Once you make a decision, does the universe conspire to make it happen? Is destiny a matter of chance,
a matter of choice or the complex outcome of thousands of warring strands of fate? All twins Kanba and
Shoma know is that when their terminally ill sister Himari collapses at the aquarium, her death is
somehow temporarily reversed by the penguin hat that she had asked for. It's a provisional
resurrection, however, and it comes at a price: to keep Himari alive they need to find the mysterious
Penguin Drum. In order to do that, they must first find the links to a complex interlocking chain of
riddles that has wrapped around their entire existence, and unravel the knots that tie them to
mystifying diary and a baffling string of strangers and semi-acquaintances who all have their own
secrets, agendas and "survival strategies." And in order for Himari to live, someone else's chosen
destiny will have to change. It's a story of love, fate, life, death... and Penguins!
(Source: Sentai Filmworks)
_Well, this certainly was a rollercoaster ride._ Mawaru Penguindrum centers around the Takakura family, namely the brothers Shouma and Kanba and their sister Himari. One day while visiting the zoo, Himari drops dead, causing dismay for their brothers. A previously bought souvenir however, revives her, and in a dreamlike world, tells the brothers to find the _Penguindrum_ to keep her alive. This is the beginning of an adventure to find said object, and while doing so they encounter various hindrances. I'm not exactly sure what to write about the story and pacing of Penguindrum. It's mysterious, and every other episode ends with with more questions than before, while uncovering the exact amount of information to keep you hooked and not overly confused (if you can handle the massive intake of information). While the final episodes definitely amplify the amount of questions you'll end up asking yourself, that's probably what will keep you going. Characters in Penguindrum aside of the Takakura family all play a certain role in the story, receiving attention in short sequences in episodes or sometimes side-arcs uncovering their personality, desires and reasoning for certain actions. Another huge part in personalities are the Takakura brothers and their care for their sister Himari, who is the only family they have left. This feels really authentic, not just in the way they act and talk to her, but also in the actions they are pursuing to keep their sister at their side, creating a feeling of compassion for the viewer towards the Takakura family. Dialogue and representation of the characters is tied to their personalities, having a wide repertoire of shy and reclusive to very outgoing and direct. Depending on situations, certain characters will go out of character, like a switch being flicked, and their manic self is a suprise to the image they give away usually. Besides that, we are following high school students in their usual lively endeavours, love and past love, conflicts and more. Visually, Mawaru Penguindrum is an ordinary anime, the style doesn't divert much from usual anime in it's general direction, what's special about it are the details outside of that. Non-relevant characters are displayed as simple and flat boldly-outlined silhouttes. Scenes that are playing in dreams or in the imagination can end up dazing, colorful and vivid, and sometimes scenes just radiate the dark mood they are meant to have with dark base colors and bright red lines and symbols. A lot of the iconography and design of Penguindrum and it's inserts is based on subway/trainline looks, so when characters travel between locations the viewer gets the exact station names shown. The progress through the entirity of the series is also denoted in a subway line, which is visible at the end of the first part of the episode. The several types of penguin illustrations combined with that very simply aesthetic give the series it's own look and flair. In terms of audio, Penguindrum delivers a solid soundtrack accompanying the different situations our characters will find themselves in. Over the course of the 24 episodes, there will be a multitude of EDs that will sometimes reflect on an episode or foreshadow the mood of the next one coming up, tying us closer to just keep on going. One of the definitive highlights of the show is Triple-H's cover of the song "Rock Over Japan", which is used quite often over the course of the series, and you might just end up humming or singing along when it comes up! While the huge flood of information, relationships between the characters, details to look for and the general upkeep of the mystery might not be for everyone, I'd definitely recommend Mawaru Penguindrum to the people that have been eyeing to watch it, but beware, it will not make it easy for you to stop once you're in. Now, there's not much more left for me to say, except for maybe... _SEEEEIZOOON SENRYAKUUUUUUU~_
~~~If I were to summarize Ikuhara’s Penguindrum in a single word, it would be __“bold”__. ~~~ Be it direction, thematic exploration, presentation, it screams being the artistic expression of a man who marches to his own (penguin)drum. Partially psychological, partially absurdist comedy and partially mystery, but 100% a brain broiler, it is neither orthodox nor easily digestible. Controversial themes are included, and the narrative is not to be taken face-value. I recommend against nitpicking at first watch, opting instead for an empty and open mind intuitively absorbing information. ~~~ img(https://i.gifer.com/MwTi.gif) ~~~ Episodes are rollercoasters (or rather, trains) alternating or mixing seemingly incongruous elements, such as offbeat comedy, intrapersonal and societal themes, liberal use of plot twists, metaphors: - Despite not being purely comedic, there is a wide gamut of jokes/gags, some vocal, some visual, some self-standing and some parodies. Those occur even during serious scenes; a bit hit or miss element but also part of Penguindrum's charm. - Better not spoil too much on themes, but I note those three outside fate and predestination: conformism, repressed desire and “inherited sins”. - Ikuhara excels at constantly dismantling expectations and presenting new angles to characters or issues. Some narrative tools are abused back and forth, but not haphazardly at all. - For metaphors, one of the trademarks of Ikuhara’s style, see section [2.]