magical Girl Mii"'s magical power meter by hitting balls at the right moment. The outcome of the mini-game affects the storyline. Successfully completing her scenarios unlock an omake
option on the main menu, allowing the player to play the mini-game with different music tracks. Finishing Ai's scenario unlocks a new story featuring Unagi. The player can save the game only while text is on the screen in the PC versions; this limitation was removed in the PS2 port. The PS2 port also altered the events and scenes based on the DVD version.
. He feels he cannot play well without an audience, which is hard to find as a drifter. The other main characters include three sisters and their maid who live in a western-style mansion
. Ai is the eldest of the three and communicate with plants. Mai is the middle sister; she is a tomboy
and disapproves of Chris's behavior. Mii is the youngest and the most energetic; she often cosplay
s as "Magical Girl Mii" and helps people. Their maid Mea appears emotionless at first, but reveals hidden depth later in the story.
, destroyed by a cataclysm and since altered by geological transformations. The disaster was caused by a giant dandelion structure resembling a spire
that arose in the city atop a hill. The main location of the game is a European-style mansion, seen as completely out-of-place in the city. Much of the daytime is spent outside the mansion wandering around town meeting characters and triggering event sequences.
Popotan follows Chris's lifestyle changes, as well as the mysteries surrounding the spire-like object that caused the destruction of Tokyo in the past. The story opens as Chris desperately considers stealing food from a stand near a shrine entrance
. His theft is unsuccessful, and he wanders around town looking for work. He finds a convenience store
, where he gets directions leading him to the mansion. He enters without asking permission and runs into the three sisters and their lifelike android maid. Chris asks permission to stay because the rent is cheap and the girls are pretty; they consent, but force him to take a part-time job. The convenience store owner hires him, and as the story progresses, Chris opens up socially and begins caring about others as he interacts with the girls. He also meets new friends, including a classmate Konami, a local shrine maiden
named Nono and a mysterious girl named Shizuku.
designed its characters while working under the alias Poyoyon♥Rock. Higuchi Hideki and Kajihara Masahiro composed music for the series; Under17
contributed theme music with vocals. Petite Ferret created over 1,000 two-dimensional computer graphics
for backgrounds, events, and character poses. Though only characters' mouths and eyes are animated, numerous poses exist for both major and minor characters; Petit Ferret created slightly fewer graphics for the latter to reduce production costs. The game uses a character placement system to display the characters relative to the protagonist; distant characters appear small, and grow larger as the player approaches them.
Petite Ferret requested applications for Japanese voice actresses
from May to June 2002, seeking to fill the roles of the three sisters first. Satisfied with the applicants, Petite Ferret held open auditions for other roles starting June 30, 2002. WellMADE produced and distributed the PS2 port
, , based on the DVD-ROM version of the original game. Petite Ferret made Aiko Watanabe project supervisor for the PS2 port.
CD of Under17's theme songs. The firm then released a fan disc
on July 11, 2003 titled . The disc includes several character-based mini-games (including the original's "Magical Girl Mii" mini-game), new storyline content and routes based around Mii and Nono, a separate music CD containing background music
from the original game, themed computer wallpaper
, and desktop accessories. Some of the items must be unlocked. The fan disc preceded a re-release of the main game as Popotan Po! on August 1, 2003 as a DVD-ROM with game enhancements; it would be Petite Ferret's last official release. WellMADE produced a PS2 port named Oshiete! Popotan, released March 11, 2004. Scenes in the port were changed or removed to comply with Sony's ban on sexual content, but the release still warranted CERO 18 rating. Later, after the CERO revised its rating system, it was given a CERO D rating. WellMADE tried to compensate for their absence with graphics and gameplay improvements. WellMADE enticed buyers of the port with a bonus themed
calling card
, reversible poster, and music CD. WellMADE also released two free spinoff games in December 2003 and March 2004, collectively named and featuring Unagi as the hero
ine. WellMADE designed the games to be humorous and fun; the second allows Unagi to transform into her humanoid form after a certain point in the story.
The initial limited edition release of Popotan on CD-ROM suffered critical errors, such as graphic
display issues, saving and loading issues, the inability to complete some routes and Mii's mini-game not starting. Petite Ferret issued a patch on January 10, 2003. Later versions of the game were released bug-free.
