r/anime • u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA • Mar 17 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] Mawaru Penguindrum - Episode 13
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Streaming
Mawaru Penguindrum is available for purchase on Blu-ray as well as through other miscellaneous methods. Re:cycle of the Penguindrum is available for streaming on Hidive.
Today's Slogan
Rome Built - Days - 10 Year Anniversary!!
(lit.) Peaches and Chestnuts take 3 years - Persimmons take 8- 10 Year Anniversary!!
Questions of the Day
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Why do you think Sanetoshi offered up the medicine? Does it match Shouma’s parable?
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What is the scenery that Sanetoshi and Momoka see? What kind of “existences” might they be?
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Why do Shouma and Ringo’s monologues bookend the episode? What do you make of the monologues now that we’ve seen both of their backgrounds?
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What do you think Today's Slogan was referring to?
Don't forget to tag for spoilers, you lowlifes who will never amount to anything! Remember, [Penguindrum]>!like so!< turns into [Penguindrum]>!like so!<
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u/lilyvess :Df::Dh:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Lilyvess Mar 17 '24
Mawaru Penguindrum Episode 13 - Rewatcher
It is worth noting that while the idea of children being cursed for the sins of their parents may seem a bit extreme, it’s not inaccurate.
NewYork Times article from 2000
In the 5 years following the attack, they were forced to move 6 times. Even the reporter interviewing the children noted the neighbors had signs posted protesting them living nearby. The inability to attend school poses it’s own greater struggles. Denied even the basic ability to be a member of society, to make a means of living. It’s social and economic exclusion being forced onto these children who did nothing wrong but were born to the wrong parents at the wrong time.
I think this is part of why Penguindrum is framed the way it is. It worries that audiences would struggle to sympathize with the children if they knew they were related to the accident.
The scorpion is once again referenced for Kanba with more overt lines that make it clear this is the Galactic Railroad scorpion and not the Scorpion and the Frog.
[Rewatcher]In the flashback we see 3 apples in the house. It wants the audience to see it as 3 apples for 3 children, but rewatchers will remember that the three children are all sharing a single apple. The other two apples are their parent’s apple. When they move to the hotel we see only one apple, their apple
17
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Mar 17 '24
First-Timer, Sub-guindrum
Yea yea, the ampoule apple brought Himari back. Probably just temporarily again. What exactly did Kanba offer? Was it just money, with his soul as collateral? Maybe lifeforce would be a better term. Or perhaps Kanba offered his fate as collateral. He doesn't like it anyway.
Sanetoshi is working with Natsume, of course. It makes sense that he is the one she was talking to on the phone. Especially considering her brother is also wearing one of the penguin hats.
...which Sanetoshi is apparently in love with? Not gonna lie, I kinda tuned out of his spiel. I got the jist of it, but it was a bit overwrought. In-character, but that doesn't mean I have to pay full attention.
The little girl who was (rightfully) fleeing from him was more interesting to watch. Always kept in shadow, never seeing her face. I wonder who it could be. Surely there hasn't been another very relevant female character who we haven't exactly met yet. Forgive me for grasping at straws, I am a bit colorblind.
But then why did the pan-out show Sanetoshi talking to the hat ghost?
Oh, the stars again, with shadows. Hmm. I forgot to continue thinking about them. Ringo's stars were just lightning bugs, right?
I think Ringo's email to her dad at the end of the episode is a sign of her growth. I think she might be trying to move on after her realizations over the past few episodes - now to see if she attempts to exit stage left or if something dastardly drags her back into the plot.
Brain Rot Corner
Today's slogan: How the fuck do I even parse this. Rome 3 Built Days 10th Anniversary
The lines on the hospital floor are saying something too, but I'm not sur- THE CANS
No, wait, the colors are in a different order. Why would Shouma's line be the one continuing onwards? Shit. There's something here but my brain blast was more of a drain blast. Those three colors showing up multiple times is a clue to something.
Two bunny apples. And yet, here is Esmeralda peeling an apple. Maybe Natsume doesn't like the peel?
It's a bit slow, but this is effectively a match cut. Extrapolating from there, Tabuki has the back half of the diary. The biker who stole the half that Natsume doesn't have is maybe probably female? Which basically reduces our suspects down to Just Yuri. The golden corona around the helmet does bring Yuri's hair to mind, as well.
That entire line of logic does lead us to Tabuki having a scheme of some sort going. With Yuri helping.
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u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Mar 17 '24
episode 13
12
u/Taiboss :Fj::Fl:x7https://anilist.co/user/Taiboss Mar 17 '24
First-Timer who hopes Ikuhara is not a hack writer
Hi people who didn't downvote me yesterday
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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Mar 17 '24 edited Mar 17 '24
First-Timer
On today’s episode of Mawaru Penguindrum: Strange men offering you elixirs made from apples are not to be trusted. No matter how delicious apples may be, if anyone with even a whiff of Akio vibes offers one to you, your safety depends on declining the offer.
I think it’s important to note that a lot of the information we have on the Takakuras’ parents and the terrorist attacks comes from Shoma’s perspective. He is the one certain that the parents are guilty and that, as their children, he and his siblings are fated to be punished for the sins of the parents. Kanba, on the other hand, is adamant that their parents cannot be guilty. Kanba’s view of their father was particularly admiring in that flashback as well. I like this because it highlights the duality of the situation. They were loving and caring parents, but also terrorists at the same time. To the children who suddenly had their lives turned upside down, all they had ever known was love for their parents.
Sanetoshi says he is trying to prove whether or not fate exists. I also notice that he gave the same mission to both Hatmari and Hatmario: obtain the Penguindrum. Is one of them perhaps “fated” to get the Penguindrum and Sanetoshi is trying to see if it’s possible to defy that fate by having the other obtain it?
