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{{short description|2001 anime}}
]
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
The ] ], '''''Puni Puni Poemy''''', known in ] as '''''Puni Puni Poemi''''' (ぷにぷに☆ぽえみぃ) is a spin-off from the popular ''']''' animated series, featuring some of it's secondary characters and many of it's staff, primarily director ].
{{more citations needed|date=January 2020}}
{{spoiler}}
{{Infobox animanga/Header
| image = Puni Puni Poemy logo.png
| caption =
| ja_kanji = ぷにぷに☆ぽえみぃ
| ja_romaji = Puni Puni ☆ Poemii
| genre = ],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Loveridge |first1=Lynzee |title=7 More Bizarre Spin-Offs – The List |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-list/2018-08-26/.135860 |website=] |access-date=January 11, 2020 |date=August 26, 2018 |quote=The over-the-top magical girl premise originated as a joke in the series}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web |title=Puni Puni Poemy Ranks in Top 10 Japanese Animation |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2004-05-27/puni-puni-poemy-ranks-in-top-10-japanese-animation-genre |website=] |access-date=January 11, 2020 |date=May 27, 2004 |quote=Puni Puni Poemy keeps the parody sharp, the plot wacky, and the animation vibrant}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Turner |first1=Sam |title=Puni Puni Poemi DVD |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/puni-puni-poemi/dvd |website=] |access-date=January 11, 2020 |date=September 2, 2004 |quote=''Puni Puni Poemy'' is genre-parody at its best. It isn't just self-aware, but it's aware of its own self-awareness.}}</ref> ]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Oppliger |first1=John |title=Ask John: Are There Any Other Shows Like Excel Saga? |url=http://www.animenation.net/news/askjohn.php?id=618 |website=] |access-date=January 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041228003504/http://www.animenation.net/news/askjohn.php?id=618 |archive-date=December 28, 2004 |date=January 8, 2003 |quote=Puni Puni Poemi was created by the same animation staff that animated Excel Saga, and retains Excel Saga's voice cast and Excel Saga's non-stop barrage of bizarre humor.}}</ref><!-- Genres should be based on what reliable sources list them as and not on personal interpretations. Limit of the three most relevant genres in accordance with ]. -->
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Video
| type = ova
| director = ]
| producer = {{ubl|Shigeru Kitayama|Yuji Matsukura}}
| writer = ]
| music = ]
| studio = ]
| licensee = {{English anime licensee
| AUS = ]
| NA = ]
| UK = ADV Films
}}
| released = March 7, 2001 – December 19, 2001
| runtime = 30 minutes
| episodes = 2
| episode_list =
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Footer}}

{{Nihongo|'''''Puni Puni Poemy'''''|ぷにぷに☆ぽえみぃ|Puni Puni ☆ Poemii}} is a Japanese two-part ] spin-off from the '']'' ] and ] television series. It features some of that series' secondary characters and many of its staff, primarily director ]. Like ''Excel Saga'', it is a parody of other anime, manga and various aspects of popular culture, though in this case with the ] genre providing its primary focus and general structure. The series was originally an in-joke from an episode of ''Excel Saga''; Watanabe decided to take the in-joke to its most extreme logical conclusion, creating the series.

==Episodes== ==Episodes==
]


''Puni Puni Poemy'' comprises only two episodes, each around 26 minutes in length. ''Puni Puni Poemy'' comprises two episodes, both around 26 minutes in length.
* '''Part 1 – Poemy is in a Bad Mood'''


The introductory sequence shows Poemy fighting shadowy figures of various other magical girls such as ] from '']'', Tickle from '']'', Utena from '']'', Megu and Non from '']'', ] from '']'', Sally, from '']'' (considered o be the first magical girl in Japanese animation) and for some reason Mahoro from '']'' despite her not being a magical girl.
*'''Part 1 - Poemy is in a Bad Mood'''
It's the start of a new school year for Poemy Watanabe, and things are off to a typically energetic start as she strives to do her best and become a voice actress. But things go from bad to worse when an alien kills her parents, Nabeshin and Kumi-Kumi, in order to pave the way for an impending invasion. Her home destroyed, Poemy moves in with her best friend, Fubata Aasu, and her six sisters, but there's no chance for peace when a massive alien mechanoid attacks the city, and it turns out that Fubata and her sisters are actually a team of super-powered heroines dedicated to defending the Earth. Unfortunately, they're no mach for the alien robot - but perhaps Poemy, freshly gifted with a magic fish that transforms her into Puni Puni Poemy, is!


At the start of a new school year the over-energetic Poemy Watanabe is introduced, along with her adoptive parents Nabeshin and Kumi-Kumi. Poemy rushes to the school to be the first there, at the same time she repeatedly proclaims her desire to become a successful voice actress. At the school, Poemy's best girl friend, Futaba Aasu, is presented as Poemy's biggest supporter and in fact perennially sexually attracted to her. Back from school, Poemy and Futaba realize the horror of finding Poemy's parents and their robot dog crucified by Alien #1, an extraterrestrial assassin with peculiar genitalia. Her home destroyed, Poemy moves in with Futaba and her six sisters.
*'''Part 2 - With a Dream Greater Than Earth'''
Now embodying the will of Earth itself, Poemy uses her new powers to defeat the alien mech and right wrongs across the Earth - except that being so wastefully energetic and quick-tempered, she's causing a lot of trouble as well. And of course, the Aasu sisters don't take too kindly to a new magical girl horning in on their family business! A confrontation between Poemy and the sisters leads to them to discover her identity, which takes the strain off, but when the alien invasion suddenly begins the next morning and the sisters are captured, it's up to Poemy to rescue them from the clutches of the very boy she's got a crush on!


