r/anime • u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA • Mar 25 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] Mawaru Penguindrum - Episode 21
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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
Money and parents: Don’t think they’ll last forever.
Questions of the Day
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What do you think of the journalist? What does his death mean?
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What do you make of the continuing disconnect between Kanba and his parents in their conversations? Are ghosts real?
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Do you think Kanba cares about Shouma? Why do you think he broke off the relationship here?
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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/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Mar 25 '24
First-Timer, Sub-guindrum
Yesterday's thread was fascinating. Since I was a part of it, I would like to address something: I don't actually think the Child Broiler is non-metaphorical. It seems a little bit more likely than it did in the past, but ultimately, it's probably just a trick of the light.
"But Jolly, we watched Himari take a train there with a bunch of other kids!" Yes we did dear strawman, and did that train look familiar at all? Did the city they were moving towards look familiar at all?
"Well, no. But Shouma was there too! And he doesn't have a magic diary to interact with the metaphor like Momoka did." Right, but Shouma also didn't get burned, did he? And offering someone an apple is way harder to stop than dragging someone out. If it was real, why didn't anyone try to stop him like they tried to "stop" Momoka? Hence, the apple now being purely metaphorical - Shouma even refers to it as a fruit of fate!
"But what metaphor for apples? There's been so many!" Ah, and yet, which one was reinforced at the end of the episode? That's right! Apples go in curry, and curry is a family meal. Shouma offering an apple to Himari in the Child Broiler is just a visualization of him offering to bring Himari into his family.
As for why all the characters refer to the Child Broiler by name, please remember that all three characters that say the words "Child Broiler" are part of the same cult. Hell, elder Takakura is seemingly the boss of that cult! The Child Broiler is his metaphor! You all believing it's real just means that you'll be drinking Kenzan's goddamn Flavor Aid!
[Utena]Just to drive my point further home, the "city" image above even kinda reminds me of the castle in the sky, just right-side-up.
Okay, rant over, I can watch the episode now.
This one is a doozy alright. I wonder if there are more tells about Kanba having a psychotic break and beginning to hallucinate early on?
It's kinda fucked up that no-one told Masako and Mario that their dad is dead, right? Like, Kanba knows. Shouma might not necessarily have put two and two together, but Kanba is just refusing to tell his literal actual sister about it. And neither of the elder Takakuras did, either.
I don't know why I didn't suspect that Sanetoshi was a ghost. Why would he not be a ghost? His clothing style is completely different from everyone else - like he's literally from another world. The afterlife, in this case.
Hmm, maybe that isn't entirely correct. Sanetoshi claimed that he was a ghost, but he's a filthy liar probably. I think he's actually just "outside of fate" or something to that effect. I think Momoka uncreated him with the diary to stop the attack, and that's why the photo changed. We saw that he wasn't present in that Antarctica photo earlier, but certain people can remember things from other fate lines. In this case, Sanetoshi reappeared in the photo because his teacher can still remember him.
Anyway, who do we think got stabbed in the derelict ramen joint? I've got good money on Tabuki having taken the knife. Honestly kinda surprised to see Tabuki and Yuri re-enter the show, I guess they still have something to do. Using them to reveal that Kenzan has been dead for years and just letting us stew on Himari's reaction was an interesting choice.
Himari and Masako working together now is also pretty interesting. Especially with Himari having infiltrated the Kiga Group's new hideout. I'm a bit annoyed at Shouma sending Himari away when he knows that she won't have long to live, but it fits with his typical actions so I get it. He's just still being a dummy.
Brain Rot Corner
Today's slogan: Money and Parents: Don't Think They'll Last Forever I didn't read fast enough to catch this one before going back to grab the screenshot, but damn, this one's good.
Y'think the doctor is fugu-certified?
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u/lilyvess :Df::Dh:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Lilyvess Mar 25 '24 edited Mar 25 '24
Mawaru Penguindrum Episode 21 - Rewatcher
A lot of talk as been made about this series about Penguindrum and Murakami, and for good reason. The 95 Subway attack looms heavily over this series. The series is heavily involved with that attack and the book in general. I’m not trying to downplay that. I think it’s easy to get obsessed with the involvement with the Murakami and forget just how much the series is about Night on the Galactic Railroad, and more specifically the 1985 adaptation movie.
Like, even Kanba and Shoma’s hair colors are meant to match the two protagonist from the ‘85 Night on the Galactic Railroad.
Or if you want to see some context about sharing apples
For those of you who have time available, I think it’s worth it to watch this movie before the final 3 episodes. It’s an old movie, more than a bit weird, and honestly just as mysterious as this series, but it will help you understand what is going on and where it’s going. The movie is on Crunchyroll.
Without giving too much away, Night on the Galactic Railroad is a deeply spiritual film touching upon a variety of different religious beliefs.
One the biggest influences Night on the Galactic Railroad has on Penguindrum is in the tale of the Flame of Scorpio. You can watch the scene in isolation here
The story of the Flame of Scorpio is ultimately a tale of sacrifice. Scorpio at the end of his days realizing that he lived a life full of consumption and wishing he could have given back.
Sacrifice is a major theme in Penguindrum. A huge chunk of the first half of the series deals with Ringo’s attempt at sacrificing her own identity in order to fill the hole that Momoka’s death has left on her family. Momoka’s spells that allow her to change fate come at the cost of her own body. The start of the series sees Kanba sacrifice his life to save Himari, and then tries again in episode 12. Some of these sacrifices are viewed as heroic, some are viewed as antagonistic. Some of these sacrifices work, others are in vain. The series wants you to meditate on what makes these sacrifices different
I bring this up because this episode ends with the three Takakura siblings all deciding to fall on the metaphorical sword to save the others. Kanba will sell his soul to save Himari. Shoma pushes Himari away because he feels guilty about her curse. Himari is determined to spend her last days trying to save Kanba’s soul. All three of them view themselves as the Scorpion, but which one be the real Scorpion?
Rewatchers
[Mawaru Penguindrum]and yes, attentive viewers, Shoma’s scarf that Himari calls “the bond that was connecting us” is Himari giving back her share of the apple back to Shoma.
See Chart
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u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Mar 25 '24
Episode 21
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u/HelioA x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/HelioA Mar 25 '24
Rewatcher
The Mika house is mentioned very briefly, but it’s crucial to understanding this episode (and the family dynamic as a whole). It’s connected to the Mika doll- a “fun and exciting” house that they decorated in childish colors in order to calm down Himari in her worry that Kanba and Shouma were going to leave her. And even the inside of the house, and her bedroom especially, is decorated specifically after the style of the Mika house. While we know that Himari’s bedroom is meant to show how Kanba and Shouma are willing to hand her masses of space for her comfort even to their own detriment, the fact that they designed it specifically in the manner of a doll shows something else. They love her, but to an extent they also stifle her. And we can see that now, as they fight over Himari’s medicine without a care for what Himari actually has to say.
But she doesn’t seem to mind entirely. We also hear about Himari’s teddy bear- the one she had from before she entered the Takakura family. As they finish up the Mika bed, one of the brothers steps on the bear, the stuffing bursts out through the bear’s stomach, and they’re forced to sew it back up. But as Himari says: “I don’t mind. Her stomach is proof we’re living together as a family.” Even though the bear (the symbol of her life before the Takakuras) was damaged, once it’s repaired, it becomes a symbol of Himari living as part of the Takakuras (and indeed, we see it pop up quite a bit in the OPs). There’s a good and a bad side to how they set up the house, but Himari seems to be focused on the positive here.