. On characters, stars are the Takakura siblings as well as Ringo Oginome, yet the whole cast is functional within the narrative. Various outlooks on fate are presented depending on each one’s experiences, e.g., more cynical outlooks being juxtaposed against more romantic ones. --- ~~~ __[1. A few words on soundscape]__ ~~~ Sound quality is all-round good, be it voice acting, music or ambient sounds. Himari’s seiyuu is in my opinion the #1, especially before and during the iconic musical scene, but other voice actors are not far behind, although I believe a couple of voices mismatch their roles (e.g., Kanba’s). ~~~youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlEmAcDm8pY) ~~~ Music is varied, including but obviously not limited to multiple spicy endings, two bittersweet openings and even some classical insert music here and then, such as the Blue Danube. Tracks harmoniously match with respective scenes and/or thematic exploration, and so do ambient sounds. On occasions I also appreciated the lack of background music, that allowed other elements to add their own sound. --- ~~~ __[2. And on Penguindrum's aesthetics]__ ~~~ Penguindrum thrives on visual storytelling, with images as a narrative tool on their own right. Always keep in mind it is highly symbolical. Be it trains and train lines, the iconic penguins, bird (no, I'm not referring to the penguins) and apple motifs or even the first opening’s title, there is often more than what one only sees. Say penguins: outside providing comic reliefs even during somber scenes, they also serve e.g. as a Ring of Gyges parallel. ~~~ img(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a0/94/a4/a094a4cb1752733cfa05e36e8b968c9d.gif) ~~~ Even the presentation of the world follows this philosophy, for scenes can be highly stylistic overall or certain colorful ones can make vivid contrasts with more mundane-looking scenery. Either way, there is much screenshot material to be found, I assure you. ~~~ img500(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a8/97/92/a897922241e4e62fac70cea26a12f56b.png) ~~~ On direction, Ikuhara is influenced by theater, opting for a stage play-like presentation where key details are highlighted whereas secondary ones are minimal. Other than being economical, this approach allows to pinpoint focus on what truly matters, evident in e.g., extras being represented by signpost figures. There might also be a metaphorical reason behind this approach, but I cannot judge this easily. All in all, within animation Penguindrum is a highly unconventional work, displaying vision, passion and much technical skill from its staff. Please give it a chance; you might not appreciate it but you will never ever forget it. ~~~ Hope you enjoyed my review! ~~~
--- # ~~~__A Postmodernist Examination of Fate__~~~ --- (a lot of this is just impassioned rambling, so it's probably pretty disjointed and doesn’t get all my points across the best–but in a way that fits this series quite well so whatever.) Throughout my time watching anime, Kunihiko Ikuhara has become one of the directors I am most fascinated by. Stylistically and thematically, he is potentially my single favorite director in the industry; and that all started for me with Penguindrum. Penguindrum’s immediate disregard for so many conventions and its bombastic style hooked me immediately. By throwing the series’s core ideas in your face but exploring them in such obfuscated, complex ways, it creates an impenetrable sense of mystery and intrigue which it retains for its entire run. Ikuhara’s goofy shoujoesque slap-stick grounds it in a sense of familiarity while the narrative meanders in a space somewhere between incomprehensibility and complete nonsense. And its goofiness is something I personally adore. It never fails to keep me engaged and evoke constant nose laughs. In the interest of not overselling the show and being honest with myself, though, a lot of the actual narrative and characters are pretty straightforward and not all that revolutionary. But the unrelenting Ikuhara style, and the things I feel this piece of media is trying to say that make it something truly special to me. Basically, the reasons I love penguindrum so much are pretty inexplicable and the rest of this review is just my convoluted process of trying to justify it to myself. # img(https://i1.wp.com/smilecitrus.info/wp-content/uploads/mawaru_penguin_drum_a01.png) --- Perhaps the thing I enjoy most from a piece of media is the sense that it has something it desperately wants to say. A specific, or even vague line of messaging–a particular set of emotions–or a question that applies to real life. When a work wants to get something across to the viewer that is entirely outside the conventional purposes of simply a well thought out narrative, or a realistic portrayal of characters–that intrigues me. It makes me want to understand not only the general theming or lessons to be learned from it, but all the specificities of its messaging and how it arrives there. Ikuhara is probably both the most fun and most difficult creative to set out to do this for. The chaotic fusion of seemingly endless amounts of symbolism and references make any specificities near-impossible to discern, and only really accessible by way of assumption. Luckily, I'm pretty good at assuming. To a certain extent, I think it's something we do with all stories and art. We experience a piece of media and assume things about what it’s trying to say based on our prior experiences and ways of thinking–and therefore come out with our personal interpretations. Ikuhara’s style of directing and messaging is particularly rich for this kind of thing. Each of his works feels like a mass of disparate threads he gives you an allotted amount of time and context clues to connect together in some sort of way. Penguindrum in my opinion strikes the best balance in his works of being challenging in this respect, but equally rewarding–whereas Utena feels a bit more drawn out and less rewarding–and his newer works being too quick and dense. --- Fate is what I would say is the core idea of Penguindrum. As a postmodernist examination of the idea of fate, however, it ends up being about a wide variety of things that can fall under that umbrella. “Fate” means something different to each character in the series, and it can apply to many different concepts throughout its run. Each character's conception of fate serves as a metanarrative–with the ultimate answer to what fate is being an unknowable plurality. What Penguindrum ultimately wants us to