… 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)]]>
Mawaru Penguin Drum – 15
This show just continues to get better and better, it’s like a mystery story that rapidly releases information, but unexpected information. This plot is so huge but small at the same time and every episode reveals more insane things about everyone.
And the show itself, like Utena, contains so much stuff you don’t expect and throws it at you. It’s so twisted, I love it. Never expected any of this from the get-go.
(Also loved the shouma tripping part. cool little symbolism with yuli’s leg in between their hands.)
I don’t get the whole tower thing though. I agree it is prob tokyo tower but only in the flash back. When yuli’s driving in the previous ep, I believe it shows the old tower. Maybe because it’s through the eye’s of those two who become obsessed with beauty? I dunno
Psgels, Penguin Drum just isn’t good. I don’t understand how you manage to think it is so good. It’s just a bunch random shit thrown together and called “unique”. When really it’s just a facade to cover up a paper-thin story with over zealous art that really has no point in really being there.
@Kevin. There is absolutely NOTHING random about about Penguin Drum. It is confusing as hell and really out there but everything that is in there is for a reason. This show is so full of foreshadowing and symbolism that you will miss most of it on first viewing.
I want to say something I find really illogical (haha, as if penguindrum is logical)! Natsume ran away by smiwing with THE DIARY! It’s so going to get wet!
This episode is again, wonderful! I just love the whole Shouma and ringo interction!
The thing that actually bothered me the most about this episode is how Momoka mentions that the only one who remembers the changes made by the diary is herself, yet Yuri remembered the tower… But Penguindrum is at the point where I can just overlook it. Or maybe I missed something, or maybe it’ll get explained later on.
Wasn’t the random friend in the first episode? He was the one telling Shouma they should scout out girls (the first time we see Ringo & her friend). At least I am pretty sure that was him.
@Kevin: Most stories are nothing new and as an extension there is nothing incredibly new plot wise about Penguindrum. However what is special about the series is HOW the story is told. It’s filled with symbolism (and no it’s not random) & it’s all very surreal. It’s definitely not your average series. If you don’t like it that’s fine but yes presentation wise it is definitely unique.
Of course a lot of what we see in Penguindrum Ikuhara has done before in Utena; but that is part of the reason why we know what we are seeing is not random.
@kevin
lol too deep for you?
I do like the juxtaposition of Yuri’s backstory with sanetoshi’s narration. It has a nice touch, and the shape of the tower makes perfect sense.
what the symbolisms you guys are talking about? The ep was confusing for me = (
Its interesting to note that in the new OP that Penguin #1 (Kanba’s) and the black penguin (Masako’s) are now standing together. They deserve each other!
Tone the love down, psgels.
It’s distracting.
@PL What’s it distracting you from? This blog is his soap-box you know, the reason we come is to see what his opinion is 🙂
don’t know if anyone else noticed, but this ep, while nicely showing Yuri’s childhood, finally explained the show.
The penguin hats are from sanetoshi, who wants to break the idea of fate. how? by using momoka’s diary.
everything makes sense now!
All in all, Yuri definitely proved herself as a character this episode. Seeing how messed up Yuri, I’m kinda excited about what they will do with Tabuki’s backstory 😀
what this father was doing???i didn’t get it…
Found a couple of screenshots foreshadowing what’s to come:
http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/5256/penguindrumop2.png
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/6374/penguindrumop22.png
There are some anime, where I get mad at all the plot holes
(as Perrin said above: if Momoka is the only one who remembers, why is it that Yuri remembers?)
But Mawaru Penguin Drum is such a fantastic ride, that I can forgive it for these discrepancies. I am never bored by the episodes, and every episode it goes an unexpected direction!
And I laughed hard at the ridiculousness of the Natsume stripping to reveal a swimsuit, and that over the top ping pong match!
Where will this take me? I don’t know, but I sure as hell am enjoying the ride so far!
@pika and everyone who wanted to know what yuri’s father was doing to her:
http://randomc.net/2011/10/21/mawaru-penguindrum-15/
That actually made me sad…
@globule
I think I used the wrong word there. Sorry.
It’s hype aversion.
I like reading his reviews. I agree with some, i disagree with some. But i read them anyway.
Everytime it comes to Penguindrum, as soon as the gush starts coming, i tune out. Every single time.
It is his soapbox, and it is his opinion. I’m not asking for an objective review, just tone it down a little. That can’t hurt anyone, can it?
Momoka = that penguin princess >>
but than… crazy teory time…
whos fate was Momoka overriting when she died? well she may have paid price for something
if we go for direct meaning of what she said
her body wasn’t discovered so it may mean (crazy teory…) that she left that fate, and went to another
and now everyone must make her back??
@chobitschi
I think that’s just a theory though, although I can see why that theory exists.
I got the impression of more conventional abuse, esp every time they flashed the image of the chisel. Either way, it’s disturbing.
I like how psgels was so excited about the episode itself that he forgot to comment on the new OP.
This show is about as deep as a kiddy pool. You all call it symbolism, I call it random flurry of images that have false meaning. The foreshadowing and symbolism as you call it is really a facade to hide incredibly bad story-telling and writing. THe only truly unique thing about Penguindrum is how it manages to convince so many that it is actually good.
The only people who realise this show is bad (it’s not just me, need I remind you all of the shoutbox war over this topic?) are the people who understand faux art. This is faux art. Faux art refers to when something throws a bunch of ideas together that have very little relation or depth but because they look pretty or the viewer is told they have meaning, the viewer becomes enthralled. This is a common phenomena in anime as well as art in general.
You can not begin to make a case against my arguement. Penguindrum is faux art, plain and simple. There is no depth to this, they just added on a shit load of pretty layers to distract the simple minded ones.
The only reason I follow this show is to see how much each episode is overhyped. Psgels in the past has shown that he has an extremely bad case of SMS (Simple Minds Syndrome) when it comes to colourful anime with little depth or originality in it’s story-telling.