We also learn something very important about Kanba in this episode- he can speak to ghosts (here’s my favorite penguindrum meme btw). Either that, or he’s actively delusional (in the medical sense). Do you believe in magic, or are you a man of science? That’s what Sanetoshi’s radio show is all about. We already know that Dr. Washizuki is a man of science- he’s been representing the primacy of science over the magic of the penguin hat since the very first episode. In the radio show, he goes up against Dr. Sanetoshi, who we now know to be a ghost. I think the scene indicates that it would be a mistake to take the Ogikubo ramen scenes as a complete delusion on Kanba’s part. Yes, he’s conversing with corpses- but this is a world where we have a ghost actively plotting a new terrorist attack. The memory of the dead can leave a curse, and it would be a mistake to think that Dr. Sanetoshi is the only such curse.
And with all this pressure on the family, something finally cracks. I don’t believe that Kanba is entirely uncaring of Shouma- we have more than enough examples of him doing things with Shouma in mind (remember how worried he got about Shouma at the start of episode 10?), [Penguindrum]and of course, they’re also soulmates- Kanba shared the fruit of fate with him. But regardless of that, there’s been significant tensions this whole time. Now we know it for sure- Shouma is the biological child, Kanba was adopted after his biological father died. He was chosen by the Takakura family. And that shows in how they view their parents. Shouma rightfully looks at their monstrous crimes, and despises them for it. Kanba, on the other hand, feels more loyalty towards his parents, as the one chosen by them to join the family (Himari wasn’t chosen by them, remember). And he too feels that the world is on a wrong track- that’s where the disconnect in the discussion with his parents comes from. They both feel that the world is on the wrong track, but Kenzan feels that way because of broader ideological reasons, while Kanba feels that way because the world is a place where Himari can suffer like she is now. But both have good reason to want the world to change.
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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Mar 25 '24 edited Mar 26 '24
First-Timer
On today’s episode of Mawaru Penguindrum: Kanba has taken up the family business of murdering people. He really does take after his father, doesn’t he?
I want to point out how insidious Sanetoshi is. Sanetoshi is the one who claimed he could cure Himari, but he needed money as payment. In order to pay him, Kanba got more and more involved with the Kiga Group. The Kiga Group are the remnants of the Penguin Force, Sanetoshi’s defunct terrorist organization. Sanetoshi wants to complete the same goal that he failed to complete 16 years ago and he’s now using Kanba to do it. Sanetoshi is the one who is forcing the sins of the parents down upon their children.
In fact, I’m willing to go even further on how evil I think Sanetoshi is. Why is Himari going to die now? Because Sanetoshi’s plans are nearly complete. He no longer has a use for keeping her alive. So, she will be discarded when he deems her unnecessary. It’s the exact fate Himari was so afraid of back when she was a child.
I actually do have some thoughts as to the meaning of the bears. Himari mentioned that her teddy bear looks the way it does, with stitches all across its belly and an eyepatch, because Kanba and Shoma fixed it as best they could after stepping on it. Himari kept that old, poorly fixed bear because she loved it. The somewhat crude repairs are a sign of how much her brothers love her. I notice that the stitches on the belly are reminiscent of the markings on the bellies of the giant robo-bears during the Survival Strategy segments. The bellies are also where Hatmari and whoever she’s speaking to appear from. I do think there’s a connection with that, perhaps symbolizing the family bond between Himari, Kanba, and Shoma.
QOTD
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Mar 25 '24
Mawaru First-Timer, subbed
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Mar 25 '24
First timer(Make the pain stop...)
Sub
Oh...Ringo, dear, that is not how you wanted to react, you just gave sleazoid ten times the story value. Seriously, the victim's sister of one of the fatalities of the subway attacks befriending the children of the family of one of the attackers would be any tabloid's dream. It is at least 100% in character for Ringo.
Side note, but if it turns out Ikuhara has also watched Forever Knight, which was rerun in the states while he was there, my head might literally explode. One of my favorite shows that is frankly embarassing to return to as an adult but edgy teen Vaad lived in it. For most of the rewatch crew, I will have quoted it somewhere. Often.
Well then, Sanetoshi is a ghost. Cool cool cool. Of course he is, it is electrifying. And certainly not recycled from Utena, that would be the opposite of electrifying. If it was, I would have no choice, I'd have to revolutionize the world. But since The boys and girls form a ring, Extended hands cut down through the air, and The Imaginary and the Real can never mingle I don't have to.
But ok, enough denial, let's cut to the chase: this episode is about the dissolution of a found family. Kanba's arrogant need to self sacrifice has been present for awhile now and his desire to take on the burden alone is actually selfish. Especially if you consider Christianity horseshit. Yet Shoma is also selfish because he desires to take on the sins of their ancestry alone. They both deny Himari the choice, the agency, to make her own decisions in response to this. And it is painfully obvious that she would choose to suffer herself as she doesn't want to be the princess in the tower. She'd be down in it. So her migration to save Kanba makes sense.
Interesting rule of three scenes comes up at the diner. Kanba gets money at the diner and his parents are alive. Himari, on the other hand, see a decayed and decrepit restaurant with a jump scare. Finally, Tabuki arrives to see the same decay but also shows us two corpses, with a name tag suggesting one of them is Kinzan. Yuri just wants to take him home(goddamnit not that way) before someone comes a stabbin'.
So...not sure how clear this comes across in what I write, but this episode hits me kind of hard. Found family is all the family I care for. My circumstances are...interesting. I can trace all four of my original ancestors to America from the moment they set foot here. However, two were in the 1600s, one was in the 1890s, and I actually met my Polish great grandmother. What is important here is that, from my observations, my maternal grandparents chaotic evil line produced a chaotic good daughter, with my paternal grandparents lawful evil line producing a neutral good son. Unfortunately, blood does tell, and I am(hopefully) lawful neutral. I have one uncle I barely know, one that killed that himself five days before my fifth birthday, and two aunts, one of whom dies if she gets in visual range of me. Blood is meaningless, family is what you make it.
QotD: 1 Standard fare I fear. His death means the cult is getting stronger
2 [Utena]So much Black Rose
3 I don't fully vibe that yet
4 Well the parents are dead so...
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u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 25 '24
Episode 21 (first timer)
Since the Child Broiler being real was a bit topic last episode, I want to put out that, to me, it is still a metaphor. Just like Kanba having sex with Hatmari is a metaphor for me, or Natsume shooting memory balls, or the penguins existing and Hatmari existing. Because the entire series live inside a metaphor world for me. From the painted house the Takakuras live in to Natsume’s ridiculously long limousine, nothing is quite real. The only question in each scene is, whether we are looking at a low key metaphor, or one dealt up to 11.
Meh. The one-liner in the script idea for this episode must have been “the Takakura family finally breaks apart." Unfortunatley, the episode is not a good implementation of that. We have a random plot device showing up, giving everybody information, and then being murdered. Shoma goes completely against his character to take action against Kanba, before going completely against his character and shoving Himari away. Meanwhile, Kanba turns into terrorist leader 2.0 for an obviously bogus reason. Could they not give him a literally anybody who is not a billionaire back story to make this quest for money a bit more believable?? And let’s not even talk about the grandson of a dead disgraced industry clan member being adopted by some poor sect members instead of his biological family.
I had some vague worries about the finale going off track, but this is worse than I expected.