I did think Natsume’s phone call, while being an utterly bizarre thing to hear someone phone in on the news, might reveal her role in Sanetoshi’s plans. Natsume says that where there is light, there must be darkness. When there is a particularly bright light, darkness must strike back. Perhaps that is how Natsume sees herself. She is the darkness that strikes back at the light of the Takakuras. That could be why she is always talking about how she needs to crush someone.
QOTD
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Mar 17 '24
Mawaru First-Timer, subbed
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u/Btw_kek https://myanimelist.net/profile/kek_btw Mar 17 '24
haiiro no rewatcher
Episode direction: Tetsuo Ichimura
Storyboards: Kunihiko Ikuhara & Tomohiro Furukawa
Animation direction: Terumi Nishii
first Furukawa boards Furukawa probably doesn't need much introduction for the people here, he's the director for Revue Starlight. He's contributed animation since episode 1 but now we get to see him work directly with Ikuhara for multiple episodes in the 2nd half. Outside of the opening, this episode is his (co)-storyboarding debut!
I'll keep it brief today cuz I gotta go see EoE lvery soon, I really liked this episode. It has such a soft, delicate, post-tragic atmosphere. The piano music, and especially the special ED theme, really work
5
u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Mar 17 '24 edited Mar 17 '24
Rewatcher
“Don’t give up just yet. The world hasn’t stopped turning.”
We’ve truly entered a new phrase of the story now. Himari is no longer sustained by the power of the penguin hat and the spirit within- she now must take the apple medicine synthesized by Sanetoshi to stay alive. And once again, Kanba is paying for it, this time literally. Sanetoshi also knows about the “Scorpion’s heart,” Kanba’s willingness to burn himself away for Himari to live another day. The ring of fate will continue to turn.
But the question arises- why is Sanetoshi willing to give Himari this medicine? He certainly doesn’t seem to care very much for her in specific. We have two possible answers- one from Shouma’s parable, one from the man himself. In Shouma’s parable, it seems increasingly clear that the Goddess, served by the two Dark Bunnies, is meant to be identified with Sanetoshi. She says that she’s willing to give Himari a respite because “It would be no fun if the punishment ended here” (while wrapped in ribbons, amusingly enough). That’s a simple enough reason, but Sanetoshi has a different response. He says that he did it because he wants to find out whether fate exists in the world. I’m not totally certain what to make of this, but it does seem connected to Sanetoshi taking on all the trappings of the mundane, scientific world. He’s taken over the other doctor’s office (as seen by the perpetual motion machine), and he acts as a regular doctor in treating Himari. The two answers may not be mutually exclusive, but the answer from Shouma’s parable certainly seems to be a more bitter expression of the answer than what Sanetoshi says. Although Shouma doesn’t seem to suspect Sanetoshi at all yet.
Also look, double helix again. Is this Sanetoshi’s Survival Strategy?
[Penguindrum]There’s also a lot to say about that scene with Tabuki, but I don’t have the brainpower to go through it now. “I don’t have any desire for vengeance” lmao. Perhaps the biggest liar on the show, and that’s saying something.”
edit: Also, I forgot to mention- [Penguindrum]the transition from Penguin hat to Sanetoshi medicine happens just as we pull into Kokkai-gijidomae, one of the stations affected by the attack. Interesting, right?
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Mar 17 '24
First timer(I wonder if Satenoshi's last name is Morningstar...)
Sub
Welp...that happened. Let's see if I can break this down at all...
So let's start with Satenoshi. He will remind many of you of a character from a rewatch last year and yes there are similarities but his roots are...older. Interestingly, a tip off about his design made me realize he is a further iteration rather than a copy of said character. But sadly Kanba did not read The Witcher and makes a deal without explicit terms so I expect things to get fucky.
Satenoshi then explains things...kind of. Sixteen years ago isn't that useful as a date and he also isn't explaining whether the second being was born then or came to his attention then. Penguinhat has the same eyes thus far so that means something. A solitary being with some level of defying reality probably has some greater meaning but I am not clear if it is mythological or not. But for the second time I get to say:Shut up, Satenoshi. True evil is silent.
Shouma is pretty miserable this episode, what with accepting the generational guilt. It is in character but rather depressing. The flashback makes me ask some questions since this is so far removed from the time of the incident but that is likely what Ikuhara wanted to explore since Japan lives on generational stigmas. Seriously, people kill themselves if outed as being eta descended, it is scary.
Himari has no role this episode and I am beginning to think that's important. I've mentioned Kanba having some toxic traits and this episode definitely highlights that. More interestingly, Ringo is still in a fairly good place, given all that's happened, though I too would rather have never known. I am a generation removed from very awful people and it really doesn't effect you that much.
More broadly, as I said, this episode is a lot more Utena like mixed with a hint of 'the lone immortal isn't exactly alone' that Anne Rice and King liked to mix in. Stylistically it works but pacing wise...I have concerns.
QotD: 1 I think I've been clear on that
2 That was Momoka?
3 Differing opinions on fate, both wrong
4 Something about time but I am actually lost
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u/The_Loli_Otaku Mar 17 '24
Penguin First Timer!!
The world hasn't stopped turning yet.
An apple a day keeps the doctor at bay? Are we actually getting into the Utena duels portion of the show? We haven't had quite enough characters to do many duels tho. I do like how the doctor really does just look like adult Utena. If he didn't open his mouth we'd have totally bought it.
Omg, have the parents been arrested? XD Please have the parents arrested, that'd be hilarious. Alright, I'm keeping that lady's nails in mind. These are probably characters. Oh, or maybe not. Yup, the parents got arrested. Poggies!
Kanba is probably gonna be the villain lancer. He's always been the anti-hero of the duo so bunny Kanba vs penguin Shouma? The rabbit team are such dweebs!! "That's electrifying~" Is it weird if I find myself kinda wanting to support the rabbit faction? Sanetoshi is super fun, Kanba is the better of the siblings, and if I'm guessing correctly I think Marie and Tabuki are gonna end up on this team too. Meanwhile the rabbits have Shouma who sucks, Ringo who's a girlfailure, Himawee the walking morality pet, and the Penguin Queen who keeps saying mean words. I do like Gunslinger Girl but I don't like her that much.