consider is the forces that drive us, society, and the world along. What is it that influences, or potentially even controls our motivations and actions? And when confronting these forces, what can one do? When confronting the relative nature of the world and our existence, the postmodern condition, what can one do? Within this examination of and resignation to the incomprehensibility that is fate and critique of existing systems and ways of doing things that are often taken for granted, is also a more intimate, individual message of inspiration. --- Mawaru Penguindrum is an exceedingly inaccessible amalgamation of distinct and at times opposing tones, themes, references, ideas, and decisions made by the staff. It ventures to communicate its ideas not only through the content of the show, but through its form as well. The show’s production, or form, is exceptionally chaotic and eclectic. Why keep one consistent style when you can express each type of scene depending on its content and tone in an entirely different, unique style. Ringo’s fantasies are portrayed as though they were a fairy tale storybook, while any scene with Sanetoshi becomes significantly more surreal and cryptic. It uses a variety of tones that whiplash from scene to scene and often even conflict with each other in a single scene. It will go from goofy, surreal comedy to stark, intense drama—and in some cases, have intense drama between the characters occurring with goofy comedy from the penguins in the background. The efficacy of this approach is definitely debatable, but it is undoubtedly consistent and intentional in its inconsistency. What Penguindrum aims to communicate with this is the idea that disconnected parts can come together to form one singular whole with meaning. Spinning (mawaru), penguin, and drum are all different, completely irrelevant words to each other. However, in the larger context of the work, they reference some of its themes, while also coming together to form one singular meaning of their own—the title of the show. This idea applies to nearly everything in the show. Here is a fantastic video essay that goes in-depth on penguindrum’s use of these kinds of things: ~~~youtube(https://youtu.be/TnzyAwc3PSE)~~~ It all also serves to simulate the postmodern condition, or the world of signs. The incomprehensible whirlwind of information and infinite number of perspectives that exist in the world today. Ikuhara revels in these postmodern sensibilities. With every work, he adamantly advocates for the value of signs and symbols in their meaning and effect on the world. And so, just as the characters in the series are barraged by the stream of confusing, inexplicable events of the story and forced to consider what they care about in the face of it all, the audience is barraged by a stream of seemingly indecipherable symbols and references and forced to consider the meaning of it all. ~~~img600(https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.9165e1cea1bf3d350e40ba370051438e?rik=wmwzmAkHZef34A&riu=http%3a%2f%2fi.imgur.com%2fSkLvUan.jpg&ehk=sh0P0l0PKpXDhJ9aHhP2erhjJvXhVRXLdQGpYzVYtb8%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0)~~~ --- ~~~__Fate__~~~ Fate, in one sense of the term, is characterized by the inevitable circumstances the characters find themselves in, including their biological family and all of the baggage that comes with that. This is displayed through many examples throughout the show—such as with Yuri’s father being manipulative, telling her to doubt all kindness that doesn’t come from family, as well as physically and sexually abusive. Ringo and her circumstances are the most extensive exploration of this. The tragedy of losing her sister and the poor way her parents handled raising her after the fact caused her to feel bound by her family ties, and thus bound by fate. She embraces a warped idea of this fate, feeling as though she must become Momoka, that leads her to nothing but destructive tendencies. Tons of the side characters exhibit issues as a result of their family–especially women. The patriarchal capitalist framework of our society results in situations like Juri’s, where her grandfather instills toxic ideas into her and her brother, limiting their idea of what fate could be to one that simply follows that framework. Family situations such as these are juxtaposed by the Takakuras, a family of three siblings who are all unrelated biologically but have a more genuine connection on the basis of love than any of the families created on the basis of coincidentally, or fatedly, being related. >“The world is divided into the chosen and the unchosen”. Some children are chosen and loved by their biological families. Others are not. However, none of the children had any choice of their own when it came to being born into such a circumstance. Therefore, the essentialization of traditional familial ties creates a toxic conformity which results in vastly negative outcomes for the unchosen. The existence of these family ties is one of the forces that influences our motivations and actions–as well as tradition in general. Essentialization, or a lack of plurality in one’s consideration leads to a skewed perception of the world which can normalize negative forces and ostracize positive ones. --- This critique on the essentialization of family ties in favor of other, potentially more real connections is not where Penguindrum’s social commentary ends. The very same juxtaposed examples of family circumstances and connections, when related to other aspects of the show, take on a broader meaning and become a critique of Japanese capitalist society at large. These other aspects of the show we must view in relation to this mostly pertain to the Kiga group and Sanetoshi. The Kiga group are a direct representation of the real life “AUM” cult terrorist group in Japan who were behind the tragic 1995 Tokyo gas attacks. Haruki Murakami, a japanese author who is referenced throughout the show, wrote a book called "Underground" which is a collection of interviews with victims of the gas attack. It highlights the shock this atrocity incurred onto society, however at the end of the book Murakami stops talking about the atrocity, and starts discussing the AUM group themself. He outlines their motivations and analyzes how it is the toxic nature of society that has caused these ostracized people to be pushed so far. While the Kiga group and Sanetoshi by the end of Penguindrum are essentially the final