The appeal and evaluation of PuniPuni☆Poemi: A new standard for soothing anime

"Punipuni☆Poemie" - The charm of the pointlessly cute magical girl anime

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Release date

March 7, 2001

■Release and sales

Victor Entertainment

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 2

■ Director

・Director: Shinichi Watanabe

■ Production

・Animation production: JCSTAFF
・Produced by Victor Entertainment

■Works

©VICTOR ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

■ Story

A new, original, new-generation magical girl animation brought to you by the troublesome staff of "Excel Saga"! In an anime world with everything from mecha to idiots to magic, pointlessly cute girls run wild in an equally pointless, high-quality, troublesome anime!

■Explanation

This fictional animation appeared briefly in the dialogue of episode 17 of the end-of-the-century experimental anime "Excel Saga" (included in DVD & Video Heno 9). The rough sketches I made for art purposes were pretty good, so I asked "Why don't we make an OVA out of this?" and the plan was approved... Is that okay?

■Cast

・Watanabe Poemi, Puni Puni Poemi / Kobayashi Yumiko ・We protect Futaba / Imai Yuka ・We protect Mitsuki / Enomoto Atsuko ・We protect Itsue / Mitsuishi Kotono ・We protect Shii / Minami Omi ・We protect Mutsumi / Kawakami Tomoko ・We protect Hitomi / Koorogi Satomi ・We protect Nanase / Hisakawa Aya ・Nabeshin / Watanabe Shinichi

■ Main staff

・Screenplay and composition: Yosuke Kuroda ・Character design: Satoshi Ishino ・Music: Toshiro Masuda ・Director: Shinichi Watanabe ・Animation production: JCSTAFF
・Storyboard / Shinichi Watanabe ・Director / Shintaro Inokawa, Takafumi Hoshikawa ・Chief animation directors / Yuto Obayashi, Hiroya Iijima ・Art director / Junichi Azuma ・Color setting / Mieko Maruyama ・Director of photography / Yohei Suzuki ・Sound director / Jin Aketagawa ・Producers / Shigeru Kitayama, Yuji Matsukura ・Production / Victor Entertainment

■ Main Characters

・Watanabe Poemi
10 years old. The main character of the story. A fourth-grader at Inunabe Elementary School. The only daughter of the Hamachaya "Watanabe". After her parents are brutally murdered by a mysterious alien, she is left all alone and ends up staying with her classmate Futaba. She is unnecessarily energetic and hardworking. Her motto is "never owe anyone anything." For some reason, she calls herself "Kobayashi." Her dream is to become a voice actress. In reality, she is "the absolute Earth Hunter, Magical Girl Puni Puni Poemi."
・We protect Futaba
10 years old. Poemi's classmate. Unnecessarily brave and modest. In fact, she is seriously in love with Poemi. She is the sixth daughter of the Earth Sisters, a family dedicated to defending the Earth.
・We are Hitomi Mori
3 years old. The seventh daughter of our Mori family. A beautiful young girl who looks the same everywhere. Her older sisters dress her in frilly clothes because that's their hobby. She has the ability to predict the future.
・We protect
15 years old. The fifth daughter of our Mori family. A third-year middle school student currently taking entrance exams. A member of the track and field club. A serious, energetic, beautiful girl who puts her heart into studying and club activities. She is in charge of our Mori family finances.
・We think carefully
18 years old. The fourth daughter of our Mori family. She is also a third-year high school student taking the entrance exams, but is likely to get a recommendation. She is a beautiful girl who is always in a daze or sleeping. Huge breasts (bust 110cm). She has healing abilities.
・We protect
19 years old. The third daughter of our family. A hot-shot junior college student. She actually works part-time at an SM club.
・We protect Mutsumi
22 years old. Second daughter of our Mori family. Part-time worker. Quiet and cool, but seems to be pure-hearted at heart. For some reason, she speaks in Kansai dialect.
・We are Nanase
28 years old. The eldest daughter of our Mori family. Office worker. At first glance, she seems normal, but she has a special ability that makes people feel warm and fuzzy.
・Kumi Kumi Poemi's mother, Nabeshin's wife. She is a licensed acupuncturist.
Poemi's father. Owner of the beach teahouse "Watanabe". Afro. Nabeshin. For some reason, Poemi calls him "Kantoku". He seems to be involved in various things to protect peace on Earth, but before we know it, he is killed by aliens. Rest in peace.
・K-kun is a classmate whom Poemi admires. However, he doesn't care about her at all. There seems to be a secret about his birth, but we don't know it well.
・When Kobayashi's father Poemi transforms into "Punipuni Poemi", he appears out of nowhere and plays the shamisen. (Apparently, he can't transform without it.) For some reason, Poemi calls him "Dad", so what on earth is Nabeshin? Ah, I don't really get it.
Keroyon A staff member at Myuras, the voice actor training school attended by Poemi Ishii. He works as a manager and also works in a Keroyon costume.
Mikako Takahashi is a top voice actress from Myuras who has released an album and is very active. She makes a brief appearance.

