REVIEW: Popping Out for "Popotan": DVD Shrugs Off Its Hentai Roots

[Article written for Toon Zone News 12.11.07]

Quests. Difficult things really; they have a start, a middle and an end. For Popotan, the story has arguably one, maybe two of these elements as three sisters partake a quest to find fulfillment—I think.

I had the fortunate luxury of going into this DVD box set utterly cold; aside from what was on the package, I had little idea what I would uncover, and certainly, Popotan uncovers quite a lot. It doesn’t seem particularly bothered as to the age of what it uncovers, providing those who are uncovered have a) breasts, and b) bottoms. If possible, both should be exposed in bathing areas and explored with as much tactile contact as possible. In fairness to the anime, there is far more to this show than the rather exploit-to-titillate visuals that parade throughout the stories. The origins of the series however offer a little less substance.

Popotan is the brainchild of Akio Wantanbe (who also worked on the more famous Kiki’s Delivery Service) and was originally produced as a hentai adventure, first for the PC then later ported to the Playstation 2. In the original game, you played Chris, a male who lives in a house with three sisters and their android maid. Naturally, being hentai the game’s focus was on the romantic relations between Chris and the girls in the game. Thankfully the anime series that followed shortly after has a little more substance to it.

Popotan: The Complete Series is the tale of three sisters called Ai, Mai, and Mii who travel in their time-jumping house with their maid, the enigmatic Mea. They all search for Popotan—or dandelions—that Ai can speak to with her mind. With the Popotan’s help, the three sisters seek Shizuku: the end and the beginning of their quest. It introducds them to many adventures, new friends, and original locations they can gratuitously disrobe in.

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to the insatiable urge to pull the disk out of my DVD player after watching half of the first episode. Fortunately, it's one of the benefits of watching a DVD for the sole purpose of reviewing it that you don’t get the luxury to stop—you have to press on.

And it was a worthwhile mandate. In fact, I watched all twelve episodes in one day. Yes, get past the rather sluggish and seemingly vacuous first five minutes of episode one where young boy Daichi has an accidental yet literal run-in with Ai’s breasts; get past the rather meandering and inane plot that staggers through the opening story and forge on to episode two. There you’ll find Popotan really finding its feet. It’s actually very good; you don’t have to get titillated by the cartoon breasts to enjoy this story, though clearly the producers feel it helps.

Yes, there is a lot of nudity and suggestive postures. While there is only one scene which implies sexual activity, every angle is geared to exploit the feminine body. If that sort of stuff offends you, be warned: there is lots of it. And while I’d hope that wouldn’t stop you from experiencing Popotan, there are occasions where the nudity is pretty disquieting. I don’t know how young the youngest sister is meant to be, but her fascination with breast size and her own penchant for nudity can sometimes be a little uncomfortable to watch. But that doesn’t stop Popotan being a lovely story in itself. The key is to put aside any personal ideology when viewing the irrelevant bathtub scenes. Just as the sight of Sipowicz’ ass doesn’t stop you from enjoying an episode of NYPD Blue, the discerning, open-minded viewer should be able to get past the gratuitous nudity; look past the tasteless icing and enjoy the tasty cake.

As the episodes continue, the story layers build up without the audience even being aware of it. The issues of being a traveler and the damage one's journey's have on those friendships born from wandering become a key arc, and the beauty of having a house that time travels onwards on each jump by five years, means that characters can return at totally different points of their life. So what initially seems like a gentle mix of odd character stories later becomes the tapestry which the show uses to present the ultimate question to the sisters: what do you really want?

The beauty of the show’s characters is not in themselves. Ai is quite drippy, Mai is a whiner, and Mii is annoyingly loud, but the central protagonists' chemistry endears them to the audience, and watching these simple yet effective episodes unfold along with the rich dynamic of players becomes a joy to behold.

The animation itself has some occasion flashes of smart direction (a table tennis game between Mea and Mai is a great sequence), but overall the animation is fairly uninspiring, with character models, expressions and artistic direction drawn from anime's box of clichés. Some of the backgrounds hold some charm, but overall the animation remains pretty crass, uninspired and stiff.

Aurally, the international dub is pretty good with careful attention to synchronization and voices which are raw and honest to the original Japanese. The incidental music complements the tone of the show and the opening and closing themes are extremely catchy.

The box set itself is nicely presented, with a transparent sleeve to collect the three brightly designed volumes. The information booklet that comes with each volume is neatly presented with a little bit of character biography.

The discs' interactive menus are simple, pretty and straight forward—just as I like it. Unfortunately, bonus features are weak: we have a small art gallery on each disk and a few Geneon adverts.

