Sea Slugs! Anime Blog » Popotan

I, Me, and Myself

Ender — Sun, 11 Apr 2004 18:30:38 +0000

On the topic of Ai, Mai, and Mii (the Popotan sisters), has anyone seen the nonsensically titled anime series “I My Me! Strawberry Eggs!”? I recall watching this series a few years back (both my sisters loved it), and through the years I’ve come across many other instances of the “Ai Mai Mii” names in other series or whatnot. Does this trio of names have any particular special meaning in Japanese culture or something?

Related posts:

Popotan Second Opinion

Ender — Thu, 18 Mar 2004 18:28:20 +0000

Ok, at the urging of Kabitzin I watched some episodes of Popotan. I pretty much arrived at a similar conclusion – if the producers had spent more time on plot instead of fanservice, they could have had a winner. The time travel episodes were my favorite, but unfortunately they comprise a measly percentage of the series. And at the end, I was still wondering what the point of all this traveling was…they never explained it! I guess you would have to play the original H-Game to really find out. I was surprised to find out, however, that Maximillian Pegasus is a playah both in and out of the Dueling Arena.

Related posts:

Popotan Review

Kabitzin — Tue, 09 Mar 2004 23:29:48 +0000

Popotan is the first fully reviewed series for Sea Slugs! so I thought I should write a review of the series as a whole. Apologies for the massive Popotan spamming. Anyways, if I had to rate Popotan, I’d probably give it a 4/5. It was a very strong series overall, but I had to dock points for the excessive and shameless fanservice. If they had cut out the ecchi-ness and shortened the series into a 6 episode OVA or something, I think I’d give it a lot more points. Still, Popotan is a very strong series with a sharp focus. I think it did a fabulous job with the length it had, and (aside from episode 10) the production values were very high. There were silly funny moments, and depressing heart-wrenching moments as well. The episode that stands out most in my mind was episode 9, with Konami’s daughter. Fortunately, the time/space travel is not dwelled upon, and Popotan concentrates mostly on exploring the relationships the sisters develop and the choices they have to make on their journey. Thankfully, there is also very little romance in this series, as friendship is explored as a major theme. If you can get past all the ecchi-ness of Popotan, you will find a very engaging story with very likeable characters. The music is also excellent in setting up the mood from scene to scene, and both the OP and the ED are catchy and memorable.

Kabitzin’s Rating: 4/5

Related posts:

Popotan 12 (Final)

Kabitzin — Tue, 09 Mar 2004 19:01:15 +0000

The series finally comes to an end, with satisfying results. I can’t say too much about the episode without major spoilers, but suffice to say it is a happy ending. Not without a lot of sadness and melancholy first, however. Most of the important loose ends are wrapped up, and I enjoyed the final episode. Also, at first when I saw that white haired kid, I thought for sure that Keith had knocked up Ai and then left her (That evil bastard!!!).

Related posts:

Popotan 11

Kabitzin — Tue, 09 Mar 2004 18:58:34 +0000

Popotan bounces back with a vengeance this time, abandoning all that action garbage, and going back to thought-provoking discussions about the sisters’ journey. And bathing. Basically, much of this episode is the sisters talking while bathing. Shameless really, but if you’ve made it this far into Popotan, you’re probably de-sensitized to the fanservice by this point. Anyway, at long last, they meet the mysterious girl, Shizuku, who tells them that they have reached a crossroad in their trip. Will the sisters stay together or will they split apart? Can they avoid the same mistakes that plagued the badly drawn brothers of last episode?

This one’s a pretty melancholy episode, and I really want to know how the series will end. I imagine that several loose ends will not be tied up (Why can the sisters time travel and talk to dandelions? How did the imposter brothers from Full Metal Alchemist end up in Popotan and what was their purpose?), but I am hoping to see what happens to each sister. Sadly, Unagi is not able to maintain her strong performance, and falls asleep again during the previews.

Related posts:

Popotan 10

Kabitzin — Tue, 09 Mar 2004 18:56:07 +0000

I’m making a push to finish this series before I leave town on a business trip tomorrow. On this episode, we learn a lot more about Mare’s past. Apparently she used to be a maid for two strangely feminine, badly drawn brothers and something terrible happened to them. It had something to do with them meeting that mysterious girl in episode 5, and it resulted in their house burning down. All the males are very very poorly animated this time, and the production value is the lowest it has been thus far. Take a look at Keith in the last cap; just thinking about that shot makes me scoff in derision. Keith shows up to reveal that he is the guide, and Mare is a lowly guard for the sisters on their journey. Then he fights Mare.

Related posts: