Interest
Pop Team Epic's AC-bu Talks Method, Inspiration in Documentary Episode
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Shunsuke Itakura and Toru Adachi, known as the duo AC-bu, were behind some of the craziest shorts in the Pop Team Epic anime series. The pair produced the Bobunemimimi shorts that included the viral Hellshake Yano segment. Hellshake Yano brought Itakura and Adachi on stage for last summer's Animelo concert among thousands of cheering fans.
A new episode of the French documentary program toco toco follows Itakura and Adachi to the Futako-Tamagawa and Shibuya areas of Tokyo see the river where both animators grew up and their work space. Both men talk at length about what makes an animation an "AC-bu work" and how they walk the line between humor and confusion.
AC-bu's fame might be recent but Itakura and Adachi began working together 20 years ago. They've created music videos and commercials for clients over the years.
The Pop Team Epic anime adapts a surreal four-panel manga by Bkub Okawa that centers around two 14-year-old girls, the short Popuko and the tall Pipimi. April 1, 2019 marked the second anniversary of the original announcement for the anime adaptation and a two-episode special debuted the same day.