Overall this is a highly recommended DVD set. The complete series is around 300 minutes in length, and the audience can enjoy getting to know a set of warm, friendly characters while anticipating a decent ending.

Through no intention of mine, Popotan has become a welcome addition to my bookshelf and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a friendly, character-driven comedy. If that isn’t your thing, and you just like cartoon breasts and provocative poses, hey, there is something for you guys too.

Whatever you think about naughty nudity, don’t let that put you off exploring a really enchanting fantasy tale. Please don’t let pride prevent you from purchasing the near perfect Popotan!

REVIEW: "Beck" Strikes a Chord: The Mongolian Chop Squad Returns in Volume 2

[ARTICLE written for Toon Zone News 12-19-07]

Ladies and Gentlemen! Tonight—and for tonight only—on your very own DVD player comes the return of the guitar-strumming, mic-fumbling, tom-tapping heroes of teen angst. Yes, light your lighters, spill your drinks and get all sweaty for Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad Volume 2.

For those slightly too many people not in the know, Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad was the creation of Harold Sakuishi and originally featured in Monthly Shōnen Magazine. More recently it has been adapted for animation and distributed in the US in English-friendly form by Funimation. Volume 1 contained the first five episodes of this 26-episode adaptation. If you have no interesting in reading that previous review by clicking here, I will summarize Volume 1 as an enjoyable, gentle piece of Shōnen that captured the spirit of its manga origins and of the music business in general. Aside from some questionable success with the Western dub, it was a light but fun entry into the story. It also came with a free guitar plectrum.

Volume 2 is more of the same, though I must confess my disappointment with the free gift. As Volume 1 had generously started my personal journey into the music world with a free guitar plectrum, I naturally expected the second DVD to include a free guitar to go with it. Alas, all I got was another plectrum. On the upside, it was a different color.

Gifts aside, I can safely say I enjoyed Volume 2 far more than Volume 1. It took me some time to get used to the pacing, characters and story line in the first volume. In fact, the characters weren't immediately likable, and it took those first five episodes to build a rapport. By the time you get to the Volume 2 and the sixth episode of the story, you are a little more entrenched in their enchanting if turbulent world; the characters mean a little more, and the viewing expectations have found a happy medium.

The pace of Beck is one of the show's strongest merits. It doesn't rush its way through the story. By the final episode of this second volume, the story's protagonist, Koyuki, has only just played his first gig with the band. Quite often the spine of the story plays second place to the character orientation situations that surround it. Volume 2 pushes Koyuki and his friends through some social challenges which all play out satisfactorily. In particular, the bullying arc—a story thread that carries through these five episodes—has a particularly enjoyable momentary resolution.

As with Volume 1, the show portrays the entry level environment of the music industry with dignity and a fair amount of accuracy. Having myself taken a stab at the music industry, I can attest to many of the issues, circumstances and overall portrayals of the music world. Band politics, musical technique, rehearsals, sound checks, and gig performances all play very true and should resonate with any musician who has been "there". The only real downside to the series is the lack of sparkle in its range of characters. Koyuki is—as with so many protagonists in the Shōnen genre—reactive rather than active, with a flair for unattractiveness that the females seem not to notice but which can bewilder the audience. Likewise, the females neatly sit in their respective manga archetypes, and the band are just too cool to be interesting. Fortunately, a few of the older, minor players such as Koyuki's musical mentor Ken'ichi and his school teacher Momoko, add texture, but it's really the story and ambiance which holds the attention.

The DVD itself is pretty uninspiring. As with the first disk, the basic interface remains pretty but no more than functional, and this second volume even lacks the commentary track like came with the first. In fact, the special features are very barren, with little more than spiced-up excerpts to carry the bonus footage, along with the obligatory trailers.

Speaking of trailers, Funimation has once again decided to splash its faithful viewer with nostalgic memories of VHS, thanks to yet another catalog title that commences with a mandatory trailer. Ah, for the days of analog fast forward and rewind. Skipping seems to have become an unpopular option with the animation industry. Not only do you get promotional trailers listed as "bonus" or "special features" (yes, I buy DVDs purely on the hope that they have some adverts as extras), but you have a fixed one at the start! Yes, you can navigate around the title you've bought, but not the adverts! You have the choice of watching the main feature, but not the trailer at the beginning. I can't help feeling something there is the wrong way round.

Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable DVD. Essentially, it's more of the same, but I think the drama of Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad is beginning to pay off in volume two. Certainly it's a story worth sticking with that entertains and remains faithful to its source, even if the DVD itself is lacking a certain lustre. But then, no rock gig is complete without one duff track, and on that note, I will crescendo my review by underscoring that rock and roll simile: Beck's second DVD is like a solid rock band that needs to work a little harder on its image and charisma; the substance is there, you just have to look for it.