Popee the Performer is an irreverent slapstick series that follows the daily life of Popee the clown as he perfects his various performance tricks for Wolf Zirkus. Popee is accompanied by his loyal wolf assistant, Kedamono (a word that literally means "beast" in Japanese), and the two do pull off some amazing feats. More often than not, however, Popee's circus acts go wrong and the two usually end up at each other's throats over the failed tricks.
Popee's father, Papi, joins them later in the series and tries to help his son become a great performer like him. Popee doesn't believe Papi is his father, though, and the two often end up at odds as well. The series is full of comedic violence, including multiple character deaths... but don't worry, they're alive and kicking again by the next episode!
10 The Manga Is Based Off The Animated Show
Unlike many other shows, Popee started as a 3D CG animated series in January 2000. The series is the brainchild of Ryuji Masuda and his wife, Wakako Masuda. Ryuji was passionate about making a CG animation at the time and heard a five-minute time slot was available at Kids Station, a television satellite channel in Japan that airs educational children's anime and other cartoons. Luckily for Ryuji, he had an acquaintance who was able to get his foot in the door at Kids Station.
9 The Series Is Originally Meant For Children
Despite Popee's shocking and violent content, this show was originally intended for kids. Ryuji has stated that he had no idea the series was meant for children when he created it and figured the TV station would have kept it from airing if they believed it was unsuitable for young audiences. Regardless of its content, Popee the Performer proved to be quite popular among Japanese children at the time, which has helped the series maintain its cult-classic status and paved the way for a manga version to be created.
8 While The TV Show Was Made By Ryuji, The Manga Was Drawn By His Wife
In fact, all the amazing character designs for Popee are Wakako's work. Ryuji was the writer and director for the series, but the art direction and character design were 100% Wakako. It makes sense, then, that she would have drawn the manga. Her cute artwork isn't as well-captured in the 3D CG animation, but perhaps one day, fans will get to see a Popee the Performer anime that captures the charm of Wakako's art style.
7 The Manga Was Originally Published In Kodansha's Magazine Z
Interestingly, this children's series was published in a seinen mixed-media magazine, Kodansha's Magazine Z. This is a testament to the violent nature of Popee's content, as it likely couldn't pass in a magazine aimed at children only.
In December 2002, the series was published as a collected volume outside of Kodansha's Magazine Z. Magazine Z has been out of print since January 2009, so getting a hold of the Popee manga in its original form would be quite the feat.
6 The Manga Was Re-printed In 2015 But Remains Elusive For Collectors
Part of the issue is the fact that this 84-page manga is quite expensive. Most listings for the Popee the Performer manga are 7000 yen and up, or about $65 USD. It can also be tricky to import the anthology if you're living outside Japan. This is proof of Popee's popularity and cult status among fans, as it's a series not many know about but those fanatic about it are willing to go through a lot to get their hands on official merchandise.
5 It's Followed Up By The Manga Phaeton & Me
Ryuji and Wakako are working on a sequel manga called Phaeton & Me that features Popee (now Doctor Popee) and his robot creation, Phaeton. Not much is known about the series presently, as it's still currently in development. Ryuji and Wakako are quite active on Twitter, and most of the updates on their creative endeavors are communicated there. Ryuji has noted that Phaeton addresses Japanese social problems and anticipates that the manga will need to be self-published.
4 There's Also A Parody Manga Featuring All Of The Masudas' Characters
After Popee, Ryuji and Wakako went on to create other series, including Ga-Ra-Ku-Ta: Mr. Stain on Junk Alley and Funny Pets. Wakako also started a parody manga called Chinchikurin that incorporates all the characters from their series, including those from Popee. Due to copyright and licensing issues, the characters' names and physical appearances have been slightly altered. The series is meant to be a binge-worthy shojo manga and follows the characters as high school students. A publishing date has not been announced as yet.
3 Popee Has Only Three Fingers & Toes In The Manga
Although Wakako could have easily included a full set of fingers and toes for Popee in the manga, she chose to stay true to the original animation's roots. The budget for Popee was notoriously low, at 100,000 yen a month. At the time it was being produced, that would have been around $980 USD.
Ryuji was so passionate about creating a CG animation that he settled for the tight budget. Due to budget restrictions, Ryuji chose to animate Popee with only three fingers and toes, which carried over to the manga.
2 The Manga Contains Very Little Spoken Dialogue
This is another choice related to the low budget for the original animation. Voice actors, especially famous ones, can be a pricy addition to a series, and Ryuji simply didn't have the funds to hire any talent. In the Popee series, none of the main characters speak and instead communicate through facial expressions, sound effects, and exaggerated movements. Wakako faithfully adapted this into the manga and avoided spoken dialogue for the main characters. Instead, she adapted the same wacky communication style from the animated series.
1 Kedamono Leaves Wolf Zirkus At The End Of The Manga
Kedamono seems to be the kindest character in the series, as he's often shown worrying about other characters when they are injured or when something is destroyed. The only time Kedamono seems to eschew his morals is when fried chicken, his favorite food, is involved. Ryuji and Wakako have stated that Kedamono is self-conscious about being an animal, which is why he wears a mask to obscure his face and walks on two legs instead of four. On Twitter, Wakako stated that Kedamono leaves Wolf Zirkus due to his insecurity, but it's unclear whether he goes back to living as a wolf.
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