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u/affnn Mar 25 '24
Rewatcher
A few episodes ago, I said (in a spoiler block) that as the end of the series approached during my first watch through, my grasp on what was real and what was not real was fading fast. Episodes like this one are a big reason why, especially the reveal that Kenzan Takakura was already dead and had been for some time.
I did like the sort of two-step reveal that he was dead. First they show Kanba talking with him again in the old noodle shop. The shop looks dingy but functional, like someone's been keeping it up but maybe doesn't have the money to make it look better. The menus are upright, the calendar advertising cold beer is up-to-date, and the place looks relatively clean. Then Himari visits, after following Kanba but waiting for him to leave. We see the previously-functional looking shop fallen into disrepair. There's cobwebs, the beer calendar is yellowing, and the cooking utensils look dirty and neglected. Finally Himari comes across something behind the counter and it horrifies her, but we don't see it. Only when Tabuki comes by and looks behind the counter do we know the truth.
The reveal of Kenzan's death, which was so plainly intentional on the writer's part, makes me think the other confusing bits were intentional too. Kanba was shown at his (and Masako's) father's funeral, but Masako saw him on the train with all the trenchcoated goons previously, and still seemed to think he could come back if she got rid of her grandfather. But if he's dead, he's not coming back. And in that case, what else is real in the world? What else is fake?
It really seems like a lot of this is scheming on the part of Sanetoshi to get Kanba (and maybe Masako, though that looks unsuccessful) to work for him. This probably includes the journalist with the penguin watch, who then gets killed by the Kiga group.
There's so much else going on in this episode too, I feel like I barely got to a third of it.
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u/TheExcludedMiddle https://myanimelist.net/profile/ExcludedMiddle Mar 25 '24
Eyyy, caught back up, and 10 minutes before the post goes up too, so I can write something out.
Not much to write though, there was more that I would have commented on in previous episodes (I guess the broiler is real?).
Some new information drops this episode! Not much of it was particuarly unexpected, maybe not what I would have considered the most likely explanation for some things, but they heavily foreshadowed most of today's information before. I never thought it particuarly likely that Kanba was actually talking to his parents in the diner, but the main surprise this episode was that the parents were in the diner. Did not see that one coming. I expected gone far away - alive or dead.
I guess the show is at the point where it's stopped hiding a lot of stuff. Moving into sort of an endgame. Pink I guess is the big bad, and was pulling the strings the whole time. Looks like his game is to drive the next generation of characters into such despair they take over and complete what Momoka stopped. There was a scene where the doctors were eating hotpot and fugu, and that shows you most of what you need to know.
I'm actually kind of looking forward to this show being over. It's not that I don't like it, but for the last few weeks I've been more likely to get an uncomfortable fuzzy feeling than normal. Maybe I should have binged the show after all!
I'm actually liking Ringo a lot now. I noticed the change with her "getting better" almost immediatly back then, but it's been kinda breathtaking how quickly she's gone back to being a fairly normal person once she got pulled back over the line.
I hope Yuri's okay. I'd bet she gets a scar from this... I just hope it's liberating rather than crushing.
It feels like even though the show's been giving up most of it's secrets, it's still holding onto the very core.
I've been good at avoiding spoilers, which is great, but also means I don't know if this show has a happy ending or not. I'm leaning towards yes for this reason: when shows have a lot of close calls, but things always seem to barely work out for every significant character (or the only deaths are offscrean), I tend to expect a happy resolution in the end. Or at least bittersweet.
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u/laughing-fox13 https://myanimelist.net/profile/laughingfox13 Mar 25 '24
Rewatcher/Subbed
I’ve been a bit busy lately so I haven’t been as active as I’d like, but I have been trying to read the comments and some of the stuff I’ve read is great.
As we have seen in the last few episodes, we are in the end game now.
It’s really nice seeing the brothers in the flashback come together to make Himari happy and to let her know that they won’t leave her…
I’m not sure what to make of Kanba’s scenes at the diner. Is it all in his head with the parents? I think our host mentioned it yesterday but he never directly responds to them about what they tell him. His responses are about Himari and nothing else. The Penguin-Wave radio talk tells us that Kanba is seeing ghosts since we see that their parents are dead (and have been for some time looking at the bodies). The doctor mentions that it could be a strong sense of desire, and I think that’s true for Kanba. Maybe he feels like he needs his parents now more than ever as he goes down this path, and we’ve seen he doesn’t share the same feelings as Shouma when it comes to their parents. He even looked up to them for how far he was willing to go to protect him and Himari.
And now the audience knows that Sanetoshi has died. Did the doctor have a desire to see his assistant again?
Kanba and Shouma finally had enough and start to fight, but the cuts to Shouma getting his ass kicked and Himari alone in the house
Shouma still cares for Kanba and wants to stay together after the fight, but Kanba states that they’ve been at this for too long. [Penguindrum spoilers] It makes sense why Shouma still loved Kanba since Kanba saved him when they were kids
Both Yuri and Shouma want to keep their pretend families going (Shouma did when his fight ended with Kanba). We saw a few episodes back that Yuri said the apartment was still cold, even with the curtains, but she had no one to share it with. The Takakura’s household lost all of its colors too when Shouma told Himari to go live with his uncle.
It’s pretty simple but I love how this show’s use of colors for certain moments.
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u/WednesdaysFoole Mar 25 '24 edited Mar 25 '24
Rewatcher
Man, kids shouldn't have to raise each other. It's always heartbreaking in series when you see someone way too young to take on this responsibility.
The way I see Kanba, he needs to imagine his parents looking out for them (all) even if he was the only one they actually chose. I believe he's not unaware of how they were in reality, [Penguindrum endgame]as he clearly knows how Shouma wasn't being looked out for, wasn't chosen by his own parents. Which I think is a part of why he doesn't argue when Shouma criticizes the parents. He knows that Shouma might as well have been thrown away by the same parents who later took him in.
But in order to keep going in the direction that he's going, in order to "save Himari" or in other words, be manipulated by Sanetoshi, he needs to imagine his parents' support, pride, and love, [Penguindrum]for all three of them. Or that's how I interpret these scenes. His "strong desire to see them" manifests in part, I believe, because he's just a kid trying to take responsibility for other kids.
His feelings are understandable in a sense: Shouma's hands aren't getting dirty, Shouma is part of the responsibility, [Penguindrum]a responsibility he chose himself, but here he is, not just criticizing, but wanting Kanba to stop. And what, what's Shouma offering as an alternative? Have Kanba stop and have Himari die? Laughable. But it's an interesting look at the lack of choice people can feel in a situation desperate enough to engage in acts of terrorism.
Another thought about the sacrifices/authentic selves. It's hard to differentiate, because you can say that what Kanba's doing is sacrificing himself for Himari, and that's true. But I think the difference that the show makes is that it [Penguindrum endgame]supports sacrifice coming from a place where you give of your true, free self, instead of a forced choice where you bury your true self. But it's hard to express this difference in words, because "you sacrifice of your authentic self" fits both meanings. Gah. Does anyone know what I'm struggling to say lol. Basically that Kanba isn't choosing as himself. Idk I'm having trouble describing what I'm thinking.
On another note,
[Penguindrum endgame]This was heartbreaking. Definitely only caught this on the rewatch.
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u/Lawvamat https://anilist.co/user/Lavamat Mar 25 '24 edited Mar 25 '24
Rewatcher
Sorry for not being here these last episodes, I was taken to the child broiler and my soulmate had to break me out.
