AnimeSuki Forums

Wyrdwad · 2007-02-25, 00:50

So I'm trying to increase awareness of this series, and I can't believe I've never once posted about it on the AnimeSuki forums!

PopoloCrois is a fairytale-like fantasy series created by a man named Tamori Yousuke back in the 1980s, and was originally a fairly awful series of manga shorts that appeared in a 1985 sci-fi manga compilation called "Fire Dog". In 1993, Tamori pitched a vastly improved version of the series as an anime via a 3-minute pilot film, and in 1996, Sony's "G-Artists" division picked it up for release as an RPG on the PlayStation, where it actually made some degree of video gaming history by being the VERY FIRST RPG on the console - and, in many Japanese gamers' opinions, one of the best.

In 1998, then, a 25-episode anime series was produced, around the same time as an unusual PS1 sequel called "PoPoRogue" was released. Both the anime and the new game took place roughly 2 years after the original PS1 title, and each told an entirely new story that has never since been retold in any form.

In 2000, a third PS1 title, "PopoloCrois Monogatari II", was released, largely taking place 3 years after PoPoRogue and the anime series... and this game was absolutely ASTOUNDING. Many still consider it to be the best RPG available on the PlayStation, and it became quite the critical darling when it was released.

2002 saw the series' first PS2 foray, and... well... it was kind of a disaster. Taking place 15 years after the events of PopoloCrois Monogatari II, the new game, titled "PopoloCrois: Hajimari no Bouken" (officially "PopoloCrois: A New Departure"), starred the 8-year-old son of series protagonists Pietro and Narcia, and featured some of the worst loading times the PS2 has ever seen, as well as a totally cliched plot, unfun gameplay, and very poorly-modelled 3D.

2003 saw a new 26-episode anime series which, thankfully, retold the story of the previous year's PS2 title, and added a LOT more depth to it in the process, effectively making the game completely obsolete by surpassing it in every conceivable way. The latter half of the anime, then, covered the plot of the next PS2 title, which hadn't even been released yet.

When it finally WAS released in 2004, though, it turned out to be ALMOST as much of a disaster as Hajimari no Bouken. Fortunately, just as the 2003 anime series had made the first PS2 title obsolete, so too did it pre-emptively make the second PS2 title obsolete by retelling the story in far superior form, with far more depth. Honestly, G-Artists, what happened to you guys?

A PSP title was also released in 2005, which I was VERY muchly looking forward to, as it was hyped to be a compilation of the 1996 and 2000 PS1 games (the two best in the series, barnone!), with new content inserted between them. This title turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment, though, due to shoddy porting and HEAVY editing (the original 30+ hour game was cut down to about 8 hours' worth of content!)... so those of you who have ONLY played the PSP game, and especially those of you who never FINISHED it, do be advised that the series as a whole is SIGNIFICANTLY better than you may have been led to believe.

Anyway, since nobody else seemed to be particularly interested in the Popolo anime, I started translating, subtitling, and torrenting the show myself a few years ago, under the name "Pakapuka Anime". Then I got a full-time job, however, and was unable to do everything on my own... but a fledgling fansub group called Anime-BT was there to lend me a hand, and together, we've now released 22 episodes apiece of the 1998 and 2003 PopoloCrois anime series.

The 1998 series, "PopoloCrois Monogatari" (PopoloCrois Story):
http://www.animesuki.com/series.php/413.html
An extremely fairytale-like swords & sorcery show, mixed in with a lot of serious, almost Buddhist-like introspective character study (especially from episodes 12 through 22). May be a little slow for some, but this is a show that has absolutely amazing character development of completely sweet and innocent children on a fantastic adventure, and it's all simply OOZING with atmosphere.

The 2003 series, "PoPoLoCrois" (first half "A New Departure", second half "Law of the Moon"):
http://www.animesuki.com/series.php/322.html
Much more "kiddy" than the 1998 series, at first glance anyway. Has the feel of an American Saturday morning cartoon, to some extent -- but a DAMN GOOD Saturday morning cartoon. Very action-packed, especially compared with the more slow-paced 1998 series -- and as it goes on, you'll find that there's also a surprising amount of depth, in both the characters and the story. And as the series begins to draw to a close, there's also a whole lot of darkness, leading up to one of the most emotionally gripping bittersweet endings I've ever encountered. This is a kids' show that doesn't pull its punches, and if you've ever been a fan of shows like SatAM Sonic the Hedgehog, Pirates of Dark Water, or any of the other darker American cartoons (Batman Beyond, X-Men, etc.), this may be right up your alley.

