Every person on earth must have had the dream of travel at least once in his or her life. However, these dreams are usually not realized because of responsibilities, be they at home or in a career. The three sisters of Popotan propose an interesting solution to this: bring the house and business with you as you travel around the world. With its intriguing premise and lighthearted attitude, Popotan brings a fresh look to the fanservice drama genre.

Popotan as a series is an odd beast, best described as "family values meets fanservice." The show itself is a sweet comedic drama that revolves around the sisters Ai, Mai, and Mii, as well as their stoic maid Mea. The hook to the series is that the characters live in a teleporting house, and that they are constantly on the hunt for Popotan (their name for tanpopo, or dandelions). Therefore, the secondary cast changes with every episode. As the show progresses through the disc's four episodes, the sisters touch the lives of Daichi, a lad who is attempting to take pictures of ghosts for his classmate Asuka; Kasumi, a recent transfer student to Mai's school that is looking for a friend; Miyuki, a shy girl that has never left the hospital; and a strange girl that comes from a village that was abandoned long ago. In this reviewer's opinion, the highlight of the disc is the third episode: "Magic." In this episode, Mii, the youngest of the three sisters, gets a costume based on her favorite magical girl, Lilo. She then quickly sets out to help those in need. On her second "emergency," she meets a young girl named Miyuki who has never left the hospital. Soon, Mii has the frail Miyuki out and having fun around the hospital grounds. The episode is possibly the best example of the show's simple, yet effective mix of humorous moments and serious situations. However, viewers should not be misled into thinking that this is a show that can be enjoyed by the whole family. The show is riddled with fanservice that includes, but is not limited to, full nudity of several members of the major cast.

A cow's udder makes a wonderful replacement for a popped inflatable mateable.	Konami and Mai share a heartfelt moment as they try to understand each other.

To complement the story's ingenuity, Popotan benefits from a decent music score. The series uses a mix of catchy tunes that range mostly from bouncy, lilting beats to more melancholy acoustic guitar riffs. The two vocal songs presented thus far are a treat to listen to, and provide the same diversity as the rest of the sountrack. The opening theme, Popotan Batake de Tsukamaete by Under17, is an inquisitive, electric guitar-heavy piece that states that all of life's little questions can be solved if one just asks the Popotan. S.U.K.I. by Funta serves as the show's closer, and is a bouncy technopop piece about the more subtle aspects of love. The series' acting, however,appears to have a clear split in quality between the English dub and the original Japanese. The Japanese performance gives a spirited delivery and wonderful chemistry, with a cast of actors that include Masumi Asano (Ikki Tousen, Kiddy Grade), Ayako Kawasumi (Ai Yori Aoshi, Mahoromatic), and Mikako Takahashi (Hand Maid May, Excel Saga). The English version offers a decent adaptation, with mostly-adequate casting and delivery. However, the English track seems to have several segments where the acting simply sounds forced, or detached. On a technical level, both tracks are clear, with no noticeable dropouts or distortion.

Since the show is from a 2003 master, Popotan transfers well to DVD. Technically, the disc shows no obvious technical defects, such as cross-coloration, aliasing, or artifacts. The animation for the show is a lush, 2-dimensional presentation that effectively captures the characters' fluid movement. CG is rarely used, and seems to be reserved for the times when the mysterious vanishing house vanishes from its location. The character designs for both the major and minor cast members have received plenty of attention from the staff at Petit Ferret, and stand out with an unusual, yet intriguing elegance. Small touches, such as Ai's santa hat, or Mii's constant blush, add an obvious, but still contextual identifier to each character.

It appears that Geneon has done its homework on how to present a fresh look to viewers with this release. It has a reversible cover, like many recent Geneon releases. The front of the packaging features a cute image of Ai in her usual day attire, with Unagi the ferret striking a pose in the background. The back of the cover contains the standard listing of the DVD's contents. However, instead of the standard "images from the show meets dull description," Geneon has opted to introduce the characters as they give a short explanation of each episode on the disc. The result is a more "personalized" feel that adds character to the overall presentation. The reverse side of the cover features two images of Konami: one of her posing for the camera, the other of her in the same pose as a breeze causes her skirt to flap around. The front of the insert features another image of Ai, this time sans hat and glasses. The insert folds open to reveal a series of descriptions for the minor characters that appear on the disc. The DVD menus are simple, yet effective, as they feature a still image of one of the girls on the disc on one side of the screen, and the selections on the other. The extras on the disc include an art gallery of 22 pieces of concept art and images from the show. The other featured extra is a textless opening.

From the first four episodes, Popotan is already looking to be a powerful contender on the market. The show's unique mix of fanservice and drama ensures that there will be something for both ends of the gender spectrum. If the series can continue to deliver the same type of material that this volume has shown, then this reviewer is confident that Popotan will stand as one of the few series that portrays the fanservice genre in a more encouraging light.

Distributor: Geneon
Creator: Petit (Heart) Ferret / Shaft
Released: 2003

Video Quality: A-
Audio Quality: A-
Presentation: B
Content: B+
Overall: A-