Can children live a fate separate from their parents? Or must they inherit the will of the past generation?
Penguindrum is another show from Kunihiko Ikuhara, the director of Sailor Moon S and Revolutionary Girl Utena. If you’re familiar with Ikuhara, you probably know his directing style is incredibly theatrical, expressive, and abstract. However, there’s enough in Penguindrum that makes it hold something new for both Ikuhara fans and new watchers.
One thing should be clear: Ikuhara shows can be very daunting for many anime fans to watch. This is mostly because his shows are dripping in symbolic imagery that is meant to provoke an emotional
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response from the viewer. And that might not work out for everyone. He also loves developing his characters through repetition, something that might become tiring for some viewers. If you are looking to watch something where you can just turn off your brain, Penguindrum is not the show for you.
Penguindrum is a show about two brothers: Shouma and Kanba Takamura, who are determined to save their little sister, Himari’s, life. One day, Himari dies and is brought back to life by a mysterious being inhabiting a penguin hat. In return for their sister’s life, the being demands the brothers to “find the Penguindrum”. The premise already sounds ridiculous, but it’s surprisingly executed very well, as the plot ties in well with the show’s central theme of “fate”, or familial obligation. The show has an almost laser-like focus on its theme of family, as each of the characters feel bound by their obligation to their family members. And each of their struggles is about if they can somehow escape their “fate” and shape their own identities.
The show’s story develops at a break-neck pace, as each episode ends with a new development. For this reason, I think the show is better experienced marathoning it in large chunks, rather than watching it one episode a week. In this way, Penguindrum feels more structured like a novel, as opposed to Utena’s duelist of the week format. This makes sense, as Penguindrum draws from a pool of literary influences: Haruka Murakami’s novels and Night on the Galactic Railroad, a short story by Kenji Miyazawa. Speaking of influences, the show is heavily inspired by the cultural impact of two important events in Japan’s recent history: the Sarin gas attack and the recession of the Lost Decade. It’s hard to go into how the show addresses these events without going into spoilers, but the gist is it examines how people cling onto authoritative institutions in times of despair, loss of identity, and the weakening of Japan’s traditional family structure. Penguindrum is essentially Ikuhara’s attempt at creating a story dealing with the ongoing social realities of Japan. While I think the show can still be enjoyed without understanding this context, knowing the show’s influences can help in understanding its underlying message about the importance of love.
Penguindrum’s directing and animation is fantastic for the most part, leading to really good-looking visuals. While the character designs are shoujoesque, Ikuhara steps away from using fairy tale-like iconography in favor of urbanistic imagery. A lot of the show’s symbols fits in well with show’s theme of “fate”: the red line of the train’s destinations representing the thread of fate, an arrowed ring representing the circle of fate, a swinging pendulum that would cut through the thread of fate at random angles, etc. Even the three penguins that accompany the main characters tie in well with the characters’ struggle to find their own identities. A penguin is a bird, yet it cannot fly and walks on land. Ikuhara tones down his theatrical directing style for Penguindrum, opting for a more melodramatic, yet still expressive, approach. Of course, that doesn’t mean the show isn’t a visual overload, but the theatrics are kept to the minimum for the most part. Unfortunately, some of the other episodes not directed by Ikuhara suffer from middling direction, specifically most of the episodes in the middle. There are noteworthy episodes directed by talented directors however, such as Nobuyuki Takeuchi (SHAFT regular), Shigeyasu Yamauchi (director of Casshern Sins), Shingo Kaneko (frequent collaborator with Ikuhara), and Akemi Hayashi and Shouko Nakamura (both are new Ikuhara disciples).
To add further to the topic of Ikuhara’s directing, Ikuhara was also the sound director for Penguindrum, just like with Utena. He masterfully uses the songs provided by Yukari Hashimoto, the show’s composer, in juxtaposition with the emotional context of each scene. Hashimoto’s moody, yet extremely powerful, orchestral pieces fit in well with the show’s melodramatic tone. Even the songs that are incredibly light-hearted in tone like “Rock Over Japan” and the silly musical numbers in the early episodes, help add some emotional levity in scenes that would otherwise be overwhelming.
Although I talked about the characters a fair bit in this review, I think they’re actually the weakest part of the show. A lot of people have complained about Penguindrum’s ending and called it a massive flaw to an otherwise good show, but I thought the ending was just fine and wrapped the message of the importance of loving other people perfectly. The characters are the most divisive element in Penguindrum, and I can honestly see why. The main characters’ development occurs in contextless train rides and conversations, making it hard to fully invest in them. For a show that puts a strong emphasis on its human element, that is a pretty damning flaw to have. Even the side characters don’t fare much better, as some of them either fall emotionally flat by the end or just didn’t get as much focus as they should have. The only side character to have a well fleshed-out character arc is Ringo, and while I liked her a lot, I’ll fully admit some might find her actions annoying and/or creepy. Penguindrum’s main problem is that it has trouble balancing its plot-centric episodes with its character-focus ones, which is the biggest flaw that keeps it from being a masterpiece.
With that out of the way however, I think what is simultaneously one of Penguindrum’s biggest strengths, is the simple fact it’s the only Ikuhara show with male protagonists. The director’s male characters are often very ridiculous in nature and can sometimes feel more like walking abstractions, rather than actual characters. In Penguindrum, the male protagonists are simply trying to save their little sister and preserve their family against all odds. Sure, it could have been executed way better, but it is this aspect that I find makes Penguindrum stand on its own against Ikuhara’s other works.
Overall, I enjoyed Penguindrum. The show’s themes resonated with me very strongly and really touched me on a personal level. Although I have mentioned the show’s influences, knowing the show’s cultural context isn’t necessary to enjoy watching the show. It is incredibly straightforward in its presentation of the theme of “fate”/familial obligation that understanding its cultural context isn’t really mandatory. People have called Penguindrum a fun rollercoaster ride, and while I don’t necessarily disagree with this assessment, I think that description undersells the show’s strengths. Of course, it is by no means perfect; the pacing could have been handled better and several characters could have been fleshed out a lot more. But it presents a heart-warming story about a family of three teenagers trying to defy their “fate”. Calling it a ride and nothing more, ignores the ever-present human element within Penguindrum. As with any Ikuhara show, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the visual imagery thrown at you, but once you get over that initial turmoil, you’ll find a show with a lot of heart in its emotional story and direction.
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Mar 7, 2015
Mawaru Penguindrum
(Anime)
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Can children live a fate separate from their parents? Or must they inherit the will of the past generation?
Penguindrum is another show from Kunihiko Ikuhara, the director of Sailor Moon S and Revolutionary Girl Utena. If you’re familiar with Ikuhara, you probably know his directing style is incredibly theatrical, expressive, and abstract. However, there’s enough in Penguindrum that makes it hold something new for both Ikuhara fans and new watchers. One thing should be clear: Ikuhara shows can be very daunting for many anime fans to watch. This is mostly because his shows are dripping in symbolic imagery that is meant to provoke an emotional ... |