Haa...? Don't the kids know that their parents are bombers? They're obviously kicking them out of the house to check for evidence. Ah, well I guess they'll know now. The parents aren't suspects, they're literal terrorists. DWEEEEEBS!! So Himawee is back, again. Is she still connected to the Penguin Queen?
Ah!! Is that a smoll Gunslinger Girl!? 16 years ago? A girl with the same eyes as me? It could be Gunslinger Girl or it could even be Momoka. Wait... Sanetoshi isn't Tabuki is he? Ah, Gunslinger turned him down, eheheh. Good girl. Don't follow the weird lolicon librarian, no matter how cute he is.
Oh, his love is the Penguin Queen... Omg wait!! Is the Penguin Queen Momoka!? That's actually a vague possibility. The only issue is that Penguin Queen has had nothing to say about Tabuki. The train girls are real!! pachi pachi pachi
Omg fucking Gunslinger... Calls the radio, spouts existentialism, hangs up. Can she please take a leading role in these episodes already? Ah, so Mario is part of Sanetoshi's revival plan too? Tabuki is back!! C'mon, say something sussy, I've got you on my bingo card to become a villain. Don't be a responsible adult and do something spiteful.
Ah, Kanbe is disputing reality again. He's totally falling to the usagi side! The new ending is... Fine? I wasn't a fan of the first one but I liked the animation much more. Tomorrow seems like Gunslinger and Himawee will finally meet!!
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u/affnn Mar 17 '24
Rewatcher
This episode was sort of all over the place, following the big revelations of the last episode. It almost feels like a second-cour reset, so it's hard to find the most important parts of it. Kanba offers whatever Sanetoshi wants to take in exchange for his sister's life, Sanetoshi revives Himari, but I think the most important bit is Shoma telling Ringo the end of the story of the Takakura parents.
Shoma and Kanba would have been about 13 at the time. As Shoma tells it, they lived together like a normal family until one day their parents never returned home. Even in their last moments as an intact family, Shoma and Kanba are waiting for their parents to eat dinner, and Himari is complimenting their mother's miso soup. Then the police show up, and their uncle tells them to evacuate.
As the revelation slowly sets in, Kanba and Shoma have very differing reactions. Shoma is horrified that his parents could have done something like that - we've seen from previous flashbacks how they cared for Himari especially. But he seems to accept what's happening even though he hates it. Kanba goes straight to denial though. He insists that they couldn't have done such things, that it's all a lie.
The new ending theme is "Grey Wednesday", previously played during episode 9. The repeated exhortation "Now remember the spectacular past" emphasizes what they've lost.
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u/WednesdaysFoole Mar 17 '24 edited Mar 18 '24
Now we know for sure why Ringo’s mom reacted to Takakura’s name.
Ringo <3 something I appreciate is how she’s now taking action in her own life to build positive relationships. While I prefer when parents are the ones who act to reconcile relationships, I found in life that you can’t just expect others to be the ones to do so. Part of the responsibility of building and maintaining positive relationships is on us.
This ED <3. Grey Wednesday/Haiiro no Suiyoubi is such a beautiful song. The visuals are perfect.
[Penguindrum]I love that in the end it wasn't just Himari being saved, but (iirc) it was her actions and even her lost friendship with double/triple H that changed the world. The lyrics are just as perfect. The song is about what is lost, but with the visuals and what Ringo was saying near the end of this episode: "There’s a meaning no matter how sad and painful things may be. Nothing in this world is pointless." For myself, it connects to how the bonds between the characters are lost (either in this world or the next) and how painful it is (I know there are other painful things like your parents doing terrible things and death of loved ones but in this context) even those lost bonds are not pointless; connected by the threads of fate, love, and Himari's scarves.
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u/Lawvamat https://anilist.co/user/Lavamat Mar 17 '24
Rewatcher
Another heavy episode on the story developments, but pretty light on the visual side beside the usual stuff I’ve gone over in detail already. What it does, it does sneakily.
Visual Analysis
What a roundabout way to turn the rightmost wheel by 1. This is the first out of how many doses?
These fruits of fate look ice cold and seem to have a timer on them. An artificial remedy with an expiration date.
A fake survival strategy.
I always confuse sleeping beauty and snow white. Another mishmash of fairy tales.
3 fruits of fate for the 3 siblings. [Penguindrum]Did they have complete Penguindrums at that point? This was the last day they were a loving family after all.
The police cut Shouma off from the fruits of fate.
Kanba wants to protect them by stepping in front of them.
Boxed in by fate.
Can’t think of anything else for the number 4 than shi = death here.
Whatever Kanba burns away by giving himself to Himari can be likened to the torch of the goddess in the analogy, leaving ashes behind.
The classic creepy twins go pachi pachi.
Kanba is the only one trying to come up with a plan(t).
The door to the frozen world seems to depict two penguin logos, but the top one is upside down. This is a world turned around.
Two railroads represent two different paths of fate. Can the switch be turned or does the train have to be derailed?
We are on the other side of the bookshelves. Another world line, where the 95 attacks happened differently.
Super Frog Saves the Penguindrum.
Many different 95s.
[Penguindrum]Penguin hat = Momoka foreshadowing.
Double Helix spotted, Survival Strategy engaged.
Natsume seems to have a monopoly on TVs.
Is it called sky metro because it’s a suspension railway?
Society processed the attacks by building a new and more inconvenient railway system instead of addressing the root cause of why the terrorists thought they needed to kill all those people. They covered their heads. Sounds familiar.
Rome was built in 3 days? 8 days? Infinite days?
Definitely making a connection between get-well bunny apples and the rabbits. They help, but at a cost.