Popotan Fan Disc together with A・SO・BO also contained several serious errors. Petit Ferret addressed these issues in two patches. The first patch added missing voice data from the original game CD; customers were given the option of downloading the patch or exchanging for a new CD. Ferret released the second patch on July 7, 2003; it corrected grammatical errors, adjusted the game's difficulty, and enhanced stability. The second patch did not contain the first's fixes.
produced a Popotan anime, featuring Shinichiro Kimura's directing and storyboards, Jukki Hanada
's writing, Haruka Sakurai's character designs (based on Akio Watanabe's original concept), and Rondo Mizukami's animation oversight. Under17 composed the opening theme song in the same style used for the game; Funta
wrote the ending theme song. Tokyo Broadcasting System
's satellite station BS-i and the Bandai Channel
aired the anime from July 17, 2003 through October 3, 2003.
The narrative is episodic and usually focuses on one character at a time. Each of the first four episodes focuses on one of the four main characters, depicting social interaction and growth. The anime's use of time travel
allows focus on the older versions or children of previously-featured characters, and contrasts their experiences with the protagonists' agelessness. Reviewers have experienced difficulty categorizing the Popotan anime, though it does feature an overall comedic tone. The characters are very lighthearted and eager to help new acquaintances. Nudity appears in many episodes, though no sexually explicit scenes occur. Geneon rated the series for ages 16+; Section23 Films gave its re-release a TV-MA rating.
Shaft released a teaser DVD entitled on June 27, 2003 featuring character designs by Haruka Sakurai. The DVD also contained video interviews with the anime's Japanese voice actresses, a CD of music from radio the drama, 's theme ,metallic paint illustrations, and a plushie of Unagi. Bandai Visual
released the anime on six Japanese DVDs containing two episodes each. Bandai staggered the discs' release over the period September 26, 2003 and February 25, 2004. Each disc came with a promotional figurine of one of the girls; Bandai provided DVDs without the figurines at lower costs. A misprint on the volume 3 DVD jacket occurred during production, numbering the episodes incorrectly. Bandai Visual offered free exchanges of the jackets to purchasers. Geneon USA licensed the DVDs for North American release, producing three DVDs containing four episodes each between December 7, 2004 and April 26, 2005. Geneon USA began selling a box set on August 14, 2007, shortly before the firm's demise. Sentai Filmworks licensed the anime for distribution in late 2009, having made an announcement July 28. Section23 Films
re-released the complete series through a 2-disc set on October 27, 2009.
. The main female characters and their relations are unchanged, but the storyline is unrelated to the game's. The plot follows the perspective of the three sisters and their maid rather than the game's protagonist; all the game's major female characters appear and many of the minor characters are used in supporting
or cameo
roles.
The story centers around the three sisters as they travel through time in a mansion, run a Christmas
shop, and search for the dandelion-resembling "popotan". The sisters interact with others and try to improve their situations. The anime suggests that others, including the antagonist
Keith, have attempted similar journeys in the past. The anime otherwise covers little backstory, obscuring the reason for why Shizuku, Keith and Mea are associated. The sisters meet Shizaku while traveling through time, who gives them the option to continue journeying or stay in the era they enjoy most; they choose the former. The story ends as they continue traveling through time, leaving unanswered questions concering their final destination and why they were chosen.
Their bodies are connected to the mansion where they live, which allows them to travel through time. Their bodies cease to age outside the mansion; even their hair stops growing. They jump five years into the future when traveling through time and always arrive in different places, except for a split-party scenario in which Mai and Mea are left behind.
The anime opens with by Under17 starting with episode two, and the closes with S–U–K–I by Funta. Petite Ferret released two full length albums and one extended play
based on the anime in late 2003. The EP, , debuted on August 6, 2003 and featured full versions of the anime's opening and ending themes as well as Gem Stone, an image song
collaboration between Under17 and Funta. The first album, It’s A PoPoTime!, contains original character songs by the Japanese voice actresses and was released November 6, 2003. The second album, Popo Music, comprised the anime's original soundtrack
by Osamu Tezuka and was released on the 27th.
Sasami Uachiruda and SPIRITE wrote and illustrated two novels, entitled and published by Softgarage on June 20 and August 22, 2002. These novels follow the plot of the series, involving all notable characters and combining their personal storylines. Magazine Z
published a two-part Popotan manga series by Yūjiro Izumi whose story revolved around the three sisters. The manga was released in two volumes on December 12, 2003 and August 23, 2004.
