Mawaru Penguin Drum

[corocoro]

SERIES INFORMATION​

Original Name: 輪るピングドラム
Alternative Name: Mawaru - Penguindrum, PenguinDrum
Categories: Slice of Life
Producer: Brains Base

SUMMARY
New project from the director of Revolutionary Girl Utena, Kunihiko Ikuhara.

Three siblings, twins Kanba and Shouma, and the in-and-out-of-the-hospital Himari who's in poor health, live together at the Takakura home. One day, when the siblings are out on a trip to the aquarium, Himari collapses. The doctors state that nothing can be done for her anymore, but then, a miracle occurs...


My Opinion:
I watched around five minutes before deciding this is just standard, boring slice of life and went on to do something else. There was also a distinct lack of penguins, then again the title would actually translate to "Revolving Pingdrum" (or so I heard), so whatever. ~_~​

 

[Terumi]

There are penguins! In the last 5 minutes however, :P

Not sure whether to stick around for 2 cours, Kou is in though.

 

[Kou]

The author for star driver and utena, so this guarantee a watch. 2nd half of episode 1 is quite different from 1st half. Gotta admit this show has style and unique among the shows this season.

 

[Terumi]

Spoiler: episode 2

PACING PACING PACING!

The studio most likely forgot that this is only the second episode. Too fast, pacing was evidently horrible to me this week.

Out of nowhere, we see the crazy-possessed imouto ordering the 2 guys to find the penguindrum. What actually transpired was totally unknownst to me, really. And the recycled scenes of the girl's clothings simply 'exploding' off her is not a good news to me too. Meet this girl on the train here and there. Go now, or your sister will die. Thats a threat dudes, thats a threat.

Result? Penguin spy team. THE PENGUINS ARE DAMN CUTE! :D The way they waddle around, be it getting stuck in the train where no one can see them, or sneaking into an all-girl school with 2nd grade spy gadgets. TOO CUTE. Really. I wanna whack those 2 idiots for making them climb the lidge, it was so dangerous!

Stalker girl + future skills + fate = a troubled woman

Still dont know if i wanna go on with this, most probably yes, but i am doing it for the penguins

 

[Kou]

Spoiler: episode 2

The second episode was just as fun as the first.

A stalker girl giving off yandere vibes and who has a diary able to predict the future in her possession... Yuno, is that you!? At first, I had a pretty nice impression of her as a normal girl with normal dreams… but this show really takes all the normalcy it establishes and then smashes it. When I saw how deep in to crazy she was… hurrrrrrrrr. Well, this prove interesting. The symbol on Ringo is diary is in the ending, along with other symbols. Can we assume that means other magic objects will show up in the series?

Seeing two stalkers stalk a stalker proved to be even more entertaining than I thought it would. Although, the real scene stealers this week are the penguins. God damn, just seeing them walk is so damn cute… sending them off to do infiltration missions and such was just so cheating lol. Now I wish I had one of them myself lolol.

The music is also pretty cool. I really liked the music that plays at the lingerie shop scene. Not forgetting the “those holes lead to the cosmos comment” www.

 

[Kou]

Spoiler: episode 3

Things I learned while watching episode 3:

-HURRAY FOR CURRY!!!!!
-The atmosphere of this show is vaguely voyeuristic with a strong undercurrent of sexual tension in just about every scene.
- This show likes to show people dressing and undressing....a lot!
-HURRAY FOR BLOODY CURRY!!!!!

So that was basically a rather roundabout way of getting Ringo hooked up with the main crew. I have to wonder if she has incestuous feelings for her older brother that was seen in the one flashback. He had stars all around him and she seemed to be looking up at him in a and he bore more than a passing resemblance to the teacher she has a crush on. Perhaps a future plot point.

March 20th, 2006 - Oginome Ringo Family Apartment - Ringo Oginome 11 years old

March 20, 1995 - Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway.

Hmm~~

 

[Kou]

Are these penguins up for sale somewhere yet? :3

Spoiler: episode 4

I'm seriously finding it hard to follow the story, because I can't take my eyes off of the penguins as they chew the scenery in the background. In #2's case, he actually is often LITERALLY chewing the scenery. I like how no one cares how he was trying to swallow #3 whole. I have to admit, though, I laughed at the fake-out of #2 swimming down towards Ringo. Awesome.

