Popotan/Characters

A list of characters appearing in Popotan.

Shared tropes

Adaptational Badass -- Ai, Mai, Mii and Mea didn't have any powers in the visual novel (or top-billing, for that matter).
Aerith and Bob -- The normalcy of the characters' names are all over the place, ranging from the quintessentially Japanese Ai to the not-so-Japanese Keith. Then there's Mea, which is not a name to begin with.
Ensemble Cast -- The three sisters and Mea are pretty much equal in regards to importance.
Establishing Character Moment -- Each main character's general personality is presented when Daichi is found out in episode 1. The more tragic sides to them are revealed later in the series.
Intergenerational Friendship -- Daichi and the sisters, specifically Ai.
Generation Xerox -- Both Konami and her daughter are great painters who meet the sisters while in high school. The only difference is that Konami is very friendly, while her daughter is far from it.
Long Hair Is Feminine -- Zig-Zagged. Ai and Konami are straight examples, along with the short-haired and tomboyish Mai. However, Mii and Mea have some masculine traits in spite of their long hair (Mii's only appears short), while Nono and Shizuku are both very feminine and short-haired.
Nice to the Waiter -- Ai, Mai and Mii treat Mea as respectfully as they do each other. Given that they're travelling partners, it's to be expected.
Opposites Attract -- Mai and Konami are, on the whole, rather dissimilar. They still become friends.
- Birds of a Feather -- As their relationship deepens, it becomes apparent that they do share certain traits. They're both Determinators who stop at nothing to help their friends, for example.
Power Glows -- Any character with a special ability glows while performing it.
- Good Colors, Evil Colors -- The sisters glow green while Keith is red. It might be because he's male, or he's using another source altogether.
- Battle Aura -- Since Mai and Keith can use their abilities while fighting, which they do in episode 7, the glowing essentially doubles as this.
Punny Name/Theme Naming -- The sisters' name are puns on pronouns, in case it wasn't clear. Furthermore, mea is Latin for "my", but the intended meaning seems to be the Japanese pronunciation of "mare".

Spoiler tropes:

Pals with Jesus -- Shizuku and the protagonists are quite amicable towards each other, all things considered.

Main characters

Ai

Voice actresses: Sayaka Ohara (JP), Nicole Oliver (EN)

The oldest of the three sisters. A kind woman who has more or less come to accept the limitations the sisters' time travel has on her life, and as such acts as a parental figure to Mai and Mii.

Associated tropes:

Beware the Nice Ones/Hidden Depths -- She's far more assertive than her silly personality lets on, as Keith finds out in episode 7.
Blind Without Them -- Without her specs, she even mistakes a boy for her own sister.
Boobs of Steel -- Inverted. She has the largest bust in the entire series, but unlike Mai and Mea she never fights anyone.
Curtains Match the Window -- Green hair and eyes.
Dojikko -- Definitely has shades of this.
Feminine Women Can Cook -- There are many that can. Ai's not one of them, leaving kitchen duty to the substantially less feminine Mea.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling -- Is a bit of both.
Four-Philosophy Ensemble -- The Realist: She sees her journey as something somewhat unpleasant, but also inevitable and not worth angsting over.
Four-Temperament Ensemble -- Phlegmatic.
Freudian Trio -- Mostly the Ego, but can be the Superego as well.
Genre Blind -- Really, Ai? You're going to trust the out-of-nowhere man who's way too acceptant of your powers to be innocent?
Giftedly Bad -- At cooking. She makes blue bread and sees nothing wrong with this.
Heart Is an Awesome Power -- The ability to understand flowers needs some very specific circumstances to be useful. Luckily, the series provides.
Innocent Fanservice Girl -- She's pretty casual about the whole nudity thing. Inside the walls of her home, that is.
Lethal Chef
Mama Bear/Good Is Not Soft -- She doesn't actually fight him, but her words (and subsequent slap) towards Keith after he beat up Daichi, Mai and Mea were not exactly sugar-coated, and she manages to make him leave.
Meganekko
Nice Hat -- It looks like a cross between a cap and a Santa hat, making it kind of weird as well.
Promotion to Parent -- It's never made clear why the sisters' parents aren't around, but Ai serves as the head of the family. Mai handles the economy, however.
Rapunzel Hair
- Improbable Hairstyle -- She seemingly wears it in a sack so that it won't hit the ground. It needs to be seen to be believed.
Red Oni, Blue Oni -- It differs depending on who she's with, but she tends to be blue.
Sensei-chan -- She retains her sweet nature even when she becomes the teacher for Daichi's class. Justified in that her students are rather young.
Talking to Plants -- Does this regularly. Because of her powers, she can actually hear what they say, which helps the sisters on their journey.
Team Mom -- See Promotion to Parent.
Yamato Nadeshiko -- Not a perfect example, but she's certainly close.
You Gotta Have Green Hair

Mai

Voice actresses: Masumi Asano (JP), Nicole Bouma (EN)

The tomboyish middle sister. Her age puts her in a bit of a dilemma: she's mature enough to understand what her journey does to her and the friends she makes during it, but not mature enough to cope with it. This makes her the most outspoken denouncer of the sisters' mission, and the one who suffers the most from it.

