larson.nella - 2014-10-26 02:08:15

ijohnson - 2014-09-23 23:59:53

Fate can often be a cruel word. To ascribe someone's life as being merely the flow of fate, takes away from that which a person has done on their own. It takes away from their achievements. In a similar vein, it 'okays' the shit they've gone through as having some purpose; rather than condemning those who cause horrendous shit in the first place.

Fate can often be a kind word. To ascribe someone's life as following the flow of fate, can give purpose to someone who doesn't know where to go next. It can fuel further achievements. In a similar vein it gives hope to someone as they go through tough times; as everything happy and everything sad happens for a reason. Nothing is wasted.

Mawaru Penguindrum is a 2011 anime that explores this dualism; created by Brain's Base (Baccano, Natsume Yuujinchou, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun...)  and directed by the creative genius that is Kunihiko Ikuhara (Sailor Moon, Revolutionary Girl Utena...). Penguindrum is a psychological, and philosophical drama that asks us about the costs of fighting fate. Even if to fight fate is the right thing to do.

The Takamura twins, Kanba and Shou, live happily in a quaint colourful house with their little sister Himari. At least they wish to. Himari is terminally ill, though stable enough to live at home and enjoy her remaining time with her brothers. Whilst doting on her in an exceptional display of adoration, she collapses at her favourite aquarium. Dying tragically, but at least happily. However an odd hat that she was bought at the aquarium brings her back to life with a call of "Survival tactics.".

From there on, the plot follows this family as the twins scramble to find the elusive 'Penguindrum' to ensure the continued survival of Himari. Both twins have different lengths they will go to to reach this goal; from focussing on this mystical hats demands, to making deals with the mob. Everyone in this show will do horrific things. Everyone in this show will do amazing things. The consequences of both actions may seem unfair. Life is not fair. Your efforts are rewarded, or not rewarded, without a care for what sacrifices you may have made. It is a struggle to deal with this, and it is this struggle that plagues the Takamura household and those they come into contact with.

Deceptively colourful is a good way to describe this show's aesthetic. Adorable mascot characters are juxtaposed with themes of terrorism, sexual assault, and child abuse. Some of these themes may have a risk of being highly problematic, however I feel the show treated it's characters quite well; in that nothing was used badly or just for gags. The varying sexualities, genders and social standings of the characters, whilst not being the focus, were relatively well portrayed. That isn't to say you won't ever be hurt by this show. No no no, this show is painfully sadistic. Thriving on and relying on the punishments it allocates to the cast. You will feel for and care about these characters. You will love them and they will be hurt. Life isn't something you can cheat, and Penguindrum is certainly a commentary on real life. You may not realise it at first. You may find some characters to be extreme. That noone can be like that. But they'll grow on you. The cast are awfully realistic in their extremes, noone acts inhuman. By the end of the show it wouldn't be surprising for you to be in a puddle of tears over these fictional characters in this penguinny anime.

Ikuhara is not a director who tells you everything you need to know in dialogue. He uses symbolism and metaphors almost to an extreme. To follow everything the show has to say you will need to actively watch it. Even then you probably won't pick up on everything, I certainly haven't. Despite this, the earlier episodes can be extremely fun and watchable without too much effort. These enjoyable comedy moments also continue throughout, though the further in you get the more they contrast with what else is on screen. Penguins that mirror the central trio provide this. Their actions mirror their 'owners'. So whilst what they may be doing could be considered comedic, they also express underlying meanings to what the scene is about. In a similar vein certain scenes are portrayed as humorous fantasies. However what they show may be more than what initially meets the eye.

Symbolism is a central tenant of Ikuhara's directing. From every unimportant character being a warning sign figure, to the large number of motifs throughout; Penguindrum oozes style. Unified colour schemes enhance and often give extra meaning to what a scene could be. Is this elevator ride one of joy? Terror? Or is it stained by long lost memories? All of this is conveyed through music, colour as well as through empty space. A thoroughly cohesive experience is Penguindrum, from style to substance everything builds together to create a feeling that is unique and special. Both openings are representative of this, as they give an insight into everything show is. As well as being rewatchable once you know what various symbolisms really mean.