Two Popotan reference books have been released—, published by Petit Ferret and SoftBank Publishing, and distributed by Raspberry Books; and by Air Publications. The Popotan Visual Fan Book featured a new side-story printed in western format.The book is printed to be read from left to right. Traditional Japanese writing is written from right to left. Kadokawa Shoten published an art book for the series entitled . Popotan illustrations also appear in . A fan book by for the television series was released March 5, 2003, entitled and containing a Microsoft Windows
CD-ROM with extra content.
Popotan visual novels released by Petit Ferret enjoyed strong initial sales. PCNews' national rating of bishōjo game
s listed Popotan' s initial CD-ROM release at ninth place around one-and-a-half months after its release; it stayed on the charts another half-month at twenty-first. It returned six months after release for a brief stay at forty-sixth shortly before the fan disc was released. The DVD-ROM re-release rose to twenty-fourth in overall sales one month after its debut. The fan disc's release propelled it to eleventh among the most sold bishōjo games within one month.
The PS2 port Oshiete! Popotan received an aggregate score rating of 5.5 / 10.
The visual novel featured a dance in its opening that became an Internet phenomenon. The dance features Mai and Mii swinging their hips sideways while holding their hands near the sides of their heads and flapping them, as if making a "goodbye" motion. Internet users set the dance to a sped-up chorus of the song Caramelldansen
by Caramell
. The scene's popularity helped the Popotan franchise and Caramell attain a cult following. The dance is performed by individuals (especially in Japan) at anime conventions, and in advertising, video games and other unrelated anime. The popularity of Popotan in Japan brought Momoi Haruko and her band Under17 to prominence.
' s storyline, considering it especially complex for a video game-based anime. Popotan has proven notoriously difficult for English reviewers to categorize, leading several to praise its multi-genre style and appeal.
Critics who reviewed only the first DVD gave the series more negative marks than those who reviewed it in full. Of the latter, Allmovie gave Popotan 4/5 stars and DVDtalk awarded it "recommended" status, citing the first two discs. Examining the Sentai Filmworks re-release, Theron Martin concurred that the anime improved towards the end despite rushed plot development. He gave the series low marks overall, feeling its quality varied wildly each episode.
The level of nudity and its importance to the storyline have been widely debated. John Oppligar of Anime Nation feels explicit nudity ruined the Popotan anime, overshadowing its character depth and complex storyline. Anime News Network
and Mania agreed that it was excessive; one reviewer from the former likened it to "kiddy porn" and another attributed its re-release to demand for nudity. DVDtalk's reviewers were mixed; one claimed the nude scenes were out-of-place, and another considered them appropriate. Both considered the overall use of nudity to be "minor".
Critics have generally praised the animation and Akio Watanabe's character design. Despite chiding the plot, Mark Tools found the character design "memorable"; reviewer Theron Martin disagreed. found praise for his minimalist approach to the score.Osamu Tezuka is a composer of anime music and should not to be confused with Osamu Tezuka
, one of the founding Japanese animators. Geneon's voice acting also elicited good reception, credited to Rob Beckwell, Popotans English voice director. Mii is the only protagonist criticized for her voice acting; reviewers particularly praised Mea's voice.
Eroge
An or Ero-ga is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. Eroge originated from galge, but unlike galge, they feature erotic/pornographic content.-History:...
visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
developed by Petit Ferret
Petit Ferret
is a Japanese company that developed two Popotan PC visual novels, including an enhanced remake. The visual novel was later licensed to WellMADE for a PlayStation 2 port. Shaft later produced an anime television series with a radically different plotline than the visual novel, though the character...
with character design
Character creation
Character creation is the process of defining a game character or other character. Typically, a character's individual strengths and weaknesses are represented by a set of statistics. Games with a largely fictional setting may include traits such as race and class...
s by Akio Watanabe
Akio Watanabe
is a Japanese animator, character designer and animation director currently living in Tokyo, Japan. He often goes by the pseudonym Poyoyon Rock...
