Mawaru Penguindrum -- Ikuhara's new anime project

[soul.assassin]

Excellent fanfiction, Xard.

And oh my goodness, episode 2:

SPOILER: Show

I love this show ^^

the spying stuff reminded much of that peeping-Tom part of the movie Revenge of the Nerds!

[Merridian]

[symbv]

Before I start watching Ep.2 I would like to write something about what I feel about this unique and interesting anime.

I have looked around and it seems so far the attention (and the praises) from (English speaking) bloggers and anime forums are mainly on 3 things -
1. The transformation scene (aka Survival Strategy)
2. Incest and fetish
3. Penguins

I admit all the above are very eye-catching and I am certain are introduced to raise talking points and grab attention. Of course the exceptionally high level of animation and gorgeous color palette is another thing that got universal thumbs-up. But I want to talk about what (perhaps uniquely) appeal to me:

I love it for what is not Utena. I can sense that Ikuhara has matured (or rounded his edges) as the sharp avant-garde elements are no longer so prominent and in your face. In turn it has a real "down-to-earth" (by Ikuhara's standard) link to reality. We no longer have an all abstract dream-like world like Utena. What we have now are frequent references to real life locations in Japan (check http://d.hatena.ne.jp/riyot/20110710/1310309043 ) This is what I really love about this anime -- the character and the background art may take on a fantasy air but the whole episode is solidly grounded in a real world, a real Japan, a real Tokyo. I have been to many of the locations depicted in the anime -- Ogikubo, Shinjuku (the highschool is very prominent there), the aquarium in Ikebukuro. As much as the story is taking an almost surreal level of antics and actions, the story is about some people living in a real world. The death of the female character further added to the gravity of the show. It may be slapstick comedy now but I can sense some messages are itching to burst into the open (with 2 cour length, it can afford to take its time). There is magic with the eye-pleasingly colorful and sublimely fantastical having its feet firmly grounded in the reality.

I also love the attention to details from Ikuhara and the production team. The decoration inside the home is a feat of deep love. It is the various little objects hanging around as well as the combination of colors and shapes that are such an eye-candy. But Ikuhara knows when to cut corner in other places to save budget (look at those pedestrians on the street) Another example is the detailed animation of the "animated poster" in the underground as a sideshow. The use of book title like "Schneewittchen" in the last scene is another detail I love.

And I wonder who is geeky like I do to research and find that the biology taught in MC's high school is college level stuff? (i.e. Centrolecithal 心黄卵, Isolecithal 等黄卵, Telolecithal 端黄卵 eggs on the subject of Embryo Cleavage 卵割)

The novel that is already published, according to those who read it already, has already disclosed the story up to at least ep.8 so to many in Japan the story, it being an original anime notwithstanding, may no longer be such a surprise (unless the anime diverges from the novel after ep.2 - so far it seems to adhere to the novel quite closely) so the key thing would be about how it is executed, on which fans in Japan are holding high hopes.

As for the speculation (as listed in http://penguindrum.livejournal.com/ ) about 1995 Sarin attack I am not too sure. The attack may be on Marunouchi line but the station that was attacked, Kasumigaseki, is also a station for 2 other lines, and that station has not featured in the anime yet. That said, Ogikubo (home) being one end of Marunouchi line and Ikebukuro (aquarium) being the other end shows how much significance Ikuhara attaches to this line (particularly since the quickest way to go from Ogikubo to Ikebukuro is NOT by this line) so perhaps it does hold some symbolic meaning after all.

Last but not least, the uncanny feeling of colorful fantasy in a setting that looks stylish but yet feel real, the abundance of moe fetish, the theme of youth having to deal with and adapting to changes thrust to them in a modern urban setting, all give me a feel that links to another of my most favorite anime Bakemonogatari. Of course there are many differences between the two but I do see they share common traits that holds powerful appeal to me.

[Azathoth]

TABUKI-SENSEI NOOOOO LOOK OUT D:

[Xard]

Excellent fanfiction, Xard.

It's not fanfiction, it's prologue to Penguindrum book that covers the first 8-9 episodes. I wouldn't post fanfiction here...

