The plot centres on twins Kanba and Shouma and their little sister Himari, who suddenly collapses and dies during a family visit to the aquarium. Himari is resurrected, however, by a mysterious entity residing in a souvenir from the aquarium (a penguin hat). In order to keep Himari alive, the entity demands the twins find and bring her the titular Penguindrum, and so begins our adventure.
The joy of watching Penguindrum comes from the unpredictability of its plot and character motivations thus it would do a great disservice to spoil any more of the plot. Suffice it to say that none of the characters are who they initially appear to be and the twists and turns of the plot are genuinely interesting and unexpected.
What makes Penguindrum special is the way that it uses the medium of animation to its fullest potential to tell the story. Unbounded by the restraints of other media, the animation and direction of this show produces some captivating set pieces and involving character moments that really pull you into the world created here. To clarify, I don’t mean that the animation is Akira level of quality (even though the animation is solid overall), I mean that the animation is used creatively.
For example, the 3 penguin mascots, who correspond to the 3 protagonists of the story, interact with one another coincidentally with their counterparts usually resulting in a bit of slapstick humour. As well as providing comic relief in some of the darker moments, the interactions between the mascots serve to illustrate the mood and intention of the characters that may not be immediately obvious from the dialogue. This is just one example of how the show uses visual cues to communicate the more subtle information, such as the tone of a scene, to the viewer in a non-obtrusive way. Metaphor and symbolism are used here in spades, but the magic of these elements is that you don’t have to be aware of them for them to have an effect on you and it’s never rammed down your throat to give the impression that the series is ‘deep’.
In the same vein, there are many locations in the series that blur the lines between the literal and the metaphorical. For example, is there really a ‘Child Broiler’ where unwanted children are sent, or is this metaphor for the emotional state of the characters who are sent there? It’s intentionally left vague, and there are a number of occasions when the series will ask you to believe the characters are literally in fantastical and unbelievable locations which should be considered metaphorical. It makes for beautiful visuals and conveys the themes of the plot creatively, but if you’re a stickler for realism or continuity it might wear on you. If you’ve seen any of the Monogatari series that should give you an idea of what you’re in for.
The fantastical elements of the story didn’t bother me, primarily because of the strong characters developed in this series. It’s refreshing to watch a series where each of the characters is essential to the plot and each one goes through a proper character arc. The events of the plot feel weighty and important because they actually affect the personality of each character and, as the plot slowly reveals itself to the viewer, it becomes apparent that none of the characters fulfil the roles you expect them to. Additionally, the series takes time to develop the necessary context for the eventual shifts in character motivations to make sense. In other words, the show is paced so that the character development feels natural and keeps you engaged in the series. You understand, without it being explained to you, what the characters are doing, why they are doing it and how they feel about it, and this makes it easy to become invested.
Another standout feature of the series is the music, particularly the ending music. Later on in the series the ending music and credits will change to reflect the tone of the episode as it ends. This probably sounds pretty minor but it ensures that events of each episode stay with you for a while after the episode is over and it invests you in continuing on with the series. The score of the series itself never stood out to me, but wasn’t intrusive (except for the transformation sequences). The quality of the sound design and voice acting was solid and never felt intrusive or out of place. All the recorded sounds and effects naturally fitted with the visuals, bringing a sense of reality to the series and, while never being so good as to warrant special attention, worked hard in the background to provide a believable aural experience.
As far as criticism goes, I feel as though any issues one might have with the show would be a result of personal taste, rather than an issue with the quality of the production, story, characters etc. I, for one, enjoyed the majority of the characters and how they contributed to the story but never really fell in love with any of them in particular. Also, because the direction of the plot is meant to be a mystery, the first few episodes dragged on because they lacked a sense of momentum to pull me through. I was also a little disappointed in the ending, but I cannot go into detail for the sake of spoilers. Basically, I found that the final reveal of some of the major character motivations right at the end did not live up to the standard set by the rest of the show, and while still good, was not as good as I was expecting. This is a very personal gripe though, and individual results will vary.
On the whole, Penguindrum is a show that has a goal and achieves it well, with a stylish presentation and quality production in almost every aspect. It’s not what you would call an instant classic, but if you’re looking for an anime that aims higher than the generic and actually gets there, you shouldn’t miss this series.