under the alias Poyoyon Rock. It was originally released as a PC game
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
for CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
on December 13, 2002 and subsequently re-released on DVD-ROM and for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
with certain scenes removed. The title Popotan is nonsensical word meant to reflect the prominence of dandelions, spelled in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
;In the Japanese language, nouns do not have a separate form in the plural. Petite Ferret also produced a fan disc
Fan disc
A fan disc is an expanded-content game disc, usually released by a game company after the game's first successful launch. The content adds new images, music, minigames, character information, demos, etc. It usually extends the game's time line by adding in a new shorter game; however, they are not...
shortly before the DVD-ROM re-release. Popotan has been adapted to other media, including a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
series (Popotan～ Himitsu no Jumon～ Kōhen) by Sassami Yachiruda; manga series by Yūjiro Izumi; twelve episode anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
directed by Shinichiro Kimura
Shinichiro Kimura
is a Japanese anime director. His nickname is ', a shortened version of his name. Kimura graduated from Osaka University of Arts.-Anime involved in:*Burn Up Excess*Cosplay Complex*Dai-Guard*G-On Riders*Generator Gawl*Hand Maid May*Karin...
and licensed in North America by Geneon USA and Funimation; radio drama (Poporaji); and several art and reference books.
Gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
in Popotan follows a semi-predetermined plot; major events remain the same, but personal storylines can diverge from the player's choices. The game focuses on protagonist Chris, a drifter who meets three girls and their maid in a mansion near the ruins of Tokyo in the distant future. The player's goal is to make available sexual scenes and images
Hentai
is a Japanese word that, in the West, is used when referring to sexually explicit or pornographic comics and animation, particularly those of Japanese origin such as anime, manga, and computer games. The word hentai is a kanji compound of 変 and 態...
that the player can view or replay at any time depicting the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
having sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
with one of the girls. The player can pursue other girls once they have finished one of the sisters' storylines.
Sales of the visual novel and its fan disc made the top 50 list of bestselling bishōjo games in Japan multiple times and it spawned an internet meme when the opening was put to sped-up music by the Swedish band Caramell
Caramell
Caramell is a Swedish musical group, formed by singers Katia Löfgren and Malin Sundström and producers Jorge "Vasco" Vasconcelo and Juha "Millboy" Myllylä. All except Vasconcelo and Myllylä come from Sweden...
. Reception of the anime has been mixed with those who reviewed the first volume critical of the anime's sexual themes, especially with regard to Mii while those who reviewed the series as a whole tend to give an overall more positive review.
Gameplay
Popotan is a visual novelVisual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
in which players spend most of their time in reading dynamic text, representing either dialogue
Dialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
between the various characters
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
or the inner thoughts of the protagonist
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
. After progressing through text, players either come to a "decision point" where they must choose from multiple options, or the text will end and the player must move to a new location, or, in the DVD-ROM and PS2 versions, use a shortcut option to continue to the next event. Time elapsed between decision points varies. The game pauses at these points and, depending on which choice the player makes, the plot will progress and may branch off in a specific direction. The player must romantically pursue the three sisters, and can seek other characters if one of the sisters' scenarios has been completed.
A special music mini-game
Music video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
commences at certain points in Mii's scenario. The goal of the mini-game is to max out "Magical Girl Mii"'s magical power meter by hitting balls at the right moment. The outcome of the mini-game affects the storyline. Successfully completing her scenarios unlock an omake
Omake
means extra in Japanese. Its primary meaning is general and widespread. It is used as an anime and manga fandom term to mean "extra or bonus". In USA, the term is most often used in a narrow sense by anime fans to describe special features on DVD releases: deleted scenes, interviews with the...
option on the main menu, allowing the player to play the mini-game with different music tracks. Finishing Ai's scenario unlocks a new story featuring Unagi. The player can save the game only while text is on the screen in the PC versions; this limitation was removed in the PS2 port. The PS2 port also altered the events and scenes based on the DVD version.
Characters
The player assumes the role of Chris, the protagonist of Popotan. Chris is a high school dropout who dislikes the direction of society and refuses to get a job. He wanders the streets making a living as a guitar-playing buskerBusking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
. He feels he cannot play well without an audience, which is hard to find as a drifter. The other main characters include three sisters and their maid who live in a western-style mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
. Ai is the eldest of the three and communicate with plants. Mai is the middle sister; she is a tomboy
Tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
and disapproves of Chris's behavior. Mii is the youngest and the most energetic; she often cosplay
Cosplay
, short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and science fiction...
s as "Magical Girl Mii" and helps people. Their maid Mea appears emotionless at first, but reveals hidden depth later in the story.