All in all, Penguindrum is easiest the worst series to come out in years. Not because it’s explicitly bad, but because it is a manipulative series that dumbs down its audience more than even Sacred fucking Seven.
I just felt the need to get that out. It bothers me to no end that people buy into this crap.
@ kevin
well it’s still better than that piece of pretty cr*p called Guilty Crown
kevin: I won’t go into “my opinion is better than yours”-debate. But why do you believe that this series dumbs down its audience? And just to be curious: what do you find to be a good anime this season?
I would like to read some answer from kevin, but I don’t think it will come, at least, I don’t think a satisfying answer will come.
He looks just like one of those pretentious trolls that emerges from time to time.
@Kevin: I doubt it’s meaningless. No one would spend this much time on making faux art, because that would be stupid. Besides, most of the symbolism makes sense even on the first viewing.
Best series of the season. Maybe of the entire year (I hold out Hyouge Mono until subs are comepleted and I am able to see that). Imho. Its just that entertaining, refreshing and surprising. The story is well-told (so far) and the characters as they become more developed have taken great turns. I fail to find many faults at all and, over years of watching aniome, that’s rare. To each their own, certainly, but every week I look forward to this the most. Also:
Ping pong ftw!!
@perrin
@kero
Momoka transmutes along with Yuri to a new fate, leaving the old fate/path behind. Of course Yuri will notice.
Momoka is the one that goes to other fates everytime, so she always remember the old ones, but people in the new fate doesn’t notice the change.
In the past we were shown in this episode the rabbit sure also noticed thing were different, because it transmuted fate along with Momoka, but everyone else in this new fate (eg. Yuri) didn’t notice any change.
At least that’s what I got from the fate transmuting talk.
Personally, I think there are always going to be haters and lovers of any anime, movie, book, etc. People are entitled to their opinion so I find it a waste of time trying to argue about whats good and whats not. It all comes down to personal preference.
That being said, I think this is one of the most engrossing anime that I’ve ever watched. I don’t know what about it makes it so but I’m thoroughly enjoying it. I guess, I just really want to see how the anime will end because, honestly, it could end in any number of ways without it being too “generic” or “cliched.”
I do believe kevin has a point. I admit that the past 13 episodes of penguindrum had me very excited but now in it’s second cour I am beginning to find it tiresome. I notice the pattern more and it’s true that by storytelling terms this is quite weak. The symbolism has become overbearing and like Kevin said, mostly pointless. Many of the things that the symbolism could have foreshadowed were instead thrown out without warning. I also notice that the animation has taken a massive dip in quality. That fight scene between Yuri and Natsume was just outright lazy. And my biggest worry. Just like Utena I feel all this build up is just going to lead to a disappointing senseless finale.
Don’t get me wrong. I still like the show but not as much as I did in the beginning.
@kevin: I don’t know, Penguindrum may be one of the few works of anime I’ve seen to reference outside literature/art intelligently in the context of the show. It would be one thing if all the imagery that the show threw around was random or inconsistent, but if you look at all of it as a whole or rewatch episodes, it all fits. Promise!
I really doubt that anyone could possibly change your mind at this point, but I’d recommend taking a look at the Colloquiums over at Altair and Vega (http://altairandvega.wordpress.com/) or some of the excellent analysis at Iwa ni Hana (http://iwanihana.info/mawaru/). This isn’t a case of people leaping on the bandwagon and waxing rhapsodic on this show; from what I can see/read there’s actual thematic depth here, or at least a lot more than what is commonly found in anime.
Granted, Penguin is infuriating and obtuse and occasionally stupidly manipulative (see: Yuri’s rape-as-cliffhanger in episode 14, come on!) But I’d still say that while it treads on a lot of the same ground as Utena did (and is probably inferior) it’s still one of the most unique and daring works of anime in the past decade or so, problems aside.
> Utena
> Senseless finale
What the hell are you talking about?
I’m pretty sure kevin’s just trolling us, or attempting to satirize a stuck-up artist. Who else could literally say “Unlike me and the people who agree with me, you guys don’t understand what art is! Proof: If you did understand art, you’d unarguably agree with me (that the show is shallow and meaningless)!”*
(*paraphrase, but it is exactly the meaning of his whole faux-art rant).
At any rate, this is the show I look forward to most each week. I very often disagree with psgels, but here I support his fanboy-ism. Great and unusual story, great characters, great aesthetics, interesting exploration of themes…just gotta get that animation budget up.
On the other hand, I am currently watching Utena for the first time alongside this series, and I have to admit I like it far less. Here’s hoping later episodes redeem it some, but as of now I’m not quite sure why it gets so much love.
This was another good episode, I’m really enjoying the series. I was a little worried the animation quality seems to be dipping a bit but I figure a bit of that is probably because of the new OP.
Honestly, I see where Kevin is coming from, but at the same time I think he’s being a bit harsh. I’m becoming increasingly frustrated with this series, and have been consistently mystified by psegls rating every episode Awesome. This is a series of constant build ups that lead only to anti-climaxes . And while that might be an interesting plot device to utilize once or twice over the course of a story, it gets old pretty fucking quick.
With that said though, I also think Kevin’s being a little too harsh. This series does indeed have a “shit load of pretty layers”, and that alone makes it one of the more interesting anime to watch this season. Whether or not there is some deep meaning behind it all is pretty irrelevant to me at this point. You seem to be under the impression that everyone who enjoys Penguindrum is doing so under the delusion that it’s the deepest thing since Madoka (lol) which simply isn’t the case. The series is visually interesting to watch and that fact alone puts it ahead of most anime airing this season.
@ swa, Tell me, what did make sense in the Utena finale? The magic projector that can project tangible objects?
