Category: Mawaru Penguin Drum

… have I already mentioned that I love Mawaru Penguin Drum? I mean, heck. This episode once again was just completely amazing, and yet it seems like this show has just only started. Sixteen episodes, and this show is still delightfully fresh and dynamic, and we’ve now reached the point where the really good character development comes in. At this point the characters are an absolute joy to watch. This episode was all about Yuri’s background. Last week was all about asking questions, and this week in its turn managed to answer them. Yuri’s twisted background made a huge impact, but I especially loved how the creators managed to write Ringo’s sister in there. When we first learned of her death, it was through the eyes of Tsubaki. This episode however completely turned that around when it was revealed what kind of role the diary played in this. Also, the storytelling in this episode was just weird. It was the kind of episode that was full of plot devices, but they were so brilliantly used that it didn’t matter at all. The fact that Shouma stayed in the same inn as Yuri and Ringo was revealed hilariously, and I also love that the creators just pulled some random friend of him from out of nowhere to accompany him. Like, he actually had a life before the beginning of this story. Only for all of that to be nullified when he slipped on a random bottle. Natsume’s part in this episode also made no common sense whatsoever, but damn, was it glorious! Also, did I understand this correctly? Did the creators really turn Tokyo Tower into THAT?! Rating: *** (Awesome)]]>

Holy crap. Is there any limit to how high this show is willing to aim? This episode once again was completely amazing and heck, I can’t remember the last time in which this series didn’t deliver an awesome episode. The twists in this episode were very surprising, and yet they fit so well. And heck, why didn’t I ask this myself sooner: what happened to the lesbians in a Kunihiko Ikura series? Well, this episode gave the answer when it suddenly revealed Yuri’s background from out of nowhere. I should have known: she was a bit too composed for this series. She was just very good at hiding her own issues, but her quirks fit in perfectly with this series. It’s a neat little twist for her to have been best friends with Ringo’s sister, and it actually gives a pretty plausible excuse for Tabuki to know her. The rest of the cast was also excellent. The creators put a ton of emotions in the characters, and it really was a great example of angst done right: emotional, yet avoiding the story or characters to stagnate just because of that angst. Himari in particular was adorable (and seriously: something tells me that somewhere in the near future, her two friends are going to make a return, and I’m really looking forward to that). Kanba meanwhile was put into a bit of a strange situation: Natsume basically offered to cover the expenses for Himari, and he refused. He didn’t really strike me as a proud person before, so what could it have been that he’d even prefer cooperating with these shady men in suits? I’m not sure if I’ve said this before, but one thing I also love about this show is how brilliantly it uses its music. Instead of just staying in the background, it is really well timed, and forces the atmosphere of each scene to really stand out. The best example of that in this episode was the car scene at the beginning, but also the ending did this really well. This episode really didn’t attempt to hide the fact that this came from Utena’s director when it introduced cars and lesbians like this. The thing is however that he’s putting in so much new stuff in this series that it doesn’t really matter that he’s using ideas that he used before. Rating: *** (Awesome) ED: New song. Not as good as last week, but still some nice ideas and especially the second half is quite catchy.]]>

I dislike it when a series revives a character back from the dead. But seriously, when it’s done this well, I really can’t complain. With this episode, the creators made Himari’s revival such an integral part of the plot that I have no problems with it. The revival had enough repercussions on its own, it had an amazing effect on the characters and we got to know a lot more about them. The kinds of revivals that got on my nerves were the half-assed ones: the ones who are just there to generate cheap drama without actually killing someone. In any case, I loved how well this episode was told. It was an aftermath, but the pacing was just perfect. The dialogue was just excellent for every character: Shouma, Kanba, Tabuki and that pink-haired guy all had some amazing monologues, and I loved the use of music throughout this entire episode, and all had something interesting to tell as they analyzed what happened last episode and related it to their own experiences. The new ED also is amazing. It’s not just a case of “let’s insert a random song here!” – it fitted perfectly with the end of the episode. For me, the best EDs are the ones that force me to keep watching them, and the transition was just seamless. The piano at the end also was absolutely wonderful. Rating: *** (Awesome)]]>

Oh my god, Penguin Drum. You just didn’t! Tell me that you just didn’t!

Here I was expecting the entire episode to revolve around the parents of the trio, only for this show to quickly wrap that up and laugh at everyone for thinking that the penguin hat would be a permanent solution. Did they seriously kill off one of the best characters of the series?

This episode was absolutely amazing. Also, why did Tabuki’s hands look like they were cut off? What happened to the parents (heck, at least the father is still alive!?) where did the bunnies come from? Who the hell is the pink-haired guy, who are his assistant and what is that apple he’s holding? That just makes no sense when put next to the symbolism of the previous episodes!