Story
Popotan takes place in the distant future within the remnants of TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, destroyed by a cataclysm and since altered by geological transformations. The disaster was caused by a giant dandelion structure resembling a spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
that arose in the city atop a hill. The main location of the game is a European-style mansion, seen as completely out-of-place in the city. Much of the daytime is spent outside the mansion wandering around town meeting characters and triggering event sequences.
Popotan follows Chris's lifestyle changes, as well as the mysteries surrounding the spire-like object that caused the destruction of Tokyo in the past. The story opens as Chris desperately considers stealing food from a stand near a shrine entrance
Torii
A is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the profane to the sacred...
. His theft is unsuccessful, and he wanders around town looking for work. He finds a convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
, where he gets directions leading him to the mansion. He enters without asking permission and runs into the three sisters and their lifelike android maid. Chris asks permission to stay because the rent is cheap and the girls are pretty; they consent, but force him to take a part-time job. The convenience store owner hires him, and as the story progresses, Chris opens up socially and begins caring about others as he interacts with the girls. He also meets new friends, including a classmate Konami, a local shrine maiden
Miko
is a Japanese term that anciently meant a "female shaman, spirit medium" who conveyed oracles from kami , and currently means a "shrine maiden; virgin consecrated to a deity" who serves at Shinto shrines.-Word:...
named Nono and a mysterious girl named Shizuku.
Development
Petite Ferret developed Popotan in 2002. Seki Hayabusa and Iwashinichi Shimizu handled scenario development, and Akio WatanabeAkio Watanabe
is a Japanese animator, character designer and animation director currently living in Tokyo, Japan. He often goes by the pseudonym Poyoyon Rock...
designed its characters while working under the alias Poyoyon♥Rock. Higuchi Hideki and Kajihara Masahiro composed music for the series; Under17
Under17
Under17 was a popular Japanese duo, which included Haruko Momoi and Masaya Koike, that wrote and performed many moe songs that are featured in anime and video games. The lead singer, Haruko Momoi, is well known for her unique vocals and catchy lyrics...
contributed theme music with vocals. Petite Ferret created over 1,000 two-dimensional computer graphics
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
for backgrounds, events, and character poses. Though only characters' mouths and eyes are animated, numerous poses exist for both major and minor characters; Petit Ferret created slightly fewer graphics for the latter to reduce production costs. The game uses a character placement system to display the characters relative to the protagonist; distant characters appear small, and grow larger as the player approaches them.
Petite Ferret requested applications for Japanese voice actresses
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
from May to June 2002, seeking to fill the roles of the three sisters first. Satisfied with the applicants, Petite Ferret held open auditions for other roles starting June 30, 2002. WellMADE produced and distributed the PS2 port
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
, , based on the DVD-ROM version of the original game. Petite Ferret made Aiko Watanabe project supervisor for the PS2 port.
Release information
Petite Ferret released a trial version of Popotan for download on November 25, 2002 and released the full PC version on one CD-ROM the following December 13. To increase pre-order sales, Ferret packaged the initial CD-ROM release of Popotan with a special maxi singleMaxi single
A maxi single or maxi-single is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an a-side song and a b-side song.-The first maxi singles:...
CD of Under17's theme songs. The firm then released a fan disc
Fan disc
A fan disc is an expanded-content game disc, usually released by a game company after the game's first successful launch. The content adds new images, music, minigames, character information, demos, etc. It usually extends the game's time line by adding in a new shorter game; however, they are not...
on July 11, 2003 titled . The disc includes several character-based mini-games (including the original's "Magical Girl Mii" mini-game), new storyline content and routes based around Mii and Nono, a separate music CD containing background music
Background music
Although background music was by the end of the 20th century generally identified with Muzak or elevator music, there are several stages in the development of this concept.-Antecedents:...
from the original game, themed computer wallpaper
Computer wallpaper
Wallpaper is an image used as a background of a graphical user interface on a computer screen or mobile communications device. On a computer it is usually for the desktop, while for a mobile phone it is usually the background for the 'home' or 'idle' screen...
