# Pop Team Epic Pop Team Epic, also known as Poptepipic, is a 4-koma absurdist comedy manga by Japanese doujin artist bkub that debuted in 2014, following the chaotic exploits of teens Popuko and Pipimi. English fan translations turned it into a Tumblr favorite before its 2018 anime adaptation set Japanese Twitter on fire with meta gags and constant pop culture references. ## Origin Doujin artist Ookawa bkub, already known online for his Touhou Project comics and his takes on the character Chen, debuted Pop Team Epic on August 29th, 2014 on the online magazine Manga Life Win, published by Takeshobo[1]. The strips follow the bizarre daily adventures of 14-year-old high schoolers Popuko and Pipimi and lean hard on meta jokes about the manga and anime business. English-speaking readers first encountered the series through Tumblr user sirlorence, who uploaded a translated strip on November 1st, 2014 and kept posting translations on Tumblr and Danbooru afterward[1]. - **Platform:** Manga Life Win / Tumblr (viral spread) - **Creator:** Ookawa bkub - **Date:** 2014 ## Overview Pop Team Epic is built on short 4-panel strips where the punchlines rarely follow from the setups. The two leads, the pint-sized angry Popuko and the taller, deadpan Pipimi, break the fourth wall constantly, insult the reader, or veer into non-sequiturs that read like the manga industry making fun of itself[1]. bkub packs each page with meta commentary on manga and anime tropes, plus a stream of pop culture callouts. The 2018 TV anime pushed the format further, with each episode airing the same content twice with different voice actors, swapping animation styles mid-scene, and stuffing in nods to Kimi no Na wa, Berserk and Skyrim among many others[1]. The result is a show that reads more like a chaotic clip channel than a normal anime, which is exactly why it took off with online audiences who screencapped and clipped it endlessly[2]. ## How It Spread Pop Team Epic built its Western following gag by gag on Tumblr. On August 13th, 2015, sirlorence posted the now-famous strip where Popuko orders a hamburger and, after being corrected on her pronunciation, snaps back with 'You are mother fucker,' which racked up over 104,000 notes in the following year[1]. Other translators kept the pipeline flowing, including a strip by user Yaku-Zai on March 16th, 2016 that pulled in more than 11,900 notes[1]. On April 1st, 2017, after months of teaser strips, an anime adaptation was announced, originally aimed at an October 2017 premiere before being pushed to January 2018[1]. When the first episode finally aired on January 6th, 2018, the reception was strong, driven by the show's absurdist rhythm and its wall-to-wall references to properties like Kimi no Na wa, Berserk and Skyrim[1]. The first episode streamed for free on the Freedom Weekly YouTube channel and pulled in over 70,000 views, while YouTuber Tokyosaurus posted a review and explainer that day that gained over 59,000 views[2]. The same day, Reddit user woonie kicked off an r/anime discussion thread that pulled in over 1,770 points and 650 comments inside two days, and the hashtag #ポプテピピック became a trending topic on Japanese Twitter[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Pop Team Epic? Pop Team Epic, also spelled Poptepipic (ポプテピピック), is a 4-koma absurdist comedy manga by bkub about high schoolers Popuko and Pipimi, later adapted into a chaotic 2018 anime[1]. ### Where did Pop Team Epic come from? It debuted on August 29th, 2014 on the Japanese online magazine Manga Life Win, published by Takeshobo[1]. ### What does Pop Team Epic mean? The title is a nonsense combination that fits the manga's absurdist tone; the series itself leans on meta jokes about the manga and anime industry rather than a coherent plot[1]. ### How do you use Pop Team Epic? Fans typically share translated 4-koma strips and anime screencaps as reaction images, especially Popuko's angry faces and Pipimi's deadpan expressions, along with clips of the show's constant pop culture references[2]. ### Is Pop Team Epic still popular? It is still a well-known reference point in anime meme circles thanks to its viral 2018 anime run and later seasons, though the initial Tumblr and Japanese Twitter frenzy peaked around the first episode's January 2018 airing[1]. ## References 1. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82d_wpDfRUo]() 2. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/pop-team-epic]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/pop-team-epic Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library