Later, a massive alien robot attacks the city, whereupon it turns out that Futaba and her sisters are actually a secret team of super-powered heroines dedicated to defending the Earth, also known as Sol III. Unfortunately, the Aasu sisters' magic is strictly defensive, so they are unable to defeat the rampaging robot. Meanwhile, Poemy obtains a talking, magic fish that when used as a magic wand transforms her into Puni Puni Poemy, a powerful magical girl. After the typical transformation, however, she promptly throws away her wand, forgoes the use of magic, and attacks the robot with her bare hands.
Warning: If you thought the first episode was offensive, you'd best not watch this episode, as it makes fun of ] cliches.


* '''Part 2 – With a Dream Greater Than Earth'''
== Characters ==


Continuing from the previous scene, the wastefully energetic Poemy uses her new powers to tear through the alien ], destroying it. Next, Poemy decides to use her new strength to continue pursuing her career as a voice actress, and right wrongs as she sees them throughout society. However, Poemy appears to do more bad than good, as she harshly punishes citizens for small incidents, and accidentally sends a ] off-course, completely destroying an entire country. Then, the Aasu sisters finally decide to confront Puni Puni Poemy, and realize she is actually the Poemy Watanabe they have been hosting in their own house.
*'''Poemi Watanabe'''
The star of the show! Poemy Watabane is ten years old, and hyperactive beyond compare. Described as "wastefully energetic" by most, she's actually otherwise quite normal - she's an eager student, she's got a crush on the popular boy in her class, and she really wants to be a voice actress. Or rather, she ''would'' be quite normal, if she wasn't so unable to stay in character that she shatters the ] by constantly referring to herself by the name of her own voice actress, ]. She's the daughter of Nabeshin (who she refers to as "the director," since that's who plays him), and his wife, Kumi-Kumi, but when they perish in an alien attack, she moves in with her best friend, Futaba Aasu.


Afterwards, it is revealed that K, the school boy whom Poemy is attracted to, is actually an octopus-like alien, and he will be commanding the following invasion to Earth. Next morning, the invasion proceeds, with a massive ] en route to Earth, and with K capturing the Aasu sisters, and subjecting them to ]-related ], as he learned from ]. In the end, the two alien henchmen are inexplicably revealed to be Poemy's foster parents, Nabeshin and Kumi-Kumi, who are thus not dead, and Poemy and Futaba combine their powers in order to make the world nice and end the extraterrestrial menace.
When an alien mecha attacks the city, Poemy follows Futaba into action, when she abruptly encounters a mysterious man that the script might refer to as her father, who gives her a magic talking fish. By gutting the fish, it turns into a wand, and Poemy is transformed into Puni Puni Poemy, a magical girl embodying the will of Earth itself, with lots of traditional superpowers that prove sufficient to blow the mech up and wright wrongs across the Earth.


==Characters==
Yumiko Kobayashi had previously provided the voice of the character Excel Kobayashi in ''Excel Saga,'' who in the dubbed version was vocalised by ]. Hence, Martinez returns to take up the title role of the dubbed version of ''Puni Puni Poemy.'' In the interest of accuracy, she continues to refer to herself as "Kobayashi" even in the dub.
* {{Nihongo|'''Poemi "Kobayashi" Watanabe'''|ワタナベぽえみ|Watanabe Poemi}}


{{Voiced by|]|]}}
*'''Nabeshin'''
Nabeshin is the animated alter-ego of director Shinichi Watanabe, who previously appeared in ''Puni Puni Poemy'''s forerunner, ''Excel Saga.'' At the conclusion of that series, he married Kumi-Kumi, and at the beginning of this show, they now have a ten-year-old daughter, Poemy (who, in her inability to properly recognise the fiction of the show, refers to her father as "the director"). But life is still business as usual for Nabeshin, as he finds himself hunted down by an alien assassin, who kills both him and Kumi Kumi to remove the threat of his opposition to the impending invasion.


The star of the show, Poemi Watanabe is 10 years old and hyperactive beyond comparison. Described as "wastefully energetic", she's an eager student, she's got a crush on K, the popular boy in her class, and she wants to become a voice actress. She normally breaks the ] by referring to herself as "Kobayashi", which is the last name of her own voice actress, Yumiko Kobayashi. Poemy also breaks the fourth wall by referring to Nabeshin as "the Director", since Nabeshin is voiced by ] himself, the director of the series.
Nabeshin is, naturally, voiced by Watanabe himself. For the dub, ] returns to resume the role from ''Excel Saga''.