, and desktop accessories. Some of the items must be unlocked. The fan disc preceded a re-release of the main game as Popotan Po! on August 1, 2003 as a DVD-ROM with game enhancements; it would be Petite Ferret's last official release. WellMADE produced a PS2 port named Oshiete! Popotan, released March 11, 2004. Scenes in the port were changed or removed to comply with Sony's ban on sexual content, but the release still warranted CERO 18 rating. Later, after the CERO revised its rating system, it was given a CERO D rating. WellMADE tried to compensate for their absence with graphics and gameplay improvements. WellMADE enticed buyers of the port with a bonus themed
Theme (arts)
In the visual arts, a theme is a broad idea or a message conveyed by a work, such as a performance, a painting, or a motion picture. This message is usually about life, society or human nature. Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a work. Themes are usually implied...
calling card
Telephone card
A telephone card, calling card or phone card for short, is a small plastic card, sized and shaped like a credit card, used to pay for telephone services. It is not necessary to have the physical card except with a stored-value system; knowledge of the access telephone number to dial and the PIN is...
, reversible poster, and music CD. WellMADE also released two free spinoff games in December 2003 and March 2004, collectively named and featuring Unagi as the hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
ine. WellMADE designed the games to be humorous and fun; the second allows Unagi to transform into her humanoid form after a certain point in the story.
The initial limited edition release of Popotan on CD-ROM suffered critical errors, such as graphic
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
display issues, saving and loading issues, the inability to complete some routes and Mii's mini-game not starting. Petite Ferret issued a patch on January 10, 2003. Later versions of the game were released bug-free.
Popotan Fan Disc together with A・SO・BO also contained several serious errors. Petit Ferret addressed these issues in two patches. The first patch added missing voice data from the original game CD; customers were given the option of downloading the patch or exchanging for a new CD. Ferret released the second patch on July 7, 2003; it corrected grammatical errors, adjusted the game's difficulty, and enhanced stability. The second patch did not contain the first's fixes.
Anime series
ShaftShaft (company)
is a Japanese animation studio founded on September 1, 1975 by Hiroshi Wakao. They are best known for their unique use of gags and references notably in Pani Poni Dash!, Maria Holic, Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei, Hidamari Sketch, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and Bakemonogatari series.- History :Shaft was...
produced a Popotan anime, featuring Shinichiro Kimura's directing and storyboards, Jukki Hanada
Jukki Hanada
' is a Japanese screenwriter.-Series composition:*Hanaukyo Maid Team La Verite*Idolmaster: Xenoglossia*Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl*Mahoromatic: Something More Beautiful*Petite Princess Yucie*Popotan*Rozen Maiden...
's writing, Haruka Sakurai's character designs (based on Akio Watanabe's original concept), and Rondo Mizukami's animation oversight. Under17 composed the opening theme song in the same style used for the game; Funta
Funta
is a Japanese pop rock band consisting of two members: on vocals and on guitar and bass. Active since 1997, Funta have not released any full-length albums to date, focusing instead on releasing singles for use as theme songs in anime....
wrote the ending theme song. Tokyo Broadcasting System
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
's satellite station BS-i and the Bandai Channel
Bandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
aired the anime from July 17, 2003 through October 3, 2003.
The narrative is episodic and usually focuses on one character at a time. Each of the first four episodes focuses on one of the four main characters, depicting social interaction and growth. The anime's use of time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
allows focus on the older versions or children of previously-featured characters, and contrasts their experiences with the protagonists' agelessness. Reviewers have experienced difficulty categorizing the Popotan anime, though it does feature an overall comedic tone. The characters are very lighthearted and eager to help new acquaintances. Nudity appears in many episodes, though no sexually explicit scenes occur. Geneon rated the series for ages 16+; Section23 Films gave its re-release a TV-MA rating.