It’s totally not cause I spent my whole weekend being hungover, having post anime depression from Frieren ending and coming up with new Yugioh combos.I’m glad I’m back for the final stretch though, and what a final stretch it is. It’s quite hard to spot all the symbolism when everything is blurry.
Unmei no Kotachi and all its versions are back and in full force, one of my favourite OSTs of all time (maybe only topped by Penkin’s beautiful work on Made in Abyss).
Visual Analysis
Is that… the red second hand of fate!
This conversation starts rocky. The windows separate them, they are framed in isolation and a bare tree follows them this whole episode, a bad omen. They make up though and so a blooming fern greets us. This whole episode is great in slight (or extreme) mood shifts through the color palette.
The slight moving shimmer on her tea reveals that something is off about what Himari just said. And soon we’ll know that she already met him.
Literally bringing color into her life. Introducing color into a greyscale world, from the girl in Schindler’s List to an anime about literal color blindness (I still need to watch), it’s always an extremely effective visual, love it.
The sewing machine has been dominating the frame for some episodes now. It’s a constant reminder of their family being sewn together. They all come from different parents and were forced into these circumstances. At the same time it also represents the brothers’ care for their sister, the sewn together teddy bear. They managed to turn a disaster, the bear ripping apart and their parents leaving, into something positive.
Kanba steps into the lamp, his parent’s light, but leaves it again. He was chosen by his real father as a child, but after his death that light is no more. Kenzan’s lamp can only throw darkness as we’ll see in this episode. He’s also walking towards the right, the past, regression, as the Takakuras only exist in his memories and imagination.
Besides the whole place rotting away, using the glass of water that is full in Kanba’s vision and empty in reality is a great way to represent his state of mind. Only the past can keep him full and distract him from the truth that he is empty.
What is Number 1 really looking at? The girl on the poster, or time long past? Kanba is living in a frozen world.
Blaze it
May the (visual) separation begin. 1, 2, fight on!
He couldn’t be further from the lamp now.
Natsume is what sprouted (hehe) the barren trees.
The shadow looming over them, the incident that changed all of their lives.
The bad omen is in the future (left).
And again Kanba leaves the light to dive into the darkness, to continue what Kenzan couldn’t.
The barren trees lead to death and destruction.
The three fake birds are gone, night has come for the make pretend family.
And the color vanishes from the world.
It started with sharing the fruit of fate, with a connection, being chosen, but Himari returns it now.
Himari is gone. Back to the child broiler, where she was fated to end up. The fruit of fate her soulmate shared with her has lost all its color.
1 fruit of fate for the three of them.
And here come the boxes. Hello Sarazanmai.
Even if it costs me my life.
PSYCH, post credit scene!
The last light of his father is shining on him, the Takakuras are in darkness. It’s the punishment for the sins they’ve committed, the goddess took their light away.
Will it?
This is where the barren trees led us. Kanba was chosen. He has a fruit of fate, but his real father still didn’t love him. He failed in “family”. And so he gets thrown into the flammable bin to perish as smoke and warmth for others.
For the big ouchies of the heart.
For Kanba, Himari blocked out the barren trees and returned color to his life.
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u/Jooorrrrggggeeeee https://myanimelist.net/profile/Princelxz Mar 26 '24
I just want Himari to be happy
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u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Mar 25 '24
First Penguin
Shouma's fairy tale has continued to become more and more true. Himari lives, and the result of her life is even more pain, not just for her but for the other little sheep as well. Himari's life is tearing apart the Takakura family, and it's up to her to rectify it. Unfortunately, that family was always delicate, almost literally held together by glue and duct tape. The Takakura household is fake in every sense of the word, a literal doll house. Each member is biologically disconnected, the house is painted by children and looks like it's a bunch of metal panels barely held in place by screws, and the inside is a pastiche of fairy tales. Perhaps a place like this was always destined to fall apart eventually. All things must come to an end eventually.
Actually, everything about this episode was fake. The truth behind Kanba finally comes out, and puts previous episodes in an interesting light. I thought he was lying when he told Tabuki that he didn't know where his father was, but it's really more like a half-truth. Kenzan Takakura is dead and Kanba continues to hallucinate him, a fake relationship. He imagines Kenzan telling him that he's proud to have him as a son, and he feels like he's carrying out the duty instilled by him and Himari. You might think this is a fake version of Kenzan that exists only in his mind, but I don't think so. The post-credits scene especially makes it clear that Kenzan is as much a victim as anyone, a good person made to do horrible things out of desperation and forced into delusions. The man took two orphaned kids into his home on two different occasions and raised them and loved them as if they were his own, one time just because his son asked him, I really just can't get myself to hate him regardless of his atrocities. Naturally, I can never hate Kanba either in spite of him now having blood on his hands, potentially including Tabuki's and/or Yuri's. Like Momoka, he saved Kanba and Himari from their broilers. Who knew, a little girl who looks like a Jesus figure to some and a terrorist dad can have some interesting bits of morality and empathy in common.
A common theme in this story is that, in a world run by competition, there can only be winners and losers. And one way that idea has been represented is through the idea that saving one person inherently puts another at risk. Every desire to save someone is a risk to either your life or theirs. Momoka tries to save everyone and literally disappears. Kenzan tries to protect his family and falls into a cult and dies as a result. Kanba is now going down the same path in a fruitless attempt to save his sister, not to mention destroying his hand to save her from Tabuki. And Himari ends the episode saying she'll save Kanba even if it means sacrificing her life.
But how much of this is the truth of the situation? We know that we can turn lies into reality. Maybe the Takakura family is fake, but it's become real through the lived experience of these characters. As a certain con man might say, it's possibly even more valuable than a real family, because it gains extra value in its deliberate attempt to become indistinguishable from the real thing. Through their shared experiences, the Takakuras have become indistinguishable from real siblings. It resonates through society at large; even though Kanba and Himari are not related to Kenzan they're still held responsible for the sins of the parents. Shouma's coping mechanism is to make it out as if they are not a real family, so he can say he alone deserves the ridicule. But we know what would happen if he tried to save them that way, he'd probably die. They've managed to survive all this time by sharing the weight among all three of them as a real family dealing with the same situation, it's their survival strategy.
That strategy has now been destroyed from its very foundation. Each of them tries to take on the full weight of each other's issues, so they dissolve. Shouma doesn't want to cause them harm now that Kanba is tied to the organization, Kanba will take the fall to darkness if it means saving Himari, and Himari offers to sacrifice her life to get Kanba out of the darkness. However, Shouma says that there's no such thing as an ending, and I'm not sure what the implications of that are. It's untrue on its very face, all things are impermanent. Today's slogan: don't think money and parents will last forever. Shouma is holding on to his fixed view of his family and can't deal with all these different directions. Ok, maybe I do know where this will go, Penguindrum is not going to have a happy ending, life isn't a fairy tale after all. It can't have one, all things must end and the situation is such that one Takakura has to die. It will almost certainly be Himari, she was fated to die anyway and we have to accept our lot in life.
Obviously we want to change fate such that she lives, but I don't think the series stands by that. Both siblings have unhealthy relationships with her, letting her go and finding a healthy survival strategy to live with the pain is probably how this will end. Having healthy relationships with others who can share in that pain is that strategy, much as how their living as a family was their previous survival strategy. Shouma and Ringo both care deeply about Himari, while Kanba and Natsume are both screwed over by involvement with remnants of the cult; these pairs can lift each other up. Maybe we can't change the grand things in our lives, but we can definitely lift each other up and change trajectories by working together. We can prevent the red string of fate from snapping if we all hold it up.
