[Let's Watch!] Mawaru Penguindrum: "a penguin-like show" （・⊝・）

[blkmage]

One of the main themes of Penguindrum is fate. You have to remember the context of Yuri's and Tabuki's conversation. He asked whether she hates them and responds that he doesn't because the sins of the parents shouldn't fall on their children. There are two things to note here.

First of all, he says he doesn't hate them, but doesn't say that he likes them. He has a rather neutral or passive stance towards them, compared the Yuri's active and aggressive attitude towards them. Which leads to the second thing.

The show has been foreshadowing the punishment that the Takakuras will get. This is something that is fated to happen and this is a fact that's tacitly accepted by every single character. Even Kanba, who hates fate, accepts it as a force and intentionally struggles against it.

Tabuki is the one who hands down the punishment because he's fated to do so and he accepts that role. Yeah, he doesn't hate them because of what their parents did, but he accepts that he's the one who has to do it and that they're fated to get punished. And he doesn't necessarily like the Takakuras, so he's not conflicted about it at all.

[MangaRocks!]

Tabuki is the one who hands down the punishment because he's fated to do so and he accepts that role. Yeah, he doesn't hate them because of what their parents did, but he accepts that he's the one who has to do it and that they're fated to get punished.

Ah, I didn't think of that-- that's a really good insight! Thanks blkmage!

[goldenspines]

Oh no, not the elevator. We're going to revolutionize the world, guys.


Lots of interesting developments in this episode. Glad to know we're not rid of survival strategy.
There's still 7 more episodes to wrap this up and it looks like things are slowly pulling together.

[blkmage]

If it cannot break out of its shell, the chick will die without ever being born.

[Rusty Claymore]

Episode 16: [-- ] PengDrum was hit! It's in critical condition!
Episode 17: [--------- ] PengDrum used Main Characters! PengDrum Recovered!

Anyways, I am now officially sided with red head chick. And not just cause I like red hair.
Now, is the Survival Strategist the Goddess trying to undo the punishment, or is she Mary and Dr. Librarian Guy the Goddess?

Looking forward to who comes to the rescue, but by the way things have been going, maybe they wont...

However, someone is obviously controlling everything from the shadows using fate...

El Psy Congroo.

[FllMtl Novelist]

Yuri: "Hi Ringo, can I meet with you privately again?"
Ringo: "Oh, sure! But I'm with my friend Himari now."
Yuri: "Himari? Oh, tell you what, let's all have dinner together tonight! I'm a trustworthy adult!"
Ringo: "That sounds great! "

*facepalm*

[MomentOfInertia]

Yuri: "Hi Ringo, can I meet with you privately again?"
Ringo: "Oh, sure! But I'm with my friend Himari now."
Yuri: "Himari? Oh, tell you what, let's all have dinner together tonight! I'm a trustworthy adult!"
Ringo: "That sounds great! "

*facepalm*

"Why yes, meting at an empty construction site is completely normal."

I'm glad we've gone back to the usual pattern well, relatively normal.
"Welcome (back) to rock and roll night!"...

[MangaRocks!]

Episode 18:

Whoa, was this episode intense!

Re: Tabuki-- uh, I guess it was (at least mostly) revenge after all, then...

And oh man, so much more was revealed-- Tabuki's backstory and what was up with his hand, his relationship with Momoka, the apparent explanation for the fire punishments Momoka received, what was up with the 'child broiler' (...yikes!!! :wow!::wow!:), and etc.; plus all of the stuff that was happening in the present, which was not only (as mentioned) quite intense, but also (once again) tremendously emotional. Wow.

One of the best episodes so far!

[blkmage]

So it turns out that Tabuki's problems did turn out to be with his parents.

We've actually seen the Child Broiler before, back when Himari met Sanetoshi in the library.

And once again, Kanba saves the day by being invulnerable.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

I don't necessarily expect people to agree with me or feel as strongly as I do about this, but I thought the first segment after the ending was absolutely one of the most moving things I have seen in a while.

The abstract imagery of the sign-children in the child broiler, sliding down into the blender(?), being told they will all become a homogenous blob and dsiappear, being ground and broken into pieces resembling shards of glass...this affected me greatly. The fact that the children's suffering wasn't "realistically" portrayed did not blunt to emotional impact of the scene. In fact, I think it actually proved to be more powerful imagery because of its abstractness. My imagination and emotions did the heavy lifting.

