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Before Making Pop Team Epic's 'Hellshake Yano,' AC-bu Started Meme With Music Video
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
If you've seen Pop Team Epic, chances are you have opinions about the anime's bizarre "Bob Team Epic" segments. Production team AC-bu makes and stars in the segments. AC-bu's Shunsuke Itakura and Toru Adachi play Popuko and Pipimi in "Bob Team Epic." But before the anime made fans around the world scratch their heads, AC-bu animated the equally unique "Galo Sengen" music video for the hip-hop group Policeman in 2011.
In the video, gyaruo (galo) transform into Dragon Ball Z Super Saiyan-like characters and carry on with various antics. Gyaruo are the the male version of gyaru, who are young women that follow the fashion trend of dyed hair paired with dramatic makeup and decorated nails. Both terms derive from the English word "gal." Gyaruo, as seen in the video, typically have deep tans and wild lifestyles and enjoy dance or trance music. Though completely unrelated, you might think of them as similar to a Jersey Shore crowd in Japan.
The "Galo Sengen" music video gained popularity and earned a large number of views on YouTube shortly after its debut. AC-bu has made more than a dozen music videos and contributed to various television programs and commercials. However, this video gained notoriety for the production team. "Galo Sengen" even became a meme.
AC-bu recently created another meme and Twitter trend. Fans who saw the seventh episode of Pop Team Epic, which debuted on Saturday, experienced AC-bu's random yet amazing live-action "Hellshake Yano" segment. In the segment, Itakura and Adachi themselves act out the kamishibai-style scene about a persevering rock star. Adachi plays Hellshake Yano, and Itakura narrates. The pair also reprised their recurring roles of Popuko and Pipimi.
By Monday, the segment had inspired a meme in Japan. Twitter accounts, including those of celebrities and companies, are tweeting about zoning out and "thinking of Hellshake Yano" just like Pipimi does in the anime.
AC-bu is expected to continue its "Bob Team Epic" segments in Pop Team Epic, so there's no telling what meme they may inspire next.