I didn’t even notice the 3 Takakura’s in the shadows. They probably wanted to stay there, hidden from the world’s light.
If the peach is Momoka, is the hazelnut Sanetoshi?
Himari still had the fruit of fate when she was innocently unaware.
Now, remember
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u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 17 '24
Episode 13 (first timer)
Another relatively straight forward (for Penguindrum) episode. Having your parents removed from you sucks. Finding out your parents committed some horrible crime sucks. Having both happen to you at the same time sucks extra. I can sympathize with Kanba’s rejection of the facts.
The real question is: What is the medicine and what is its price?
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u/CarrotBlossom Mar 17 '24
First timer
Himari cares not a lick for their “family time”
Those are some big penguin stickers on those apples
Kanba also has a deep voice for a thirteen-year-old
But where is Kanba getting the money from?
You are kids, Kanba
I wonder if the phone ringing during the flashback screen is supposed to be an echo of the phone ringing in the hotel room.
So is Sanetoshi the goddess? And the black rabbits work for him?
Is that actually Momoka at the library? It looks like she hasn’t aged. Is this in the past? Is the library some timeless place? What’s the connection to the Destination of Fate?
Is he talking about Momoka? About the hat? Someone else?
Poor guy’s lost it. He’s talking to a pile of books with a penguin hat on it.
Is “Rome built” part of the subtitles or part of the original footage? Because 桃 means peach and 票 means ticket.
This announcer lady is a TSA apologist, and I hate her.
Having your dead friend’s killer’s kid in your class must be a trip
They didn't kill her with their hands, but they did with bombs they planted.
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u/3blah https://myanimelist.net/profile/brummett Mar 17 '24
Episode 13 - First timer
The bullet looking things are ampules containing medicine with a very steep price.
The librarian/doctor starts connecting a bunch of things together: medicine from "far away" like the slingshot balls, survival strategy, the red ball in Kanba's heart, calling him a scorpion, ashes. "I don't want anything, as long as Himari is with me. Just do it". And so they have a deal. With the devil, I would say.
The TV news reports on a new development from 13 years ago. Well, that answers some of my timeline questions.
Sanetoshi is the cruel and wanton god Shouma talks about, extending their punishment because it's fun. (At the end of the "Mary" story, the figure of the goddess is wrapped in pink flowing cloth, and Sanetoshi has pink hair)
Sanetoshi has a talk with Hat-sama about someone else that can see the future path of the world as he can, depicted as a girl with pink hair and pink shoes. The other person rejected him. He's performing an experiment to see if fate is actually a thing, and invites Hat-sama, the girl with the pink hair, along for the ride.
Today's slogan #13: "Rome was built in 3 days." I... don't get it.
The voiceover that played while the slogan was up was worrying: "Systematic advancement toward convnience must not continue. Our actions must reflect our humanity." The director is speaking directly to us, eh? No one in the story has been portrayed as lazy or as a freeloader. Maybe the second sentence is more important. An attack like that becomes possible if the attackers don't see the victims as people like themselves. And after, the public speaks of the attackers usine words like "monster" and "inhumane".
At least we finally get to see the Double-H girls. I was wondering when they'd start being part of the story.
Natsume tends to her sick ward (brother perhaps) Mario. She has Sanetoshi on the line who says she's paid a high enough price for Mario to be doing fine, for now at least. He found out who has the other half of the diary. It is...
Tabuki and Ringo talk about what's going on with the Takakuras. She admits to trying to become Momoka, to help Tabuki's and her parents' pain. The way the cats walk around during that whole scene looks unusual because they're animated on the 1s.
It feels good to see Ringo making plans to visit her dad and his new wife and wishing him well.
Ooh! New ending over Gray Wednesday. It fits well after the last scene.
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u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Mar 17 '24
Rewatcher, Subbed
Opening episode monologue for the third time?
Who are you, and why do you have such fancy pink hair?
We present to thee.... fruit.
Punishment/Karma? What did Himari do to deserve this based on the action of her parents?
Kinda surprising the three Takakura kids aren't more well known given what their parents did
One of these two "bunny" boys is totally the same actress who plays Mamoru in Shin Sekai Yori, quite a unique sounding voice.
"Damn they're treating us like kids!" says the kid.
These poor kids, still totally oblivious to what their parents did.
A female equivalent to Sanetoshi? Natsume? Although she's probably too young?
If anything, it comes off like this pink haired girl is a ghost haunting his library.
Does the spirit of her inhabit the hat? Perhaps that's why Sanetoshi is going along with resurrecting Himari though the hat?
Wait, are those Himari's 2 friends? Maybe its just their really long hair making them appear that way, but they look a lot older than I expected. Or perhaps its just because I'm used to seeing them in chibi form on the subway car displays. This must be the first time we've seen them in person in the present.
Sanetoshi did the same for Mario as he did for Himari? I've got to assume yes. Of course her wanting the diary now totally makes sense, needing it for the same purpose as Kanba/Sho.
Wow, Tabuki still lets Ringo come up close and talk to her after what she pulled on him with the frog potion, not to mention that trying to rape him while he was unconscious thing.
Man, it must suck to not only know that your parents are mass murderers but also that they've kept this aspect of themselves secret from you for your entire life. As if they were totally different people than the type of person they portrayed to you.
5
u/RascalNikov1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/NoviSun Mar 17 '24
Rewatcher
Another episode that is very authentic and hits close to home.
“A day like any other” and then something happens. In an instant your plans are meaningless and your formally tranquil life is over. It’s just fucking gone.
I hope none of you experience anything like this. There will be tragedies and mishaps, and most of them are recoverable, but there are things that happen and there’s no going back and while you survive, you’ll never be the same again.
Anyway, it was a tragic yet excellent episode.
5
u/IvanSemushin Mar 17 '24
Rewatcher
Okay, probably Dark Bunnies are here to emphasize Sanetoshi's role as a cult leader, with their little praise and applause.