Associated tropes:

A-Cup Angst -- The opening has her stuffing her shirt with pads, and that's just the beginning.
A Friend in Need -- She decides to help Konami's daughter find her sketchbook, despite the latter not wanting to even talk to her.
Action Girl -- She takes on Keith. She loses, but it's the thought that counts.
Age-Appropriate Angst -- Given her age, her feelings about her inability to build lasting relationships are rather understandable.
Boyish Short Hair
Broken Bird -- It starts out bad and only gets worse, before culminating in finding out that her best friend died before she could return.

The Rossman: Mai is like the poster child for mentally abused teenagers on the verge of suicide. So sad.

Buxom Is Better -- Not enough to warrant constant mention, unlike her younger sister, but she is undoubtedly disappointed in her size.
Character Development -- She changes the most out of all the other characters, going from a cynic who hates having to leave her friends behind to a realist who has come to accept it.
Curtains Match the Window -- Reddish pink.
Defrosting Ice Queen -- To a degree, albeit not a large one.
Determinator -- Whatever goal she has, she sees it through to the best of her abilities; the clearest example is trying to befriend Konami's daughter, and the clearest subversion is trying to meet Konami again.
Dull Eyes of Unhappiness/Hidden Eyes -- Sports these when sad, which is often.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling -- Responsible, in spite of not being the oldest.
Four-Philosophy Ensemble -- The Cynic: She wants nothing to do with her journey and would gladly end it as soon as possible, regarding it as nothing but a pain.
Four-Temperament Ensemble -- Choleric.
Freudian Trio -- The Superego, but with hints of the Ego.
Friendless Background -- Enforced by herself, as a way to not having to lose friendships when she eventually has to leave. Konami snaps her out of it, but it only makes things worse.
I Just Want to Have Friends/I Just Want to Be Normal -- Her driving emotions.
Inelegant Blubbering -- Not as extreme an example as, say, Makoto Konno, but let's just say that when Mai gets really sad in this series, you'll notice.
Heterosexual Life Partners -- With Konami in episode 12, when they can finally stay together. Wether they live together is never shown, but given that Mai is currently alone and a teenager, it's a possibilty.
Knight in Sour Armor -- She's only travelling because she has to, and makes this perfectly clear to the others. Exactly how sour she is depends on the episode.
Manic Pixie Dream Girl -- She serves as this towards Konami's daughter, returning the favor of Konami being this to her earlier.
Not as You Know Them -- In-universe: Konami mentions that Mai has become much more feminine and esoteric in episode 12, and that she misses the old Mai.
Only Sane Man -- Mostly in comparison to her sisters.
Perpetual Frowner -- When the negative aspects of the journey get to her (primarily in episode 2), although the trope is somewhat downplayed.
Red Oni, Blue Oni -- Like Ai, it depends on present company. Mostly, she's on the red side (though with more common sense than what that usually implies).
Rose-Haired Girl -- She's much less optimistic than most of them, but just as compassionate.
Super Speed/Jump Physics -- Her specialty.
Technicolor Eyes -- They're pink.
Tomboy and Girly Girl -- She's the tomboy to effectively everyone else in the cast, especially Konami and the younger Mai.
Who Wears Short Shorts? -- Black bike shorts. Ironically, she's never wearing them when she actually uses her bicycle.
You Gotta Have Pink Hair
Younger Than They Look/Older Than They Look -- She manages to be both at the same time in episode 6. During the time she has spent away from the mansion, she hasn't aged, so she is five years younger than she pretends to be. However, chronologically speaking she has aged five years, making her older than she was when she was accidentally left behind.

Mii

Voice actresses: Halko Momoi (JP), Jocelyne Loewen (EN)

The youngest member of the family. Friendly and energetic, she tries to make friends wherever she goes, and cares little about her journey.