Looking and sounding good are two things that Penguindrum undeniably has. Any of a large number of vocal tracks add to any episode's ending, either through contrast or exaggeration. These also tie into the very themes of the show, as they are sang by the character group Triple H. Whilst these EDs are not animated for the most part, the variety and feel of them make up for this. Insert tracks from this group are also commonplace in the series, mainly during a repeatedly shown and toyed with scene. Through use of formulaic animation and rearranges of the same riff, the show manages to feel very lifelike and wholesome. This cohesion that the style of the show oozes, is matched in how the show sounds.The OST has a huge variety of tracks. From the piano focussed and more fairy tale like, to more rocky guitar pieces, film noir style pieces, and even pieces that wouldn't sound out of place in a mech show. The main unifying riffs are used appropriately and enhanced with beautiful vocal choirs. Even theatre-esque tracks and classical music make appearances appropriately. Maintaining such a cohesive show whilst having such variety is nothing short of amazing.

Amazing is something I wouldn't hesitate to call Penguindrum. Whilst a bigger world is not present, the depth and breadth of all characters make up for this. The depth and breadth of the ideas that are explored in the show make up for this. The sheer beauty and care that is Penguindrum makes up for this. Not many shows attempt what is attempted here. Not many shows can. There are alot of different shows you can watch, Crunchyroll and Netflix certainly help with that. Yet if you're looking for something special, a show that you can watch countless times. A show that does things differently, that will leave you feeling empty inside when finished. Penguindrum will certainly satisfy, and despite not being on streaming services, is well worth any and all money you can put into it.

krystal43 - 2014-08-22 10:36:53

Good evening my fellow Otaku, how are you today? Today I will be reviewing a very bizarre anime, yet funny and dark, almost like the anime Welcome to the NHK, but not so dark. I am talking about Mawaru Penguindrum. It is a comedy, drama, mystery, psychological anime, yes it sound weird but that is why I love it so much.

Story:

The story is about our three main characters, a family of two brothers named Kanba and Shoma and their little sister Himari. They live a normal life until Himari decide to go to the aquarium and stuff happens and she collapsed. She ended up in the hospital and died. However due to a penguin hat will determine whether Himari will live or die. when Himari has that hat on she turns in to another person, or rather an another personality. she gives them a mission that will determine whether Himari lives or dies... again. Their mission is to find the Penguindrum. And along the way we get to know them and watch them go from normal family life to become, mentally insane. God I love this anime, it begins like a normal slice of life anime, but slowly becomes a dark psychological anime.

Animation:

The studio that did the animation was studio Brains Base. Known for their works such as Baccano and Durarara. The animaton was fluid, but the art style reminded me of Durarara, except it was to colorful for a psychological anime. They use a lot of pink and blue in the backgrounds. It is not bad, by any stretch of the imagination, but the art style will throw you of and might fool you. However the quality of the animation is magnificent, and the fact that it throws you of just makes it so much better. 

Sound:

The soundtrack is the weakest part in the anime. It`s nothing that stands out, not to say that the music fit`s the scene or the atmosphere of the anime. However it`s not something to listen to without footage. Except from a few songs named "labyrinth of coral" and "Farewell the sons of destiny". No I am not a fan of the song "rock over Japan". And the same go for the opening and ending them.

Characters:

All of the characters are likable to an extent. My favorite part of the characters is when they go mentally insane, to a degree. I mean they don`t become disturbing like the characters in Higurashi no naku koro ni or Yuno from Mirai Nikki. It is however sad to say that some characters, development did not shine through. Here is an example, Himari barely gets any development through the anime, but her brothers become completely different people.

Enjoyment:

FUCK YEAH!!!!! I loved this anime. I especially loved it`s message about destiny and how we are tied to it.

So after calculating the story, animation, characters, sound and my enjoyment has me rewarding Mawaru Penguindrum a score of 8.97/10

Recommendation

Puella magi madoka magica for its dark theme’s and Durarara for the art style.                     

mokon - 2014-07-27 12:18:39

hallie.mcdermott - 2014-06-03 07:46:22

Very cute, pretty emotional, somewhat confusing, but overall pretty good.

