Story: The story starts off as a slow, almost slice-of-life drama. Characters (and their weird quirks) are introduced and start interacting with each other. Some comedy hijinks ensue, and help to flesh out the characters a bit. After a handful of episodes, the series starts dropping hints and foreshadows the dark twists and turns the series will take.
It's a mood whiplash to say the least. What was once a charming story about cute kids and cute penguins delves into more serious and heavy themes: death, sacrifice, fate, rape, to name a few. Watching the mysteries unravel is absolutely gripping, and once the cliffhanger endings start you will not want to stop.
Art: The backgrounds and main characters are very colorful. The art style in the show is beautiful, and lends a very fanciful feel to the bizarre story. The animations are smooth, and there is minimal reused/stock footage.
The decision to make the background characters generic gray "bathroom" shapes is funny. It offers a stark contrast to the colorful world the story takes place in. It also helps because you know you don't have to pay attention to those background characters.
Sound: The music is one of the best parts of the show. The openings, endings and OST are gorgeous. With no unifying theme for the score, the music ranges from jazz, to pop, to blues, to almost western. The mix of music complements the show perfectly.
This is one show where I strongly suggest you watch the original Japanese dub. The English dub is simply atrocious. Not the fault of the actors themselves, but rather the casting choices. A 17 year old boy sounds like he's 35, and an authoritative, demanding princess sounds bored and monotone. The casting is fraught with poor choices, and the English dub suffers for it.
Character: Over the course of the series, the development of the 3 siblings, and the many other side characters are handled very well. Many of the side characters get episodes dedicated to them, and it is rewarding to watch. The well-developed side characters really help the 3 siblings drive the story forward. The siblings' development is slow and gradual, and by the end of the series it's easy to see how the circumstances they found themselves in had affected them (both good and bad). Their family history is also explored, and adds a lot to the understanding of their actions.
Overall: A beautiful-looking, gorgeous-sounding, mind-screwing show that should be enjoyed by more people.
TL;DR 5 words/phrases to describe Mawaru Penguindrum:
adorable penguins, strong sibling bond, mindf**k, great characters, cool music
Personal: I loved Penguindrum, but absolutely hated Utena. I hated the characters, the art, the music, the story and the constant stock footage. I almost didn't watch Penguindrum. I urge people who may feel the same way as me to give Penguindrum a chance. It far surpasses Utena in my opinion.