After her adoptive parents, Nabeshin and Kumi-Kumi, are killed by Alien #1, Poemy moves in with her best friend, Futaba Aasu. Then, when an alien ] attacks the city, Poemy encounters a mysterious and silent man playing the ], who is apparently her real father, and he gives her a fish, which when gutted and used as a magic wand, allows her to transform into Puni Puni Poemy, a magical girl embodying the will of ] itself.
*'''Kumi-Kumi'''
Introduced in ''Excel Saga'', Kumi-Kumi was a simple mountain girl who rescued Nabeshin from an avalanche, and attempted to feed him soup. But Nabeshin isn't too good with hot foods, so he refused, only to have her pursue him across the rest of the series, until he relented, and married her at the conclusion of the final episode. At the start of ''Puni Puni Poemy,'' she and Nabeshin now have Poemy as their daughter. Despite being killed by the alien along with Nabeshin, Kumi Kumi saves her husband with acupuncture.


* '''Shinichi "Nabeshin" Watanabe''' (ワタナベシンイチ ''Watanabe Shin'ichi'', ナベシン ''Nabeshin'')
Kumi-Kumi's Japanese voice is uncredited. ] returns to the role from ''Excel Saga'' for the dub.


{{Voiced by|]|]}}
*'''K'''
K is one of Poemy's classmates, but unfortunately for Poemy, her wild crush on him isn't reciprocated. In the second episode, K discovers that he is an alien who had been raised as a human, and takes charge of the invasion of the planet, which is generally focused around ravishing Japanase women, since ] video games have given the aliens the idea that that's what Japanese women are really like.


Nabeshin is the animated alter-ego of real-life director ], who previously appeared in ''Puni Puni Poemy''{{'s}} forerunner, '']''. At the conclusion of that series, he married Kumi-Kumi, and at the beginning of this show, they have adopted ten-year-old Poemy. As in ''Excel Saga'', Nabeshin seems to be constantly hunted down by different enemies, and being the director of these shows, he displays super-human abilities that involve his ]. In this occasion, Nabeshin and his wife are successfully killed by ], along with their robotic pet dog, by Alien #1. However, near the end of the second part they are inexplicably alive and appear to be the alien henchmen themselves.
K's voice is provided by ] and ].


* '''Kumi-Kumi''' (クミクミさん ''Kumikumi-san'')
*'''Mage Queen'''
A mystical and mysterious figure, the precise nature of the Mage Queen is unclear. She utters somewhat threatening dialogue that seems to put her as an enemy of Earth, but she greets the arrival of Puni Puni Poemy with joy, and considers the invading aliens a threat, only to be taken out by them.


The Mage Queen is vocalised by ] and ]. Voiced by: ] (Japanese, uncredited); ] (English)

Introduced in '']'', Kumi-Kumi was a simple mountain girl who rescued Nabeshin from an ] and attempted to feed him ]. But Nabeshin isn't too good with hot foods, so he refused, only to have her pursue him across the rest of the series. He finally relented, marrying her at the end of the final episode. At the start of ''Puni Puni Poemy,'' she and Nabeshin now have Poemy as their adopted daughter. Despite being killed by the alien invader along with Nabeshin, Kumi-Kumi apparently saved her husband using ], and they are both alright at the end of the second part.

* '''K''' (Kくん ''K-kun'')

{{Voiced by|Ryu Itou|]|]}}

K is one of Poemy's classmates, but unfortunately for Poemy, her wild crush on him isn't reciprocated. In the second episode, K discovers that he is an octopus-like alien who had been raised in human form for ten years, and he takes charge of the invasion of the planet, which is focused on ravishing Japanese women, since ] transmissions have given the aliens the idea that that's what women are really like. K, whose real name is Space Alien Prince, is composed entirely of ] as he and his family parody the Mars People from the game series '']''. <!-- K's family home very closely resembles the photographs of ]s supposedly taken by ] in the early 1950s.-->

* '''Mage Queen''' (魔道士の女王 ''Madō-shi no joō'')

{{Voiced by|Yumiko Nakanishi|]}}

A mysterious figure, the precise nature of the Mage Queen is not explained. Initially, her somewhat threatening ] aboard a ] that oversees Earth seems to count her an enemy. However, she greets the eventual arrival of Puni Puni Poemy with joy and considers the invading aliens a threat. Her reign as queen of the magic is cut short when she is assassinated by Alien #2. Her design is based on the female characters of ].

* '''Alien Henchmen'''

{{Voiced by|]|]}} – Alien 1

{{Voiced by|Takeharu Onishi|]}} – Alien 2

These extraterrestrial assassins dress like ]s from the waist up and speak in an undecipherable hipster ]. Their ] look like Bungee Balls that hang down to their knees, and can be used as sort of like ]s. Alien #1 has one such ], and Alien #2 has two, and no reason for this anatomical difference is given. Early in the first episode, Alien #1 kills Nabeshin and Kumi-Kumi, and then controls the ] that attacks the city. Then, during most of the second episode, he spends his time at the Aasu household completely unnoticed, even joining the girls in the ], until he captures them. Alien #2's main role is in arriving with a giant battleship and attacking the Mage Queen. Ultimately, both alien henchmen are not whom they appear to be, as in a ] they take off their disguises and reveal to be Nabeshin and Kumi-Kumi, who are alive and well.