The story does well in pulling on your heart-strings right from the get-go and just when you think that you may have gone too deep, it does a great job in tugging at your curiosity as the plot is introduced. I mean, a girl's terminal illness is cured by a penguin hat. What more are you asking for people?!

Each of the characters has their own back-story and they are each are very affecting in their own way and as someone who loves character development this was a great draw to me. As for relationships between characters, there were some times where I wish there was further depth but it was never too little to bore me.

The music was great, the intro, the transition song, and the outro were all amazing. Definitely ones that got put on my playlist.

The ending of the story was similar to some others I've seen before and they always leave me a bit flustered. As a sweets-lover I like having my endings almost too sugary sweet, so these bittersweet ones really get to me. A good resolution overall, the actual quality of the ending isn't impacted by my personal desires. And overall I was pretty happy with the storyline.

And those penguins are just wicked, freaking cute!

humberto.welch - 2014-03-30 22:48:01

filed under shows I vaguely plan to rewatch. while that doesn't happen, I have blurry yet fond memories of a nice sountrack, beautiful animation and ikuhara being ikuhara.

roger92 - 2014-01-21 03:47:31

Mawaru Penguindrum is an anime unafraid to break conventional rules. Its story is lucrative and all over the place, and is hilarious yet profound. It has an extensive use of symbolism to convey its morals and message, similar to Kunihiko Ikuhara’s other piece, Revolutionary Girl Utena. It has a nice set of characters each with their own quirks that make them interesting and diverse. The animation is well-done and the soundtrack is stunning. But most importantly, it has irresistibly adorable penguins that you just can’t help but feel like hugging. Such qualities should make Penguindrum an outstanding anime. Unfortunately, various problems, such as its abuse of drama and its messy form of narrative, plague the anime and bring it down from what it could have been.

Immediately in the first episode, we are faced with a serious, real issue: the world is not fair. The issues of the world are incredibly pressing and parallel very well to serious issues in the real world. Take, for example, the relatively recent shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. What did the children do to deserve such a tragic fate? Why did this happen to the poor innocent children? If God is omnipotent and infinitely generous, how could he let such a fate take place? There is no doubt that these questions went through the victim’s parents heads after the incident. Shouma and Kanba Takakura are faced with the same questions when their little sister, Himari, a kind, sweet girl dies an untimely death from her terminal disease. The tragedy of fate is explored throughout Mawaru Penguindrum as the two brothers try desperately try to save Himari from her inevitable death written by destiny and by God.

Though it may seem that this is a “weighty” anime, Penguindrum actually has many comedic and lighthearted moments, mostly in the first part of the anime. This bring us to an important point- The anime is, to many people, divided into two parts. The first half of the anime is something more familiar – it’s like a crazy slice-of-life romcom almost. Many people drop it in the beginning, but it should be noted that Penguindrum is not what it initially seems like. The second half takes a more psychological take, and its use of symbolism drastically increases. It also becomes more supernatural and magic becomes ever more prevalent. The introduction of magic as well as other elements make the second part much more convoluted and messy, leaving viewers often wondering “what is going on?” Multiple events start happening at once and at the same time we have flashbacks throughout each episode, making episodes go all over the place.

Many people say that Penguindrum’s story is “weird,” which is a legitimate complaint. The anime starts with two boys, Shouma and Kanba, losing their sister to an inevitably fatal illness. However, a magical penguin hat reincarnates her but will only keep her alive if Shouma and Kanba find the “penguindrum,” which we don’t know the exact information about. The first person they meet is a highschool girl that stalks a teacher in hopes of having a romantic relationship with him and carries around a diary that tells the future, which is suspected to be the Penguindrum. Sound strange? Well, it only gets more radical from there. They later meet the teacher’s famous, Yuri wife named yuri, a girl with a gun that shoots memory-wiping balls, and a pink haired, ghost doctor who uses magic to try and destroy the world. However, the different feel of Mawaru Penguindrum is also highly refreshing. It’s safe to say that Mawaru Penguindrum is unique and is not very similar to any one anime, making it a nice break from run-of-the-mill series. Its daringly eccentric story creates a fun and new experience. Its production is also very well done, making the story all the more captivating. The brutality of fate, the yearning of someone’s love, the pain of loneliness, among other things are explored through the anime.