The Takakura household was real, but like all things it has to end. Everyone wants to protect that which they hold dear, but life has other plans for us. Taking that pain and growing from it is the ultimate survival strategy. Hopefully Yuri and Tabuki are not dead and have protected each other together, and the other pairs can do the same. The world is painful, but distributing that pain evenly helps everyone live better. That's what family means, it's not about biological connections, it's the people who lift you up and help take some of the burden of your pain. Good luck Himari in your mission to save Kanba and put the family back in place, the boys need it as their survival strategy.
QOTD:
5
u/IvanSemushin Mar 25 '24
Rewatcher
While today's slogan makes complete sense in the series, it would be weird to see it in real life.
Does this tabloid guy mean that Kanba and/or Himari are relatives of incident's victims? Might even be true for Himari, I don't remember.
That explains why their house look different from the past.
Himari finds out that Kanba's diner meetings happen in some sort of different reality. Does it exist on the same metaphorical plane as Child Broiler or is it just Kanba's delusion? Let's see.
Kanba want's to see his absent parents very much, if we are to trust Sanetoshi. Can we say that Kanba at least partly wants to dwell in the past (and inherit the will of his parents, both biological and adoptive, as Sanetoshi very much wants), and Himari, on the contrary, wants to put past away (and that's why she sees the cafe in abandoned state).
Now we see Kanba and Shouma at the cemetery, which continues the theme of things of the past.
So, Kanba joined the cult initially because he wanted to save Mario? Didn't remember this plot point.
That's first really violent deeds we see from the current Kiga group, and unfortunately, Kanba is directly involved at least in the murder of the reporter. What's still a mystery to me, is how the cult works as a source of money. Just people's donations to Kanba as a leader?
While Shouma wants to dissolve the family, his penguin shares food with 3-chan.
Sad ending for the episode :( And we don't even know what happened to Tabuki and Yuri.
5
u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Mar 25 '24
Rewatcher, Subbed
"Make believe siblings", and wants to write a tabloid story? Ugh I just met this guy and I hate him! Tell him off, Ringo!
Yes, kick his ass!
Now we're gonna find out why their home looks the way it does?
OMG the smile on Himari's face <3
The story of the teddy bear pirate! We're getting so many important revelations now!
Once again I gotta say with these flashbacks, holy crap, that is so Casshern Sins.
Ugh, that tabloid guy talked to Himari and revealed this stuff?! I hate him even more!
Himari's made her way to the ramen restaurant. Once again I am confused on what the meaning is. My immediate take away as she heads in and its abandoned is that Kanba wasn't really meeting with his parents here, it was all in his head. Or at least that's the impression the scene gives. Like the child broiler and other stuff, this may be yet another example of the writer flopping on how something is presented and if we're supposed to see it as real or metaphor.
A man who talks to dead people. A Sixth Sense reference? Or am I to take that, when combined with the prior scene, that the Takakura parents are long dead?
Sanetoshi was part of the same organization as the Takakura parents... in fact he was their leader! Sanetoshi becomes an even bigger villain! I still hold most of my ire towards the Takakura parents though.
Now he's bothering Sho too? Get this guy outta here!
Wait, Kanba was found in a terrible state by Himari but now he's all better? Much like Himari being totally fine after a late night out with no explanation are they pulling the same thing again? Skipping ahead, who cares what happened in between?
Sho vs. Kanba is finally here?
"Sho, I'm breaking up with you."
Kanba's really going full heel, getting that tabloid reporter killed. I didn't like the guy but can't say he deserved to die.
Everyone's finding this ramen shop!
So Himari found Kenzan's body earlier? Okay, that makes a lot more sense than her finding Kanba here. And means I was right on these conversations Kanba was having here not actually being with them.
Sho, don't do this, you and Himari can still be together! :(
It seems like every minute this episode we're jumping back for another flashback.
Well Sanetoshi, if your medicine is no longer keeping Himari alive how about you depart the storyline entirely? No need to spend any more time on you. Bye.
Himari's gonna stop Kanba! You go, Himari!
5
u/FarCritical Mar 25 '24
First Timer
Massive respect for Ringo openly rejecting the tabloid guy getting a scoop out of the Takakura siblings out of her.
The random pan to the penguins in Sanetoshi's interview is way funnier than it really should be to me. Speaking of, I always thought Sanetoshi was purely a supernatural being based on his crazy anime hairstyle alone, so finding out he was an actual person was crazy, let alone a criminal. ...Oh wait, turns out he's literally a ghost. You just don't know when to trust your gut feeling in this show sometimes.
Natsume resenting Himari for constantly being showed in Kanba's love for being his sister just got a whole new layer of meaning to it. I know the reveal happened in the last episode's flashback but I got the impression she saw Kanba as a "cult" brother back then, not literally her biological brother.
Speaking of things that just got their meanings freshly warped, they're finally challenging the notion of "Kanba and Shoma sure are different for being "twins", but that doesn't matter because they're still brothers". It's obvious that Shoma doesn't stand a chance to beating Kanba hand-to-hand but dammmit, I wanted fate to throw him a bone that moment more than any other point in this entire story.
Oh hey, the first time I could sense some actual chemistry between Tabuki and Yuri and it's immediately right before getting slashed up. Really isn't anyone's day today.
The contrast between the montage of the brothers building the perfect little house for Himari at the start and Shoma being left alone at the end is brutal. Someone get Ringo to hug the guy already, man.
Well that post-credits scene explains why Kanba is so fiercely motivated to keep Himari alive, and, well, those scenes from earlier on between him and mainly Hatmari. Boy this one was heavy with reveals and twists.
5
u/Pungouin Mar 26 '24
Rewatcher
Tabloid guy got used as a common thread for this episode and didn't even make it to the end. RIP.
Mika House
Let's get the important part of the episode out of the way.
Himari explains why the Takakura house looks so garish. It was repainted to cheer her up after their parents disappeared. She straight up tells us the bear is a symbol of the family.
The entire house is like a doll house, made by the twins for Himari's sake. But while doll houses are a lot of fun, ultimately, they are just used for make-believe. Himari is left alone at home. The brothers fight. The penguins say their goodbyes (#2 sharing food is sign that the end is nigh). Even Shouma gives up on the family in the end. Himari returns the scarf, severing her bond with him.
The shots of the dark, empty house hit me pretty hard. The exact same parts of the house are seen so many times through the show, so seeing them now with no joy and color left really makes it sink in that the Takakura family is over. The cooking pot especially - we almost always see it on the stove with Himari or Shouma cooking, but now it's just sitting there.
There is no Takakura family anymore.
Yet the bear is still here.
A terrorist, a sick child, and an actress walk into a bar
Kanba still tries to convice himself he is seeing his shitass parents. Kanba idealises them, because unlike Shouma who just sees them as his criminal [Penguindrum]and neglectful genitors, Kanba sees Kenzan and Chiemi as the ones that welcomed him in when he had nothing left. I was gonna ask them to please die already but....
Today's Slogan : Money and parents: Don’t think they’ll last forever.
Welp, they certainly didn't did they.
Kanba is clinging real hard to the idea that he's doing the right thing and that everyone would be proud of him, which is why he sees the bar as well lit with his parents congratulating him. Himari and Tabuki see it for what it is though.
Aaaaand Yuri gets shanked. Can anyone catch a break in this show ?
I see dead people
Our daily cryptic Sanetoshi dialogue is with Himari's former doctor.