And then there’s Kanba, probably the best part of this episode was when he arrived at Himari and started talking about some sacrifice he gave her. Was that that kiss that was shown in the first episode?

This episode again looked gorgeous. I really like that the creators still are trying to insert a ton of visual ideas that are creative, yet consistent with each other. This show is chaos, but there is a very well defined order within its chaos. In any case, I’m really looking forward to the second half of this show.
Rating: *** (Awesome)

I love this show! Before, it already was really well executed, dynamic, fresh and heaps of fun to watch. Now, it also throws in character development. And this character development is the kind that hits hard. This episode was awesome in the way in which it evolved Ringo’s storyline. And it just kept on going!

I mean, the love potion working was already hilarious and an excellent plot twist: Ringo’s story really was at the point where it had gotten enough time to build up, but the way in which things were, there was no way in which she’d really get further with Tabuki. The love potion was a great little twist that gave meaning to Ringo’s earlier attempts to hit on him, and it also made her finally reach her goal, and finally able to look past that. My one point of complaint is that she indeed did end up falling in love with Shouma, but then again: just about every episode had been building up for that.

And heck, I’m intrigued by the end of this episode: how could a birth have killed someone? This show is very sneaky: you’d think that we knew just as much about the plot as the main characters. Instead, everyone keeps just talking about this thing that happened 16 years ago, which caused Ringo’s sister to die, Natsume to bear a huge grudge while being just a baby. “One word changes everything”? How does that all tie together?

The artistic direction in this series also still rocks because of everything that’s going on in the background. The penguins are of course one thing (the microwave in particular was hilarious) , but also how this show makes its backgrounds dynamic is very interesting. That tiger head at the beginning of the episode for example was very nicely placed.

What’s more about Penguin Drum is how different its two halves are: Kanba’s arc is completely different from Shouma’s arc, even though they seem to have more and more in common. Natsume’s arc is dark, while Ringo’s arc is much more whimsical. Now that this series has started to mesh the two together, this works quite well.
Rating: *** (Awesome)

That boy!! I should have known!

This episode played some delicious mind game son Kanba (or Kamba… I’m not sure whether that’s his official spelling or the creators wanted to show that a certain character is a bad speller…). The second half of this episode rocked in particular because of how well it used all of the build-up in the first half. Things that just seemed completely random actually got a whole deeper meaning as the episode went on. It all came together in a greatly addictive climax.

Every character in this show has his or her flaws: Himari’s we got to see last week, Shouma is way too damn nice, the penguins are just complete scum bags and Ringo is an obsessive stalker, but the most interesting is the womanizer Kanba, simply because we hardly ever get to see characters like that in a main role. The last time we had a major character of his caliber was with White Album. The women in this series are obsessive, but this guy also deserves points in the asshole department by not caring at all about his past dates. And again the reasoning behind it seems deep. That speech of Kanba about the things he hates to get from a female sounded very deep seated. Something happened between the two of them…

Also, watching the penguins in the background was as hilarious as ever.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

I loved this episode! It’s the kind of episode that goes for something completely different, and I really love these gimmicky episodes like this. It’s been a huge while since one appeared, especially in series that have a continuous plot. Those complaining that Himari was a mary sue? Hah, this episode is there to prove you wrong. In 20 minutes this show gave a heap of depth to her, after strangely ignoring her for so many episodes.

This was both in the obvious, and in the subtle ways. For example, amongst the books that she returned in the library, one was about learning to earn ten times more. Apart from that we never see this confirmed, but she too is well aware of the money problems that the siblings have. I have no idea why she was interested in “Sputnik Weirdo”, though.

The direction also was just fantastic. Even better than usual. This episode didn’t have any action whatsoever, but the camera angles and plot twists alone just completely made up for it. Everything just seemed to fit, not to mention the wonderful music. This series really can get me excited unlike any other series this season (even Steins;Gate), and this episode only increased this.

After a bit of research, I found out that this episode was storyboarded and directed (both the episode and animation direction) by just one guy: Nobuyuki Takeuchi, and I can see the influences. Probably his most notable works are as one of the chief animators of the Utena Movies, and as the visual director of Bakemonogatari and Moonphase. It’s especially amazing what he can do when working together with an actually good director (Kunihiko Ikura was the one who wrote this episode). This episode felt like everything that Shaft should have been: strong direction, no wasted time on random blabber, no repetition of the same scenarios over and over and gone is the poor build-up.