Shaft released a teaser DVD entitled on June 27, 2003 featuring character designs by Haruka Sakurai. The DVD also contained video interviews with the anime's Japanese voice actresses, a CD of music from radio the drama, 's theme ,metallic paint illustrations, and a plushie of Unagi. Bandai Visual
Bandai Visual
, is a Japanese anime, film production and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai Co., Ltd. and a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings, Inc., which is based in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Since the reorganisation of Namco Bandai Holdings in 2006, Bandai Visual now heads the group's Visual and...
released the anime on six Japanese DVDs containing two episodes each. Bandai staggered the discs' release over the period September 26, 2003 and February 25, 2004. Each disc came with a promotional figurine of one of the girls; Bandai provided DVDs without the figurines at lower costs. A misprint on the volume 3 DVD jacket occurred during production, numbering the episodes incorrectly. Bandai Visual offered free exchanges of the jackets to purchasers. Geneon USA licensed the DVDs for North American release, producing three DVDs containing four episodes each between December 7, 2004 and April 26, 2005. Geneon USA began selling a box set on August 14, 2007, shortly before the firm's demise. Sentai Filmworks licensed the anime for distribution in late 2009, having made an announcement July 28. Section23 Films
Section23 Films
Section23 Films is an American home video distribution company specializing in anime and Japanese films. The company is one of five successors to ADV Films, as well as the distributor of titles from Sentai Filmworks and Switchblade Films. ADV had announced that it had sold its assets to a group of...
re-released the complete series through a 2-disc set on October 27, 2009.
Setting and plot
An adaptation of the visual novel, the anime takes place in an alternate realityParallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
. The main female characters and their relations are unchanged, but the storyline is unrelated to the game's. The plot follows the perspective of the three sisters and their maid rather than the game's protagonist; all the game's major female characters appear and many of the minor characters are used in supporting
Supporting character
A supporting character is a character of a book, play, video game, movie, television or radio show or other form of storytelling usually used to give added dimension to a main character, by adding a relationship with this character...
or cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
roles.
The story centers around the three sisters as they travel through time in a mansion, run a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
shop, and search for the dandelion-resembling "popotan". The sisters interact with others and try to improve their situations. The anime suggests that others, including the antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
Keith, have attempted similar journeys in the past. The anime otherwise covers little backstory, obscuring the reason for why Shizuku, Keith and Mea are associated. The sisters meet Shizaku while traveling through time, who gives them the option to continue journeying or stay in the era they enjoy most; they choose the former. The story ends as they continue traveling through time, leaving unanswered questions concering their final destination and why they were chosen.
Their bodies are connected to the mansion where they live, which allows them to travel through time. Their bodies cease to age outside the mansion; even their hair stops growing. They jump five years into the future when traveling through time and always arrive in different places, except for a split-party scenario in which Mai and Mea are left behind.
Music
The visual novel features two themes by Under17—the opening theme Popotan and ending theme . Petite Ferret provided theme music for each heroine and another song by Under17 for Mii's "Magical Girl Mii" cosplay (). Under17 added their theme songs to various editions of the Best of soundtracks along with Popotan Kiss from the radio drama. Except for Magical Girl Mii's theme song, Under17 plays work composed for Popotan on their world tours. Customers who pre-ordered the game received the moe theme songs by Under17 as bonus content. Petite Ferret coincided the visual novel's premiere with the release of a special maxi single containing the anime's vocal theme songs and their instrumental counterparts, otherwise unavailable to listeners. A third Popotan image album based on the visual novel was packaged as a pre-order item with the PS2 port the following year.The anime opens with by Under17 starting with episode two, and the closes with S–U–K–I by Funta. Petite Ferret released two full length albums and one extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
based on the anime in late 2003. The EP, , debuted on August 6, 2003 and featured full versions of the anime's opening and ending themes as well as Gem Stone, an image song
Image song
An image song or character song is a song on a tie-in single or album for an anime, game or dorama that is usually sung by the seiyū or actor of a character, in character...
collaboration between Under17 and Funta. The first album, It’s A PoPoTime!, contains original character songs by the Japanese voice actresses and was released November 6, 2003. The second album, Popo Music, comprised the anime's original soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
by Osamu Tezuka and was released on the 27th.
Radio drama and publications
Petit Ferret developed a radio drama named Poporaji, based on a song used in the anime's broadcast premiere DVD, The Secret of the 3 Sisters. The show focused on the three sisters and Mea with their respective Japanese voice actresses playing their roles. It was broadcast by Osaka Broadcasting Corporation in two segments; the first ran from April to September 2003 and the second from October to December 2003. TBS Radio rebroadcast the drama later in its debut week. Petit Ferret announced on January 22, 2004 that Poporaji would be replayed on BEAT NetRadio on Bandai Visual's website and compiled into two CDs, and Poporaji Popoi CD2.Sasami Uachiruda and SPIRITE wrote and illustrated two novels, entitled and published by Softgarage on June 20 and August 22, 2002. These novels follow the plot of the series, involving all notable characters and combining their personal storylines. Magazine Z
Magazine Z
was a Japanese seinen mixed-media magazine published by Kodansha, aimed at teenage males and above, but particularly at hardcore anime and manga fans, featuring articles as well as manga tied into popular franchises. Original manga were also featured in the magazine.It was announced in September...
published a two-part Popotan manga series by Yūjiro Izumi whose story revolved around the three sisters. The manga was released in two volumes on December 12, 2003 and August 23, 2004.