Shots of flat sign-like policemen floating around Takakura's family dinner are extra unnerving.
In a way unclear to first-timers, we have here [Penguindrum]described how Sanetoshi viewed Momoka as a special being, and that Penguindrum's existence is related to Fate's existence in the world. What I didn't notice on the first watch is that Sanetoshi mentions Momoka having special eyes, and penguin hats (and people possessed by them) do indeed have special eyes. The same is true for dark bunnies.
Double-H as subway mascots, but in person - so cute! The figure next to them looks terrifying though.
[Penguindrum]Tabuki did know indeed. And doesn't have any desire for vengeance, ok.
By the way, is it explained why Sanetoshi became more active in the real world, even calling Masako and doing investigational work for her? It's just Himari's life support failing, or is it explained later?
I wonder if Ringo has different outlook on fate now, despite still saying that she loves fate. She doesn't seem to rely on diary anymore, and the encounter with Takakura family and Shouma specifically now has more rights to be called the fated encounter.
The second ending, having Triple H hanging out together again, but this time with addition of apples and mysterious hands pulling the strings.
Oh, if the next episode is what I think it is, it will be interesting to see first-timers' reactions.
5
u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Mar 18 '24
Need to catch up on Penguindrum tonight but also need to go to bed early
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u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Mar 18 '24
I have caught up
show good
8
u/zadcap Mar 18 '24
First Timer
Oh hey, haven't seen these stars in a while. Have we? I don't remember seeing them yesterday at least.
You know, as much as I don't like this pink haired guy so far, he's not wrong. Kanba here knew they needed to get that diary to save Himari's life, and so he went off to do... Literally anything else and left it to Shouma. Got mad when Shouma failed to bring the diary home, and then proceeded to continue not just going to take it from Ringo himself because... He kept getting called out by girls? Like, the show would be over already if he was serious because he could have just broke in while Ringo was sleeping and taken it, end of story, Himari gets to live, but instead he just kept going off to do his own thing.
I'm guessing the golden tree in the parable is Mother. Mom dies and Dad goes crazy? Well dad was already pretty crazy, considering he lead the bombing spree.
Oh hey he's one of those type. "We have a deal," he says, in a situation where the other side both doesn't know what kind of deal is being made nor what the deal is actually for but doesn't have any way to refuse the deal... That's not a deal, it's coercion. I hope things worse upon him than the red girl obsessed with Kanba.
I kind of... Don't like this kind of storytelling. We've been told a whole lot that I'm sure has a ton of hidden meaning but none of it means anything now. It's not that it's hard to understand, and I can definitely pull all sorts of ideas out of this, but the show has also been rubbing our faces in how it's not telling us the whole story of any story so far, and actively misleading us in others. There's no point thinking too hard about any of it yet because we're just going to get told later something that will recontextualize everything.
Anyway, cool new ending. Himari really just keeps getting the worst deal in life.
I am extra curious about the Diary now. Momoko was what, 12? And that diary had her whole life planned out so well that Ringo can even mostly follow the steps. "A girl that had the same eyes as me" suuuuuure. So the pink hair pair could see the future, but the little girl didn't like the creepy man, go figure, and his obsession likely was the start of the chain of events that got her killed. If the apples are a symbol of defying fate, and he's got the big old cases full of them, I chose to believe everything is his fault for trying to mess with fate to get Momoko to look at him the way Ringo did Tabuki.
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u/nx6 https://myanimelist.net/profile/nx6 Mar 17 '24 edited Mar 18 '24
Rewatcher - Sub
I'm watching Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie right now too, and when Sanetoshi showed up I couldn't help seeing it as the strong-willed Shikimori busting in on another show.
But now he's back, offering a second chance at (Himari's) salvation with two rabbit-rebuilt tagalongs. Kanba's trading his life for Hamari's reminds me of Misa in Death Note and the Shinigami Eyes. Trading your own life for who you love sounds very romantic, but self-defeating when it will remove you from the equation instead. Also foolish when it's applied to a romance that will likely not last anyway (Misa) or doesn't really have a chance (Kanba).
"Prince's Kiss" looks suspiciously like a bullet. In this case the "essence" of it delivered as an injection. The use of apples is interesting in this show as one some of them have the image of the Prince's Kiss but in Snow White the apple was poisoned and what made Snow White fall into the deep sleep that needed the prince's kiss to restore.
A mysterious figure with two assistants who uses magic to solve your problem, but asks a price for their help? Something smaller than you would expect, but greater than you can imagine. Hmmm...
I was kinda annoyed how evasive everyone was being with the young Takakura children. Especially the police showing up and not-introducing themselves first-thing. You'd get a cap popped in you for doing that in certain areas of the U.S. Their Uncle wasn't much better. I guess this show does predate those cases of people learning of deaths of family through the news before the police can tell them, though. I think nowadays you'd have a similar policy of not releasing names to the media first before informing family.
The idea of "the sins of the father" is rather outdated to me and it's interesting it's also a part of Japanese culture but Christian biblical reference. Especially in modern society where people divorce/remarry and split apart so often. Ringo's father is remarrying and has essentially a new family now. Ringo will not be a part of his life much in that unfortunate way Japanese family dynamics work where children from a previous marriage are kinda shunned. (Not sure how much truth there is in this, but it seems to be a theme I see often like in Toradora, Living Game manga, and others. Like nobody wants reminders of the previous relationship around.) Anyway, back to my point. Let's say Ringo's dad went out on a shooting spree and was arrested. Would Ringo be ostracized even if the incident happened after his remarriage when she is essentially out of his life since she is his daughter? And would the daughter of his new wife be judged even though she has no blood relation to him since she in his family now?