■Subtitle

Part 1: Poemi is in a bad mood (2001/03/07)
Part 2: Dreams bigger than the Earth (2001/12/19)

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Squishy Legendary☆
Lyrics: Shinichi Watanabe; Composition: Toshiro Masuda; Arrangement: Toshiro Masuda; Singer: Yumiko Kobayashi

・ED1
・Dream Smile・Uhyohyo・Lyrics by Shinichi Watanabe・Music by Toshiro Masuda・Arrangement by Toshiro Masuda・Singer by Yumiko Kobayashi

・IN1
・Today is also Watanabe Poemi-chan ・Lyrics by Shinichi Watanabe ・Music by Toshiro Masuda ・Arrangement by Toshiro Masuda ・Singer by Yumiko Kobayashi

The appeal and evaluation of "Punipuni☆Poemi"

"Puni Puni Poemi" is an anime released as an OVA in 2001, and is loved by some fans for its unique worldview and humorous story. This work attracted attention as a new type of magical girl anime created by the staff of "Excel Saga". Below, we will explain in detail the appeal and evaluation of this work.

■ The appeal of the story

The story of "Puni Puni Poemi" is characterized by an anything-goes worldview that mixes mecha, idiots, and magic. The protagonist, Watanabe Poemi, has her parents killed by aliens, and ends up staying with her classmate, Watanabe Futaba. As "the absolute Earth Hunter, Magical Girl Puni Puni Poemi," she fights to protect the Earth. However, the way she fights and the plot developments are very humorous, with pointlessly cute beautiful girls running around aimlessly. This kind of unnecessarily high-quality animation and story provide viewers with laughs, but also a sense of warmth.

■Charm of the characters

Each character in this work is unique and leaves a strong impression on the viewer. The main character, Watanabe Poemi, is a needlessly energetic and hardworking girl whose dream is to become a voice actress. Her motto, "I never owe anyone anything," symbolizes her personality. Her classmate, Warashimori Futaba, is a brave and modest girl who loves Poemi seriously, and is also a member of the Earth Defense Family, the "Earth Sisters." In addition, each member of the Warashimori family has different abilities and personalities, which keeps the viewer from getting bored. In particular, the work is full of humorous settings, such as Warashimori Shii's huge breasts and Warashimori Tsue's part-time job at an SM club.

■ The appeal of the production staff

The production staff of "Puni Puni Poemi" is mainly the same as the staff of "Excel Saga", and the unique humor and quality of the original work have been inherited. Director Watanabe Shinichi is also in charge of the script and storyboards, determining the tone of the entire work. In addition, professionals from various fields such as character designer Ishino Satoshi and music composer Masuda Toshiro have gathered together, and the high quality of the work enhances the appeal of the work. In particular, the animation production by JCSTAFF has achieved an unnecessarily high quality of animation, providing visual enjoyment.

■ The appeal of music

The music for this series is by Toshiro Masuda, and includes many songs that liven up the atmosphere of the series, such as the opening theme "Punipuni Densetsu-poi☆", the ending theme "Yumewarai Uhyohyo", and the insert song "Kyo mo Watanabe Poemi-chan". In particular, the opening theme is sung by Yumiko Kobayashi, whose cute singing voice matches the worldview of the series. In addition, the songs written by Shinichi Watanabe are characterized by their humorous lyrics, providing laughs to viewers.

■ Evaluation and recommendation

"Puni Puni Poemie" is loved by some fans for its unique worldview, humorous story, unique characters, and high-quality animation and music. It is especially recommended for fans of "Excel Saga" and viewers who like humorous anime. It is also highly regarded as a work that shows new possibilities for magical girl anime. Another attraction is that it is released in the form of an OVA, making it easy to watch. Please enjoy this pointlessly cute magical girl anime.

Related information

■ Related Products

・DVD
"Puni Puni Poemie" has been released on DVD by Victor Entertainment. It contains all two episodes of the OVA, as well as bonus footage and a booklet. It's a must-have item for fans.
The soundtrack was also released by Toshiro Masuda, who was in charge of the music for this work, and includes the opening theme, ending theme, insert songs, etc. Recommended for those who want to recreate the world of the anime.
Character goods featuring Watanabe Poemi and the members of Warewa Moriya are also on sale. There are many must-have items for fans, including figurines, key chains, and T-shirts.

■ Related events

・Screenings Screenings of "Puni Puni Poemi" are held irregularly and are used as a place for fans to interact with each other. There are also talk shows with the director, Shinichi Watanabe, and the cast, which are a rare opportunity for fans.
・Comic Market Comic Market sells PuniPuni Poemie doujinshi and merchandise, making it a must-see event for fans. You can enjoy the original illustrations and stories.

■ Related works

・Excel Saga: Created by the same production staff as Puni Puni Poemi, Excel Saga is also known as a humorous anime. It is recommended for fans of Puni Puni Poemi.
The rough sketch that appeared in episode 17 of "Excel Saga" is the original idea for "Punipuni Poemi". This rough sketch was created for art purposes, and its high quality was praised, leading to the production of the OVA.

■ Summary

"Puni Puni Poemie" is loved by some fans for its unique worldview, humorous story, unique characters, and high-quality animation and music. It is especially recommended for fans of "Excel Saga" and viewers who like humorous anime. It is also highly regarded as a work that shows new possibilities for magical girl anime. Another attraction is that it was released in the form of an OVA, making it easy to watch. Please enjoy this pointlessly cute magical girl anime.