I think the very idea of “faux art” is hilarious to me. Apparently Kevin gets to decide what is art and what is not. LOL
For the record I don’t see anyone saying Penguindrum is the most deepest/profound thing (that’s not to say it doesn’t have depth). Like I said the story itself is nothing original; it’s how it’s told. And no the symbolism is not pointless or random. Like others have said I don’t even think it’s that hard to understand. Peguindrum is a compelling series, not a difficult series.
And yes the animation quality did dip a little in this last episode, but come on not every episode has to have perfect animation. This is a two cour series.
@AidanAK47
Just my take (not absolute at all):
Yes it made sense, Utena did go through a painful process of personal revolution, growing up and leaving behind childhood fantasies. Also this revolution opened the eyes of Anthy, who followed her out of Ohtori fantasy world. So? There’s no magic projector. What the hell are you talking about? Oh, they put some swords to represent the pain of realizing reality, how could they? the sword do not exist phisically? oh, noes!
I told myself I wouldn’t bother with you dreggs. But it needs to be said, the very fact that you so fiercely defend this series shows that you have a hint of doubt about whether you disagree with me.
If you didn’t at least partly agree with me, there wouldn’t be any need for you to all to try and scramble for a defense as if what I am saying is somehow making this show “not as good” as you think it is.
The fact is, this show is absolutely over-rated. You all know it. I know I may be being harsh, but I’m frustrated over this crazy fandom that is both not deserved and immature. It frustrates me that I can read a review and comments for any other anime on psgels blog and not be subjected to such mindless drivel as the gush that psgels puts out each week and calls a review of Penguindrum. I would much rather a much more balanced view of a series that is quite obviously not a great series but not a bad series either.
This fandom is really killing the enjoyment for me, I know I am not alone. It’s how many shonen series end up getting bad stigma against them. Too many people are constantly talking something up into the stars and when someone like myself for example comes along to watch it and it does not live up to the hype, it makes the series feel much worse than it really is. That is the feeling I get from Penguindrum.
It’s fans won’t calm the fuck down. They just want this to be another Madoka or Steins;Gate. It’s not going to be, just stop searching for the next big thing and let it find you itself. All this hype is killing this series. Just let it be just “good”. It doesn’t need to be Madoka and it doesn’t need to be Steins;Gate. Just let it stay forever as one of those “not totally shit, but not totally amazing” series.
It only takes a level-head to realise this isn’t a perfect series and it’s very very very far from it. There are more problems with this series than any of it’s fans will ever acknowledge. That is were the negativity regarding Penguindrum is stemming from.
So I’ll repeat myself one last time. This show isn’t Madoka or Steins;Gate good, just calm the fuck down and let it be Penguindrum good, even if that isn’t very good, it’s more realistic then this gush that is being spouted.
Nah, I can comfortably say that Penguindrum is better than Madoka. Madoka is still top 5 of the year for me, but Penguindrum is tighter thematically, has better characterization, and is more ambitious in addressing some real world issues/events. If you ask how/why, well, we write entire posts explaining our rationale.
Thanks for the shoutout, wendeego! We put a lot of effort and research in our posts, so I’m glad they’re enjoyed by everyone.
And yeah, I’m totally with you psgels, I LOVE this show.
Yeah, what vucubcaquix said, basically!
kevin, I don’t think that everyone freaking out about your responses is so much about people feeling worried that they might be wrong about Penguindrum as it is standard “something is WRONG on the internet” negative jerk reaction (myself sadly included)
That said, if you feel so strongly about Penguindrum’s deficiencies, it might help if you could provide concrete examples of such deficiencies rather than compare it negatively to stuff like Madoka (which has a pretty active hatedom itself) or Steins;Gate. I’m not sure if psgels’s blog would be the right place to write it (since we’re all eating up comment space as it is!) but if you had somewhere to post your impressions or something I certainly wouldn’t mind reading it.
That’s assuming that you aren’t trolling psgel’s blog for reactions, but I’ve been giving you the benefit of the doubt so far, so…
Excuse me, but why isn’t anyone here focusing on the fact that this episode revealed one of the main mysteries of the whole series?! Now we know what the diary is capable of! It can change a person’s fate, but not without a price.
We (people who actually enjoy Mawaru Penguin Drum) should be talking about how the whole “fate” theme connects with the diary and all the characters, instead of wasting time with people who waste their time bashing.
@kevin
Next time write something about the show, and how it is bad or not.
Your post is a talk about how full of yourself you are, you criticize what others say about the show or how passionate they are.
You seem to get enraged when a show gets a massive hype, but you don’t seem to get that it doesn’t mean it’s quality is good or not. Those thing are not completely related.
Also, if it enreages and is ‘killing the enjoyment’ stop fucking reading blogs and reviews, it’s simple.
In the end, too much babble but you didn’t write a single word about why the show was so bad. Where’s the analysis?
@swa Did you read a single word I said? I’m guessing you didn’t. Because if you did, you must be a complete dumbass if that is your response. The fact of the matter is this:
It’s okay to like something, but don’t hate on those who don’t. I simply mention my opinion and you all jump down my throat. Get a grip, you are all acting like children.
@kevin
Of course I did, and you do it again, don’t you realize?
You’re a talking about the behaviour of the people who watch the show, not about the show?
How can you be so dense?
Where is the analysis of what makes the show bad?
I ask you to read your own post again to find something that kind of resembles an analysis of the bad points of the series.
@Kevin:
First, as someone who loves the fact that everyone has their own opinion about different things, I’m glad we all have the opportunity to share on this blog. Even if we don’t always agree, it’s nice to see different perspectives. But sometimes I wonder if all the back and forth is really necessary.