Regardless of who the murderer(?) is, I found it chilling how contentedly Ringo marked the page with her stamp at the end. After an entire episode of her rom-com antics, and demented musical daydreams, it was a bit of a shock to the system to be reminded how dangerously obsessed with fate she is. If she was really there, even just to witness it and make sure it happened, that's the red flag of a sociopath. Obviously we won't know for sure until next episode, but that's how I read it.

 

[Terumi]

5 episodes in, and i think the whole animu is sinking into me.

something is definitely up, but no one has any ideas whats what. so, yes, 24 episodes i will bait and see through it then.

i want the penguins. :)

 

[Kou]

Kanba O_O. Siscon so powerful he breaks the laws of physics :P.

Spoiler: episode 5

I loved that chase scene with the truck - epic. And while I never doubted Kanba could be badass, before this episode IMHO he basically came off as a dickhead. Context means a lot in understanding behavior. He's trying the support his family and all those times Shouma assumes he's philandering he's probably prostituting or endangering himself in some way to keep them afloat.

As for Himari, she was pretty much a bore before this week, so that dinner scene did wonders to inject some personality into her character. And Ringo just comes off more sympathetically all-around. Again, context - her obsession with Tabuki (Daddy complex) is a lot more understandable when you see the callous way her Daddy ignores her (seems like that song was playing during the wrong scene). Plus, she's GAR.

 

[Kou]

Something just feels missing without the weekly dose of DEM penguins.

 

[Kou]

Spoiler: episode 6

A boatload of reveals this episode. Some explicit, some by implication.

It seems Project M stands for "Momoka", though Shoma can be forgiven for assuming it means "marriage". Apparently, the new penguin-master has a Project M of her own. Now that we know she has her own penguin, it likely has to do with the penguin drum, and by extension, Ringo.

Poor Ringo is batshit insane, not that this should surprise anyone by now. She's also a massive woobie. Her antics ought to be disgusting, or frightening, but instead it's just heartbreaking to see how barking mad she's gone. I wonder how much of her true self is even still in there? It looks like she's "been" Momoka for some time now. It's also odd that water is such a recurring theme with her character, especially in this episode, and in her near-drowning. It's portrayed as a destructive force. It certainly makes the decision to have her become a ball of flame in the OP an interesting one.

Speaking of the OP, I'm going to break out in hives or something if the full track doesn't come out soon. Love it so much.

The penguins slide gracefully into the background for most of the episode in order to keep things moving. I kind of miss them, honestly. #2 sucking down a jug of mayo barely even registers on the scenery-chewing scale at this stage.

 

[Terumi]

Spoiler: episode 7

more stalking, more destiny, more paris?!?!?

that song was completely not necessary, gosh

ringo goes bonkers after the engagement news, the penguin #2 was more funny with his eating habits

that was some crazy experiment with the frog, omfg, poor dude + poor digusting frog

need the weekly 'zeizon senryaku!' fill now, or the show feels wrong

 

[Kou]

I want to see some battles between them penguins, just think of the potential!

 

[Terumi]

murdering each other while killing the audiences with cuteness?? LOLOLOLOL

 

[Eschatology]

Searching for killer penguin ? Epic cuteness + guro ? Exploded when thrown ?

We already got Prinny for that, just spare this Penguindrum,, :D

[-_-]

 

[Kou]

Spoiler: episode 7

For the love of God, #2... Just... The derp of it all. The pure, grade-A, FDA-approved, undiluted derp.

Project M being about maternity changes a lot of things. Reproduction isn't a common subject in anime, and Penguindrum brings a unique approach to it.

Ringo is certainly batshit insane, but I can't help but love her[only] when she's with Shouma. I like the setup of one crazy char doing crazy things and dragging the other, normal [not so] close friend into the zanyness . And I just think that makes them cute together =03. I think I could watch an entire season of that by itself.

About Momoka's diary, in the last ep at the end, I guessing that after a lovey-dovey evening together, Momoka slept(w/possibly sex) with Tabuki? When I thought about that, I can't seem to keep myself from thinking that Yuki is one of those evil bitches that only wants Tabuki because he was interested in some normal girl(Momoka) instead of her or something, and thus is trying to 'beat' Momoka by marrying him.