TABUKI-SENSEI NOOOOO LOOK OUT D:

unmei ga shinjiteru~





Watched ep 2

This is already year's best anime after MacrossF: Sayonara no Tsubasa


I just love those penguins. I haven't laughed like this in quite a while


Speaking of subtext/references/whatever: Not only is the girl named Ringo (apple), Kenji Miyazawa is namedropped.

I guess I should read Night on the Galactic Railroad...

This post needs more penguin love



edit:

awwww snap? Intentional?

>> Anonymous 07/15/11(Fri)13:10 No.51984984

>>51984320
>Duo called "Double H"
>"Rock Over Japan" song credited to "Triple H"
>_H_imari
I'll let that sink in for a while...

[tender]

It's not fanfiction

No no, you misunderstand. I should have been clearer and said, "I liked the comic you posted! 'Ooh Mr. Ikuhara, A Fan Fiction' is hilarious."

[Azathoth]

unmei ga shinjiteru~

more like RAPE ga shinjiteiru. if this anime involves Ishida Akira being sexually brutalized, I quit

awwww snap? Intentional?

And the two girls appear as paletteswapped Himaris in the ED also...same hair colors as Shou and Kan...there's something really weird going on there and I don't know whether to expect the show to go rule 63 or not

[Xard]

No no, you misunderstand. I should have been clearer and said, "I liked the comic you posted! 'Ooh Mr. Ikuhara, A Fan Fiction' is hilarious."

ah, okay

yeah that was by Good Haro too. Nice indeed.

more like RAPE ga shinjiteiru. if this anime involves Ishida Akira being sexually brutalized, I quit

Oh HELL YES, bring it on I say!

She looks like shoujofied Ranka anyway



My body is ready

And the two girls appear as paletteswapped Himaris in the ED also...same hair colors as Shou and Kan...there's something really weird going on there and I don't know whether to expect the show to go rule 63 or not

I think the two idols are going to play role somewhat similar to Utena's shadow girls. We've already seen the icons in train do stuff in both episodes (lol'd at chikan bit in ep 2) and I wouldn't be least bit surprised if their actions start to get more "interactive" or connected to events of the storyline later on, a bit like the shadow girl episode commentary/foreshadowing

Speaking of identity plays, anyone wondering why Blue-kun's friend and Tabuki-sensei are both voiced by Ishihara? I really wonder if this is just Ikuhara going cheap with seiyuus or if there's something more to it...

[Azathoth]

Speaking of identity plays, anyone wondering why Blue-kun's friend and Tabuki-sensei are both voiced by Ishihara? I really wonder if this is just Ikuhara going cheap with seiyuus or if there's something more to it...

Yeah there's something strange about that guy too, his facelessness in particular. I have to wonder if there isn't some big identity conspiracy with Ishida where Tabuki, friend, and, say, Utena's big sister all wind up being the same person.

[C.A.P.]

I love it for what is not Utena. I can sense that Ikuhara has matured (or rounded his edges) as the sharp avant-garde elements are no longer so prominent and in your face. In turn it has a real "down-to-earth" (by Ikuhara's standard) link to reality. We no longer have an all abstract dream-like world like Utena. What we have now are frequent references to real life locations in Japan (check http://d.hatena.ne.jp/riyot/20110710/1310309043 ) This is what I really love about this anime -- the character and the background art may take on a fantasy air but the whole episode is solidly grounded in a real world, a real Japan, a real Tokyo. I have been to many of the locations depicted in the anime -- Ogikubo, Shinjuku (the highschool is very prominent there), the aquarium in Ikebukuro. As much as the story is taking an almost surreal level of antics and actions, the story is about some people living in a real world. The death of the female character further added to the gravity of the show. It may be slapstick comedy now but I can sense some messages are itching to burst into the open (with 2 cour length, it can afford to take its time). There is magic with the eye-pleasingly colorful and sublimely fantastical having its feet firmly grounded in the reality.

I also love the attention to details from Ikuhara and the production team. The decoration inside the home is a feat of deep love. It is the various little objects hanging around as well as the combination of colors and shapes that are such an eye-candy. But Ikuhara knows when to cut corner in other places to save budget (look at those pedestrians on the street) Another example is the detailed animation of the "animated poster" in the underground as a sideshow. The use of book title like "Schneewittchen" in the last scene is another detail I love.