Second, as someone who has hasn’t watched Madoka or Steins;Gate, I can say that I don’t/didn’t have any preset expectations for this show going in. I don’t /want/ it to be the next anything, I just want an anime I can get emotionally and mentally engaged in. Penguindrum gives me and several others that. Maybe it is over hyped, maybe it’s not, but as swa stated that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s bad. And if it is “bad” then why is it wrong for those of us who still like it to continue to do so regardless? I enjoy it for most of the reasons others have already stated, and simply because I do. And if that’s ruining it for you, then I’m sorry but I can’t help what I like just as much as you can’t help what you dislike.
I kind of get what you’re saying. People are saying all these great things about it, making you believe that it’s supposed to be some masterpiece, and then you go in with that mindset disappointed because it doesn’t quite deliver to you for some reason. But still, that’s no reason to assume ALL MPD fans are overreacting/hyping it up/claiming it’s perfect. And it’s certainly no reason to continually bash it (which I’m not saying you’ve done, so don’t assume I am.) I’m just saying.
I have my reasons for liking it. Others have their reasons for liking it. You have your reasons for not feeling the same. That’s all it is. So can we all please agree to disagree?
@enna your finesse and maturity in that response is greatly appreciated
@Djrunn3r:
Thank you very much~
I’ve mentioned the show plenty. For me to do so now would be just repeating my early comments. How about you read before you post. You just come across as an uneducated dumbass.
I think it is pretty obvious Kevin is a troll at this point.
I just realized: Shouma’s friend who was with him in the bath house was in the first episode. And he was the one who made him notice Ringo for the first time.
He is either the complete manifestation of a plot device
or an agent of fate (i.e. the organization that the three’s parents belonged to)
also: I learned that the color blue is a symbol for appetite suppressant on a color symbolism website. Shouma has blue hair. And his penguin eats endlessly. Coincidence? I think NOT
Psgels, I still think this show is awesome, many of your readers think its awesome, so if you think this show is awesome, dont let people influence you to think otherwise.
Let the haters hate, it brings more discussion to your blog 🙂
That’s not how attitude polarization works. You so silly.
You should define your terms so that your statement makes sense. As it stands it’s just an implicit statement about yourself, which isn’t that interesting on its own, but then you dressed it up as a ‘fact’ and then latter referred to it as something ‘[I] know.’ I for one am dying to know what I know. I hope I know of a unique metric for rating anime and a concept of overrated defined in terms of it that applied to the series in question, because that would be pretty neat.
@kevin
Just drop that ‘dumbass’ and ‘undecutaed’ words if you think that makes you smarter, but it’s just more of you showing how full of yourself you are.
I’ll stop answering your trolls, I’ve asked for you to share some analysis of the what you think are the bad points of the show, but you’ve just spit avoiding nonsense babble, you don’t have a clue.
The only post where you try to talk about the show is post 24, and in there you STATE it has bad storytelling and it’s faux art and don’t even show or analyze a single example.
It’s useless to keep the discusion going as I’m worsening the ongoing comments by falling in your trolls.
@kevin:
Just tell me ONE thing Steins;Gate did better than Penguin Drum. One will do. Steins;Gate was a load of bull. And I loved Madoka, but I like Penguin Drum more.
Perrin4869, Uhmmm interesting, I going to see or re-take penwin , if you say its better. Personal opinion, Stein is the best series of this year, I drop penguin at episode two. Also whit Fate zero here the figth for the tittle “best in the year” is hard XD.
@kazid33: Don’t take my trolling of Steins;Gate too seriously, it just pissed me off a lot, and I like trolling it here because psgels liked it a lot. And Fate/Zero frightened me with the really hard Japanese, I need to give it another try with subtitles I guess.
In my opinion Penguin Drum gets better and better as it goes, but then again I was already sold by the second episode, so you may not like it. It gets WAY more over the top.
@Perrin4869 You have a point, Psgels have sometimes weird tates, but is the fun about this blog. I am whit him in Stein gate. I want to see one thing, if Penguin at the end will have the overall solid history of stein gate, a mean in planning, storytelling, ending, suspence,and plot devices. Because of that I will see Penguin. well, also to post properly.
You want to know how Stein is better than Penguin?
That’s easy. STORY-TELLING.
Something that Penguin has no idea about. The entire series is a bunch of random ideas thrown about at random, with no real flow.
Tell me exactly, what is the story of Penguindrum? Like what really is the story about? If you say “fate” then that’s just a massive cop-out. I dare you tell me the story of Penguindrum. Because as far as I can see its just a bunch of thinly related shit being ass-pulled week after week and called “unpredictable”.
Steins;Gate told a complex story of time-travel whilst telling a great example of the heroes journey. Not only that but it actually utilises fore-shadowing properly, where as Penguin just doesn’t even understand the concept, instead opting for random imagery that is supposed to mean “something”.
Not only that but Penguin just manipulates it’s viewers so fucking badly. Need I mention episode 14’s cliffhanger? What a load of bullshit. It’s clear that those making the series, have no idea what they are doing from week to week and have not planned out anything. So they reply on pathetic tactics such as over-use of faux art and manipulative twists to try and make you tune into this shit week by week.
Steins;Gate however, knows it’s end point from the very first episode. Yes, I know Stein is an adaptation, but that doesn’t mean that because Penguindrum isn’t that it couldn’t have at least some planning of where this is going.
Steins;Gate challenges it’s viewers to take this journey with Okabe, to feel for him as he learns the very nature of time as well as the harsh realities of it. Not only does Steins;Gate work effectively as a time travel story, but it succeeds as a character drama. Not since Cowboy fucking Bebop have we seen a group of characters so well drawn and intriguing. There was moments in Steins;Gate that will be remembered as some of the best in anime history. You won’t be going against me to disagree with that, you will be going against nearly everyone who watched it and was effected by it.
Penguindrum however instead of challenging its viewers in a positive way, is almost embroiled in a war with it’s viewers, constantly trying to manipulate and pretty much troll them, with the week-by-week “lets do something crazy and watch the sheep think it’s the best thing since sliced bread!” twists and turns, that really were clearly pulled out of nowhere.