You can find more information at www.anime-bt.com , where we also have message boards set up for discussing various aspects of the series.

Of course, I'd love to hear comments and questions from you all on here, too, so this topic stays bumped, and more people are made aware of this amazing anime that I've devoted many, many hours of my life to! (:

So yeah... reply away!!

-Tom

Wyrdwad · 2007-02-25, 19:16

Looks like the other message has indeed been deleted. But this one's still here, so come on, people... who here is keeping up with this fantastic series? Let's hear some input! What do you think of PopoloCrois? Which series do you like better, 1998 or 2003, and why? Has anyone here played any of the original Japanese games, or the English-language PSP title? If so, what did you think?

-Tom

xris · 2007-02-26, 08:26

I remember watching the 1998 series back in the days when fansubs were only available on videotape, must be at least 7 years ago now. Only the first 8 episodes were released on tape I believe (I still have the tapes

).

I never thought I would see the day that I would be able to finish the series and I appreciate the time and effort you and Anime-BT have put into the project. Since I like to watch my anime on a weekly schedule, I'm currently waiting for the last few episodes and then I'll watch episodes 22 to 25 together (well, over a 4 week period

).

I'm wondering which way Hyuu will go with her attitude between Pietro and GamiGami Maou, it certainly seems to bounce around. But then, ep 22 seems to contain some major events and maybe it's just as well as the series is coming to an end.

Never seen or played the games so can't comment on them. I've also watched the first seven episodes of the 2003 series, maybe one day I'll continue watching more having read your comment about the ending.

BTW: we normally prefer to have one discussion thread for each series in the forum. I've linked this thread from the Popolocrois Monogatari page we have on AnimeSuki. There is a separate forum thread for Popolocrois (2003) linked from the Popolocrois page.

While it's rather late, it might make more sense if we renamed the series titles (as used on AnimeSuki) for these two anime and call them Popolocrois Story (1998) and Popolocrois (2003). Our usual practice is to call them the same as that used by the fansub group, I'm not sure why we chose the current titles. There might have been a good reason 3 years ago when you first started subbing them but now...

Wyrdwad · 2007-02-26, 08:46

I actually emailed the admins about that, and the way the 2003 show is listed has indeed been changed now. Good eye, though! (:

And thanks for the organizational tips. Although I've patronized AnimeSuki for a long time now, I'm quite new to the forums, as I just never really thought about posting here! But now, I think I may become a regular. (:

And yes, definitely keep up with the 2003 series. I promise you, the second half of the series will absolutely blow you away. It's outstanding.

-Tom

xris · 2008-04-27, 15:09

Episode 25, the final episode, has been released so I will be able to finish this series that I stated to watch something like 8 years ago

Thank you A-BT & Pakapuka for fansubbing and completing the series.

Wyrdwad · 2008-04-27, 20:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by xris

Episode 25, the final episode, has been released so I will be able to finish this series that I stated to watch something like 8 years ago

Thank you A-BT & Pakapuka for fansubbing and completing the series.

Sorry it took so long to get it finished. (: The last couple episodes of the 2003 series shouldn't be too far behind. They're already translated and edited - they just need to be timed, typeset, and reviewed.

-Tom

master_fayt520 · 2008-11-07, 19:32

Wyrdwad Do you know when the actual release of the Popolocrois 2003 episode 25 & 26 detail date cause I'm still waiting for a longest time..And I don't know where to watch that episodes. What kind of site to watch stuff like that...

Wyrdwad · 2008-11-07, 19:46

Sorry it's been taking so long. Both episodes are now fully translated, timed, and edited, so it shouldn't be much longer. I'm now just waiting for the two people who are in charge of Anime-BT to do the encoding, and then it's off to BitTorrent!

I'm really, really sorry it's taken me this long, though. There's really no reason it should've... I've just been a potent combination of lazy and busy.

-Tom

Compass · 2010-03-29, 13:15

Hello, all.

Wyrdwad, I recognize ya from the GameFAQs PoPo board.