What made Penguindrum awesome for me was its astonishing use of symbolism throughout the anime. Many symbols were thought-provoking and cleverly done, a real treat to someone who ponders on them. Some carry with them strong messages and morals of the story, making symbols a large component of the anime. Hell, Penguindrum itself is one grand, magnificent symbol. However, not all symbols were so spectacular. Some of them were one dimensional and had little thought behind them. Many symbols are open to interpretation just like a poem, so you take your own meaning out of each one. There isn’t a universal meaning for some symbols and you figure out your own, though some are flatly explained. Because of this subjective judgment for symbols, I’ll refrain from saying which ones are good or not, and let you pick your own favorites.

Probably one of the biggest problems I have with Penguindrum is its use of drama. A prime example of this is its use of death scenes. Death scenes are repeated over and over to a point they are meaningless and don’t deliver nearly the same effect as the first time (like medicine, to those who have watched it already). *spoiler (though not a big one): Himari dies so many times throughout the anime, and always comes back after a little mourning. When she is finally dead for good, or as we think, we have the crying scenes, the “fate is cruel” monologue, and are left feeling awfully depressed when the episode ends. Then the next episode, she’s alive again like nothing ever happened. A few episodes later, you’ll forget it ever happened. Death is only used as a dramatic component for sadness, but has little real meaning. The triteness of death is just one of the numerous examples of abuse of drama. Another example is meaningless and even misleading suspense. For example, many episodes end or scenes are cut with the main character in the face of danger, leaving us with suspense and excitement. This suspense turns out to be meaningless as the danger actually never existed. The anime deceives the viewers making them feel excited and scared for what is about to happen, only to say that it was just kidding soon after.

Another major problem I have with Penguindrum is its use of magic, especially in the second half of the anime. For an anime trying to depict the brutality of reality, the unfairness of life, and the powerlessness against fate, it’s not apt that the anime uses magic mumbo-jumbo. Now, the problem isn’t the existence of magic in the anime, but rather its use- it is used as a solution to real problems. Fate is brutal and written in stone… unless you have a magic hat of course. Then you can solve all your solutions by just resetting fate. The implementation of magic puts a strain on Penguindrum’s overall message, and makes the second part even messier.

But by far the greatest issue of Penguindrum is how crazy its narrative gets in the second half. Many things starts to happen at all once on top of frequent flashbacks to events in the past, leading to large confusion. The direction the anime takes is also very obscure and random at times. It attempts to do many things at once, and unfortunately does not succeed.

Penguindrum has a nice, diverse set of characters that have their fair share of strengths and weaknesses. In the Takakura family, we have 3 of the main characters, Kanba, Shouma, and Himari. Their parents have been missing for a while, so the siblings actually take different family roles. Kanba is the masculine head of the family, he’s cold and often resorting to dirty tactics to save Himari, who he dearly cares about. Shouma is the more maternal part of the family, he’s kind and thoughtful, and even cleans and cooks. The two highly contrast each other, and this contrast is further apparent as the anime goes on as their differences go to the point that they part ways as they take their own path to save Himari. The relationship between all 3 family members of the family is beautifully developed and portrayed. The side characters are for the most part interesting and each develop throughout the series. It should also be noted that there are adorable blue penguins that are representations of these three characters.