antagonists and are quite explicitly bad people, along the way we get to learn their motivations. Their griefs about society include the unfair reality of the chosen and the unchosen. They say that the world is cold and toxically conformative. And we as the audience have seen plenty of evidence to support their claims in the form of the afore-mentioned examples of family situations. The Kiga group, however, are not only referring to family situations, but to society as a whole, and Penguindrum gives us no reason to question the validity of this, only reason to oppose their methods of enacting this change through terrorism. Evidence of their griefs also materialize with the “Child Broiler”, which retains the relation to family situations, but takes form as an industrialized assembly-line machine which treats humans as objects—directly comparable to many critiques of how capitalism treats the worker as a replaceable object, part of the industrialized machine of society. When unchosen or not profitable for the system, you are simply disposed of. This conformity of the workers, particularly present in Japanese society, strips away individuality, as depicted by all of the background characters in the show being the same outlined figures. This is juxtaposed by the bright, incredibly individualistic character designs of our main characters who are apart from the conformity of the biological family. A lot of life is about finding your identity in the face of the vast number of negative forces such as these that affect you. Exclusionary systems and the internalizing of false dichotomies and other preconceptions can limit our view of what we could be–What society could be. ~~~img600(https://i2.wp.com/wrongeverytime.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Zurako_Mawaru_Penguindrum_15_Savior_of_the_World_BD_1080p_AAC_34E9DDE8.mkv_snapshot_05.56_2017.02.17_13.44.59.jpg)~~~ --- Although, in another sense of the term, “fate” is used to validate the meaning of characters’ lives despite the struggles they face. This takes form in instances such as Momoka having always listened to Tabuki’s piano playing and loving him despite him thinking his life was meaningless without the talent to play like his brother. This is also seen in Yuri’s circumstances, where Momoka thinks she is beautiful and loves her despite Yuri’s internalization that she is ugly and love can only come from family. Momoka can be seen as a representation of the good of fate—as it is said by Tabuki and Yuri, she made them ‘see everything in the world as beautiful’. This ever-present possibility for beauty is something that is obfuscated by the various toxic influences over our lives. When confronting those negative influences, you can finally see that possibility for beauty within everything, but attempting to grasp it is to disregard the rest of reality–it’s impossible. Momoka is someone who transcends fate, her existence is beauty itself–and therefore the cruel reality of fate takes her away. The entirely negative view of fate Sanetoshi and the Kiga group have, as well as the entirely positive view of fate Momoka has, are modernist ideologies. Narratives that claim to be concrete in their perspective on the world. These ideologies take root as ideas in our society–creating movements within different groups of people that they get a hold on. Ideas and ideologies such as this are like ghosts, as the show displays, affecting reality in ethereal, permeating ways. In some instances they can be empowering, providing inspiration and a level of validation to people’s lives–but they can be just as equally dangerous, giving justifications to terrorist organizations. ~~~img600(https://i1.wp.com/wrongeverytime.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Zurako_Mawaru_Penguindrum_15_Savior_of_the_World_BD_1080p_AAC_34E9DDE8.mkv_snapshot_09.18_2017.02.17_13.57.10.jpg?resize=768%2C432&ssl=1)~~~ --- Ultimately, the idea of fate is postmodernist conception; concrete only in its uncertainty. The incomprehensible amount of factors, or disparate parts, that come together to form the cause of our reality—on an individual, societal, and worldwide scale. It is essentially the human condition. Everyone goes on throughout their lives discovering and dealing with the infinite amount of forces that affect them. We inherit this life with an existentially lost world moving along around us, not giving any consideration to our confusion or existence. We must either come to terms with or reject the negative influences that we inherit, and hold on to what really matters to us. The struggle against fate is a desperate, endless process full of unanswerable questions we are forced to answer anyway. This can also be seen as “God”, an incomprehensible entity in control, which Penguindrum references multiple times as being cruel, because reality is cruel. Fate also encompasses all of the good, though, as Momoka helps people see. This is what the Kiga group and Sanetoshi have lost sight of as a result of being disillusioned to the normalized cruel society they are in. Penguindrum’s own perspective on fate lies in the middle of these two oppositions. It accepts fate as an existence, instead of trying to destroy it like Kiga and Sanetoshi, but is also deeply skeptical of it. It displays how fate can lead to the normalization of negative forces, and argues that we should strive to change those things. A sympathy is displayed for the kiga group on an individual scale, but not for their actions. Reality as it exists is indeed a result of the incomprehensible amount of factors in the world that create what we see through cause and effect, but those factors are in our hands. On an intimate, individual scale, the answer Penguindrum offers is love. Instead of destruction to overcome the cruelty of fate, one must turn to sacrificial love to aid in the alleviation of the suffering life brings onto us. This love must be sacrificial in the sense that your connections with others must be genuine to the point where you are willing to share each other’s pain. As Shouma hugs Ringo while she is on fire at the end of the show to take the pain onto him. As the eponymous penguindrum within the show is shared by the chosen Kanba with the unchosen Shouma, and by the now partly chosen Shouma with the unchosen Himari, that all leads to the formation of their mismatched family which gives their lives meaning through the genuine connection of disparate parts. The answer to escape