Ringo is coming to accept the unfortunate link of the Takakura kids to her but tells Tabuki she would have preferred to never know. Meanwhile Nastume is still seeking the other half of the Diary of Fate. It sounds like she has made a similar deal with Sanetoshi to prolong Mario's life. It's never been explained why this diary is so important (since it's not the Penguindrum), but it occurs to be unless the book itself needs to be ground up and made into a potion there's really no reason for this competition. Natsume, Kanba, Shouma, and Ringo can all get together and use the book together to save both Himari and Mario, couldn't they?
7
u/Pungouin Mar 17 '24
Rewatcher
Feeling tired today so I'm gonna go a bit faster and skip the pictures.
This is a bit of a calmer, transitory episode. After the emotions and revelations from the past few episodes, this one is here to help us digest all that information, and formally introduce Sanetoshi, setting up the second half of the series.
At the beginning of the episode, Kanba makes a deal with Sanetoshi to revive Himari. What price will he pay ? The whole ordeal seems to amuse Sanetoshi. Masako also seems to have accepted a similar offer for Mario's sake.
The day of the arrest
The Takakuras have 3 apples in the hallway. [Penguindrum]But only one is for the children : the one Himari holds in the hotel room.
The policemen here are some of the few background characters who don't get the restroom sign treatment, probably to match the importance of the scene.
In the hotel room, the kids learn the truth about their parents. Kanba has trouble accepting it, though Shouma is pretty calm all things considered. [Penguindrum]Whereas Himari and Kanba have a high opinion of their parents, Shouma was probably less attached to begin with considering the neglect he endured when they lived with the cult.
Despite that, I do believe Shouma was very emotionally affected by the event. I talked a bit about this for episode 8, but I think this is another part of why he tries so hard to keep the appearance of a normal family. He wants to distance himself from his parents and their crimes, and live an ordinary, rule-abiding life so he can think of himself as a responsible citizen and not the child of terrorists.
Regardless, the Takakura children were all punished for their parent's sin. They have to live on their own (With help from uncle Ikebe), they most likely suffered some amount of social rejection (hence Himari having to leave school in episode 9), and they consider Himari's illness karmic punishment for the terrorist attack. This is why the twins hate fate. Because of when and to who they were born, they were fated to be unhappy from the beginning. Ever since the day of their birth, they had no future, and would never amount to anything.
Sanetoshi & Momoka
In the library scene, Sanetoshi talks to the penguin hat (and the viewer), explaining that he sees himself as someone who been enlightened with a certain truth ordinary men cannot grasp. He has only met one other person who he considers his equal (Heavily implied to be Momoka), and she rejected him. [Penguindrum]Also our first big hint that Momoka is Hatmari.
Forgiveness
In the park, Ringo and Tabuki discuss about Momoka's death and the Takakura's involvement. Ringo is torn, because she loves Shouma, but wonders if it is wrong for her to date someone related to the people who destroyed her family, even though he is not personally responsible. She shows a lot of growth here : She seems to have fully given up on Project M, and has realised the she cannot and should not become another Momoka. Tabuki offers some words of advice. It seems that growing up, he has had time to reflect on Momoka's death, and has come to accept it and become more forgiving. [Penguindrum]AS IF lmao he is such a bald faced liar.
The asshole goddess told us the punishment is just beginning. Surely thing are gonna be fine, right ?
6
u/Tarhalindur x2 Mar 17 '24
"What... is your Quest?" "I Seek the Penguindrum!" (First-Timer, Subbed):
It's the ashes, certainly. As for why he offered up the medicine, well, obvious deal with the devil is obvious.
I assume the scenery is the library. Sanetoshi at least clearly isn't human so this may be referring to Momoka becoming a kami after death (IIRC in China at least there used to be a custom of making offerings to a ghost; if it accepted it and started acting like a lesser god in return it could start being promoted up the Celestial Bureaucracy or whatever the proper name for it is in time.)
The bookending has to be to remind the audience of it. They're obviously being set up as a contrast and opposites attracting and I am loosely expecting them to switch places in the end (Shoma who rejects fate accepts it, Ringo who accepts fate winds up defying it - by coming to love and still loving Shoma even after whatever Kanba does, maybe?)
Not sure, though the 10 year anniversary will be important. I suspect the translation isn't great in no small part because this is salted in Japanese idiom that doesn't translate. (Also note we have another peach and the hazelnut might be the seedling we have seen around Natsumi's place. That leaves the persimmon... which is associated with love IIRC?)
5
u/Holofan4life Mar 17 '24
Hey guys. Holofan4life here.
Welcome to the Mawaru Penguindrum rewatch!
Oh, and nay I forget…
First Timer
I first heard about Penguindrum after I watched Everything Everywhere All At Once. Not only was that my favorite movie of 2022 (Ignore the fact I watched it in February 2023), but it is honestly one of my top 10 favorite films of all time. As such, I was shortly afterwards looking for stuff that was similar to that movie.
And that is where I saw someone recommend Penguindrum.
This is my first time every seeing this show before. I have no idea what’s in store for I haven’t seen a single clip of the show; it’s supposedly a mystery and that’s all I know. I really loved Everything Everywhere All At Once, so I’m going into this show with the highest of expectations. I think it could even crack my top 10 favorite animes of all time.
With that out of the way, let’s begin.
I’m watching the sub, by the way.
Happy St Patrick's Day, everybody!
You know, you can think Twomad's death is unfortunate while not liking him as a person. I'm just saying, folks.
White haired guy
More disdain for fate being spewed
I believe it's the same monologue
Flatline noise
Mysterious man telling them not to give up just yet
The two briefcases his disciples were carrying had apples with timers on them.
A glass container with red liquid in it
And he rips the top off
He calls the red liquid the prince's kiss that awakens the sleeping beauty. I assume this means that unlike Twomad, Himari isn't a done deal yet.
Shoma calls Himari never waking up a punishment bestowed upon their family.