And then there was Momoka. Suffering and completely pouring herself out for someone else, for a child, whose soul was shattered by his parents (motif in this show) bent on self-loathing and self-destruction...she let her hand get mercilessly drilled into just so she could keep Tabuki from destroying himself. Afterwards, she could identify with the pain in his hands. It all seemed very Christ-like, which is likely intentional. Tabuki was freed because he could "live for" Momoka.

Perhaps, though, in a weird way that just became another form of bondage for Tabuki. Without Momoka, his life doesn't have any meaning for him. He doesn't know how to live for himself, escaping one cage to fly right into another. I think Momoka would have taught him how to live his life better than that, were she around.

The whole crew at Brains Base should be really proud of that episode. It was the high point of the series so far, for me, and just executed wonderfully. Bravo team.

[MangaRocks!]

^ Well said, SubtleDoc.

As for Episode 19, at the moment the main thought in my mind is:

[SIZE="4"]SHOUMA/HIMARI WHAT THE HECK?????!!!!!!!!! :wow!::dizzy::wow!::wow!:[/SIZE]

...And now that I've got that out of my system , here are my coherent thoughts:

Up until this point, I was totally expecting Himari's soulmate to be either Kanba, Mario, or (with the Momoka connection) possibly even Tabuki; but since this show has proven itself to be beyond unpredictable over and over again, I suppose that really should have been my first clue that it would in fact be NONE of those. :grin: Still, even if I had realized that-- and connected it up with some of the other little interesting details surrounding Shouma over the course of the series so far-- I would never, ever, *ever* have expected her soulmate to be Shouma. Wow.

Also, apparently Himari is not biologically related to them-- which, to be honest, in itself wasn't really a surprise, but (again) the fact that it was Shouma (not Kanba or their parents) who saved her sure was.

(I still ship Shouma with Ringo, though... )

Plus: Kanba knew exactly where their parents were, and he was getting the money directly from them (which makes sense); Sanetoshi cannot harm the diary by his own powers, rather he must try to make humans do it for him; and more!

Cannot wait for the next episode!

[blkmage]

So I hadn't clued in on this until now, but it turns out all of Triple H's songs are ARB covers.

ROCK OVER JAPAN - ARB, Triple H
灰色の水曜日 - ARB, Triple H
Bad News 黒い予感 - ARB, Triple H
イカレちまったぜ!! - ARB, Triple H
HIDE and SEEK - ARB, Triple H (episode 19)

Also, yes, they are releasing an album of all the Triple H EDs/covers of ARB songs.

[FllMtl Novelist]

Yayyyy, I'm up-to-date again. Now I'll do some [s]rambling/recap and ask questions I don't expect any answers to, and cleverly disguise it as having[/s] astounding observations.

[SIZE="4"]SHOUMA/HIMARI WHAT THE HECK?????!!!!!!!!! :wow!::dizzy::wow!::wow!:[/SIZE]

I KNOW WHY WHY WHY.

Aherm. Anyway.


-I guess the whole Shouma/Himari thing could explain why Himari seemed a little upset seeing Ringo helping him out in the kitchen. Could have been just sibling stuff, but apparently (maybe?) not.
-Takakura parents are alive and well, but in hiding for some reason I might have missed.
-Pink-haired guy went a whole episode without saying "I know, right?" Also, he needs the diary destroyed...
-So Masako wants to save Kanba from this Fate Train thing that everyone's talking about. She thinks bringing Himari's memory back will somehow make Kanba love her again. So... Kanba knew Himari wasn't family, or what? Or is Himari somebody who once had reason to hate Kanba? o.0
-Shouma: "Come with us! We have magic! " I thought he was a little too normal in comparison to the rest of the cast. Makes me wonder what else he knows/can do.
-Speaking of which, does Shouma remember the Child Broiler incident? I mean, if Himari didn't, was he made to forget as well, perhaps by the 'parents'?