the unfair fate on an individual scale for the unchosen, is to choose each other. However, as Penguindrum shows, this is ultimately not enough. In episode 20, as Shouma and Himari “choose” the unchosen stray kitten, society takes it away. The show then ends on a beautifully tragic note in episode 24. The penguindrum is eventually returned to Kanba as a whole, as fate forces it to be—however he sacrifices himself yet again. His and Shouma’s sacrifices result in the transfer of fate to a reality in which they—Shouma, Kanba, Himari, and Ringo—all live but aren’t together as a whole anymore. Fate, working at a larger scale than the individual, has stripped it away from them. But their love transcends it all, as Himari finds a note from them expressing their love for her from across fate lines and cries, unknowing as to exactly why.ends it all, as Himari finds a note from them expressing their love for her from across fate lines and cries, unknowing as to exactly why. ~~~img(https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.9b36cd5556a1f157300fb90eb44ee2b1?rik=kfCUKBTbS60%2fSA&riu=http%3a%2f%2fblog.draggle.org%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2011%2f12%2fmawaru_penguindrum_24_5.png&ehk=icIgmTgiFUvdHzLE%2bV619wP4EX8MVqZp4XiSwVpCg30%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0)~~~ --- What I probably like most in media is the tackling of identity and the tackling of societal issues and sociological phenomena. Better yet, the tackling of what it means to grapple with one's identity in the face of societal issues and how various sociological phenomena affect that. Penguindrum explores this extensively, down to the biggest, most daunting questions of it all. It concludes without any final answer for the issues it highlights. It ends as a postmodernist examination, an analyzation of the structures of reality, or fate, we find ourselves in—and posits that we should be aware of and question any such structures, but any answers to such an issue that pertains to the entirety of reality are contingent to their own perspectives and will never be objective or impartial. The chosen are partial to society as it benefits them, and the unchosen such as the Kiga group are partial to their view of fate which ignores the good. We ultimately live in an incomprehensible, relative world that we cannot find any objective meaning in. The society we live in subjects us to conformity and the essentialization of that which is normalized, ostracizing the abnormal. However, as ikuhara often does, he ends it with a final message of inspiration. Maybe this is really all this fucking show was about in the first place and ive just been rambling trying to justify my feelings toward it. But, what is the point of art if not to inspire and affect in positive ways in spite of anything else. After a harshly realistic depiction of the world, societies, and identity, it leaves us with one final hope. The only hope perhaps that the unchosen are left with; the establishment of genuine connections and love with others, which transcends fate itself. Love for the sake of itself, which is perhaps the only thing untainted by the negative forces around us. A pure form of expression afforded to us in this tragic existence. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ---
img220(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/b8/d2/84/b8d2844aa0528fc6746e5bceab909907--to-die-for-for-love.jpg) __Fate exists to a degree, but we can still act within it, can still love and be loved.__ >~!__"Even if destiny has robbed everything, a child that is loved is sure to find happiness"__.!~ So far, Ikuhara's work has focused a large part on overcoming boundaries. With Utena, it is societal expectations around gender, sexuality, the patriarchy and much more; with Sarazanmai it is barriers to human connection and more, and with Penguindrum it is fate, capitalism, and the uncontrollable circumstances we face in life… and more. For all of these, the boundaries are not reduced, not scoffed at, not waved away, but seen as what they are, huge things to surmount, that cannot always be surmounted, cannot be fixed for everyone by one person, and that require collective action and individual action. Ikuhara’s works are realistic yet optimistic. He is optimistic towards the possibility of revolutions. Ikuhara stresses the potential power of agency despite what may be stacked against people. We may be "residents of the boxes" but there are many people who can push out of those boxes, should push forward. Ikuhara's empathy is in understanding what is stacked against people, yet urging people not to be beaten. Ikuhara is of course pessimistic at times, one person can only do so much, people warped by what they see as having saved them (their “lights”) as to try and take away the “lights” of others in blind grief; out of one destiny, but consumed by another. However, ultimately optimism and empathy, crucially not divorced from realism, are the prose of his works. His works may be theatrical in nature, narrative and symbolism, but they are down to earth in heart. Shouko Nakamura’s fantastic work as chief director adds a further sense of intimacy and sensorial focus to bring this all together, alongside many other brilliant staff, be it that idea of intimacy in Akemi Hayashi’s episode, or theatrics in Takeuchi Nobuyuki’s. It would be ironic to not note that this is not just Ikuhara’s work, when it stresses so much the idea of sharing. I could also note people like Tomohiro Furukawa who storyboarded on many episodes, and took some of the themes and look of this work to heart when crafting Revue Starlight, and art director Chieko Nakamura whose work can be astounding, and so forth. >“I hate the word “fate.” Birth, encounters, partings, success and failures, fortune and misfortunes in life. If our lives are already set in stone by fate, then why are we even born? There are those born to wealthy families, those born to beautiful mothers, and those born into the middle of war or poverty. If that’s all caused by fate, then God is incredibly unfair and cruel. Because, ever since that day, none of us had a future and the only certain thing was that we wouldn’t amount to anything…” Is fate real? Do we have agency, freedom to choose things? Maybe yes, maybe no, maybe both. As soon as we are born there are many things already chosen for us, our genetics, where and when we are born and who else is there. If we are products of our environment, then surely fate exists by the circumstances we are forced to experience by just being born as ourselves. However, revolution and agency is possible, not everyone will be saved, one person will not save everyone, but happiness is in reach for many. Fate exists but we can still act within it. This is the ultimate message of Penguindrum. Acting within the cards we are dealt, dreaming of happiness for people. We may have awful personal situations (~!usually family for Penguindrum’s large cast, and loss of someone close, the light in the dark. Yuri’s father, Tabuki’s mother, Ringo’s parents, Masako’s parents, all the Takakura’s parents!