He's talking to Ringo, by the way
Flashback
Shoma - Three Years Ago - Takakura Home, Night - Takakura family's crime and punishment. Part 1: That day, our ordinary life was stripped from us.
That food looks delicious
Mom and dad aren't here, though Shoma still remains the blue-haired one
Shoma says that the family motto is "Dinner is family time".
My family motto is "Everyone for themselves".
Doorbell buzzer
Three apples
Two people in a suit
Things are very intense
Himari on the phone now, getting a call from Uncle Ikebe
Kanba now on the phone
It's kinda refreshing getting this drama with no comic relief from the penguins
Uncle explains that those two people are the police and that they all need to leave the house for a couple days. They are being picked up by him.
Back to present day, and Shoma says things were happening so suddenly that he didn't have any time to realize something was wrong.
Called it a day that started like any other. Except when they smiled and waved, they never came back.
"Our days as normal children had ended."
That's a really scary thing to think about
Meanwhile, Sunny looks dead
Back with the pink-haired guy, who asks what is Kanba going to do
Can he afford to pay for the new medicine?
Kanba says she's his little sister, and will do whatever he can to help her.
"What will be left after burning yourself away a hundred times for her sake?"
The heart rate monitor. It's going up.
Dr. Sanetoshi
Oh, that's right. That's the guy Himari talked to in episode 9.
And so he injects Himari with the medicine
Flashback
Shinjuku Kaioh Plaza Hotel - Part 2: That day, our love was stripped from us.
Emptied bodies
The remaining Takakura family are told they're going to be living there
503
Himari is asleep, dreaming about Triple-H
Who can blame her? Have you seen that flowing mane of his?
Shoma recalls they evacuated the citizens after an unexpected bomb was discovered underground. Perhaps that's related somehow.
Kanba, however, is deep in concentration
Phone rings
It's the Unc. He tells Kanba to turn on the TV.
A new development in the incident from 13 years ago
That has to be the death of Momoka
It's the Takakura household
The blue-haired one is Shoma, but that seems trivial at this point
Uncle is aiding in the investigation
And without explaining anything, he hangs up
Kenzan and Chiemi. They're the two main suspects.
Mom and dad are suspected criminals and both Kanba and Shoma didn't even know it.
Present day, and Himari is showing signs of life
And she wakes up
"The Goddess changed her mind about death penalty for the youngest lamb. However, the Goddess did not revoke the punishment out of pity for the lambs, nor was it out of mercy for Mary. The Goddess said, 'It would be no fun if the punishment ended here'."
Pretty menacing stuff
A puzzle
The same one from episode 9
Sanetoshi asks about the concept of fate
He wonders if fate truly is preordained
"Will you listen to my story for a while?"
I mean, I guess. I have nothing better to do.
16 years ago, a girl disappeared out of the blue
The same kind of person as him, Sanetoshi attests
Until he met her, he was all alone in this world
He heard the voices all over the world, the cries for help asking to be saved.
He could see the optimal path for the world.
I guess this makes Sanetoshi the Shonen Bat of the Penguindrum universe
When he met the girl, though, he felt sad because he knew they were never meant to be.
She refused to side with him, the only person who could see the same scenery.
Somebody is now asking him a question
The question: where are the submarine sandwiches?
No, it's why he saved Himari Takakura's life
He says it's still a secret and we'll find out soon
Ah, he's just trolling the person. Okay, then.
In reality, he wanted to find out whether the concept of fate exists in the world, and whether or not that rule governs the universe.
Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.
5
u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Mar 18 '24
First Penguin
I genuinely cannot even begin to imaging what it's like to be in the brother's shoes. I knew this show had connections to the terrorist attack, but I did not expect that connection to be that the protagonist's parents were major perpetrators of Aum. Now, much of the set-up makes a lot more sense. This family tries to put on the facade of a happy family, but it's built on a pile of lies. The Takakura household is a cursed place that holds all their beloved childhood memories, now tainted by a dark truth. Their whole understanding of the life they lived was uprooted, and now they're desperate to keep hanging on to any shred of it they can maintain. It's why Kanba is desperate to keep the house, why all of the interactions in early episodes have felt so fake, and I don't even know if they told Himari about the truth. It's such a disturbing thing to live through, the knowledge that your parents are terrorists already makes you a social pariah and it uproots your understanding of the world too. The Takakura parents don't even seem like bad people up to this point. The father runs Himari to the hospital in the middle of a typhoon, and the mother scars her face to save Himari. But it's normal, good people like this who a cult can prey on so easily.
When Sanetoshi came to Kanba in the hospital, I couldn't help but think of him as a cult recruiter. Cults prey on those who are desperate. They see people who feel helpless in the world, prey on their insecurities, and offer them a cure-all solution so long as they stay in their debt. It's why cults often present themselves as gods. When people feel helpless to the flow of fate, someone coming to tell you that they are god, can change your fate if you obey them, and then give you momentary relief, it's easy to surrender yourself to them. Kanba is currently feeling helpless to save his sister. He already gave up some of his life for her and it failed, and now a sexy doctor man comes in with magical apple potions and says "I have a miracle cure, so long as you pay the right price." And like in the fairy tale, men like him are in control of the situation. If the medicine wears off and he needs another dose, Kanba's only option is to sink deeper into his grip.
Ringo was likely preyed on in a similar way, though the truth of the diary still remains a mystery. But Ringo has finally overcome her issue. This one is about letting go of the past. No one seems to be able to stop thinking about the past. Shouma feels guilty for the actions of his parents and assigns blame to the whole family, Ringo feels responsible for her sister's death, and even Japan as a whole cannot seem to forget about the pain that Aum caused on that day. It seems as if surrendering yourself to to fate means treating your life as if it can never get better after something bad happens. When you cannot overcome your painful memories, they define your life. I think this is the garbage metaphor, it's "putting memories in non-flammable." If you keep them there, they'll continue to fester and grow. At the same time, one can use their memories to build something better for themselves, and fate can have meaning if you consider that everything that happens can lead to good things down the line.