===The Aasu Sisters=== ===The Aasu Sisters===
Futaba is but one of the seven Aasu sisters, the protectors of Earth itself. ''Aasu'' is the Japanese word for ''Earth'', and each of the girl's names is derived from a number, in reverse order, with the young being 1, and so on. All of the girls have somewhat impressive magical powers, except that since they are purely defensive in nature, they're largely functionally useless. Poemy's classmate, Futaba, is but one of the seven Aasu sisters, protectors of ]. ''Aasu'' is the Japanese ] of the English word "Earth", and each of the girl's names is derived from a number: seven, six, five, and so on. All of the girls have magical powers, but given that these powers are purely defensive in nature, the family is useless as an offensive unit. Additionally to their family name referring to the Earth, ''aasu'' is also the Japanese transliteration of the English words "arse" or "]", which is comically exploited in the ], such as the character Futaba saying "save my Aasus" when the sisters are captured.

* '''Nanase Aasu''' (ああすななせ ''Āsu Nanase'')

{{Voiced by|]|Kelly Manison}}

At 28 years old, Nanase is the eldest sister, who works as a data processor in an office. Her power is the Earth Dance of Flowers, the ability to summon a whirlwind of flowers, to absolutely no effect. Her name is derived from ''nana'', the Japanese word for "seven".

* '''Mutsumi Aasu''' (ああすむつみ ''Āsu Mutsumi'')

{{Voiced by|]|]}}

Mutsumi is 22 years old, and much to her own surprise speaks with a ] accent (in the English language ] a ] is used). She has something of a complex about the small size of her breasts. Her power is the Earth Breakfall, which means she can fall over safely. Her name is derived from ''mutsu'', the Japanese word for "six". Her short, purple hair, and her white outfit, make her physically similar to the first Ropponmatsu from '']''.

* '''Itsue Aasu''' (ああすいつえ ''Āsu Itsue'')

{{Voiced by|]|Larissa Wolcott}}

The 19-year-old Itsue is working her way through high school as a ], and is prone to using her whip to physically abuse her sisters when she gets angry. Her power, the Earth Barrier Shield, enables her to generate a protective energy field, which she activates while spinning her ]. Her name comes from ''itsu'', the Japanese word for "five".


* '''Shii Aasu''' (ああすしい ''Āsu Shī'')
*'''Nanase'''
:At 28 years old, Nanase is the eldest sister, who works as a data processor in an office. Her power is the Earth Dance of Flowers, the ability to summon a whirlwind of flowers, to absolutely no effect. There are many hints that she would like to be a ] Her name is derived from ''nana'', the Japanese word for "seven."


{{Voiced by|]|]}}
:Nanase is vocalised by ] and ].


Shii is 18 years old, and her most distinctive feature are her excessively large breasts. She constantly grabs them and announces how heavy they are, but in one occasion she mentioned she would use Poemy's magic to make them much smaller. Her special power is Earth Healing, which does no damage. Her name comes from ''shi'', the Japanese word for "four". Shii has blue hair and resembles ] from '']'', and in fact, both characters have the same voice actresses, ] and ].
*'''Mutsumi'''
:Mutsumi is 22 years old, and speaks with a ] accent for no apparent reason ''(translated in the English dub to a ] dialect)''. She has something of a complex about the size of her breasts, and possesses probably the most useless power of all the seven sisters - the Earth Defensive Landing, which means she can fall over safely. Her name is derived from ''mutsu'', the Japanese word for "six."


* '''Mitsuki Aasu''' (ああすみつき ''Āsu Mitsuki'')
:Mutsumi's voice is provided by ]. For an unknown reason, her dub voice is credited to the fictional "Yu Haul".


{{Voiced by|]|]}}
*'''Itsue'''
:The 19-year-old Itsue is working her way through high school as a dominatrix, as is prone to plying her trade for physical punishment on her sisters when she gets angry. Her super power, the Earth Barrier Shield, is probably the most functional of all her sisters', as it enables her to generate a protective energy shield. In the one instance she is shown to use it, she focuses the ability through her whip, which she spins over her head, forming a dome. Her name comes from ''itsu'' (five).


Cute and energetic, Mitsuki is 15 years old, and seems to play an active role in the running of the Aasu household. Initially, she opposes the idea of letting Poemy stay with them, and later she distrusts Puni Puni Poemy's actions. Her power is Earth Acceleration, enabling her to run at vast speeds. Her name is derived from ''mittsu'', the Japanese word for "three". With her long ] Mitsuki is physically similar to Misaki Matsuya from '']''.
:Itsue's original Japanese voice is provided by the famous ], who played the voice of Excel herself in ''Excel Saga''. Consequently, Excel's dub voice actress, ], takes up the role in the English version.


* '''Futaba Aasu''' (ああすふたば ''Āsu Futaba'')
*'''Shii'''
:It's not hard to spot 18-year-old Shi's most distinctive feature - her colossal breasts pose quite a problem for her in day-to-day life, as they're quite heavy, necessitating that she frequently rest them on whatever is handy. With Poemy's arrival into the Aasu household, her head become a favourite resting place, when Shii isn't fondling herself. Which isn't that often. Her special power is Earth Healing, and her name comes from ''shi'' (four).