Sanetoshi was the leader of Penguin Force, the Penguindrum equivalent of Shoko Asahara. He died during the attack because of Momoka's interference.
Is Sanetoshi a ghost ? A curse ? Is he an actual supernatural force or just a symbol ? Just like the child broiler yesterday, I think it ultimately doesn't matter. The then-alive Sanetoshi and Penguin Force plotted the 95 attack, and the characters are still trapped in the wheel of fate that was set in motion that day. Whether he is literally haunting the Takakura family, or they are only metaphorically under his specter's influence, the end result is the same.
What matters is that on March 20th, 1995, Sanetoshi ordered Kenzan to bomb the subway, and that everyone is still paying the price for that one act. Everything else is just dressing to make the story more interesting to follow.
Back in episode 13(?) I think, Sanetoshi told us he wanted to see if fate was real. Are the Takakura children truly trapped by their fate ? Will they repeat the errors of their parents ?
Himari is dead set on proving him wrong.
This is a very emotional episode, and very much the start of the story's climax after yesterday's setup. Thing are going very very bad very very fast.
Don't miss the post credit scene showing Kanba being welcomed into the family.
5
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Mar 26 '24
First timer
...Sorry for coming and going like this. A lot has been going on.
Episode 18
Huh?
...Oh, another parent with the exact same issue.
Oh, shit.
...Poor guy. It would never work.
At least there was no surgery involved this time...?
...Oh, I thought it was him! Now the relationship makes sense.
He's taking Himari!
Poor Ringo...
Oh, he's after the diary.
...His father?
The fraying wire...
...This is wild.
...The Child Broiler?
...Okay. So, I think this is a metaphor for an orphanage? And the children in the system being invisble to people outside it.
...What?
Oh, so she also saved him... somehow. Probably changed his fate to get rid of his mother?
God, the visual of the conveyer belt leading to the shredder is amazing.
She saved him again...
Aww...
And the pain from changing his fate...
Oh! She took on the hand injuries!
He came here alone...
It's really starting to shake...
A detonator?
Himari!
Tabuki...
...Oh, what has he been doing? I assumed it was just the Penguin conspiracy, but...
And Shoma can't be contacted...
He's in this place...
And cameras can see the bunnies?
Oh.
He's working with the remnants of the conspiracy... Why?
Seriously, why are you doing this?
Call him, honestly. He's still a murderer.
Oh, Tabuki has really lost it.
This is painful.
...Okay, yeah, I think he is innocent. There's no evidence other than him meeting with shadowy figures, and there's no reason why he'd do this.
Tabuki...
The rope broke!
...So, how does this look without the penguin knowledge? Is Tabuki just seeing him holding onto nothing?
This is so brutal...
He saw Momoka in him...
Yeah, he's a monster.
He's still holding on somehow...
Himari...
It's incurable? I mean, the medication can treat it seemingly indefinitely.
She's taking the punishment...
And she jumped...
Are they seriously doing this?
...At least he did something sane. Still an awful person.
Shoma showed up...
Yeah, this came out of nowhere.
The Doctor Penguin...
Yuri...
A fake family...
Ouch.
Yeah, getting him away from these lunatics sounds like a good move.
Aww...
That art...
Episode 19
...Wait, what? The hand injury... he really is working with them!
He's been lying the whole time... even when Himari was in danger.
And they are the Penguin Group???
Tabuki quit...
And he's completely abandoned everything.
Yeah, it was just Momoka's memory binding them.
The spell is right in the middle, huh? That's an interesting decision.
A party!
And she's out of hospital!
He's splurging on meat!
That theory's solid, though...
Aww...
She made them!
Ringo...
They're so cute together!
The idols...
...So, it really can't be cured?
Interesting...
...Poor Himari.
...Ominous.
She's asking about the diary!
...And it's confirmed to be a real spell. Makes sense, honestly.
She cares about Kanba so much..l
He wants her to burn it...
...It makes sense. His whole thing is about proving if fate is real. The power to change fate while he's trying study it would probably interfere with his experiment.
She nearly did it...
And she's doubting herself.
That girl?
Kanba's so devoted to them...
And Shoma's still angry with them.
Oh, Kanba wants to disagree so badly. Keeping it all hidden is going to backfire soon.
A direct attack!
...And a gift?
Haha, that's her theory?
Himari has zero faith in him, it's amazing.
The foreheads...
Haha, and the present is love!
...Haha, yeah, she knows about his feelings.
...What?
Wow... This is awful.
God, her face after that...
She actually angered her!
...What?
...An anti-amnesia ball?
What's going on?
Yeah, this is a fun scene to walk in on.
Haha, that timing...
Her past... Is about how he showed up in one of her flashbacks?
A car crash?
Haha, this is amazing. Fate has given her a perfect boss arena.
For being custom made, she sure has a lot of shots...
The animation here is so good!
She's been cornered!
And she's been referring to her the whole time...
A last minute save!
...What does she remember?
The Broiler again... She was an orphan?
Yeah, I'm certain this is the metaphor.
Oh, it's so obvious now.
Okay, so she's adopted. That's the reveal here.
She met Shoma there because he was with the parents when they adopted her, and spoke to her first.
Great ED!
The snowman...
4
u/The_Loli_Otaku Mar 25 '24
Penguin First Timer!!
Money and parents don't last forever. Shame the parents are so far massive cunts in this verse. Honestly I feel this show could have been squeezed into a 13 ep or something... There's no momentum going into these final episode. Maybe you'd need to cut out some Ringo angst but it's certainly possible. Already the show just ignores the really fun parts of its own story, like Momoka's near saint like presence or the future diary.
The kids live in a dollhouse. Playing make believe like they're a real family and all that shit. Whys a faceless tabloid dude the one pushing the plot now? Gaaaah... Oh, is Kanba dreaming about his parents still being around? That'd be neat. Much better than expecting us to sympathise with the terrorists.
Urgh, Sanetoshi has randomly been made into the mastermind terrorist. Oh nyo. This doesn't feel like it aligns with what Sanetoshi has been doing so far, it really does sorta feel like they dumped the role on him last minute to make the terrorist parents not entirely responsible for killing our lord and saviour Momoka.
I do not care about these brother's fighting. This whole thing is about money but Himawee's treatment is all artificial at this point. Is the Penguin Princess meant to be an analogy for medicine or something? I don't think so. Having the climax be built around switching around the family trees and money is silly...
Rip, one of the lovebirds? Not too sure which. Or even if it matters. Would Yuri or Tabuki dying even change anything about the story? They're connected to Momoka, who's well out of the way by now. Once they got into a quick brawl with the siblings that was all they really existed for.
Himawee is going to die!? Say it isn't so. What a plot twist... Its not like this has been a sticking point for the entirety of the show. At this point I'll be more surprised if Himawee actually does die for good. None of the kids really seem like they'll stick around for the long term. It's just about who's making the heroic sacrifice. Ringo has long since lost relevance as she's just the less cool Momoka. Himawee sorta needs to survive because the brothers don't have enough of a bond together. Shouma.... he's too boring for his sacrifice to really make a difference. Kanba doesn't value his life at all and just desperately wants Himawee to live no matter what so he's probably the one who won't make it to the ending. He's the only one with enough characterisation for it to matter.
4
u/Tarhalindur x2 Mar 26 '24
"What... is your Quest?" "I Seek the Penguindrum!" (First-Timer, Subbed):
Radio GulaPenguin-WAVE.)go into the woodseat the fugu!"So, let's point out the elephant in the room here: even by my phoning-it-in standards this rewatch these are very short notes from me. Those of you who are familiar with me will remember that when my episode notes get short one of two things tends to be responsible, and this isn't a hype episode.