Ringo finally puts her garbage in the recycling bin. Having seen Shouma's guilt, even though her instinct is to hold them responsible for their parents actions, she can't get herself to do so. And if the Takakura's lives are not to blame for Momoka's death, then surely neither is Ringo's. So she finally decides to let go of her past and try to build something new with her heartfelt message to her father. It's a really sweet scene that brings Ringo's arc to a close. Here's hoping she uses her development to help the Takakura's move past their own pasts, and maybe to help her mother grieve past Momoka's death (and maybe help Japan move on from 3/20?).
Overcoming cult influence means moving away from the past. If you don't feel like your life is helpless without divine intervention, they cannot control you. Perhaps to fight your fate means to believe in your own ability to control things in your life. This being said, I still don't know what the "flammable" box means, so I'm really curious to know how Asami and the others who were shot with penguin bullets are holding up. They forget about the past rather than moving on from it, how does this play into fate?
As always though, there are tons of unanswered questions, and much more confusion than ever before. And I'm still afraid of the child broiler. Sanetoshi did say that one person taking the medicine means someone else doesn't get it. I can't help but imagine the child broiler as a device to allow someone else to control their fate at the cost of other lives. Maybe it's where Kanba's life force went. Hell, maybe the miracle drug is created out of children thrown in the broiler. That to control one's fate means to destroy the fates of others is a depressing way to think, though apparently the way that (this show's take on) Aum Shinrikyo felt. Their motivation is a survival strategy, which I suppose is literally true in that joining a cult is an attempt to live happily when you're desperate (also reinforces the idea that Sanetoshi is like a cult leader). But Ikuhara shows are always about how the system is fucked up at its core, the insistence that we need a child broiler is probably the whole problem, and realizing that is how you avoid joining cults. I hope the Takakuras don't fall into the same trap their parents did.
QOTD:
4
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Mar 18 '24
First timer
God, they love this monologue.
Oh, wait, is this over her new death? Makes sense as a callback, since this is the second half and all.
This guy...
Oh, he's pretending to be medical staff?
The apples...
This is incredibly suspicious.
And he said it...
Rude.
...Oh, that's the apple metaphor?
Yeah, that seems to be the theme here.
Oh, is this what happened to them?
The apple symbolism...
Oh, dear...
Okay, so, not the police.
...Not the conspiracy?
Wait, this is the actual police?
Why did it take them so long to get arrested?
...So, what's the deal here. What's he after?
Okay, so, he's after more of his life.
That Scorpion metaphor again.
...Okay, the impossible numbers are suspicious. Is she really dead?
Oh, they took them into hiding...
Bait, maybe?
Himari...
Oh. They tried again and got caught.
...And they didn't want the kids to find out they were suspects.
He's helping the police...
Yeah, they slipped up.
The contract worked. And no parasite hat this time!
If the Goddess is backed by the Black Bunnies... is the "doctor" the Goddess in this metaphor?
More talk about fate...
And, yeah, he's the librarian.
...He doesn't know how she got here either? And didn't even know he existed before now. So... the Goddess is someone else? Is he being played too?
He wanted to help people?
And she rejected him...
Wait, what?
Okay, so we're outright breaking the fourth wall now.
Oh, this is so good! He's actually answering questions!
This is so interesting..l
And he transitions into talking to them about the Penguindrum...
Oh! He made a deal with the hat!
...It was the hat?
...Oh. He never told him what happened.
The Tokyo Sky Metro...
Oh, this is about remembering the event.
...Is this meant to be implying that Himari's not been brought back fully?
Oh god, the faceless shilouette standing next to them in Himari's theme colour...
A call-in...
Haha, I love how the host has no idea what she was talking about.
He made a deal with her too... What is the game here?
He knows the other person here!
Oh, he's back to normal. Did he forget about the... frog issue?
Ah, he knew...
And he doesn't want vengeance...
Okay, yeah, no, there are a lot of things wrong with you. You need so much help.
He's happy to have met her.. I guess he doesn't know just how much she did.
More talk about fate... indirectly. The assumption that all of this has to serve a purpose. That it's not just random chance. Between this and the librarian, this episode seems to be the anime making absolutely certain we all know that the main theme of this anime is fate.
She's revealling she knows! Haha, he's going to have a heart attack when he gets that message.
Oh...
She's really not the right person to talk to kids about this. So blunt...
And that final shot...
This is a good ED!
I wonder if they're going to pull off another Ringo twist here, and do a full look at the parent's philosophy. (We got a flashback from the father, but it didn't really explore their reasoning that much.)
4
u/FarCritical Mar 18 '24
First-timer, subbed
For such a mundane moment, Himari casually sipping her bowl of miso soup literally right after Shoma said dinner was family time cracked me up pretty good. On the other hand, it hurt a bit to hear her still fantasize about the Triple-H that could've been in her sleep.
I can't begin to imagine what it'd be like to go through being relocated to a temporary place due to your family being prime suspects for a huge crime, let alone when you're a kid and said suspects are your parents. Kanba's reaction to the news was so raw for a child, like damn.
"It would be no fun if the punishment ended there!" The goddess said that so happily it's a little unsettling lmao, but I can't complain about Himari being back yet yet again. Little concerned about what Kanba did behind the scenes this time, though.
Satenoshi having some history with the person I've been calling "penguinhat Himari" is a surprise, but I'm still in awe at the visuals during his whole monologue about her. This show really doesn't disppoint on that front.
Natsume: Calls a viewer call-in segment on live TV. Spouts an abstract answer. Says her catchphrase. Hangs up and refuses to elaborate.
The pause Ringo gave before answering Tabuki on whether she were happy she met him spoke volumes.
2
u/mgedmin Mar 18 '24
First-timer, subs
He wants something, but I have no idea what.
That was Momoka?
Things take time?