~), be beholden to capitalism (~!Himari's treatment costs are impacted by this and other obvious things!~), to bullying, social anxiety, to accidents beyond our control, etc. But many people can still be happy. Please be happy. Please love others. Please accept love. Please. >"Simply living is a punishment" To live is to suffer, everyone to different degrees, but it is inevitable. However, suffering is not all there is to life, happiness is there. We can escape our conditions, if only a little. Living with a family or found family can be happiness despite any small punishments. A place to belong. A light in the dark. Penguindrum understands that, despite many very problematic elements (episode 14, sexual assault as a big trigger word. A large part in why this isn’t a 9/10). Anyways. Penguindrum tells us that love and empathy are transcendent, this is not cliché, not saccharine, but just downright true in the right circumstances. We are all in pain, we should all be kind, find places to belong and give places to belong. >~!"Yuri, I finally understand why you and I were the only ones left in this world. You and I were already lost children, but most children in the world are the same as us. That’s why, even once was enough: We both needed someone to tell us “I love you"."!~ ~!Both of them lost their close friend, the person who saved them and gave them happiness despite their "fates". Yet that itself trapped them in another fate, they were both cruel in having lost their light. Yet they eventually found love through each other, through their agency. They recognised their situation and acted within it and pushed out of it, rather than selfishly inflicting pain on others in a wish for a destiny that could not exist. They recognised why they were saved, and what the person who saved them was like and would have wanted.!~ >~!"Let’s share the fruit of fate"!~ ~!The apple eaten by Adam. Punishment. Let us all share the burden. Let us all push forward. For that is the penguindrum. The apple is the penguindrum. The idea of empathy, sharing, pushing forward. Love. Ringo finally gets to share her curry in the end, with Himari. The curry day her parents didn’t give her, she has been able to share with Himari. Found family and found happiness. Moreover, the secret ingredient is that apple. That symbol of empathy, of sharing each other's pain, of shouldering eachothers fates like Shouma and Kanba. It’s such a brilliantly conveyed and heartfelt message. It gives hope, hope for love in darkness. Something we all need, and something we should all give. I'm probably repeating myself a bunch here, but Penguindrum's message is important.!~
(**Spoilers ahead**) ~~~img500(https://altairandvega.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/penguindrum21sepia.jpg) ~~~ Loss is an emotion that permeates deeply within the human psyche, making an otherwise rational person lose control of themselves. This can be made all the worse in a time of tragedy and decay, especially for those unequipped to deal with such tragedy. For the nation of Japan, it is sometimes stated that they are accustomed to times of peace punctuated by examples of extreme and disorienting violence (Kenji). In the year of 1995, on the heels of the evaporation of the Japanese Economic Miracle came one such act. Mawaru Penguindrum is a television series directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara that deals specifically with the 1995 Tokyo Sarin Gas Attacks, one of the deadliest attacks in post-WWII Japanese history. The attacks stand out in a society not accustomed to large lists of victims, and even today, only the 2011 Earthquake stands out as a more deadly disaster for the country. But on a different level, the attacks demonstrate the endurance, and growth, of an unwanted reality of Japanese society. Under the layers of politeness and courtesy lay a depression and lack of connection among an increasing amount of the populace. However, this is not an issue Japan faces alone. Indeed, all the world over, much of humanity struggles to feel as if they have any safety net or outlets to reach towards, which only leads to malevolent conclusions, such as suicide or terrorist attacks. Ikuhara attempts to bridge the gaps of modern society and put forward a message of hope. In Mawaru Penguindrum, he utilizes the 1995 Tokyo Sarin Gas Attacks as a means towards exploring comfort in increasing times of uncertainty, an especially prescient message both domestically and abroad. The 1980s in Japan were a time characterized by rampant excess and vapid materialism. With the Japanese economy having exploded within the decade, the country was seen as a burgeoning superpower. But in the 1990s, everything fell apart. The ensuing period of economic stagnation is popularly referred to as to the Lost Decade, but since the stagnation has continued until today, perhaps it is fairer to refer to the period as the Lost 20 Years, in my opinion. Such a fall from economic grace, attached to already existing worries about demographic decline, would prove to shake the psyche of the nation, and pushed many thoughts to be at the forefront of society to its fringes. One such example of said fringes is the group Aum Shinrikyo. Made up mostly of disillusioned “university students and graduates, often from elite families,” the group attempted to give purpose to a purposeless base, pushing “end of the world” type scenarios, which only the members of the cult would be able to survive, of course (Fletcher). In Mawaru Penguindrum’s analog of Aum Shinrikyo, their leader waxes apocalyptic, talking of the necessity of “[cleansing cities through their] holy fire” (Ep. 20 09:32) and persistently motioning to saving humanity through a “Survival Strategy”. Much like Mawaru Penguindrum’s nascent terrorist group, Aum Shinrikyo chose to “cleanse” humanity through an extreme and bloody manner. ~~~img500(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EYU7yk2WAAI6kwi.jpg) ~~~ The 1995 Tokyo Sarin Gas Attacks seemed to come out of nowhere. In a day, over 6000 were victims of noxious fumes that the cult had planted on several subway lines. But curiously, despite the many serious side effects that they suffered, many victims whom author Haruki Murakami interviewed seemed more apathetic than angry at their plight. One woman said that she “[couldn’t] say [she felt] much anger or hatred,” for she “[couldn’t] seem to find those emotions in [her]” (Murakami 18). Another victim says that he “[doesn’t] feel especially angry towards the individual culprits” (86). This apathy extends even to the perpetrators of the attack. Murakami writes extensively on one of the perpetrators of the attack, Hidetoshi Takahashi. What is striking about Takahashi is not only that he has bounced back from being a member of a cult, but also the utter lucidity with which he talks about what led him to join Aum Shinrikyo. Takahashi said this in his interview with Murakami: ~~~To free myself, to make a fresh start, I poked my nose into all sorts of things, hoping to find the energy I needed to live. Live is full of suffering, and the contradictions in the real world irked me. To escape these, I imagined my own sort of utopian society, which made it easier for me to be taken in by a religious group that espoused a similar vision… Certainly one of the attractions of Aum lay in people’s frustrations with reality and unrest in the family… I do think inside all Japanese there is an apocalyptic viewpoint: an invisible, unconscious sense of fear. When I say that all Japanese have this fear, I mean some people have already pulled aside the veil, while others have yet to do so. If this veil were suddenly drawn back everyone would feel a sense of terror about the near future, the direction our world’s headed in. (348)~~~ The attacks proved to hit at a population that was beginning to grow detached from their reality and sense of purpose. And, in such a detached situation, it is hard to hold hope. Mawaru Penguindrum starts with a monologue from one of the protagonists, Shouma. In it, he speaks frankly about the Attacks, and in doing so seems to capture the mantra of both the attackers and victims. He ends it by stating: “Ever since that day, none of us had a future. The only thing we knew was that we would never amount to anything” (Ep. 1, 00:44). Mawaru Penguindrum explores the inner psyches of the multiple broken generations who have felt unable to grieve, who felt that they were no longer living in the best times of Japan, and the Sarin Gas Attacks served as a bloody example of that. Muen shakai literally translates to “no-relationship society”. It describes an emerging issue in modern Japan; those who throw off most human interactions beyond what is “required to work, shop, or attend to their needs,” or people that are barely able to hold human connections and therefore consciously choose instead to seal themselves away (Taylor). In a society where muen shakai exists, so too must there exist fewer extreme versions of societal separation. Mawaru Penguindrum, as it progresses, shows how no one in a culture of distress can escape with escape without any emotional baggage. ~~~img500(https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/ringoburning.png) ~~~ Ringo Oginome, the deuteragonist of the show, ostensibly lives a regular life as an average high school girl. However, underneath this thin veneer of normalcy lies an absurdist layer of self-hatred and a lack of identity. In the show, Ringo constantly seeks to emulate her beloved sister who died in the attacks by going after her sister’s former crush, Tabuki, who is significantly older than she is. Her efforts to woo Tabuki range from making a specialty curry to sleeping under his house to know when his fiancée is away. Ringo is forced to trying to have her life go both directions, to live a life of normalcy while fruitlessly chasing a perfection, which never existed. ~~~img500(https://i0.wp.com/metanorn.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Penguindrum17_25.jpeg?resize=650%2C366) ~~~ Shouma, Kanba, and Himari, the children of the leaders of the show’s fictional cult, hide behind a constructed family—none of the three Takakuras are related by blood—and struggle to live a happy life. Kanba is a frequent womanizer who utilizes women as a distraction from what he feels is a fraudulent homelife. Shouma is afraid of having relationships, and crumbles when faced with the prospect of becoming better friends with Ringo. And Himari is a figure that can appear warm to an outside observer but shows cold indifference to her suffering—from an unknown disease that persists throughout the show—and the subsequent suffering that her pain brings others. The Takakura family is one that constantly pretends that they are happy and thriving, despite the torment of their parents’ actions, and fear that they cannot escape the legacy of their family. ~~~img500(https://i.imgur.com/pPbbD9M.jpg) ~~~ It should be noted that even Tabuki, the teacher that Ringo so wants to woo, holds a profound amount of trauma within his heart. The same incident that destroyed the hearts of Ringo and the Takakura family so too gnaws at the core of Tabuki, who feels a deeply ingrained rage at the death of Ringo’s sister during the Tokyo Sarin Gas Attacks. But he hides it. He hides his anger in being an exemplary and friendly teacher, one who is in a healthy relationship with a budding actress. All of that, at least partially, is a lie. Tabuki, under his calm and collected exterior, wishes to bring destructive ruin to the Takakura family, who are both students of his and the relatives of those who partially ruined his life; the only time in which the façade falls is a violent time, where Tabuki attempts to kill the Takakura family in a bizarre scheme at a construction site. Another important inspiration for Ikuhara when creating Mawaru Penguindrum was an unexpected one. On March 11th, 2010, Japan experienced one of the deadliest earthquakes within it is history. Indeed, the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake ravaged part of the country, with a subsequent tsunami and nuclear disaster only worsening conditions (Saito). Ikuhara was in the process of directing Mawaru Penguindrum when the earthquake occurred and was quite candid in admitting that the natural disaster played a significant part in the message that he wanted to convey to audiences. He told Kana Ohtsuki in an interview that “the fact that the anime was released in 2011 greatly influenced it, where whilst the idea just started as a small thought, due to the situation of 3.11, this thought became more certain” and that “everyone felt that their lives were fragile and very much in danger” in the aftermath of the earthquakes (“Eulogy). Ikuhara had a mission, an important story to tell, and an important lesson to give that encompasses the two biggest recent tragedies that have gripped the island nation. ~~~img500(https://erogethoughts.