And I wonder who is geeky like I do to research and find that the biology taught in MC's high school is college level stuff? (i.e. Centrolecithal 心黄卵, Isolecithal 等黄卵, Telolecithal 端黄卵 eggs on the subject of Embryo Cleavage 卵割)

The novel that is already published, according to those who read it already, has already disclosed the story up to at least ep.8 so to many in Japan the story, it being an original anime notwithstanding, may no longer be such a surprise (unless the anime diverges from the novel after ep.2 - so far it seems to adhere to the novel quite closely) so the key thing would be about how it is executed, on which fans in Japan are holding high hopes.

Last but not least, the uncanny feeling of colorful fantasy in a setting that looks stylish but yet feel real, the abundance of moe fetish, the theme of youth having to deal with and adapting to changes thrust to them in a modern urban setting, all give me a feel that links to another of my most favorite anime Bakemonogatari. Of course there are many differences between the two but I do see they share common traits that holds powerful appeal to me.

Wow, great observations! Though, in regards of Ikuhara "maturing", I can't help but feel that's untrue. The down-to-earth feeling of the show, along with the exaggerated actions of the characters are reminding me of the episodes he directed for Sailor Moon. particular the earliest episodes (6, 11, 15, 21) he did, excluding "Survival Strategy", which is pure post-Utena Ikuhara right in front of out eyes

So, he didn't really matured, he's just doing his bag of tricks a little bit differently this time, mixing the true emotions he did with Sailor Moon with the absurd elements of Utena into something interesting. Though, we'll see if that'll change later.

[Xard]

I don't think Ikuhara has "matured" in any way either, this is just different branch of madness in comparison to Utena. Besides, we're just two eps in. Two eps in Utena made quite a bit sense too

Yeah there's something strange about that guy too, his facelessness in particular. I have to wonder if there isn't some big identity conspiracy with Ishida where Tabuki, friend, and, say, Utena's big sister all wind up being the same person.

Ahh, good to see I wasn't only one who considered Man!Utena (or big sis, hard to tell) being Tabuki after this episode.


As far as search for subtext, references etc. goes instead of any Aum Shinrinkyo connections one should focus on trying to see how Kenji Miyazawa's works fit in all this, Galactic Railroad in particular (if you haven't read the book do what I've done and watch the great anime film). They're pushing this stuff way too strongly to be a red herring.

[DevRei17]

Another good episode. Nice showing the negative aspects of believing in fate.

[Azathoth]

Ahh, good to see I wasn't only one who considered Man!Utena (or big sis, hard to tell) being Tabuki after this episode.

That don't look like no man to me She (?) has final boss written all over her though, and following so hard on Tabuki's portrayal in OP as menacing and associated with raven/crow/something (let me guess, there's a war between crows and penguins) it is kind of tempting to associate them.

[Xard]

That don't look like no man to me She (?) has final boss written all over her though, and following so hard on Tabuki's portrayal in OP as menacing and associated with raven/crow/something (let me guess, there's a war between crows and penguins) it is kind of tempting to associate them.

Would we have "final villain" already in first cour OP of two cour show which is going to get 2nd OP eventually? I wonder...

As far as I can tell Tabuki is just into birds in general and he had no interest in crows or something in particular.

The girl's marker was interesting: drum it is indeed. Though I think this is just red herring and the girl doesn't really know much about it.

[Azathoth]

As far as I can tell Tabuki is just into birds in general and he had no interest in crows or something in particular.

When he shows up in OP there's shadow that looks vaguely crowlike in the background (not to mention bars that remind me of the Student Council elevator). Maybe if anyone knows anything about birds they could say me different...

Also, random thought/idea: Tabuki is dating Ringo's mother

[Randomanon]

After my experience with Utena, I do not get too caught up with trying to interpret Ikuhara's use of symbolism because of answers like these:

ANN: Roses have become the symbol of the series and the movie. What is behind that... why roses?
IKUHARA: I don't know. I really didn't think about that.