{{Voiced by|]|]}}
:Shi bears more than a passing resemblance to the character of Hyatt from ''Excel Saga'' - both characters are voiced by the same actresses in both the original (]) and dub (]).


10-year-old Futaba is Poemy's classmate and best friend, and she is madly in love with her, a fact to which Poemy is oblivious. Futaba's power allows her to pacify hostile creatures, making them happy and harmless. In the final confrontation with the invading aliens, Futaba combines her power with Poemy's, and since Poemy is a representation of ], this act pacifies the planet's population, resulting in peace with the aliens. After this event, director Nabeshin casually mentions that Futaba is in reality the main character of the show. Her name comes from ''futa'', the Japanese word for "two". Futaba is mostly a parody of ], the best friend of magical girl ] from '']''. Unlike Tomoyo, however, Futaba displays more extreme fantasies and lesbian arousal whenever she is with her friend.
*'''Mitsuki'''
:Cute and energetic, Mitsuki is 15 years old, and seems to play an active role in the running of the Aasu household. Her power is the impressive if not particularly useful Earth Acceleration, enabling her to run at vast speeds. Her name is derived from ''mittsu'' (three).


* '''Hitomi Aasu''' (ああすひとみ ''Āsu Hitomi'')
:Mitsuki's voice is supplied by ] and ].


{{Voiced by|]|]}}
*'''Futaba'''
:Poemy's classmate and best friend, who is madly in love with her - a fact to which Poemy is completely oblivious. Futaba's power allows her to pacify hostile creatures, making them happy and harmless. Rescued from alien clutches by Poemy, she combines this power with Poemy's, and since Poemy is a representation of Earth, this act pacifies the planet's population, resulting in world peace. Her name come from ''futa'' (two).


The youngest of the Aasu sisters, at only 3 years old, Hitomi is in a hurry to grow up and grow breasts. She possesses the power of ], although it is not very good because she mostly foresees the obvious. Whenever she is having a vision, she seems to have ]. Her name comes from ''hito'', the Japanese word for "one".
:Futaba is a parody of ] from ] ''(aka Madison Taylor in the English dubbed incarnation, ''Cardcaptors'')''; in addition to visually resembling the character, she is in love with her magical girl best friend, as was Tomoyo. Although in the spirit of the show, Futaba's fantasies go a lot further...


==Reception==
:Futaba is performed by ] and ].
Lynzee Loveridge called the series an "over-the-top magical girl premise" which lampoons the ] genre, with "bondage, crucified robot dogs, and weird alien dicks".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Loveridge |first1=Lynzee |title=7 More Bizarre Spin-Offs |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-list/2018-08-26/.135860 |website=] |access-date=April 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826182913/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-list/2018-08-26/.135860 |archive-date=August 26, 2018 |date=August 26, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref>


===Banning in New Zealand===
*'''Hitomi'''
Due to its sexual and violent scenes, the ] banned ''Puni Puni Poemy'' in New Zealand. A New Zealand anime fan, Simon Brady, unsuccessfully appealed to the ] to change the classification, citing that the show was only rated ] in Australia. However, the Board of Review stated that a program would be banned if they felt that it promoted the exploitation of children or young persons for sexual purposes, extreme violence and extreme cruelty.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hikari.org.nz/stuff/otaku/ppp/|first=Simon|last=Brady|title=Puni Puni Poemy: (No Longer) Banned in New Zealand|website=hikari.org.nz|access-date=11 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424071522/https://www.hikari.org.nz/stuff/otaku/ppp/ |archive-date=April 24, 2024}}</ref>
:The youngest of the Aasu sisters, at only 3 years old, Hitomi's in a hurry to grow up (and grow breasts). She possesses a powerful, infallible precognitive power that allows her to forsee the impending alien invasion. However, she seems to not be potty trained. Her name comes from ''hito'' (one).


On 8 June 2021, the Classification Office re-classified ''Puni Puni Poemy'' R16 after granting a request from a member of the public to reconsider the classification of the series.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hikari.org.nz/stuff/otaku/ppp/ppp_reconsideration_2021.pdf |title=Classification Office Decision: Puni Puni Poemy |date=8 June 2021 |publisher=Te Mana Whakaatu – Classification Office |via=hikari.org.nz<!--Alas, it's not possible to deep-link the Classification Office's website-->|access-date=11 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128040337/https://www.hikari.org.nz/stuff/otaku/ppp/ppp_reconsideration_2021.pdf |archive-date=January 28, 2024}}</ref>
:Hitomi is voiced by ] and ].


