Review of Pop Team Epic
Are you mad? If you dislike absurdist humour that’s often bashed for being “random” then your experience with Pop Team Epic will probably be a negative one. But I still urge you to try at least one episode before writing it off. With shows like this it’s important to go in with an open mindset and perhaps it will be the key to enjoyment. It’s important to keep in mind that PTE is an extremely eccentric project. While the manga is made entirely by one person the anime strays from the original to allow many different people the creative freedom to create whatever the hellthey felt like. There’s no pretence or any other form of trying too hard, just genuine expressions from people who love anime and other forms of media and want to show it through creations of their own. Sometimes it leads to hilarious parodies other times references that warp original through the distinct lens of Pop Team Epic. When there’s so much sincerity shining through every seam and frame I couldn’t gather the effort to be annoyed at it even when it wasn’t good.
You might rightfully point out that I haven’t been talking much about anime itself and more about the approach to it and intention behind it. That’s because I find it impossible to review such a unique project on it’s technical merits. I can describe you the jokes and styles of humour that you will be experiencing throughout the run but that will only serve to ruin the magic of the show.
When it comes to technical aspects all I can say is that the show is practically flawless. When PTE looks ugly it’s supposed to look ugly. When it looks cheap it’s cause if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be nearly as funny and when it drastically switches the art styles it only serves to remind you that you’re watching a new segment from a fresh team. There’s nothing in it that I could categorize as a flaw cause I wouldn’t be able to prove that it can be improved upon.
Sorry for something so pointless but I wanted to get out my personal feelings on PTE and if it convinces anyone to give a shot all the better.