ANN: Nanami Kiiryu plays a pretty big role in the TV series, but only appears in the movie in bovine form. Was it a conscious decision to leave her out, or did she simply not fit into the storyline?
IKUHARA: Well, it was a conscious decision of course. You know, I really like cows. (points to numerous cow portraits on the wall of the hotel lounge) I think these guys do too! *laughs*

ANN: Ohtori Academy must be a really hard place to get around in. It's so big, and none of the staircases join each other. What kind of place is it?
IKUHARA: I don't know. I haven't thought about it.

Saitou - Really? So, why the number of cats outside the window increased?
Ikuhara - In the beginning, one cat met a cute little kitten and they fell in love. And so, as the time went on, they had children.

[Xard]

After my experience with Utena, I do not get too caught up with trying to interpret Ikuhara's use of symbolism because of answers like these

Ikuhara is professional troll and in general doesn't want to give answers he could because he wants viewers to come up with their own interprepations and undestanding. This comes up repeatedly up in Utena film's commentary track where he frequently either goes something like "I could explain this shit in detail but it would defeat the purpose, here's some general guidelines/hints" or then he goes 100% trollmode. Of course on few occasions he gives honest, straight answer to some symbolism.


For example with the cat quote above Ikuhara isn't actually even lying, he's just being his obfuscating self. The cats clearly represent Nemuro's wish for a family.

Or for one another interview where Ikuhara claims he doesn't know whether Chuchu is monkey or not, well... "He does know. Otherwise he wouldn't have okayed bananas spinning in the corners of the rose frame in Chu-chu's shots. It's a monkey."


Guy is always being facetious in interviews. I mean, just take this bit from another one:

Q - How do you decide on songs for each duel? Do you match them with personality of particular character? (reader from Kobe prefecture)

Ikuhara - We match them with character's personality.
AM - So does that mean that in the second episode, Saionji who holds "paleozoic within his body" is an ammonite?
Ikuhara - He is an ammonite.
All - (laugh).
Enokido - It means that he's bound by old-fashioned ideas.
AM - Oh, I see.

So yeah, there is reason for ammonite metaphor. But good luck getting that out of Ikuhara, luckily Enokido was there... :P

or take for example this interview bit about his crossdressing:

Q: When you dressed up as Sailor Scout [Sailor Mars specifically -ed.] what was the public's general reaction? [picture 1, picture 2]

A: That wasn't me. That was Ray Hino. Actually, I had a stomachache and couldn't go that day. So, to substitute for me was my friend Ray Hino and Minako. They both have beautiful legs. A lot of guys took their photos. So I was a little jealous.

"Ray Hino" = Hino Rei/Sailor Mars


If one thinks Utena's symbolism is random because Ikuhara talks about squacking ducks in some interview they're just getting trolled by him, as usual

[Randomanon]

Yes, that's basically how it is with him. You may never know what some symbolism means or if it has anything more than a basic meaning. In the meantime, fans analyzed and argued over every detail, often attributing deep meaning to even the smallest details.

I think Ikuhara's the kind of guy to enjoy seeing people do that. Maybe it's because of that I lost interest somewhere in examining too closely and just prefer to watch and understand general meanings.

[Xard]

Yes, that's basically how it is with him. You may never know what some symbolism means or if it has anything more than a basic meaning. In the meantime, fans analyzed and argued over every detail, often attributing deep meaning to even the smallest details.

I think Ikuhara's the kind of guy to enjoy seeing people do that.

Yes, that's exactly what he wants.

Maybe it's because of that I lost interest somewhere in examining too closely and just prefer to watch and understand general meanings.

ahh, okay. I guess I misunderstood, I thought you ment that none of the symbolism really means anything in eg. Utena because of Ikuhara's know-nothing style in interviews :)

Well, I guess I should just point out on what forum we are. Eva fans gonna Eva fan

[Randomanon]

Well, I guess I should just point out on what forum we are. Eva fans gonna Eva fan

Yes, you're right of course, that makes sense. I'm still adjusting to a more formal fanbase forum.

Also with Utena, I saw it when I was young and it left me with really strong, ambiguous feelings about it, especially for someone who's also a Sailor Moon fan. So I watch every Mawaru Penguindrum episode and I'm truly enjoying it but there's also that feeling of dread as to when Ikuraha is going to stab me through my heart. I'm not an innocent shoujo fan now and I know better what to expect but, I'm afraid I have no objectivity when it comes to this anime.