It baffles me that this series receives such acclaim on this blog. Nearly every other blog I read rate this series incredibly low. In fact, this series is even doing pretty badly in Japan. It’s not very popular and for good reason. The majority of it’s viewers are either Utena fans or the sheep that are gluttons for trolling.
I don’t think I will comment here again because it’s becoming clearer with each response you all give, that you are really scared. I feel bad for scaring you all, but it’s understandable that you would be scared that the series you love so much is really a bad series hidden behind a bunch of pretty looking veils.
The choice is yours, Penguin fans. I have brought the fallacies of this series to your attention. It is up to you whether or not you will listen to me. I however hope you stop playing the fool to this manipulation,
Kevin I find your obsession with proving Penguindrum is really not as good as we all think to be absolutely hilarious. I mean really who spends so much time on something they claim to hate?
Did you ever hear of enjoying what you like and letting other people enjoy what they like? No one really cares what you think of Penguindrum. You are just some random person on the Internet. And not as smart as you obviously think you are. Get over yourself.
@Kevin: Mawaru Penguin Drum is about three teenage siblings. One of these siblings dies and is revived by a penguin hat on the condition that the other two siblings aquire the penguindrum. Everything that happens in Penguindrum has a purpose. If you rewatch the entire series, this will become obvious – trust me. How the fuck do you think Penguin does not foreshadow? The entire series is one giant foreshadow. The subway signs, dialogue, and even imagery and symbolism all serve as consistant foreshadows. I don’t know how to talk to you Kevin – I think you have been too busy watching series’ like Steins Gate which pretty much serve you every little bit of information on a silver platter. I assume that you don’t read advanced literature, because if you read those kinds books, you would see that they normally don’t have linear storylines. They are an array of concepts that converge into a climax. In stein’s gate, you do not have to actually pay attention to get what is really going on because they think the general viewer is too stupid to gt it (which they are). Mawaru is just overestimating the intelligence of people like you and is expecting them to actually understand the nuance and symbolism. Actually, most of the story actually lies in its symbolism. If you are too uneducated to understand it, then I suggest you don’t bother watching since obviously you wont get anything out of it.
You say that people that like this series are sheep, but you pretty much cite that “every other blog hates this show”. Doesn’t that make you the sheep for following their opinion instead of the opinion of this site?
Kim, I am allowed to voice that I do not like something just as much as others are allowed to voice their like of something.
I don’t claim to be smart, I do however claim to not like Penguindrum. I have provided various points as to why I think it is overhyped and why that hype bothers me. Every single response I’ve gotten so far is pretty much along the lines of “NUH UH!! YOUR WRONG!!” without ever telling me why I am wrong about Penguindrum.
Whether people care or not, this is the internet – the worlds biggest shouting contest. I’m just one of the many who want to be heard. Whether you care or not, I am entitled to that. So Kim, how about you get over YOURSELF?
Kevin: Plus, the reason why you don’t like PenguinDrum is because, as you, yourself, said, you are too undereducated and dense to understand it, so honestly, I don’t see who you think your opinion holds much weight.
Ha! Yes, I definitely said that. You all need to grow up. What are you? 14?
It’s really quite humourous how immature you all are, to the point that you can’t even have a discussion without acting like children spitting the dummy.
Welcome to the internet kids!
@kevin: It’s rather unfair to compare steins;gate and penguindrum when only one of them is complete
Have you considered that people might just be interested in finding out how this plays out? even if everything is revealed in the last episode and is really silly?
Maybe penguindrum doesnt have a good story, but thats not gonna stop me – i like how it is random
i say relax dude….enjoy the ride, and then down the line you can rant all you want about how bad it was
ps you seriously care what people in japan think about it? wow >.>
There is nothing to understand with Penguindrum. It’s just a stupid show with no depth. If you could read you’d have seen me state that many times. But it’s alright, I’m sure once you are finished kindergarten you might know your ABC’s at the very least.
@passerby:
I never said I care about anything. I however just wanted to voice my opinion like everyone else here has been doing. Why is it wrong for me to say I don’t like this show? I obviously watch it week by week otherwise I wouldn’t bother saying anything here. Of course I’m watching to see how it plays out. But I am certain it won’t end well. I know this is the internet guys, but have at least a little maturity.
If you don’t like my opinion, fine. You don’t have to agree with me. But at the very least give me a mature and well thought out response instead of childish drivel. I’m not interested in that. All I have wanted this entire time is proper discussion about this series. But perhaps psgels blog was a wrong place to look for that, considering that psgels himself acts like a 12 year old most of the time and almost never provides any coherent thoughts on each episode he “reviews”. I think I’ll be going now.
@kevin
@kevin well i guess thats true
I havent rly had a chance to rewatch penguin episodes so i dont know what kind of foreshadow etc. is there – but i would like to see some “proof” to back up your feelings.
apologies if im not being coherent – been up 20hrs
@Kevin,
You are not sharing your opinion. You are writing post after post telling people they are too dumb to realize Penguindrum is not as good of a show that they think it is.
Guess what I loved Steins Gate too but you know what I love Penguindrum even more. And no I don’t think I am being manipulated because I actually do understand the symbolism and themes of the show. That’s MY opinion.
If you don’t that’s fine. If you hate the show that’s fine also. But stop telling other people what they should feel about the show. That’s just plain ignorant.
No, but the thing is that you are just a retarded stubborn prick and if you actually knew about philosophy and bothered to research for symbolism, you would find a whole new dimension in the story. The guy who wrote this doesn’t really give a shit whether you like it or not. He is an artist – he wants to convey his message the way he wants without having to dumb it down so self aggrandizing critics like you can understand it. Stein’s Gate has a complex plot. That’s about it. It is not deep, and the fact that you think it is just shows how perceptive you really are. So before you reply to this saying the exact things you have been saying before, I suggest you not, because obviously you are too lazy to have an INFORMED opinion and anything you say will only serve to discredit you more.