Associated tropes:

Annoying Younger Sibling -- Mai evidently sees her as this every once in a while, although clearly not all the time.
Blush Sticker
Catch Phrase -- "Magical Hammer, Magical Parallel!" and "Plushy!"
Cheerful Child -- Most certainly.
Covert Pervert -- She likes plushy things. This includes the breasts of other women, and she'll happily cling to a pair that strikes her fancy, most often Ai's.
- Buxom Is Better -- If they don't, she'll waste no time saying so.
Curtains Match the Window -- She's the only main character whose hair and eye colors don't exactly match, but she comes close (purple and blue, respectively).
Cute Little Fangs
The Cutie
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling -- As young and foolish as they come.
Four-Philosophy Ensemble -- The Optimist: She's blissfully unaware of any problem her journey could potentially bring, and views it as an opportunity to make friends.
Four-Temperament Ensemble -- Sanguine.
Freudian Trio -- She's a definite Id, due to her age.
Genki Girl -- That too.
Girlish Pigtails -- When she's playing the role of Magical Girl Mii.
Healing Hands -- Her power. Her sisters and Unagi can amplify the effect.
Hidden Depths -- In episode 11, she states that the does not want to end her journey, because that would force the sisters to live away from each other. Coming from the girl with the least objections to anything regarding their time travelling, it's unexpected.
Hypocrite -- She teases others, primarily Mai, for their small chests. She's not exactly voluptuous herself.
Lovable Sex Maniac -- Her antics are purely played for laughs. Thankfully, said antics only extend to comparatively innocent groping, unlike the game version of her.
Magical Girl -- She cosplays as Magial Girl Lilo in several episodes. Powers don't work right, though, since they're just her normal Healing Hands.
Mega Twintails -- When in Magical Girl mode.
Odango Hair -- Her primary hairstyle.
Pointless Band-Aid -- She has a band-aid on her knee that must have become obsolete by at least some point in the story, given that it takes place over what could be several weeks. In the game and some of its official art, she's even seen removing it only for it to be back later, although these instances are non-canon in the anime's universe.
Red Oni, Blue Oni -- Red, in the childishly naïve and wild sense.
Third Person Person
Wide-Eyed Idealist -- She's too young to understand the implications of the sisters' journey, and has a considerably more positive outlook on it than Mai.
You Gotta Have Purple Hair

Mea

Voice actresses: Mai Kadowaki (JP), Anna Cummer (EN)

The sisters' maid. A woman of few words who may or may not be fully human in the first place, but nevertheless cares deeply for her household. She works for Shizuku as the sisters' guard who's meant to protect them from danger, and has played this role for at least one other family before.

Associated tropes:

A-Cup Angst -- Less so than Mai, but it's there.
Action Girl -- She can most definitely fight.
Big Eater -- She can somehow down three pizzas and still be hungry for more. Her metabolism might be the most superhuman about her, and that is really saying something.
The Comically Serious -- She almost never loses face, no matter what the sisters do.
Curtains Match the Window -- Deep red.
Dark Is Not Evil -- She dresses primarily in black, has red eyes and spends her time mostly by herself, but she's nowhere near evil.
- Good Is Not Soft -- She can be pretty brutal, as Keith's genitals can attest to.
Emotionless Girl -- Seemingly. However...
- Not So Stoic -- She is shown to quite clearly have opinions on things every now and then, and she visibly smiles when she thinks she has prevented Keith from taking the sisters to Shizuku.
Four-Philosophy Ensemble -- The Apathetic: She never really offers any opinion on the journey at all, but she does eventually object to the sisters having to meet Shizuku before they're ready.
Four-Temperament Ensemble -- Melancholic.
Lady of War -- She is a guard, after all.
Mama Bear -- She fights Keith in order to prevent the sisters from meeting Shizuku, fearing that they are not yet ready.
Mega Twintails
Ninja Maid -- A maid who is simultaneously a bodyguard.
Non-Standard Character Design -- A minor example: her eyes are not as glistening as the others'.
Only Sane Man -- Even she has her moments that would imply otherwise, though.
Red Oni, Blue Oni -- Blue.
Robot Girl -- Yup.
Robot Maid -- This as well.
Strange Girl -- In fact, "girl" may not even be the right word.
Technicolor Eyes -- Red. She averts Red Eyes, Take Warning, though.
You Gotta Have Red Hair -- Which is possible in real life, of course, but not of this shade.
Zettai Ryouiki

Secondary Characters

Unagi

Voice actresses: Ayako Kawasumi (JP), Tabitha St. Germain (EN)

The sisters' pet ferret (actually a hondo stoat). She has the power to transform into a human in the "Next episode" segments, but it's not shown whether she can do this in-universe.

