The Pupa Anime: Debunking the Notion of Being Bad

The Pupa anime is often regarded as a major disappointment in Studio Deen's portfolio, especially considering their past successes like Akira and Wolf Children. Despite its short episode duration of four minutes and the intriguing concept of two siblings infected by a witch, the adaptation of Sayaka Mogi's manga is widely criticized for its extremely poor execution.

It's important to note that the Pupa anime has received remarkably low ratings on platforms like MAL and Anilist, particularly from fans who have already read the manga. This can be attributed to issues such as sluggish pacing, inadequate explanation of key plot points, and an excessive attempt to cover too much ground simultaneously, ultimately damaging the overall quality of the project.

Explaining the reasons why the Pupa anime failed in 2014

There are multiple reasons why the Pupa anime turned out to be a disaster, but the primary culprit lies in the various creative choices that adversely affected the overall quality. However, the main contributing factor was undoubtedly the decision to cram too much content into each four-minute episode. This led to a convoluted and rushed storyline, severely detracting from the appeal of the series.

The main storyline revolves around Utsutsu and Yume, siblings who grow up in a dysfunctional and abusive household. Utsutsu has always pledged to protect his younger sister. Unfortunately, their lives take a disturbing turn when they are cursed by a witch with a flesh-eating affliction.

The anime contains graphic and unsettling elements. However, due to heavy censorship at the time, it failed to have the intended impact. Additionally, the excessive and gratuitous portrayal of gore often felt out of place and unnecessary, similar to the treatment of gore in Studio Pierrot's Tokyo Ghoul series.

The cannibalism controversy and other things

The Pupa anime faced criticism for its handling of the theme of cannibalism. Although not a new concept in media, it was presented in a self-indulgent manner that lacked depth and failed to engage the audience. Instead of exploring the tragedy of two innocent children transformed into flesh-eating monsters, the anime treated cannibalism as a fetishistic plot point, which felt cheap and aimed solely at shock value. In one scene, the witch advises Utsutsu to feed Yume his flesh to satisfy her cannibalistic tendencies, exploiting it as a twisted form of gratification rather than portraying the horrific nature of their situation.

While it is indeed true that anime as a whole offers ample room for storytelling, the Pupa adaptation falters due to its tendency to lack explanations and overly rely on shocking elements. In this case, the narrative falls short in terms of substance and deviates significantly from the manga's accomplishments.

Final thoughts

The Pupa anime is a prime example of how an adaptation can tarnish the legacy of an entire story. It's clear that the franchise has yet to fully bounce back from this unfortunate 2014 production. Nevertheless, we remain hopeful that someday the series will receive an anime that truly does it justice.

Editor's P/S

As a Gen Z fan, I have mixed feelings about the Pupa anime. On the one hand, I appreciate the anime's attempt to tackle dark and mature themes such as cannibalism and sibling love. On the other hand, I feel that the execution of these themes was lacking and ultimately fell short of its potential.

One of the main issues I had with the Pupa anime was its pacing. The anime is only four minutes long per episode, which is not enough time to fully develop the complex themes and characters. As a result, the anime often feels rushed and disjointed.

Additionally, I felt that the anime's portrayal of cannibalism was gratuitous and unnecessary. While I understand that cannibalism is a central theme of the story, I felt that the anime focused too much on the gore and shock value, rather than exploring the deeper psychological and emotional implications of the act.