Are there any non-dead subbed torrents of the 1998 series? I'd really like to give it a whirl. Thanks in advance.

Wyrdwad · 2010-03-29, 13:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Compass

Hello, all.

Wyrdwad, I recognize ya from the GameFAQs PoPo board.

Are there any non-dead subbed torrents of the 1998 series? I'd really like to give it a whirl. Thanks in advance.

You know, I keep forgetting to resurrect the torrents for these shows. I'll have to get on that a.s.a.p. Thanks for the reminder, and keep an eye on AnimeSuki in the coming week or two - the torrent will probably show up through Epic Anime's tracker.

-Tom

Compass · 2010-03-29, 13:54

Awesome. I will indeed keep my eyes peeled. I'm downloading the 2003 series now, but don't want to watch it till I've seen the 1998 one. Thanks.

Wyrdwad · 2010-03-29, 14:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Compass

Awesome. I will indeed keep my eyes peeled. I'm downloading the 2003 series now, but don't want to watch it till I've seen the 1998 one. Thanks.

The two series are VERY separate, so you easily could - there aren't any plot spoilers for the 1998 series contained in the 2003 series at all, and even the main characters are different.

-Tom

Compass · 2010-04-11, 19:44

I'm also expecting the 2003 series to be of higher quality, animation-wise, and don't want to go backwards as it were.

Wyrdwad · 2010-04-11, 20:18

It's actually not - the 1998 series is of a MUCH higher quality, animation-wise. I think the 1998 series had a higher budget, which is why.

-Tom

Compass · 2010-04-11, 20:40

Okay. Maybe I will watch that one first, then. Would you do me a favor and just reply quickly to this thread when you put up a new seed of the 1998 series? Thanks again, Tom.

Wyrdwad · 2010-04-11, 21:00

No problem. Sorry I haven't done it yet - it's been a really hectic time for me, as I'm in the process of moving cross-country.

-Tom

Compass · 2010-04-11, 21:05

Not a problem. Obviously that takes priority. Moving is among the most stressful experiences of a human's life.

FireChick · 2013-07-29, 17:05

I'm up to episode 15 on the 1998 series, and I LOVE IT!!! Seriously, I'm surprised this never made it to the US, as it seems like it'd do really well on a Saturday morning block!

The characters are very well done and well developed, the story is great (does anyone else think Avatar: The Last Airbender borrowed elements from the first anime?), GamiGami is one of the hammiest and funniest villains I've seen, the animation is very nice with its soft colors, and the music is absolutely delightful!