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/crosschannel_gy0lag7eej.png) ~~~ Within Japanese media, one of the most interesting and relevant forms of muen shakai comes in the form of a genre known as denpa, or electromagnetic waves. The name originated because of the prevalence within the genre of “oppressive radio towers and people’s consciousnesses being manipulated by electromagnetic signals” (Kenji). The genre mainly concerns with showing the many ways in which melancholy and apathy towards the rest of humanity can manifest itself, whether that be through the looping every day of Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer or the surreal mystery whereby all of humanity disappears except for a small group of teenagers, within the game CROSS†CHANNEL (Kenji). The most well-known display of denpa is also one of the most well-known anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion, a show that looks at the hopelessness presented by muen shakai and seeks to bring forth clarity to a crisis bringing quandary. But while director Hideaki Anno finds that we can move past muen shakai through a widespread discovery of the self, Ikuhara chooses to go for an entirely separate theme. While acknowledging the existence and prevalence of muen shakai, Ikuhara consciously attempts to move past it and make suggestions towards how to counter it, expressing it as an imperative in the current technological culture. He said this to Kana Ohtsuki: ~~~I was originally wanting to do a story about family, and compared to the little thought of denial I felt towards it, my feelings towards affirming the family just grew stronger and stronger. Saying it out loud sounds a bit stupid but it’s perhaps loss and restoration. This has been a theme for me for a number of years. The experience of loss is something felt universally by yourself and those around. Something you can’t quite get back, then you have to restore it again, but you don’t know so you have to find out how to do this (“Eulogy).~~~ In this quote, Ikuhara expresses a desire to bring the individual back towards the family. This is an especially prescient message given how the earthquake served to destroy so many lives in the Tohoku, literally ripping families apart over the death of loved ones and leaving only individuals who are “plagued by regret,” as “time [doesn’t] solve things” that no one wishes to solve (Saito). Indeed, in times of intense anger and personal upheaval, feelings of regret need to be pushed aside, as difficult as that may be. However, when Ikuhara says family, he does not merely mean those who are connected to you by blood. When he discusses the importance of family, he is encompassing the relationships of those who are met on earth, whose relationships are greater than that of a blood relationship. ~~~ img500(https://64.media.tumblr.com/03508d59f4747cedb60d2cb1143ee67a/84825393a706f091-cb/s500x750/b4916be0860a032df7ae1c27eaadd1b040226683.jpg)~~~ The Takakuras are not a family related by blood, and yet, until their love is brought into question, they are able to function as a tight unit. While all of them may pretend that they live in a situation of normalcy, it would also be lying to say that among all the lying, there was not at least some happiness. Before rounding out this review, it should be noted that this is not a Japan only issue. While it may be significantly easier to throw aside legitimate criticism of one’s own society in favor of acting as if Japan is the only country that is extremely troubled within this current time and age, it is nonetheless wholly inappropriate. Muen shakai is not a specifically Japanese issue. Rather, it is an issue that many countries are now being forced to reckon with as birthrates decline, job prospects increasingly are in doubt, and the climate presents an existential threat to humanity. We may act as if this is a problem that only Japan is expressing itself through, but we are lying by doing so. In current times, “we know much more of the rest of the world and how differently others live and think… we also know how much we don’t know about the world we live in, even things that bear directly on our lives” (Eckersley 1). We live in terrifying times, where in knowing so much more about everyone else, we feel that we know nothing. In an age of constant change and constant misery, where every tragedy and every folly of humanity is broadcast for all to see, what hope do we have to survive? According to Ikuhara, the hope must rest in the solidarity of family, whether that be your natural family or your found family. After all, with the protective love of a family, anything, even death, can be weathered easily. __Works Cited__ “Eulogy for the Fool – Ikuhara Kunihiko and Ohtsuki Kana Discussion.” Japanese Translation, japanesetranslationblog.wordpress.com/2018/03/06/ikuhara-kunihiko-and-ohtsuki-kana-discussion. Eckersley, Richard. “Killer Cults and the Search for Meaning.” AQ: Australian Quarterly, vol. 72, no. 1, 2000, pp. 16–51. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20637876. Accessed 13 Apr. 2021. Fletcher, Holly. “Aum Shinrikyo.” Council on Foreign Relations, 19 June 2012, www.cfr.org/backgrounder/aum-shinrikyo. Kenji. “On Denpa: A Guest Article.” On the Ones, 29 June 2019, ontheones.wordpress.com/2019/06/29/on-denpa-a-guest-article-by-kenji-the-engi/. Murakami, Haruki. Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche. Kodansha, 1997. Saito, Mari. “10 Years on, Grief Never Subsides for Some Survivors of Japan Tsunami.” Reuters, 10 Mar. 2021, www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/japan-tsunami-survivors. Taylor, Matthew. “Not with a Bang but a Whimper: Muen Shakai and Its Implications.” Anthropoetics, vol. XVIII, no. 1, 2012, anthropoetics.ucla.edu/ap1801/1801taylor. ____