However, this part of Penguindrum is not all sunshine either. Though the characters do develop over time, the development is highly inconsistent and changes to suit the story. This is especially true in the side characters, whos motivations are enigmatic and always changing. Many characters are also forgotten about after their major part in the story, and end up having little impact on the outcome. A prime example of this is Ringo, one of the 4 main characters. The first part of the anime focuses on her quest, known as “Project M,” but soon after, she quickly forgotten. She appears again at many times after this, but by then is little more than a bystander and no longer plays such a significant role. The backstories for the characters are also sadly all too similar, kind of like the universal “daddy problems” in Neon Genesis Evangelion. They all are suffering similar situations (which, for the sake of no spoilers, will not be explained) and there isn’t much variety. And by the end of the anime, we still only know this much. Though similar and unknown backgrounds isn’t a major problem, it still is somewhat disappointing.

Another fault of the characters is the lack of individual development. Though the relationships between the characters are strong, development on a person basis is weak and highly inconsistent. This is especially prominent in the side characters, but for the sake of brevity,let's just focus on the main characters. We have Kanba, the masculine head of the family. He develops little until the second half, where he takes a radical turn into evil and doing shady business. This transformation made little sense, and was merely to conveniently match with the plot. Shouma doesn't develop much if at all throughout the whole series. Himari is also not a very strong character, as she is, in my opinion, little more than a plot device. She doesn’t develop much throughout the anime, and though she does have things like regret from the past, nothing really comes out of it.One side character with the most flagrant development that I'd like to mention is Dr. Sanetoshi. We know little about him except he supposedly died 10 years ago, his ghost lurks around and plans to destroy the world with magic.

Now let’s get to one of the brighter parts of the anime: its art. The animation is brilliantly colorful, and the image is clear and sharp. At times, especially later on, the art adds a more surreal effect fitting for the anime. Character designs are also very well done, and few characters look completely identical. The background characters are unmoving figures similar to those in bathroom signs. The soundtrack is also top-notch and beautiful, and there is a plethora of very well-done openings and endings, my favorite of which is “Dear Future.”The OST is just as spectacular, and fits into scenes seamlessly and perfectly.

With the flaws in mind, Penguindrum's refreshing uniqueness alone does not label it as an outstanding anime. To me, an anime needs to be more than just different to be outstanding, and with this many weaknesses, Penguindrum doesn't cut it. Criticism aside though, I enjoyed almost every minute of Penguindrum, and despite its flaws, it was very enjoyable. Yeah, Penguindrum was a crazy, convoluted, wild ride, but in the end it definitely worth the experience.

7/10

xwindler - 2013-12-01 06:03:12

A very abstract anime at first but unfolds to be seemingly amazing and very thought provoking. If you are on edge with watching this anime I would say watch it without a doubt, but as you are watching keep in mind this anime is almost like a big metaphor and some things in it are not to be taken for their literal meaning. And if are a fan of Revolutionary Girl Utena this anime will please you I guarantee it.