 

[Terumi]

Spoiler: 8

looks like someone got the M correct ^.

completely whack-ed episode as usual, this round it went a lot higher and dire consequences. With Ringo's 24/7 delusions about tabuki and family, i think she really just snapped this time. baking a sleep-medicine laced cake was definitely horrible, who the hell puts curry and mont blanc together, those 3 fools must be mad. The 'rape' scene with Ringo putting on the yellow wig was completely scary.

M = Maternity = Pregnant. Was it written to the diary? Beats me. But now, with the diary torn into half, another half with that lady with the black penguin, shoma gets hit by a car. Dreadful consequence for a guy who is just accompanying a mad woman in her quest to dominate another man. I feel real sorry for Shoma, hope the directors and writers dont kill him yet.

 

[Kou]

Spoiler: episode 8

"You're the crazy bitch I know."

LOL. Well said, but Ringo's strangely alluring for someone that's batshit insane. Poor Shouma; what lengths will he go to help Ringo out on her mad quest. Seeing her father does not help matters.

But too much is too much, and Ringo even knocks people out in some kind of desperate attempt to furfill project M, without any concern for anyone else. That's the problem with stalkers; they really don't care about the object of their affection, merely their own obsession with them.

It all falls apart, and the boiling part comes with the tearing at the diary. It was too much for Ringo, and she's even willing to kill herself at this point. But oh wait, Shouma once again stops her from fucking herself over. This time he gets hit by a car. Well, that's gonna be interesting.

Also, loL@ chopstick fighting and the penguin channel.

 

[Kou]

http://iwanihana.info/mawaru/

*gasp*

 

[Terumi]

Spoiler: episode 9

they evaded shoma's accident and moved to show us himari's past instead this week.

linked a lot of stuff together, the fact that himari was initially aiming to be an idol which is shown in the train from episode 1 till now, to the day where she actually scarred her mum for life due to her stubborn-ness. hard to see it from her now, given her usual good nature.

episode also introduced the last chara in the op, the pink haired librarian, who read himari's life stories chapter by chapter.

confusing part is, what seems now, himari could be the very one in the same penguin hat, they are one and not possessed. how this may work, i have no ideas. well, after all the evasion, himari does get the phone call from ringo about shoma's accident, having no recollections of her dream

 

[Kou]

Oh god I thought I was watching a Shaft series for a minute there.

Spoiler: episode 9

Himari's tone and expressions this time were deeply fascinating. Now that we've seen her real faces, what does she desire? That's the principal question I have taken away from this episode.

I'm not fond of the tone of dismissal this episode has stirred up towards Ringo though, so I will simply say: she will be made into a sympathetic character, and the focus will certainly return to her. Don't get too excited with the "Penguindrum is good again!!1!" if you aren't comfortable with that.

I think Himari and Ringo are probably co-protagonists because Ringo will live, but Himari will die. I think Shouma's role will be to try to understand Himari (the real Himari), in order to remember her, because he will also live. I think that Kanba will dive deeper and deeper into the Penguin world, trying to take ahold of its power, because it is the instrument of Himari's survival. I think Natsume is relevant as an incumbent inhabitant of the Penguin world, set in opposition to Kanba, neither of whom however will be able to do anything but play into the hands of Sanetoshi, who is the Penguin world's master. Himari herself will be the single key to that struggle due to her rejection of "Fate". Ringo and Shouma will represent the world outside the Penguins left behind by her. Yuri and Tabuki's role in these past episodes will be revealed to be the process of them somehow usurping Ringo's family's connection to the penguins, the significance of which will be Ringo's resultant freedom to be an external agent along with Shou.

lol, that's my rough outline of the entire show based on episode 9. I may be completely wrong, but whatever.

 

[Terumi]

Spoiler: episode 10

The 'un'-fortunate tales of the penguins!

