English Dub Review: Pop Team Epic “Ginza Hostess Detective”

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Not Detective Conan

Overview (Spoilers Below)
 
Ginza Hostess Detective:
 
At an inn, someone is murdered in the middle of the night. Mama Pipi and Popuko, two Ginza hostesses, are on vacation at the inn. They come out of the baths when the police round them all up for being suspects in the murder. Pipi quickly springs into action, asking everyone for their testimonies. Despite the police’s ire, the two girls manage to wrangle information out of the guests and even the forensics team. At the end of their investigation, Pipi tells the story of how her girls from the host club chipped in to give her a vacation as a gift. Her story moves the culprit to confess, and as the culprit says that she’ll kill herself, Pipi convinces her not to. 
This is reminiscent most obviously of Detective Conan, where a murder inexplicably happens and an amateur detective has to solve the case. Conan also builds off of several well known mystery tropes such as the detective passing by, like Christie’s Poirot. So Pipi fills that niche: she’s a talented busybody who just happens to be skilled at getting information out of people. Popuko of course takes care of the actual work such as hacking and looking at the cameras, but Pipi has the charisma. It’s a hilarious parody for those who like mysteries and how absurd they can be. 
 
Score

9/10

 

Lord Takeshobo:

A Heian lord is walking through the countryside. He stops, and then calls out for Pop Team Epic, saying he’d recognize their stench anywhere. Popuko pops out of the bushes with a baseball bat.

Pop Team Epic’s grudge against their publisher continues.

Score

8/10

 

Pop Team Cooking:

Pipimi and a generic hostess are carrying the show today. The recipe this time is a thrifty one, but Pipimi brings out some wagyu beef, having only gotten it for 50 yen. The hostess is surprised, and asks where she got it, and Pipimi yells at her to find her own deals.

A host that knows what they’re doing and a pretty face. The economical eats aren’t really that economical because a whole cut of wagyu beef is one of the most expensive beef out there. Finding one for 50 yen (about 5 cents) is absolutely impossible.

Score

9/10

 

Bob Epic Team:

Popuko is at a restaurant, and the waiter is rude, splashing water all over her face. She is furious, and sets up some deadly traps to kill the waiter the next time he walks by. She calls him over but gets impatient, triggering the traps she set for him. The waiter comes by again, splashing water on her face.

The Bob Epic Team shorts are never well animated, but they sometimes have a lot of character. This one is definitely one of those segments, where it works. The torture instruments and Popuko’s frustration shine really well, even with the animation.

Score

8/10

 

Other Skits:

Popuko slacks off so much that the god of slackers appears. Pipimi and Popuko play soccer, all while firing off Satellite Cannon and Aura Cannon. The girls play some Puyo Puyo.

 

Best Sketch: Ginza Hostess Detective

Worst Sketch: God of Slackers

About Noelle Ogawa

A writer, editor, and 4th generation New Yorker. An avid fan of comics and manga, particularly psychological thrillers, or featuring sports. Can't stay away from the horror genre. Long-time kaiju enthusiast.