2007-02-25, 00:50	Link #1
Wyrdwad Member Join Date: Dec 2004	Popolocrois Monogatari (1998) So I'm trying to increase awareness of this series, and I can't believe I've never once posted about it on the AnimeSuki forums! PopoloCrois is a fairytale-like fantasy series created by a man named Tamori Yousuke back in the 1980s, and was originally a fairly awful series of manga shorts that appeared in a 1985 sci-fi manga compilation called "Fire Dog". In 1993, Tamori pitched a vastly improved version of the series as an anime via a 3-minute pilot film, and in 1996, Sony's "G-Artists" division picked it up for release as an RPG on the PlayStation, where it actually made some degree of video gaming history by being the VERY FIRST RPG on the console - and, in many Japanese gamers' opinions, one of the best. In 1998, then, a 25-episode anime series was produced, around the same time as an unusual PS1 sequel called "PoPoRogue" was released. Both the anime and the new game took place roughly 2 years after the original PS1 title, and each told an entirely new story that has never since been retold in any form. In 2000, a third PS1 title, "PopoloCrois Monogatari II", was released, largely taking place 3 years after PoPoRogue and the anime series... and this game was absolutely ASTOUNDING. Many still consider it to be the best RPG available on the PlayStation, and it became quite the critical darling when it was released. 2002 saw the series' first PS2 foray, and... well... it was kind of a disaster. Taking place 15 years after the events of PopoloCrois Monogatari II, the new game, titled "PopoloCrois: Hajimari no Bouken" (officially "PopoloCrois: A New Departure"), starred the 8-year-old son of series protagonists Pietro and Narcia, and featured some of the worst loading times the PS2 has ever seen, as well as a totally cliched plot, unfun gameplay, and very poorly-modelled 3D. 2003 saw a new 26-episode anime series which, thankfully, retold the story of the previous year's PS2 title, and added a LOT more depth to it in the process, effectively making the game completely obsolete by surpassing it in every conceivable way. The latter half of the anime, then, covered the plot of the next PS2 title, which hadn't even been released yet. When it finally WAS released in 2004, though, it turned out to be ALMOST as much of a disaster as Hajimari no Bouken. Fortunately, just as the 2003 anime series had made the first PS2 title obsolete, so too did it pre-emptively make the second PS2 title obsolete by retelling the story in far superior form, with far more depth. Honestly, G-Artists, what happened to you guys? A PSP title was also released in 2005, which I was VERY muchly looking forward to, as it was hyped to be a compilation of the 1996 and 2000 PS1 games (the two best in the series, barnone!), with new content inserted between them. This title turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment, though, due to shoddy porting and HEAVY editing (the original 30+ hour game was cut down to about 8 hours' worth of content!)... so those of you who have ONLY played the PSP game, and especially those of you who never FINISHED it, do be advised that the series as a whole is SIGNIFICANTLY better than you may have been led to believe. Anyway, since nobody else seemed to be particularly interested in the Popolo anime, I started translating, subtitling, and torrenting the show myself a few years ago, under the name "Pakapuka Anime". Then I got a full-time job, however, and was unable to do everything on my own... but a fledgling fansub group called Anime-BT was there to lend me a hand, and together, we've now released 22 episodes apiece of the 1998 and 2003 PopoloCrois anime series. The 1998 series, "PopoloCrois Monogatari" (PopoloCrois Story): http://www.animesuki.com/series.php/413.html An extremely fairytale-like swords & sorcery show, mixed in with a lot of serious, almost Buddhist-like introspective character study (especially from episodes 12 through 22). May be a little slow for some, but this is a show that has absolutely amazing character development of completely sweet and innocent children on a fantastic adventure, and it's all simply OOZING with atmosphere. The 2003 series, "PoPoLoCrois" (first half "A New Departure", second half "Law of the Moon"): http://www.animesuki.com/series.php/322.html Much more "kiddy" than the 1998 series, at first glance anyway. Has the feel of an American Saturday morning cartoon, to some extent -- but a DAMN GOOD Saturday morning cartoon. Very action-packed, especially compared with the more slow-paced 1998 series -- and as it goes on, you'll find that there's also a surprising amount of depth, in both the characters and the story. And as the series begins to draw to a close, there's also a whole lot of darkness, leading up to one of the most emotionally gripping bittersweet endings I've ever encountered. This is a kids' show that doesn't pull its punches, and if you've ever been a fan of shows like SatAM Sonic the Hedgehog, Pirates of Dark Water, or any of the other darker American cartoons (Batman Beyond, X-Men, etc.), this may be right up your alley. You can find more information at www.anime-bt.com , where we also have message boards set up for discussing various aspects of the series. Of course, I'd love to hear comments and questions from you all on here, too, so this topic stays bumped, and more people are made aware of this amazing anime that I've devoted many, many hours of my life to! (: So yeah... reply away!! -Tom Last edited by Wyrdwad; 2007-02-25 at 11:08.

2008-11-07, 19:32	Link #7
master_fayt520 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2008	Wyrdwad Do you know when the actual release of the Popolocrois 2003 episode 25 & 26 detail date cause I'm still waiting for a longest time..And I don't know where to watch that episodes. What kind of site to watch stuff like that... Last edited by master_fayt520; 2008-11-07 at 19:33. Reason: forgot to put some more info

2013-07-29, 17:05	Link #18
FireChick Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006	I'm up to episode 15 on the 1998 series, and I LOVE IT!!! Seriously, I'm surprised this never made it to the US, as it seems like it'd do really well on a Saturday morning block! The characters are very well done and well developed, the story is great (does anyone else think Avatar: The Last Airbender borrowed elements from the first anime?), GamiGami is one of the hammiest and funniest villains I've seen, the animation is very nice with its soft colors, and the music is absolutely delightful! Last edited by FireChick; 2013-07-29 at 17:43.