==References==
== External Links ==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
* Official page of the American distributor.
{{Portal|Anime and manga}}
*
*{{Anime News Network|anime|865}}


{{Excel Saga}}
] ] ]
{{J.C.Staff OVAs}}
{{Authority control}}


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Latest revision as of 17:14, 16 December 2024

2001 anime

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Puni Puni Poemy
ぷにぷに☆ぽえみぃ
(Puni Puni ☆ Poemii)
GenreMagical girl, parody, surreal comedy
Original video animation
Directed byShinichi Watanabe
Produced by
  • Shigeru Kitayama
  • Yuji Matsukura
Written byYōsuke Kuroda
Music byToshio Masuda
StudioJ.C.Staff
Licensed by
ReleasedMarch 7, 2001 – December 19, 2001
Runtime30 minutes
Episodes2

Puni Puni Poemy (ぷにぷに☆ぽえみぃ, Puni Puni ☆ Poemii) is a Japanese two-part original video animation spin-off from the Excel Saga manga and anime television series. It features some of that series' secondary characters and many of its staff, primarily director Shinichi Watanabe. Like Excel Saga, it is a parody of other anime, manga and various aspects of popular culture, though in this case with the magical girl genre providing its primary focus and general structure. The series was originally an in-joke from an episode of Excel Saga; Watanabe decided to take the in-joke to its most extreme logical conclusion, creating the series.

Episodes

ADV ad for Puni Puni Poemi.
Puni Puni Poemy was advertised in North America as a successor to Excel Saga.

Puni Puni Poemy comprises two episodes, both around 26 minutes in length.

  • Part 1 – Poemy is in a Bad Mood

The introductory sequence shows Poemy fighting shadowy figures of various other magical girls such as Usagi Tsukino from Sailor Moon, Tickle from Majokko Tickle, Utena from Revolutionary Girl Utena, Megu and Non from Majokko Megu-chan, Sakura Kinomoto from Cardcaptor Sakura, Sally, from Sally, the Witch (considered o be the first magical girl in Japanese animation) and for some reason Mahoro from Mahoromatic despite her not being a magical girl.

At the start of a new school year the over-energetic Poemy Watanabe is introduced, along with her adoptive parents Nabeshin and Kumi-Kumi. Poemy rushes to the school to be the first there, at the same time she repeatedly proclaims her desire to become a successful voice actress. At the school, Poemy's best girl friend, Futaba Aasu, is presented as Poemy's biggest supporter and in fact perennially sexually attracted to her. Back from school, Poemy and Futaba realize the horror of finding Poemy's parents and their robot dog crucified by Alien #1, an extraterrestrial assassin with peculiar genitalia. Her home destroyed, Poemy moves in with Futaba and her six sisters.

Later, a massive alien robot attacks the city, whereupon it turns out that Futaba and her sisters are actually a secret team of super-powered heroines dedicated to defending the Earth, also known as Sol III. Unfortunately, the Aasu sisters' magic is strictly defensive, so they are unable to defeat the rampaging robot. Meanwhile, Poemy obtains a talking, magic fish that when used as a magic wand transforms her into Puni Puni Poemy, a powerful magical girl. After the typical transformation, however, she promptly throws away her wand, forgoes the use of magic, and attacks the robot with her bare hands.

  • Part 2 – With a Dream Greater Than Earth

Continuing from the previous scene, the wastefully energetic Poemy uses her new powers to tear through the alien mecha, destroying it. Next, Poemy decides to use her new strength to continue pursuing her career as a voice actress, and right wrongs as she sees them throughout society. However, Poemy appears to do more bad than good, as she harshly punishes citizens for small incidents, and accidentally sends a nuclear missile off-course, completely destroying an entire country. Then, the Aasu sisters finally decide to confront Puni Puni Poemy, and realize she is actually the Poemy Watanabe they have been hosting in their own house.

Afterwards, it is revealed that K, the school boy whom Poemy is attracted to, is actually an octopus-like alien, and he will be commanding the following invasion to Earth. Next morning, the invasion proceeds, with a massive Death Star en route to Earth, and with K capturing the Aasu sisters, and subjecting them to hentai-related bondage, as he learned from Japanese animation. In the end, the two alien henchmen are inexplicably revealed to be Poemy's foster parents, Nabeshin and Kumi-Kumi, who are thus not dead, and Poemy and Futaba combine their powers in order to make the world nice and end the extraterrestrial menace.

Characters

  • Poemi "Kobayashi" Watanabe (ワタナベぽえみ, Watanabe Poemi)

Voiced by: Yumiko Kobayashi (Japanese); Cynthia Martinez (English)

The star of the show, Poemi Watanabe is 10 years old and hyperactive beyond comparison. Described as "wastefully energetic", she's an eager student, she's got a crush on K, the popular boy in her class, and she wants to become a voice actress. She normally breaks the fourth wall by referring to herself as "Kobayashi", which is the last name of her own voice actress, Yumiko Kobayashi. Poemy also breaks the fourth wall by referring to Nabeshin as "the Director", since Nabeshin is voiced by Shinichi Watanabe himself, the director of the series.

After her adoptive parents, Nabeshin and Kumi-Kumi, are killed by Alien #1, Poemy moves in with her best friend, Futaba Aasu. Then, when an alien mecha attacks the city, Poemy encounters a mysterious and silent man playing the shamisen, who is apparently her real father, and he gives her a fish, which when gutted and used as a magic wand, allows her to transform into Puni Puni Poemy, a magical girl embodying the will of Earth itself.