Actually, is Shouma even related to the Takakuras? Because the only one who bears any real resemblance to either parent is Kanba. Which I guess could also make you wonder if the Takakuras have other kids of their own in hiding, or something.

Dying for the next episode. For... various reasons.

(I still ship Shouma with Ringo, though... )

A good fangirl goes down with her ship.

*tosses life preserver aside and strikes dramatic pose*

[goldenspines]

See? SEEEE? Sho is finally useful.
Or something.

Good episode. More answers are coming to light and things are moving forward (kinda sorta maybe). I'm wondering if Kanba and Sho are really brothers now.

Man, I don't care if pink-haired doctor/librarian is the bad guy, I still like him.

A good fangirl goes down with her ship.

*tosses life preserver aside and strikes dramatic pose*

*dies laughing* XD;

[blkmage]

Well, this might explain the specificity when Takakura dad was saying it's a boy, as in, there's only one kid, back in whichever episode it was that they carried out the plot.

[MangaRocks!]

^ Probably so, considering that-- as just revealed in Episode 20-- Kanba is actually the brother (or, at the very least, half-brother) of Masako and Mario!

Anyway, this episode: Aside from that new piece of info, it also revealed some more fantastic backstory, this time on the whole thing with Shouma and Himari (and the Broiler, and even a bit about the parents' meetings and their 'company'/'companies'!). And oh man... I've been (at least what I thought was) a firm supporter of Shouma/Ringo for a while now, but that stuff was literally so powerful that at this point I think I'm actually okay with whoever Shouma chooses!

Amazing how this show can (and does!) make you hold one opinion, then make you completely (or almost completely) change that opinion... and then does it again, and again, and again, and no matter how many times it does so, you pretty much never see it coming. Wow.

Also: 'Freezing over' and 'Frozen World' are apparently the new terms for the week; and my oh my, that was quite the interesting conversation between Himari and Sanetoshi...!

Pulling off the rest of the necessary connections/explanations + a satisfying finale in the remaining 4 episodes (that is, if they're not planning some sort of sequel, of course!) would be-- and, I am both hoping and expecting, will be-- quite the impressive feat. And I cannot wait to see it done!

[blkmage]

This week's Triple H song is ARB - Private Girl.

Something I hadn't realized until I was looking stuff up about fugu a few weeks ago was that Sanetoshi's SHIBIRERU DAROU, which is translated to Isn't it electrifying?, actually refers to the sensation that you get from paralysis or numbing. It's also a word used for fascination. Obviously, as the show uses it, there's always the double meaning there which becomes extremely obvious with the fugu shenanigans.

Why I bring this up now is because now we've got talk of freezing and being frozen.

[FllMtl Novelist]

It's got incest. Then it doesn't. No, wait--yes it does. Give it another episode.

And MangaRocks summed up everything else quite nicely. (Except I'll still ship Shouma/Ringo. Because I already made a dramatic pose and everything. :l)

Something I hadn't realized until I was looking stuff up about fugu a few weeks ago was that Sanetoshi's SHIBIRERU DAROU, which is translated to Isn't it electrifying?, actually refers to the sensation that you get from paralysis or numbing. It's also a word used for fascination. Obviously, as the show uses it, there's always the double meaning there which becomes extremely obvious with the fugu shenanigans.

Why I bring this up now is because now we've got talk of freezing and being frozen.

Ooh. Thanks for mentioning that.


Anybody else noticing similarities between Shouma and Momoka? They've both got a knack for saving people, both are connected to a "fake family"...

[MomentOfInertia]

Anybody else noticing similarities between Shouma and Momoka? They've both got a knack for saving people, both are connected to a "fake family"...

And they are the (relatively) normal one just trying to make things right however they can.

[MangaRocks!]

Episode 21.

After watching this, I think that pretty much the only thing I could say for a little while was "Holy Crap...!!!", because otherwise I was speechless.

Last week, I had said that I was both hoping and expecting them to pull off everything that they needed to within the space of these last few episodes, and that doing so would be quite impressive.

Well, consider me impressed.

Some big changes happened + many little details/explanations were finally fit into place in just this one episode, yet the pacing was absolutely superb. (And, of course, yet again this episode had some great emotional kick as well.) Wow.

Bring on Episode 22!!