Ok, Stein’s Gate does have depth – just not as much as you think it does.
For one thing, popularity does not equal quality. Tatami galaxy is a good example of that. (Also, ive heard the preorders for the first BD is doing pretty well anyway) Another thing, most of the anime blogs i read regularly love this series, some just like it, and one or two that dont. I also find it very annoying how kevin keeps shoving his opinion into everyones face. I mean, I understand MPD is not for everyone, but to call those who do enjoy this series sheeps being manipulated into liking this show is unacceptable.
I totally agree with Kevin on this. I watch this show week after week expecting it to actually go somewhere and it doesn’t. All I keep seeing are the same half-assed twists again and again on top of the randomness which is suppose to be a plot.
For all this symbolism, can someone please list a couple for me?
@Cryptic
http://iwanihana.info/mawaru/
http://8thsinfansubs.wordpress.com/
http://altairandvega.wordpress.com/category/colloquia/mawaru-penguindrum-colloquia/
http://catchercatch.wordpress.com/reviews/
http://blog.draggle.org/category/episodes/currently-airing/mawaru-penguindrum/
A few interpretations. A lot of reading for each episode though.
Kids, kids. Stating your opinion is perfectly fine of course, but don’t go insulting each other back and forth. Kevin, ljf: that goes for the both of you.
@Kevin: Steins;Gate works as a character drama – LOL. LOOOOL.
WHAT THE HELL? I was gone for 3 days… what’s with the 80+ comments? Did I miss a flame war?
Yeah I think you miss a flame war.
Honestly fun to watch.
@Reel,
I enjoy all those blogs but I think some of those interpretations make penguindrum more complicated than it needs to be. Of course when it comes to symbolism a lot of it is up to the viewers interpretation and that is why it is fun to read blogs like that to see what other viewers got out of the series.
As for more simple symbolism take the constant references to subways. In some ways this is taken from Night on the Galactic Railway with the train as a fixed destination to your fate (in that case death). Once you are on a train you can go anywhere else. In Penguin Drum in the last episode we learned that with the diary you can actually transfer to another fate for a price. On a subway line you can also transfer to another line for a price.
As for other symbolism well certainly the penguins are meant to be facets of their owners personalities. Take Shouma for instance he always seems to mess up with what he is doing. Pay attention and you will notice unlike Kanba, Himari, and Natsume’s Penguins; No 2 is always doing something different from Shouma…Why? Because Shouma’s main enemy is himself and the guilt and self loathing that he keeps inside himself.
Another thing we can see is Shouma & Ringo are constantly drawn to each other. When Ringo was thinking that the diary entries meant Tabuki they also could apply to Shouma. And when Shouma tried to get away from Ringo in the last episode he ends up at the same hot spring as her in the most seemingly contrived fashion (note: the guy who brought Shouma to the hot spring is the one who first showed her to him in the first episode).
It’s little things like this that I think YES Penguin drum knows exactly what it’s doing, no complication needed. Of course we can’t analyze everything or know what everything means yet, because the show isn’t over and not all the answers have been given.
Once you are on a train you can go anywhere else.
Meant to say you can’t go anywhere else which changes the meaning of that line considerably. 🙂
@Kim: Also, just see how far things developed since the first episode, how much we learned about the characters and the overall plot, and people complain because at episode 15 you still didn’t get ALL the answers? Seriously…
Wow, so much discussion! :O Hmm, personally I think that while it’s not as bad as total faux art, it’s not quite as good as being a work of genius either. It definitely has some good moments, but on the other hand, it definitely has its share of being over-pretentious and hokey as well. The first few episodes were great for me, but as the series went on, i started to lose interest. Ah well, to each their own I guess. So far the only shows I’ve really been keeping up with lately are Mirai Nikki, Chiyafuru, and Working’!. (Oh and Gintama of course
Really this is turning in a big post. When I watch all episodes to the 15 as I said latter, I post again about this thread. @Gracie, In my case, Is persona 4, Chiyafuru, Fate zero, Idolmaster (really? I, my selft dont belive this, but the series have his charm) and hunter XD
I don’t get what faux art means.
Someone please explain!
let’s throw Kevin a bone here : episode 14’s cliffhanger WAS awful. But it’s your fault if you misinterpret the hype. Hype means “exposure”, that’s it. For example, I dropped Madoka after the first “shock” moment (ep. 4, I think) and I couldn’t stomach Ano Hana for more than 10 minutes. Everyone on anidb was worshipping these two shows, while trolling the hell out of some flawed, but decent ones (Dantalian, Durarara, KamiMemo and now Un-Go). Also, Steins Gate had atmosphere and that’s about it – it was an adaptation of a friggin’ dating sim.
Like it or not, story and storytelling techniques aren’t the only standards for judging a show – flashiness and “pretty colours” sure as hell matter, suspension of disbelief matters, music matters (this show has an amazing OST), comedy matters. Penguin Drum is going to be on every “top 10” list because it dwarfs everything else, I can guarantee it. And because names are everything in this industry, and apparently the creator is a big-shot. But feel free to troll some more, hell, I can understand the feeling.
Oh Kevin, Kevin, Kevin…
The moment you call people stupid or blind you are just assuming you are stupid and blind yourself.
You should study some philosophy, it would not only help you understand the show and see it’s anything but faux art, it would help you see that right now you are just a stubborn child who wants everyone to pay attention to his words without ever paying attention to other peoples ones.
Kevin is trolling all of you.
The internet is easy to manipulate. That being said, Pengindrum is fine.