  • Shinichi "Nabeshin" Watanabe (ワタナベシンイチ Watanabe Shin'ichi, ナベシン Nabeshin)

Voiced by: Shinichi Watanabe (Japanese); Brett Weaver (English)

Nabeshin is the animated alter-ego of real-life director Shinichi Watanabe, who previously appeared in Puni Puni Poemy's forerunner, Excel Saga. At the conclusion of that series, he married Kumi-Kumi, and at the beginning of this show, they have adopted ten-year-old Poemy. As in Excel Saga, Nabeshin seems to be constantly hunted down by different enemies, and being the director of these shows, he displays super-human abilities that involve his afro. In this occasion, Nabeshin and his wife are successfully killed by crucifixion, along with their robotic pet dog, by Alien #1. However, near the end of the second part they are inexplicably alive and appear to be the alien henchmen themselves.

  • Kumi-Kumi (クミクミさん Kumikumi-san)

Voiced by: Satomi Korogi (Japanese, uncredited); Tiffany Grant (English)

Introduced in Excel Saga, Kumi-Kumi was a simple mountain girl who rescued Nabeshin from an avalanche and attempted to feed him soup. But Nabeshin isn't too good with hot foods, so he refused, only to have her pursue him across the rest of the series. He finally relented, marrying her at the end of the final episode. At the start of Puni Puni Poemy, she and Nabeshin now have Poemy as their adopted daughter. Despite being killed by the alien invader along with Nabeshin, Kumi-Kumi apparently saved her husband using acupuncture, and they are both alright at the end of the second part.

  • K (Kくん K-kun)

Voiced by: Ryu Itou (Japanese); Mark Laskowski (English)

K is one of Poemy's classmates, but unfortunately for Poemy, her wild crush on him isn't reciprocated. In the second episode, K discovers that he is an octopus-like alien who had been raised in human form for ten years, and he takes charge of the invasion of the planet, which is focused on ravishing Japanese women, since hentai transmissions have given the aliens the idea that that's what women are really like. K, whose real name is Space Alien Prince, is composed entirely of tentacles as he and his family parody the Mars People from the game series Metal Slug.

  • Mage Queen (魔道士の女王 Madō-shi no joō)

Voiced by: Yumiko Nakanishi (Japanese); Tiffany Grant (English)

A mysterious figure, the precise nature of the Mage Queen is not explained. Initially, her somewhat threatening monologue aboard a space station that oversees Earth seems to count her an enemy. However, she greets the eventual arrival of Puni Puni Poemy with joy and considers the invading aliens a threat. Her reign as queen of the magic is cut short when she is assassinated by Alien #2. Her design is based on the female characters of Leiji Matsumoto.

  • Alien Henchmen

Voiced by: Daisuke Kishio (Japanese); Andy McAvin (English) – Alien 1

Voiced by: Takeharu Onishi (Japanese); Rob Mungle (English) – Alien 2

These extraterrestrial assassins dress like pimps from the waist up and speak in an undecipherable hipster jargon. Their genitalia look like Bungee Balls that hang down to their knees, and can be used as sort of like whips. Alien #1 has one such testicle, and Alien #2 has two, and no reason for this anatomical difference is given. Early in the first episode, Alien #1 kills Nabeshin and Kumi-Kumi, and then controls the giant robot that attacks the city. Then, during most of the second episode, he spends his time at the Aasu household completely unnoticed, even joining the girls in the bathtub, until he captures them. Alien #2's main role is in arriving with a giant battleship and attacking the Mage Queen. Ultimately, both alien henchmen are not whom they appear to be, as in a paradox they take off their disguises and reveal to be Nabeshin and Kumi-Kumi, who are alive and well.

The Aasu Sisters

Poemy's classmate, Futaba, is but one of the seven Aasu sisters, protectors of Earth. Aasu is the Japanese transliteration of the English word "Earth", and each of the girl's names is derived from a number: seven, six, five, and so on. All of the girls have magical powers, but given that these powers are purely defensive in nature, the family is useless as an offensive unit. Additionally to their family name referring to the Earth, aasu is also the Japanese transliteration of the English words "arse" or "ass", which is comically exploited in the English dub, such as the character Futaba saying "save my Aasus" when the sisters are captured.

  • Nanase Aasu (ああすななせ Āsu Nanase)

Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa (Japanese); Kelly Manison (English)

At 28 years old, Nanase is the eldest sister, who works as a data processor in an office. Her power is the Earth Dance of Flowers, the ability to summon a whirlwind of flowers, to absolutely no effect. Her name is derived from nana, the Japanese word for "seven".

  • Mutsumi Aasu (ああすむつみ Āsu Mutsumi)

Voiced by: Tomoko Kawakami (Japanese); Yu Haul (English)

Mutsumi is 22 years old, and much to her own surprise speaks with a Kansai accent (in the English language dub a Brooklyn accent is used). She has something of a complex about the small size of her breasts. Her power is the Earth Breakfall, which means she can fall over safely. Her name is derived from mutsu, the Japanese word for "six". Her short, purple hair, and her white outfit, make her physically similar to the first Ropponmatsu from Excel Saga.