shad79 - 2013-07-25 08:08:28

So Mawaru Penguindrum in a nutshell is an emotional story about a family of two brothers and their younger sister who dies of terminal cancer. However, she is brought back to life by the penguin hat that they bought earlier and the penguin hat demands that the two brother find this 'Penguindrum', in order to keep their sister alive. And that was probably the best way I could sum it up. The story itself is a mix of dark emotions and very light hearted emotions. Once you watch episode 1, you will understand what I mean by a mix of dark and light hearted emotions.Anyways moving on to the really weird way I assess anime:Story & Setting (1/2):The story is set in modern day Japan, so the amount of context that the viewers have to absorb is nearly none at all. The first episode really does well in setting up the characters and what is happening. The story itself is quite linear and straightforward, taking the two brothers and the audience to meet new people who have some sort of connection to the mysterious 'Penguindrum'. However some aspects of the story may not appeal to some viewers such as invisible penguins suddenly appearing and such. I felt that the ending was a bit of a let down but I still thoroughly enjoyed the anime. Art & Animation (2/2):This aspect is probably the most distinctive and unique aspect of the anime. The way that destiny can be visualized as some sort of a train journey with different destinations and the ability to transfer fates and destinations is quite creative. You'll see a lot of connections between the setting/story and the explored idea of changing/transferring fate.Art-wise, this anime is very colorful. The Survival Strategy Meeting sequences always makes me smile because it's just something weird which contrasts to the very dark feel of the anime. Another detail I appreciate is the fact that only the main characters get detail to their appearances. Every other background person is drawn as a figure. So it pulls all the attention to the main characters, which I also find creative. Animation-wise this anime is done very well. There isn't much I can complain or compliment about it because it really isn't an action anime with flying battleships or mechas.Sound [Voice Acting, OP + ED, BGM] (2/2):The voice acting in this anime was done alright. I don't have any major issues with this area. There are a lot of monologues about fate and that may get a little repetitive though. But it's not too bad.Both OPs to me were alright. I didn't hate them but I didn't love them either. And I don't pay much attention to the EDs.Background music I think was alright too. Not much to comment about it. It didn't hinder my overall experience from watching the anime. However the one background music I will always remember from this anime is the Survival Strategy Meeting sequence music. Dear lord that sequence is catchy. Characterization (2/2):Some of the characters might seem weird to you but in the end it's all warm and fuzzy with really sad heartbreaking moments. There are also a lot of characters which may confuse you as to what they're trying to achieve but the anime wraps it all up nicely towards the end. Generally I don't really have a problem with the characters in the anime. Not that I can remember.Overall Enjoyment (1/2):I thoroughly enjoyed this anime, especially the contrasting themes and how they intertwine towards the end. There were a lot of heartbreaking moments and silly moments but I still feel like the ending really let me down. Though that could be a personal opinion though. The take-home point of this anime is that there are a lot of emotions conveyed in it and that you might find this anime to be different to what you were expecting. 8/10, though in my heart it will sit as a 9 or a 10.

streich.dereck - 2013-06-29 02:36:39

For a while now I have been using the seasonal anime chart to track the new shows that are premiering each season to decide what I'll watch. I didn't even remember Penguindrum showing up on it. So when I saw the episode on a list for new shows I checked and there it was... a pretty boring picture of the penguin logo. I went into the series without any expectations. I have not seen Utena, so I had no idea what to expect. The first episode is going on, it's good, enjoyable and then... all of a sudden... out of nowhere... SURVIVAL STRATEGY. As I sat there dumbfounded at the proceeding scene I knew at that moment I stumbled upon something special. The anime itself is full of twists. However, at the core the story is about two brother (Kamba and Shouma) who get contracted to find something called the Penguindrum by a penguin hat who is possessing, and giving the power of life to their recently deceased (now alive) sister, Himari. But, the anime turns out to be much more complex as more and more people are after what the brothers want. As the story goes on the characters learn more about those around them, and themselves.It's psychological, the anime will make you think, sometimes about the themes the anime is putting out and other times it just messes up your mind. Don't assume you know anything about what's really going on, you'll be surprised. Character development is done in a great deal through flash backs, which sometimes take up a majority of an episode. Character past is extremely important in this series and the reveal of each characters backstory is placed in a perfect spot to make the viewer gasp in amazement. Instantly your perception of a character or a situation can drastically change.The characters themselves are varied and enjoyable. Personally I really like Ringo, she's kinda creepy (ok very creepy) at the start, but she just becomes that girl you root for. There's a pink haired guy who is "Fabulous Max". As you learn more about each character you understand more about the situation and the entirety of the show. The art work is very impressive. I'm not sure if I'm alone on this, but I'm wondering if they were budget stricken since they do pull a few obvious money saving tracks like reuse of animation, NPC characters just an outline, like an entire episode done with paper drawings (the Kare Kano adaptation did the same thing... but that was under even more problems). Even so, I have no complaints about anything. The animation is all crisp and really have a type of artistic flair you don't see in a lot of animes. If you enjoyed Bakemonogatari's art style you'll enjoy Penguindrums. The OPs are generally very similar to each other. I'd say the feel of them really fit into how the show feels. However, the real champion of the music is Rock Over Japan...the song that plays during the Survival Strategy segment. It simply glues you to the screen.In the end Mawaru Penguindrum delivers on every level you could have asked, and then some. Listen, you low-lives who will never amount to anything, watch Mawaru Penguindrum. Now, let us initiate the Survival Strategy.