Two Popotan reference books have been released—, published by Petit Ferret and SoftBank Publishing, and distributed by Raspberry Books; and by Air Publications. The Popotan Visual Fan Book featured a new side-story printed in western format.The book is printed to be read from left to right. Traditional Japanese writing is written from right to left. Kadokawa Shoten published an art book for the series entitled . Popotan illustrations also appear in . A fan book by for the television series was released March 5, 2003, entitled and containing a Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
CD-ROM with extra content.
Visual novel
Bishojo game
A , or , is "a type of Japanese video game centered on interactions with attractive anime-style girls". These games are a sub-genre of dating sims targeted towards a male audience....
s listed Popotan
The PS2 port Oshiete! Popotan received an aggregate score rating of 5.5 / 10.
The visual novel featured a dance in its opening that became an Internet phenomenon. The dance features Mai and Mii swinging their hips sideways while holding their hands near the sides of their heads and flapping them, as if making a "goodbye" motion. Internet users set the dance to a sped-up chorus of the song Caramelldansen
Caramelldansen
"Caramelldansen" is the first track and the lead single of the album Supergott released in November 2001 by the Swedish music group Caramell...
by Caramell
Caramell
Caramell is a Swedish musical group, formed by singers Katia Löfgren and Malin Sundström and producers Jorge "Vasco" Vasconcelo and Juha "Millboy" Myllylä. All except Vasconcelo and Myllylä come from Sweden...
. The scene's popularity helped the Popotan franchise and Caramell attain a cult following. The dance is performed by individuals (especially in Japan) at anime conventions, and in advertising, video games and other unrelated anime. The popularity of Popotan in Japan brought Momoi Haruko and her band Under17 to prominence.
Anime
The first English Popotan DVD met mixed reviews in the United States. Anime Jump gave it 1½ stars, stating that beyond the pretty pictures, "it is created specifically to sell DVDs, tiny figurines, and other merchandise to introverted adult men." DVDtalk gave it a final rating of "recommended" and only criticized the bonus content. The reviewer remarked that the first disc "[...]was full of surprises for even a jaded old reviewer like myself." Anime News Network held mixed attitudes towards the second DVD, citing certain characters and the level of nudity. Its reviewers praised PopotanCritics who reviewed only the first DVD gave the series more negative marks than those who reviewed it in full. Of the latter, Allmovie gave Popotan 4/5 stars and DVDtalk awarded it "recommended" status, citing the first two discs. Examining the Sentai Filmworks re-release, Theron Martin concurred that the anime improved towards the end despite rushed plot development. He gave the series low marks overall, feeling its quality varied wildly each episode.
The level of nudity and its importance to the storyline have been widely debated. John Oppligar of Anime Nation feels explicit nudity ruined the Popotan anime, overshadowing its character depth and complex storyline. Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
and Mania agreed that it was excessive; one reviewer from the former likened it to "kiddy porn" and another attributed its re-release to demand for nudity. DVDtalk's reviewers were mixed; one claimed the nude scenes were out-of-place, and another considered them appropriate. Both considered the overall use of nudity to be "minor".
Critics have generally praised the animation and Akio Watanabe's character design. Despite chiding the plot, Mark Tools found the character design "memorable"; reviewer Theron Martin disagreed. found praise for his minimalist approach to the score.Osamu Tezuka is a composer of anime music and should not to be confused with Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka
was a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...
, one of the founding Japanese animators. Geneon's voice acting also elicited good reception, credited to Rob Beckwell, Popotans English voice director. Mii is the only protagonist criticized for her voice acting; reviewers particularly praised Mea's voice.
External links
- Petite Ferret's official website
- Popotan anime at Bandai Visual
- History of Caramelldansen