Also, I applaud the use of the two friends. That was very clever use of symbolism. I think everyone thought that the two girls at the ED were supposed to be female versions of the two lead brothers as some sort of weird joke. Instead it’s all about Himari and her two friends. And the subway signs. I’ve seen Utena, so I really should have known that there was more behind them than just that. On top of that the story of Himari’s past too was just wonderful. It gave her depth, flaws, personality, and I really like how the creators used the first episodes to show little of her on purpose, rather focusing Shouma. Saving the best for last, eh?

Also, I have to praise this show for using the pink-haired guy. The thing is that whenever series introduce characters halfway through, they almost always forget that they also appear in the OP, so they just start with these random shots that just show the characters, that don’t really say anything other than: “I’m about to appear”. This episode really pulled his introduction out of the blue. We know that he’s important due to that OP, and this episode made great use of that.
Rating: *** (Awesome)

Ack, this series surely knows its cliff-hangers. They just keep getting more addictive, and for some reason they always pull those twists that you just don’t see coming at the time. This series constantly throws you for loops with its red herrings, symbolism, plot twists and characters.

In any case, one of the other interesting parts about your comments on my August Summary was the surprising amounts of people who found that Penguin Drum was Overhyped. And yeah, I do guess that I’ve been hyping this show and that I’m a huge fan of it, but I do want to clarify a few things here:
– I’m not just a fan of it because of the director of Utena. Even if this were made by a completely new director I’d gush over it (for example Mouryou no Hako: that was pretty much the directional debut of Ryousuke Nakamura, but it didn’t take long before I became a fan of him and his unique style). I just love the endless amounts of energy, and the huge amounts of details that the creators put into just about everything here. Yes, it’s weird, but that’s exactly to my tastes.

The one argument that I really didn’t understand was that the story was going nowhere. Doesn’t every episode deliver new twists? Or is everyone waiting for Shouma to get his hands on the Penguin Drum or something? The thing is, at heart this is a character study. The penguin drum is nice and all, but it’s not what this series is about. The past episodes have just built further and further upon Ringo’s character, while at the same time being ridiculously fun to watch. I guess that the pacing could be a bit more faster. Utena’s arcs were all very short, sweet and to the point. I agree that it does not look like the lay-out of this series will be as unbelievably well laid out as with Utena. But it has plenty enough of its own.

Now, this episode was not the best that this series has shown so far, but even then I still loved it. The direction still was rock-solid and the animation and facial expressions and gestures were really dynamic. Ringo is completely crazy, but the creators did make her come alive wonderfully. Oh, and the Western Scene was awesome.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

WTF, Penguin Drum. Just… wtf…

The first half of this episode was predictable enough. Heck, it was even so predictable that I was ready to label it as the least interesting episode of Penguin Drum so far. That actress is shrewd, and this episode pretty much was dedicated to showing the announcement of her engagement with Tabuki for its first half, with the most worthwhile parts being the references to classic shoujo. Ringo still didn’t really do anything worthwhile to stop it and was about to give up, so probably she shouldn’t have any more need for the diary, which would pretty much allow Shouma to take it. Or at least, that’s what I thought would happen.

Then came the toad scene. What the hell were the creators smoking when they came up with that one?

Ringo in this episode…. got completely deranged. I knew she was a bit weird, but this episode just made her outright crazy. And I don’t mean in the way that anime usually portrays crazy people, with lots of yelling and over the top laughing and stuff. Instead her plans to outright rape her teacher completely took me out of left field. I knew that this series had balls, but I did not expect them to be this big. This looks like it’s full of romantic cliches, and then it just keeps subverting the hell out of them.
Rating: *** (Awesome)

I was happy enough when I learned that Yoji Enokido, the writer of Utena would be creating a new original series with Star Driver. But then Penguin Drum came around and completely blew it out of the water. That series just looks normal compared to all of the details that have been stuffed into Penguin Drum. The direction in this episode was once again just brilliant.

Ringos’ background was just wonderful: the direction behind it was amazing and it really showed why she has become obsessed over Tabuki, while at the same time this episode continued to push her story forward with her blatantly creating a house under Tabuki’s floor in order to be with him all the time. It definitely makes her more than just a stalker when her older sister came into the picture, but her actions remain just weird. What’s even weirder is that multiple people chose the project name “M” in this series. As if this couldn’t get any more confusing.

The animation in this episode was also really good. There were some artistic scenes, the camera angles were great and imaginative and full of symbolism as usual. It really seems like a lot of attention has been put into every environment as well, and the music is the same. The individual tracks may not be as good as the individual tracks of No6, but like Utena the music is consistently excellent: the creators made every track stand out.
Rating: *** (Awesome)