1. No. 2 gets rammed by car as well and sleeps in ward eating bananas!
2. No. 1 peeks under nurse's uniform and things get heated up, literally!
3. No. 2 eats a thermometer and ends up spitting out mercury!
4. No. 2 eats drugged pudding along with Shoma and gets kidnapped along with Shoma!
5. No. 1 fishes for underwears, to find out they actually belonged to some granny!
6. No. 1 accompanies Kanba in some weird space, rolling down the stairs and spinning along the collidors!
7. No. 1 gets coiled up in threads!
8. No. 1 gets 'kiss-raped' by black female penguin-san!

Well, a lot went pass this week, dont really know how to put them in words right now.

 

[Kou]

Spoiler: episode 10

OTL the off model character art this episode.

Episode 10 was decent but after episode 9 if certainly was a bit of a letdown. It still has some good moments though. Penguins were funny as always. Loved when #2 swallowed the thermometer then you see him drooling the mercury out. Kanba and Natsume have a long past and it seemed to be that Sho knew who she was too. I wonder what their actual connection is.

One part that interested me was the mention of Ariadne's thread. Basically an Ariadne's thread is a record of steps you take in order to solve a problem or try to so you can basically go back and do it over again to find other possible solutions to a problem. Is that was Ringo's diary was, a record of Momoka's attempts to accomplish something but someone backtracked because she ended up failing? Did they just decided to start over with a different set of people and methods but need the diary in order to figure out what will and won't work? If that's the case then it almost all centered around Tabuki then since the entire diary is about him.

From the preview I don't think Ringo is going to be giving on Tabuki even without the diary so it should get interesting there. I starting to think Yuri is also involved heavily and just acting. We'll probably see them go after either other but as long as we have other character also involved I'm fine with that. Kanba needs to be taking a more active role now and go after Natsume. Hopefully the Penguin Queen will have some other information to help them along too.

Penguin #1 is still the best!

 

[Kou]

Spoiler: episode 11

Good, solid episode. Nice to see the characters drawn on-model this time.

As with Episode 10, Penguindrum did a good job in fully utilizing its main protagonist cast in Episode 11. In particular, I like the Plot A/Plot B approach, with Kanba leading one and Ringo the other. I find that the pacing of this show is much better when you have that Plot A/Plot B approach in play, as it makes it all feel more eventful and you don't get a chance to start to get tired of either major protagonist.

The "Survival Strategy!" part of this episode was very well-timed, and I liked how they skipped a big chunk of it.

This episode supports the view that Himari and the Penguin Queen are one and the same. Before the Penguin Queen showed up, it occurred to me that Himari must be pissed given how Ringo reacted to Sho and her cooking that curry and giving Ringo some. And lo and behold, just when I'd expect Himari to be pissed, the Penguin Queen persona comes flying out.

Interestingly, the Penguin Queen here seemed to operate in a way to force Ringo and Sho to make amends with one another. In other words, this wasn't a case of the Penguin Queen making demands of an obviously self-interested nature. I'm really starting to think that the Penguin Queen persona reflects a side of Himari that the girl has chosen to hide beneath her more saccharine surface-level persona. But perhaps the two personae will start to grow closer together...


The Ringo/Sho developments were pretty clear-cut in this episode, and framed it well.

Still not sure what to make out of the Kanba/Natsume section, but it was certainly quite entertaining.

 

[Kou]

Spoiler: episode 12

Glad we didn't get to wait another episode to understand what Shou ment last week. His parents led the gas attack in Tokyo back in 1995 and that killed Momoka.
Listening to Takuki's speech, I'm guessing he never completely healed from that accident. He is probably seeking revenge. By mean of Momoka's diary? Possibly. I'm also guessing Yuri (who get half of the diary back in episode 10) has paired with him with the same goal. She must have lost someone dear in the attack too...

Now, I certainly didn't expected Himari to die ;__;. I did feel sorry for Kanba when he was trying so hard to revive her. But he isn't the one for her. He isn't his fated one. Hopefully Satenoshi, if he is the one, will bring her back and not simply stand here >_>''.

Fun fact, when Kenzan initiates the attack, code name is Seizon Senryaku :

There is a scene that supposedly takes place before Kenba, Shou and Ringo birth as said on the wagon board. Also station plate indicates that Seizon Senryaku takes place / exists before Unmei no itaru basho (Place of Destiny) That's confusing @_@ So far most people assumed Place of Destiny was somewhere in the future, the instant of death maybe. But here it's supposed to be before they were even born...