Associated tropes:

Animal Reaction Shot -- Given that she's more eloquent than most stoats, it's a bit more literal than for other animals.
Butt Monkey -- The sisters and Mea often have her do things she'd rather not:
- Mii forces her to tag along (in a makeshift leash, no less) when she cosplays, since she "needs a magical pet".
- Mai has her wake up Mii in episode 4. One would think she would at least help her up the stairs first, but no such luck.
- Mea has her hide in her swimsuit's chest area so that she can attract customers. Her reward for this is a tiny fish that looks barely edible.
Cheerful Child -- In the "On the Next..." segments.
Cute Little Fangs
Four Legs Good, Two Legs Better -- She can stand on her hind legs, but only does so when standing still.
Intellectual Animal -- She has some distinctively human quirks, to say the least.
Non-Indicative Name -- Unagi means "eel". The only thing they have in common is that they're both oblong animals.
Pokémon-Speak -- A variant: she apparently only knows how to say the first three letters of her name, or "hono~" when distressed.
Ridiculously Cute Critter
Team Pet
Weasel Mascot
You Gotta Have White Hair -- Justified, since her fur is white.

Daichi

Voice actress/actors: Yuki Kaida and Kenichi Suzumura (JP), Reece Thompson and Kirby Morrow (EN)

A young boy who enters the sisters' house in search for ghosts, hoping to take pictures to show his classmate Asuka. They agree to help him if he shows them where they can find the nearest dandelion field.

Daichi reappears later in the series, thirty years older, where he further investigates the mystery of the sisters he met so many years ago.

Associated tropes:

Accidental Pervert -- He not only stumbles across Ai naked (and faces the consequences), but also accidentally takes a picture of the event that he almost shows to Asuka. Which he then decides to keep, so "accidental" might not be the whole truth.
Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl -- With Asuka, although it's downplayed on his part.
Cross-Dressing Voices -- Yuki Kaida is not a little boy. Reece Thompson, while not exactly Daichi's age at the time of dubbing, averts this trope in the English version.
Curtains Match the Window -- Brown.
Hot for Teacher -- When Ai becomes his teacher in episode 12, he's not exactly subtle about how he feels.
Red Oni, Blue Oni -- Blue, when compared to Ai.
Secret Keeper -- In his second appearance, he finds out about the supernatural nature behind the sisters' journey. He promises to not tell anyone (deleting his photos in the process) and that he will wait until Ai feels ready before he asks further questions.
Supporting Protagonist -- In the first episode.
Timeshifted Actor
Victorious Childhood Friend -- He eventually marries Asuka, making the two of them this towards each other.

Konami

Voice actresses: Tomoko Kawakami (JP), Tabitha St. Germain (EN)

A classmate of Mai in episode 2. She tries to befriend her, knowing herself how difficult it is to make friends as a new student.

In episode 9, she is revealed to have mothered a child named Mai after her best friend. She is also revealed to have died young, waiting for Mai's return.

Associated tropes:

Curtains Match the Window -- Brown.
The Cutie
Determinator -- Of the same kind as Mai.
Heterosexual Life Partners -- See Mai's entry.
Manic Pixie Dream Girl -- Towards Mai, who later becomes this to her daughter. Neither example is (overtly) romantic, but the idea is the same.
Nice Girl -- She only wants to help.
Red Oni, Blue Oni -- She starts off on the red side, but becomes gradually more blue as Mai opens up to her.
Tomboy and Girly Girl -- The girly girl to Mai's tomboy.
Zettai Ryouiki -- As part of her school uniform.

Spoiler tropes:

Posthumous Character -- Played with. Although she's alive in episodes 2 and 12, any development of her in episode 9 is this. This includes the fact that she became a renowned painter, her apparently feeling betrayed by Mai and the scene where she decides what to name her daughter.

Nono

Voice actresses: Sakura Nogawa (JP), Brenna O'Brien (EN)

A shrine maiden who lives next door to the sisters in episode 8. She has taken a liking to everything Christmas-related, finding herself staring through the window to their Christmas shop, but her interests are frowned upon by her conservative grandfather.

Associated tropes:

Curtains Match the Window -- Blue.
Christmas-Forbidding Grandfather -- She lives with one, but they eventually reconcile.
Miko
Red Oni, Blue Oni -- She's as blue as her hair.
Shy Blue-Haired Girl
You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Mai (Konami's daughter)

Voice actresses: Tomoko Kawakami (JP), Maggie Blue O'Hara (EN)

The child and duplicate of Konami, with the opposite personality. She resents any attempts to become friends with her, and has an intense dislike for the older Mai, who never came back to see her mother during her lifetime.