2007-02-25, 19:16	Link #2
Wyrdwad Member Join Date: Dec 2004	Looks like the other message has indeed been deleted. But this one's still here, so come on, people... who here is keeping up with this fantastic series? Let's hear some input! What do you think of PopoloCrois? Which series do you like better, 1998 or 2003, and why? Has anyone here played any of the original Japanese games, or the English-language PSP title? If so, what did you think? -Tom

2007-02-26, 08:26	Link #3
xris Just call me Ojisan Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: U.K. Hampshire	I remember watching the 1998 series back in the days when fansubs were only available on videotape, must be at least 7 years ago now. Only the first 8 episodes were released on tape I believe (I still have the tapes ). I never thought I would see the day that I would be able to finish the series and I appreciate the time and effort you and Anime-BT have put into the project. Since I like to watch my anime on a weekly schedule, I'm currently waiting for the last few episodes and then I'll watch episodes 22 to 25 together (well, over a 4 week period ). I'm wondering which way Hyuu will go with her attitude between Pietro and GamiGami Maou, it certainly seems to bounce around. But then, ep 22 seems to contain some major events and maybe it's just as well as the series is coming to an end. Never seen or played the games so can't comment on them. I've also watched the first seven episodes of the 2003 series, maybe one day I'll continue watching more having read your comment about the ending. BTW: we normally prefer to have one discussion thread for each series in the forum. I've linked this thread from the Popolocrois Monogatari page we have on AnimeSuki. There is a separate forum thread for Popolocrois (2003) linked from the Popolocrois page. While it's rather late, it might make more sense if we renamed the series titles (as used on AnimeSuki) for these two anime and call them Popolocrois Story (1998) and Popolocrois (2003). Our usual practice is to call them the same as that used by the fansub group, I'm not sure why we chose the current titles. There might have been a good reason 3 years ago when you first started subbing them but now...

2007-02-26, 08:46	Link #4
Wyrdwad Member Join Date: Dec 2004	I actually emailed the admins about that, and the way the 2003 show is listed has indeed been changed now. Good eye, though! (: And thanks for the organizational tips. Although I've patronized AnimeSuki for a long time now, I'm quite new to the forums, as I just never really thought about posting here! But now, I think I may become a regular. (: And yes, definitely keep up with the 2003 series. I promise you, the second half of the series will absolutely blow you away. It's outstanding. -Tom

2008-04-27, 15:09	Link #5
xris Just call me Ojisan Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: U.K. Hampshire	Episode 25, the final episode, has been released so I will be able to finish this series that I stated to watch something like 8 years ago Thank you A-BT & Pakapuka for fansubbing and completing the series.

2008-11-07, 19:46	Link #8
Wyrdwad Member Join Date: Dec 2004	Sorry it's been taking so long. Both episodes are now fully translated, timed, and edited, so it shouldn't be much longer. I'm now just waiting for the two people who are in charge of Anime-BT to do the encoding, and then it's off to BitTorrent! I'm really, really sorry it's taken me this long, though. There's really no reason it should've... I've just been a potent combination of lazy and busy. -Tom

2010-03-29, 13:15	Link #9
Compass Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2010	Hello, all. Wyrdwad, I recognize ya from the GameFAQs PoPo board. Are there any non-dead subbed torrents of the 1998 series? I'd really like to give it a whirl. Thanks in advance.

2010-03-29, 13:54	Link #11
Compass Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2010	Awesome. I will indeed keep my eyes peeled. I'm downloading the 2003 series now, but don't want to watch it till I've seen the 1998 one. Thanks.

2010-04-11, 19:44	Link #13
Compass Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2010	I'm also expecting the 2003 series to be of higher quality, animation-wise, and don't want to go backwards as it were.

2010-04-11, 20:18	Link #14
Wyrdwad Member Join Date: Dec 2004	It's actually not - the 1998 series is of a MUCH higher quality, animation-wise. I think the 1998 series had a higher budget, which is why. -Tom

2010-04-11, 20:40	Link #15
Compass Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2010	Okay. Maybe I will watch that one first, then. Would you do me a favor and just reply quickly to this thread when you put up a new seed of the 1998 series? Thanks again, Tom.

2010-04-11, 21:00	Link #16
Wyrdwad Member Join Date: Dec 2004	No problem. Sorry I haven't done it yet - it's been a really hectic time for me, as I'm in the process of moving cross-country. -Tom

2010-04-11, 21:05	Link #17
Compass Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2010	Not a problem. Obviously that takes priority. Moving is among the most stressful experiences of a human's life.