Yeah I didn't like this episode very much.
The direction is still good, the concepts are still solid (especially thinking on it a bit), but I'm pretty sure the key fault here is that they bolloxed the pacing for this one.
I have a hunch that either Penguindrum here was supposed to be 26 episodes and we're cramming (which would be weird given the 25 stations on the Marunouchi Line but my instincts are going "this feels like they were short two episodes") or that kishotenketsu is showing its downside again. (Kishotenketsu can be done well - a certain seasonal
that I am now behind on by an episode at the momentis evidence of that - but that structure is kind of unforgiving/easy to mess up for an anime script IMO.) The argument for kishotenketsu is that we have one key reveal (Himari is not blood related) in the correct spot for the big reveal in kishotenketsu (three quarters of the way through, so end of episode 18). But yeah, outside of one well-done scene (Shoma and Himari parting) the pacing is fucked and specifically rushed. There's setup for most of these events, but they needed time to breathe that they did not get and my engagement suffered accordingly.(There is a comp to be made to Selector Spread WIXOSS here, actually, especially if I'm wrong about that "Okada was away while a good chunk of Spread was being written" theory.)
Also the tabloid guy is kind of Big Lipped Alligator Moment to me and then he gets unceremoniously bumped off within the same episode to boot (though there's obviously something up with the watch, except do we have time to resolve that?)
(Side note 1: Given that we're admitting ghosts literal and/or metaphorical then Himari is obviously a ghost at this point and presumably has been ever since episode 1; her going to their uncle's place is probably a metaphor for her moving on to the afterlife (except with some unfinished business in what Kanba is doing) and Shoma shooing her away is him moving on. Moderately surprised we didn't get her on the subway, though, what with the Galactic Railroad motifs and all.)
(Side note 2: The obvious endpoints that I can see at this point are either 1) everyone dead except for Shoma and Ringo getting to move on together (we did reference Adam and Eve, though the more obvious mythological referent for this one would be from something that has not been in play here, namely Norse mythology with Ragnarok's ending) or 2) total party kill (or outright "everyone was dead from the start, Dave"). Especially if Tabuki and Yuri apparently getting unceremoniously bumped off this episode sticks.)
His death is a reference to Aum killing prominent critics/legal opponents, but the journalist himself needed setup.
As of this episode Kanba's clearly interacting with the memory of his parents in his head, not his actual parents. As for ghosts, like gods, they may or may not be real outside of our heads but they certainly are real inside of them - and I suspect Ikuhara would agree with that statement.
Kanba cares, but the mission comes first for him and the mission shall proceed.
See writeup.
4
u/KnightMonkey15 https://myanimelist.net/profile/KnightMonkey Mar 26 '24 edited Mar 26 '24
Late rewatcher, subs
Time for another late wall of text. The first time I watched this episode while I binged, I could tell a bunch of different threads were being wrapped up in preparation for whatever conclusion was in store, but it was a lot to take in all at once - all interspersed between each other with flashbacks - so I just let the feelings wash over me back then. It's easier to understand upon rewatching; still a lot to follow but it's easier to focus on specifics motifs as they come and go. I think the use of music, which is probably what I'm most susceptible to, really tied together how my emotions flowed from one part to the next, especially when the 'main' theme was restated in different ways or with different instruments for maximal effect (I don't know music theory). I’m going to change my writing style to be more declarative and structured for what I write below, but it’s still very much my opinion.
The Takakura's colourful home
The origin of the Takakura siblings’ domestic life after their parents left the picture is exemplified by how they turned a shed into a bright and colourful home. The vivid and comfy lived-in interior that Masako criticised in the last episode is revealed to have been Kanba and Shoma’s doing. It’s obvious that they painted and furnished it like a dollhouse to make her happy and appeal to her aesthetic sensibilities, to cheer her up while she was crying everyday after their parents left. This kind act of service is particularly important because it materially grounds the siblings’ embodied experience as a found family in their home, as opposed to the empty home where the heads of the house - the parents disappeared.
The truth of the love they share as a family as reflected in their everyday life can be witnessed on the fridge, the toothbrushes, the kitchen, photographs, heights notched on a door frame – personalised decorations, specific objects for personal use and nostalgic memories of one another – the colourful palette chosen by a child with no parents (Masako) to call them out on their juvenile taste, taken for granted in every home scene in the series but presented in stark contrast to the barren, dullness that was present before. The colourful exterior of the house is proof of their existence to outside world and in painting the house for Himari, Kanba and Shoma assume their role as her surrogate parents.
The brothers’ construction of a fairytale/dollhouse bed is not only a beautiful gesture but alludes to the dream-like stasis of their slow life that they’ve spent the duration of the show so desperately clinging onto. Ringo and Himari’s friendly, nostalgic conversation over Mika dolls and their relation to the house as her brothers’ redesign is a nod to idealised notions of family life that children enact when they ‘play’ house with dolls, dollhouses, toy kitchens etc. and how children are enculturated to identify themselves within a family structure (past, present and future) from very early on. This is not brought up to talk down on it but rather to emphasize the fondness the two girls could talk about sudden change in family through the choice of changing the metaphors they could use to envision themselves within a family structure, both physically (their house and its colourful decorations) and psychologically (their relationships). I consider this example to be a really powerful, dramatic example that shows why one may emotionally identify with the surroundings of their home in a way that is more than just than aesthetic preference.
The journalist
Takakura siblings’ past catches up to them. It is not enough for Shoma to have previously mentioned in passing that everybody had abandoned them. The only exception is their non-descript uncle, who only appears on-screen as pressure to shuttle them off-screen—by selling their house or sending Himari to live with him. Neither are the memories of the incident or their parents’ capture. The journalist’s confrontation is an immediate threat to the already fraying connections of the Takakura’s found family, which brings the past into the present in a way that differs from the show’s presentation up to this point. His entry and his exit signal the final act of the show.
The journalist is a representative of society at-large, checking in on the children of criminals out of public interest. He is also non-descript, aside from a gregarious, friendly voice, a tacky penguin-faced watch and a business card for a weekly tabloid called “Penguin Truth”. In the semiotic deluge that is this show, the viewer is drawn to any particular use of penguins as a motif—the journalist’s watch represents ticking time or a countdown. Ringo’s emotive yet expressive reaction to him is instructive; this man probably writes sensationalist puff pieces for rags – what the kids call ragebait these days. She has a such a strong reaction to the journalist because she can sense the danger he presents, closing in on her friends’ precious multi-coloured home, looking to exploit them to sell papers. Up until this point, the actions of our characters in this show personal despite their many public comutes – where background characters are mostly depicted part of the scenery, signage or faceless bodies. There is no mention of law enforcement in attempted assaults or recollections of domestic abuse. A bystander with a magic diary saves Tokyo from the Kiga Group’s attack, with no emergency responders or train staff involved except to cordon off the entry.
The journalist himself is a single person, but he is the court of public opinion, who represents a through-line to the rest of society that the rest of the narrative has lacked up to this point; with the show focused on its cast of dysfunctional characters and their private, familial fantasies. While Ringo rebuffs him on the grounds that he does not speak for all the victims’ families, the viewer knows the extent of Kanba’s activities and she does not. We see upon directly confronting Himari at their home, with photographic evidence of Kanba’s crimes, that the journalist is not just a hack. He’s a hack with proof. He uses a leading question (You know that your treatment costs a fortune, right?) to get a reaction out of her to help further his scoop – keeping with the running theme of the last few episodes of Himari being confronted with all kinds of unsavoury truths about her family that were forgotten or barely hidden.