Associated tropes:

Curtains Match the Window -- Same as her mother's.
Defrosting Ice Queen -- A trait she shares with her namesake, although she's a more extreme example.
Embarrassing First Name -- She hates her first name, since the person she was named after never returned to her mother before her death despite promising to do so.
Friendless Background -- Also enforced, but for a different reason: her mother was "betrayed" by her high school friend, and as such she does not find the idea of forming friendships very appealing.
Jerkass -- At first. Saying that you despise your name when someone with the exact same one is standing next to you is not exactly a nice thing to do.
Loners Are Freaks -- Her classmates seem to thinks so.
Meaningful Name -- Named after her mother's friend.
Perpetual Frowner -- Before the older Mai changes her outlook on relationships.
Red Oni, Blue Oni -- She remains blue and never changes, unlike her mother.
Strong Family Resemblance -- She's the spitting image of Konami when she was the same age, down to having the same voice actress in the Japanese version. Their personalities, on the other hand, couldn't be more different.
Zettai Ryouiki -- For the same reason as Konami.

Keith

Voice actors: Yuuji Takada (JP), Brian Drummond (EN)

A man who comes to Ai's aid in episode 7 when the adult Daichi confronts her. He appears at first to be understanding and helpful, but has a less than friendly agenda: he is the sisters' guide, working on orders from Shizuku, and it's his job to make sure they get to meet her.

Associated tropes:

Adjusting Your Glasses -- He uses version 3 (by the bridge).
Anti-Villain -- While he is a prick, he genuinly believes what he says and only acts the way he does to show that he's right.
Authority Equals Asskicking -- Being the sisters' guide, he is said to outrank their guard Mea. Cue this trope whenever the two battle.
Badass Long Hair -- He might not be nice, but he sure knows how to fight.
Bishonen -- Mildly.
Break Them by Talking/"The Reason You Suck" Speech -- How he operates. It works, but only temporarily.
The Dragon -- To Shizuku, in a less evil version than usual. Whether he's physically stronger than her is never shown, but she still relies on him for help in bringing the sisters to her.
Four Eyes, Very Little Soul
Hidden Depths -- His motives are revealed in the last episode, long after he's made his debut appearance.
Jerkass -- He needed an attitude adjustment, oh so very badly. It happens in the last episode.
Long-Haired Pretty Boy -- Not very long, but it does reach his shoulders.
Muscles Are Meaningless -- Despite having Super Strength, he's not very muscular.
Nietzsche Wannabe -- He believes that no one has a place where they truly belong, and that it's pointless to look for such a place.
Odd Name Out -- The only Western name in the series, unless one reads Mea's name as "mare".
Psychotic Smirk -- Does this whenever things go his way. Granted, it's less psychotic and more smug.
Super Strength -- Implied to be his power.
Well-Intentioned Extremist -- "Extremist" is pushing it, but everything he does is, according to himself, done for a reason.
White-Haired Pretty Boy
Would Hit a Girl -- To be fair, Mai and Mea did attack him first, and it's not like they can't fight.
Would Hurt a Child -- Mai, although she's more teenager than child.
You Gotta Have Silver Hair

Shizuku

Voice actress: Rumi Shishido (JP)

The person the sisters are looking for, appearing for the first time in episode 5 and making her speaking debut in episode 11. She is essentially a goddess of dandelions, and is able to monitor the sisters from another dimension; when they meet her, she gives them the choice to either continue travelling or stay in a specific time period.

Associated tropes:

Curtains Match the Window -- White, hinting at mint green. Poyoyon Rock (Akio Watanabe), the character designer, must have really liked this trope.
Does Not Like Shoes -- Always seen barefoot.
Only Known by Their Nickname -- She's known as "The One" by the sisters before they learn her real name.
Shameless/Innocent Fanservice Girl -- She tends to sometimes remove her poncho, leaving her stark naked. It's hard to tell whether the former or the latter applies, seeing as how she's a godlike being.
White-Haired Pretty Girl
You Gotta Have White/Mint Hair

Spoiler tropes:

Anti-Villain -- While as far from villainous as one can be, she is still technically the closest this show has to a main antagonist (Wikipedia lists her as one in their character section, for one thing).
God Is Good -- If "good" means "nice".
Light Is Not Good -- Pretty much everything associated with her is shining, from the light emitted from the mansion when it teleports to her nice personality. She's still the reason the sisters have to make their journey.
Odd Job God -- She's the goddess of dandelions.
Physical God