@Sinisgood,
As I said earlier I agree he is most likely a troll (at least I hope he is). But why do I reply to a troll? Maybe I am glutton for punishment. 🙂
@Whisperer,
I agree with you I didn’t like episode 14’s cliffhanger at all. The series certainly has flaws (no one is denying that) but I think there is enough good stuff to make up to those flaws in the end. Of course we can’t judge the series fully until we actually see where everything will lead.
I think the reason such cliffhangers are so easily forgiven is because Penguin Drum established itself as a rather caricaturistic (or caricaturical? Stemming from caricature) series from the very first episode (Penguins everywhere anyone?). So, in the end, while maybe a lazy solution, because of the nature of the series, the cliffhangers don’t really bother much. That’s my take on it. Or at least why I don’t care much for them.
@kim
yeah i understand that was a large load of complex information thrown out there, but I didnt feel like posting a wall of text myself lol. 😉 Hopefully your post helps some of the confused viewers though
To those who claim I don’t understand philosophy. I mentioned early on that the reason you all responded to me was that you yourself doubted your opinion on Penguindrum. The very fact that my comments brought this to near 100 repsonses most of which try desperately to defend the series, is proof that I am right. A part of you know that this series isn’t all you crack it up to be. I’m not saying not to like it. My point this entire time was that I would prefer it if fans of the series could calm down, as the overhype was not only irritating me but several other people who comment here. I watch the show weekly and yes I do enjoy it. But do I think it’s good? No. Do I think it’s okay? Yes. I don’t hate the show. I however hate the irritating gush that it’s fans spout. It’s ironic that the people who gush over this series are the ones who get irritated with the people gushing over mainstream series like Naruto or One Piece. At the end of the day, we are all going to step away from our computers and the worlds biggest shouting war, we call the internet and we are going to all think to ourselves: “Why do I do this?”
See you, Penguin heads.
Wait, kevin the philosopher, in what way is your comment directed to those who claimed you don’t understand philosophy?
Huh. Penguindrum is just being forth massive amounts of discussion huh^^
I still wonder if it’s going to rely on fate so much, but otherwise, it’s been one of the better series to watch, so I can deal with waiting just a bit longer. The end will be here before we know it O.o
100th comment
@kevin
sooo
If people defend Mawaru… it means you are right in your opinion.
If people agree with you.. it means you are right in your opinion.
I am confused why would I care if people gush over One Piece when I do it all the time myself. I adore One Piece. 😉
I believe the correct words for this situation are “lol Wut, u mad?” I know, right?
@kevin I gush over this series (well the 8 ep’s i’ve watched so far) and yet i also love shows like Naruto Bleach etc which according to you i am supposed to hate..
I enjoy anything that is good and not shonen ai or yaoi.
Personally, I’m rather shocked that I spent the last 20 minutes reading all these comments (actually, I lie… I did skip past the comments with bad grammar).
Kevin, I think you’re being strangled by your own words. I can quote multiple occasions where you have claimed (or implied) that you were going to stop commenting. Yet, you keep replying to the “childish drivel”.
As for Peguindrum… I would never go as far to say that Peguindrum is faux art. You seem to have given a very misguiding definition of faux art too. Also from a more modern outlook, faux art can be seen as an achievement… but this is irrelevant.
But really Kevin? Bad storytelling? You’re claiming that Penguindrum can’t convey a story? We’ve got a whopping 9 episodes left. That’s roughly 180 minutes. Storytime isn’t over.
Kevin claims to be voicing his opinion. But there is a big difference between voicing opinions and shoving opinions on people’s throats. It’s as if he thinks his taste is better than all of us
I didn’t read all comments here. Who the fuck would read all 105 comments here?
I can agree on what he said about MPD having no flow whatsoever, and that creators are throwing random random things such as symbolism just for the heck of it. Those are actually the reason why I was so disappointed at the latest MPD episode. I mean who, at this point of the series, would put a magical diary that can alter the future?
That being said, I still think that MPD is awesome.
Ladies and gentlemen it’s the guys you have all been waiting for! The neutral man!
(Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap)
Thank you! You are far too kind.
First off
@Swa, I am late to reply to this one. But please listen to yourself. You are suggesting that Utena and Anthy were both stuck in some sort of illusionary world simply because of the trauma of growing up. That doesn’t make an itota of sense. The magic projector I refer to is the one that the chairman told Utena about his stargazing room was in fact the castle that Utena always fought on. Of course I have no idea how the hell Utena never noticed that the place she was fighting in was the exact same place she lived in at the end of the series.
Moving on to our main topic.
Kevin I was behind you in the beginning. You at least had a point then but now as you continue to argue you show the depths of your ignorance. Please note that I am not calling you stupid. I am simply saying that you are not as clever as you think you are. Because claiming Steins gate is a masterpiece is a flawed statement in itself. Steins gate was far from perfect. If one looks at the plot logically you can find numerous plot holes and the characters are not really all the interesting. Calling Madoka a masterpiece is also a flawed statement. It was good but not perfect. The fact that you reference these animes tells me that you are still new to the medium and haven’t had the time to check out the true masterpieces.
But Kevin the thing that proved that you are simply not as clever as you think is the fact that despite how outnumbered you are you just kept arguing. Nothing you type would ever convince all these people that you are right. If you were truly that clever you would have realized that and not bothered to type back.
To Penguindrum fans. The show really isn’t that clever. Sure you can shout symbolism but please tell me. At any point in the last episode was there any symbolism that pointed out the possibility of Yuri being a lesbian? And I mean really pointed it out. Not something vague. I would also like to point out that without the flashback of Yuri’s past this episode would have been completely worthless. The rape of Ringo was nothing more than another anticlimax, Natsume stole the dairy ended up as a fake and overall no change in the status quo has been made.
All and all you people are taking this far too seriously.