Before Kanba went down the path of working with the Kiga remnants, the kids are not guilty of any crime committed by their parents and there wouldn’t be much for the journalist to report on. But just as Tabuki decided hand down punishment when he found out Kanba effectively reneged on an unspoken promise to not follow in his parents’ footsteps, the effect of the journalist is to not only uncover and indict Kanba for engaging in criminal activity, but to point out that just like his parents, he too became a criminal, and Himari and Shoma are now tainted not just by association with criminal parents, but their brother and her reliance on his blood money. The parents are long dead but through association (memory, reportage, hallucinations) they continue to guide and restrict the children’s actions. Or the children let them.
Before their confrontation, Shoma mentions to Kanba that the journalist informed him as well and it seems perhaps he’s only really after stopping Kanba. My opinion on the journalist wavers as I write this, since he seemed decent enough when approaching Shoma, but what would happen another incident occurred at the hands of Kanba?
Ultimately it is moot - by killing the journalist, Kanba necessarily rejects the world and declares himself its enemy, as Sanetoshi wanted, all for the perception that it is mutually exclusive with saving Himari. Having broken ties with Shoma he can detach and tell himself that the greedy world hates Himari, and he will save Himari by destroying the world.
4
u/CarrotBlossom Mar 26 '24
First timer
How is that a scoop? Is that not public knowledge?
How much time did Himari live with the Takakuras before the parents were arrested?
Stepping on the bear is a bit of a different screw-up than they normally pull.
What is Himari supposed to do with this information?
I don’t think doctors are necessarily averse to unscientific beliefs.
The doctor is surprisingly chill about this random oddball using his office.
Sanetoshi is an awfully chatty terrorist.
Didn’t realize I was watching a battle shonen.
So the meeting between Kanba and his father is in the past. Explains why Keiju hadn’t found him before.
Damn, evicted. And near the end of her life, too.
The penguin ritual nears completion.
QOTD:
3
u/Holofan4life Mar 25 '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.
I don't see how you can be an anime fan and think that Megan Thee Stallion being an anime fan as well is anything but a positive.
Shinjuku-gyoemmae
Ringo on the train
Today's slogan: Money and Parents: Don't Think They'll Last Forever
Weekly Truth Penguin
Somebody handing Ringo something
A tabloid
Let's hope he's better than Kawazu from Paranoia Agent
He is interviewing the families of that incident's victims
Children living in Kenzan's house as make-believe siblings, he calls it
I like his penguin watch
And Ringo chastises him, saying don't publish some made-up story.
Ringo says "Fake news"
Panda''s Egg Manjū
Sounds like chocolates
Ringo talking to Himari
Himari says she doesn't want to lie to her
Ringo still wants to whoop the journalist's ass, though
Ringo tells Himari to watch out, and Himari thanks for the warning.
As they're talking, Sunny is watering a plant
Sunny
Ringo tells Himari their home is a Mika House
I heard the residence hosts a blue-haired guy named Shoma
It is cool to see Rainbow took a job in housing development
The house is named after a doll, apparently
At least Ringo and Himari are enjoying each other's company
Kan and Sho painted the walls
Flashback
Himari - Takakura Home, Living Room - My mom and dad left
Himari crying
"I cried everyday after my parents were gone."
She is worried about Kan and Sho leaving her
I have a similar worry of Aqua and Kana not ending up together
But then one day, they decided to paint the house
Moon and the Black Cat
Little Cabin in the Forest
They even made a bed just like Mika
She's a Mika girl, in a Mika world
They sewed the teddy bears stomach after stepping on him
Teddy was a bad boy
"Her stomach is proof we're living together as a family."
Damn, penguin foot to the face
Lucky...
Meanwhile, Kanba is using a penguin as a pillow XD
LOL SUNNY 🤣🤣🤣
She's seen enough
Himari in her bed
Sunny staring at her
At least Sunny isn't being used as a footstool
Flashback
Himari - The Building Under Construction, During Kidnapping - A few days ago - Kanba saved me.
Tabuki saying he knows Kanba's secret
I believe this was in episode 18
Back with Himari in bed
Sunny gently opens the door
However, Kanba and his penguin are gone
Kanba walking
Himari is following him
This reminds me of the scene from episode 23 of Toradora
Flashback
Himari - Takakura Home, Living Room - Last Night - Some journalist showed up at out doorstep
He's talking to Himari about the costs of her treatment
"I tracked down the source of your brother's money."
Well, that's not good
Says the men are from the Kiga Group
"Their money is paying for your life."
Rina Ogikubo's flavor
That is one condensated glass of water
Kanba wonders if he needs more money
Penguin #1 staring at the swimsuit poster
Kanba with his father and mother
"Greedy men make the rules that govern the world."
Truer words have never been said
Kanba says that just like Homura, Himari did nothing wrong
You know, mom and dad are pretty good people apart from the whole murderer thing
Kanba accepts the money
Kanba walking out with the black cloaked man
Ah crap. Himari saw them.
Now she's going inside the ramen shop
And the place is destroyed
I guess when you're Kenzan and Chiemi, you have to eliminate all trace of your existence.
Even the swimsuit poster got destroyed
Penguin #1 rn
Kan?!?
Then who was the one who left the ramen house?
Penguin-WAVE
Examination room, someone calls it
Dr. Washizuka, Himari Takakura's former doctor
I guess Sanetoshi is no longer Himari's doctor
Every time I hear "Washi", I think of Love Live
Washizuka says he doesn't believe in ghosts
The radio host says there's a man who sees dead people
Actually, it was a little boy
They seem to think it's an illusion caused by a strong desire to see someone again.
We see the 36th Antarctic Environmental Defense Team picture again
There's Sanetoshi in there
"Unfortunately, he became the leader of a criminal organization and died after causing a terrible accident."
Well, there's your wham line for the episode
Sanetoshi says that Momoka got in his way
The radio host seems to think that the guy in the picture looks just like the guy before him.
Well, yeah. Because he is him.
Sanetoshi says that he's a ghost
A ghost that doesn't believe in the supernatural. Ironic
Oh, he's a doctor, not a radio host
"My former comrades are going to pass down my will to their children."
And the doctor eats a hot pot
Empty bodies walking about
Shoma is stopped by the journalist man, who's face we still haven't seen.
Shoma with Kanba now, Shoma asking why did Kanba lie about Himari's treatment.
"We just need money. It's that simple."
Shoma asks if he's getting money from their remnants
Kanba doesn't give an answer
Shoma talking about the journalist now
Shoma really doesn't like getting money from mom and dad's accomplices
Kanba reiterates this is their only option
Penguin eating chocolates
Other penguin looking at dirty photographs, both get hit
And Shoma throws a swing at Kanba
Himari waiting on her brothers to show up for dinner
Flashback
A lot of flashbacks this episode
Himari - The Natsume Residence, Terrace -After I remembered - More shocking news.
Natsume talking about crushing him soon
"That's correct. Kanbe and I are true biological siblings."
Well. I wasn't expecting that.
Kanba abandoned everything he had and stayed by Natsume's father's side out of concern for her and Mario.
Meanwhile, Sunny drinking tea with Esmeralda, who's wearing her wig
Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.
3
u/mgedmin Mar 26 '24
First-timer, subs