There
are animes, there are art forms and then there is Kunihiko Ikuhara, the
director of iconic magical girl animes Sailor Moon and Revolutionary Girl
Utena. Evidently Ikuhara is well versed in cookie-cutter shows as well as
breath-taking breaking the mould shows. So you’ll either get exactly what you
want or exactly what you didn’t expect. Nevertheless both Sailor Moon and
Revolutionary Girl Utena deal with a similar platform (not to mention virtually
identical animation); Mawaru Penguindrum takes a fresh and entirely different
approach. The concept is a little hard to pin down as the genre(s) is less
shojo-romance and more mystery/comedy/sci-fi. And there are penguins. Lots of
penguins.
The
series centres on three siblings, twins Shouma and Kanba and their terminally
ill younger sister, Himari. Initially Himari dies but is immediately reanimated
into a penguin princess during one of the most spectacular magical girl
transformations I’ve ever witnessed. The new and improved Himari demands a
penguindrum in exchange for their sister’s new found health. What is a
penguindrum? The princess doesn’t say, nor do we really find out until the very
last episode and even then it’s still a little ambiguous.
The
characters are all first rate. It’s near impossible to dislike any of them.
Shouma and Kanba serve as superb protagonists, challenged with the heart-wrenching
task of trying to save a loved one, a task that eventually leads them apart and
seeking conflicting paths. Himari appears cute as a button one moment, than
high-and-mighty princess the next, both roles are electrifying. One potential
problem is the incest, fortunately that is resolved in the most satisfying
conclusion, it’s not incest (major spoilers). Even Ringo, who is principally introduced
as an annoying, single-minded stalker, has such stark revelations about her
past, that the character is renovated into someone relatable and ultimately
likable.
Mawaru
Penguindrum is very much a character study in the sense that all of the primary
cast have a rough upbringing and are in some way scarred, allowing for plenty
of growth and development. One minor setback of the traumatic childhood is the
over use of the lonely/abandoned child complex. This leads to great effect in
some situations, namely the horrendous child broiler scenes which really work
to drive home that there is something underlying evil with this society and not
so much in others, chiefly the Masako storyline. Despite what I said early,
this is one character that we didn’t get to see utilized to her full potential.
She and her brother Mario were mostly padding for a shocking plot twist.
Interesting enough, but perhaps not quite on par with the rest of the cast.
The
storyline is impeccably well-crafted. From the outset, this is set up to be a
tragedy. The beginning is (naturally) deceptive as the light-hearted, whimsical
romantic-comedy element is gradually lost and replaced with a much colder ascetic.
Mawaru Penguindrum is also a masterpiece of symbolism and surrealism that will
certainly require several views in order to soak up all the references. Clearly
nothing has been left to chance, or fate as is more relevant.
Mawaru
Penguindrum is nothing short of magnificent. The sheer level of depth, of
detail that has gone into the shows meticulous design is quite frankly
staggering and the outcome is simply flawless. The devotion of the siblings as
the core motivator is pretty powerful and the ending is incredibly satisfactory
if a little open ended. Kunihiko Ikuhara is a true visionary and hopefully this
will be the shape of more things to come from this wonderfully talented
director.
Rating:
9/10
Recommended.
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