Wow, that’s a lot of comments. Wish people could live and let live about opinions, though. No point in stirring up a hornet’s nest just because you think the hornets are buzzing too much :S
I still find MPD to be fun, though some of the magic has been lost lately because I’m not a huge fan of excessive reliance on symbolism (I find it too heavy-handed and it feels like they lack confidence in the story and characters).
But I am glad that other people dig it so much. It’s nice to be on a site that isn’t still obsessed with Madoka or Steins;Gate, and all this over-analysis sometimes improves my enjoyment of the show.
AidanAK47: I feel really bad stretching this monster of a comment section on, and have already said a bunch of stuff already that probably didn’t add much. BUT I do have something constructive to say regarding symbolism and foreshadowing. So hear me out.
Penguindrum’s special in a lot of ways–it is more daring and ambitious than just about every other show this year. It is also one of the most infuriating shows that I have ever seen, and one of the reasons for this is that Ikuhara has a tendency to place incredibly important bits of foreshadowing in places that superficially look like filler.
So, for example: episode 4. When it came out, a lot of people considered it an oddly-placed filler episode that focused way too much on Ringo’s delusions at the rest of the cast. I agree with this, to an extent. But, now that we know more about Ringo, Yuri and Tabuki (we’ll know more about him pretty soon, I’m betting) their interactions in that episode take on a whole new significance. Episode 4 is also the episode (as Wabisabi at Iwa ni Hana pointed out) in which the distinction is clearly made between animals and humans–when Ringo almost drowns, Shouma’s penguin eats a fish rather than saves her, but Shouma DOES save her. It’s something that looks like a throwaway joke on the surface, but is actually an important key to the theme of the show.
Another important one is Episode 7, which spent a significant amount of time on Yuri’s extravagant production of the Tragedy of M. When it aired, the whole thing looked pretty superfluous; but now that we know that the whole thing is basically a metaphor for Yuri’s situation, and the M stands for “Matrimony” (or “Momoka?”) it suddenly takes on new importance. Maybe we weren’t told outright that Yuri was a lesbian previously, but her story was already told to us in the play-within-a-play.
In both of these cases, the way that foreshadowing is utilized is different from the way it was used in, say, Madoka Magica. There each event preceded logically from another, and was therefore (although its inevitability lent it an air of tragedy) predictable to an extent. On the other hand, Penguindrum’s first half was a mass of points on a graph with only a few evident connections between them. I assume that the purpose of the second half–as we have seen with Sanetoshi’s monologue about Momoka and Yuri’s flashback–is to reveal the complex framework connecting all these points together.
In short, the idea is not so much that we can predict in advance that Yuri was a lesbian, but that after you know that she is, you look back at previous episodes and realize that seeded throughout were little indications that she was that you simply couldn’t pick up on. It’s like one of those pictures that looks like a mass of scribbles if you don’t pay it much attention, but if you look closer turns into a three-dimensional shape.
(Also, regarding Utena: Sanetoshi says in the very first episode that the flying castle above their heads is a trick of the light. Of course the viewer is tricked into thinking the whole thing is real, but when it becomes clear that the fairy-tale world of Ohtori and the Dueling Forest is an illusion (because, of course, true princes do not exist in this world) then the whole thing becomes a pretty clever subversion of the obsessive repetition and overbearing aesthetic of Utena, not to mention the magical girl genre itself. It also makes you wonder–exactly how much of the story was real, and how much was engineered by Akio Ohtori in order to open the Rose Gate? The faceless masses of Penguindrum naturally engender suspicion in their anonymity, but are the faceless students of Ohtori Academy really any different?)
Gee, that was long. Whoops!
Also meant to say Saionji rather than Sanetoshi in that last paragraph. Oh god Penguindrum is taking over everythingggggggggg
@wendeego
Uhhh what? I’m sorry, but that paragraph makes nothing clear at all.
Or were you referring to the disjoint between Shoma’s action and the penguin number 2?
@kero: yeah, disjoint is part of it. But it also links back to episode 1, where Kanba talks about humans and how they are different from animals (who mindlessly pursue survival strategies for the sake of growing their species rather than love)
In the case of episode 4, Shouma’s penguin (animal) chooses to eat (as he always does) rather than save Ringo. Shouma, on the other hand, saves Ringo. In this way the penguin goes for sustenance while the human pursues love. If you say that love is the all-consuming force in the show that allows people to change fate (which comes part and parcel with sacrifice, of course) then that is a very clear difference between animals (who operate according to so-called “survival strategies encoded in their DNA”) and humans (who are capable of breaking the system.)
Of course, most of the humans in Penguindrum seem to be heavily bound by fate, so maybe this isn’t as clear cut as it might seem?
Almost forgot to mention the most important part of the preceding–if you think of survival strategy as survival of the individual (i.e. animals fight to survive) then Shouma’s actions in saving Ringo were totally contrary to Survival Strategy. Shouma’s penguin chose himself over Ringo by eating the fish, but Shouma chose Ringo over himself, even if it meant risking his life.
This is sacrifice too, in a way! Shouma probably doesn’t have the same fate-altering capabilities Momoka has–Ringo or Himari are far more likely candidates–but his small act of heroism probably holds power in itself. Every little bit counts.
Also I feel like apologizing every time I add something to this post’s Leaning Tower of Penguin Comments. Sorry!
Yuri has nice boobies. =)
And i saw all fiveteen episodes, uhmm I must say the hype is´nt justified, But the series is very good, the overall argument is not amazing but is entertaining, I like the most the characters, I am more interested in, for example, Ringo X Shouma than the history itself. A very good series but in my personal opinion not as good as Stein Gate or Madoka …until now, But is the fiveteen episode, The are to much history left.
@Mormegil
that is the best comment so far on this post 😀
Concerning this episode, I was wondering what the chisels meant? At first I thought the father was molesting her, but then I wasn’t so sure if it was that or if he was actually using the chisels on her body?…hope someone could explain this to me.
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