  • Itsue Aasu (ああすいつえ Āsu Itsue)

Voiced by: Kotono Mitsuishi (Japanese); Larissa Wolcott (English)

The 19-year-old Itsue is working her way through high school as a dominatrix, and is prone to using her whip to physically abuse her sisters when she gets angry. Her power, the Earth Barrier Shield, enables her to generate a protective energy field, which she activates while spinning her whip. Her name comes from itsu, the Japanese word for "five".

  • Shii Aasu (ああすしい Āsu Shī)

Voiced by: Omi Minami (Japanese); Monica Rial (English)

Shii is 18 years old, and her most distinctive feature are her excessively large breasts. She constantly grabs them and announces how heavy they are, but in one occasion she mentioned she would use Poemy's magic to make them much smaller. Her special power is Earth Healing, which does no damage. Her name comes from shi, the Japanese word for "four". Shii has blue hair and resembles Hyatt from Excel Saga, and in fact, both characters have the same voice actresses, Omi Minami and Monica Rial.

  • Mitsuki Aasu (ああすみつき Āsu Mitsuki)

Voiced by: Atsuko Enomoto (Japanese); Jessica Boone (English)

Cute and energetic, Mitsuki is 15 years old, and seems to play an active role in the running of the Aasu household. Initially, she opposes the idea of letting Poemy stay with them, and later she distrusts Puni Puni Poemy's actions. Her power is Earth Acceleration, enabling her to run at vast speeds. Her name is derived from mittsu, the Japanese word for "three". With her long ponytail Mitsuki is physically similar to Misaki Matsuya from Excel Saga.

  • Futaba Aasu (ああすふたば Āsu Futaba)

Voiced by: Yuka Imai (Japanese); Luci Christian (English)

10-year-old Futaba is Poemy's classmate and best friend, and she is madly in love with her, a fact to which Poemy is oblivious. Futaba's power allows her to pacify hostile creatures, making them happy and harmless. In the final confrontation with the invading aliens, Futaba combines her power with Poemy's, and since Poemy is a representation of Earth, this act pacifies the planet's population, resulting in peace with the aliens. After this event, director Nabeshin casually mentions that Futaba is in reality the main character of the show. Her name comes from futa, the Japanese word for "two". Futaba is mostly a parody of Tomoyo Daidouji, the best friend of magical girl Sakura Kinomoto from Cardcaptor Sakura. Unlike Tomoyo, however, Futaba displays more extreme fantasies and lesbian arousal whenever she is with her friend.

  • Hitomi Aasu (ああすひとみ Āsu Hitomi)

Voiced by: Satomi Korogi (Japanese); Kira Vincent-Davis (English)

The youngest of the Aasu sisters, at only 3 years old, Hitomi is in a hurry to grow up and grow breasts. She possesses the power of precognition, although it is not very good because she mostly foresees the obvious. Whenever she is having a vision, she seems to have bowel movements. Her name comes from hito, the Japanese word for "one".

Reception

Lynzee Loveridge called the series an "over-the-top magical girl premise" which lampoons the magical girl genre, with "bondage, crucified robot dogs, and weird alien dicks".

Banning in New Zealand

Due to its sexual and violent scenes, the Classification Office banned Puni Puni Poemy in New Zealand. A New Zealand anime fan, Simon Brady, unsuccessfully appealed to the Film and Literature Board of Review to change the classification, citing that the show was only rated MA15+ in Australia. However, the Board of Review stated that a program would be banned if they felt that it promoted the exploitation of children or young persons for sexual purposes, extreme violence and extreme cruelty.

On 8 June 2021, the Classification Office re-classified Puni Puni Poemy R16 after granting a request from a member of the public to reconsider the classification of the series.

References

  1. Loveridge, Lynzee (26 August 2018). "7 More Bizarre Spin-Offs – The List". Anime News Network. Retrieved 11 January 2020. The over-the-top magical girl premise originated as a joke in the series
  2. "Puni Puni Poemy Ranks in Top 10 Japanese Animation". Anime News Network. 27 May 2004. Retrieved 11 January 2020. Puni Puni Poemy keeps the parody sharp, the plot wacky, and the animation vibrant
  3. Turner, Sam (2 September 2004). "Puni Puni Poemi DVD". Anime News Network. Retrieved 11 January 2020. Puni Puni Poemy is genre-parody at its best. It isn't just self-aware, but it's aware of its own self-awareness.
  4. Oppliger, John (8 January 2003). "Ask John: Are There Any Other Shows Like Excel Saga?". AnimeNation. Archived from the original on 28 December 2004. Retrieved 11 January 2020. Puni Puni Poemi was created by the same animation staff that animated Excel Saga, and retains Excel Saga's voice cast and Excel Saga's non-stop barrage of bizarre humor.
  5. Loveridge, Lynzee (August 26, 2018). "7 More Bizarre Spin-Offs". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 26, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  6. Brady, Simon. "Puni Puni Poemy: (No Longer) Banned in New Zealand". hikari.org.nz. Archived from the original on 24 April 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  7. "Classification Office Decision: Puni Puni Poemy" (PDF). Te Mana Whakaatu – Classification Office. 8 June 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024 – via hikari.org.nz.

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