[blkmage]

This week's Triple H song is ARB - 魂こがして.

And with that, we seem to have moved into the final act. As we get more and more details filled, in, it'll be interesting to see which symbols actually mean something and which ones turn out to be red herrings.

[goldenspines]

That ED. <3

Aside from crying at some very touching moments in this episode, there are two important things we need to remember.

Masako is Kanba's real sister and the "bear" figurines in the boxes at the end are the same Seizon Senryaku "bears".

Time to initiate the survival strategy and revolutionize the world!

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Two things:

(1.) This show truly manages to not waste one single moment. Something is always happening that is not only symbolic (as we all know) but also pushes along either the story or the characterization or both. It is a shame that more anime are not this efficient in the use of the episode time they've got.

(2.) This show keeps "getting" me. I only began to suspect that Mr. and Mrs. Takakura weren't real a couple of minutes before Himari walked into the bar. I wasn't for sure though. I feel like I "should" have been able to see it coming, but I'm glad I wasn't. I'm happy when a show can surprise me.

...OK, more than two things.

Sanetoshi is dead?

Yuri showed up again? And reunited with Tabuki? I did not expect to see her anyone, if I'm honest. I'm glad they brought her back and she made up with Tabs. That felt right to me.

[blkmage]

Too bad one of them may have gotten stabbed.

Yes, Ikuhara is very good at this anime thing. It makes me wonder what he's been doing in the fourteen years since Utena.

[Rusty Claymore]

Yay, it's penguindrum again! So, who now are manifest curses and who are real? Did pinkhaircurseguy look like that at first, or did he get like that after Momoka stopped him? On that thought though, Momoka was the "other entity like him" from the library scene. Is the penguin goddess Momoka?
On a language note, Goldy, I noticed the word they translated as "soulmate" was umeihito(?), literally Fate-Person. Does that have the same conentation as the english localization, or is there another meaning in Japanese that could add a twist? Something that doesn't necessarily imply romance?

[MangaRocks!]

Episode 22:

Wow. This one was really heartbreaking-- and in several different ways, no less! From how Himari was willing to do anything and everything in her power to try to pull Kanba out of the terrible situation he had gotten himself in, yet even when (despite her own feelings) she basically offered him everything he could want, he still didn't allow it to reach him... to how she then voluntarily relinquished her very life... to how Tabuki saved Yuri... to how Kanba saved Masako (and I was *not* expecting him to get shot! )... to how Masako saved Kanba in return... etc., it was quite the emotional episode. Oh yeah, and to top it all off, there was that absolutely amazing bit of dialogue from Tabuki, too!

Needless to say, I was spellbound.

...And then, of course, the very end goes and shows Shouma in a box, and I'm left thinking "What the crap...???" :grin:

I knew this already, of course, but I just have to say it: This show is incredible!

[goldenspines]

"We just needed someone to tell us we were loved." *A*

Aw man, Tabuki.

THEN
AND THEN

MASAKO NOOOOOOO! D8

I really did enjoy the relationship dynamics we had going on this episode.
Kanba gained back cool points for saving Masako.
And the appearance of Double H was wonderful.

Please don't tell me that everyone is going to die by the end of the series. T^T

[blkmage]

Symbolism predicts that 23 is going to be a crazy episode.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Symbolism predicts that 23 is going to be a crazy episode.

Zettai unmei mokushiroku?

[FllMtl Novelist]

Whoo, I'm late posting.

Oh man, Himari gets a really nice and expensive-looking coat for winter, and everyone else (with the exception of Matrix-coat Kanba) has to make do with huge scarves. :< Ringo must be freezing in that skirt. /winterhating

When I eventually get a cell phone, I'll search for that app. Because, uh, virtual bowling looks like fun.

I like how Kanba and Masako's (and Mario's) father's identity is concealed in such a way that he could have just been some random dude, or he could be somebody in the cast. (Like... Sanetoshi maybe, or that journalist guy. Considering what else has happened in the show, I hesitate to write it off.)

Interesting how Shouma seems to hail from Pingroup (logo on the box) but ended up with the Takakuras and Kiga. Maybe he's a tribute of some kind? (I just checked--the three penguins came from Pingroup too.) I look forward to seeing it all explained.