Mastodawn

The bad Utena video got me to take another shot at watching #MawaruPenguindrum, Ikuhara's first series after a long post-SKU hiatus. Chasing each episode with the watchalong from the #ImagineMeAndUtena podcast:

https://soundcloud.com/imaginemeandutena

The hosts are watching mostly-unspoiled, so there's a lot of "wow, we have no idea where this is going either," but they'll dissect moments that I didn't think that hard about, or go over cultural background I didn't know. Which is cool and helpful.

At one point I figured I'd start watching the show once all the IMAU episodes were out? But they stopped cold after episode 17 (of 24), and that was 9 months ago. No idea if that was just Life Happening, or if the show did something so dramatic and off-putting they couldn't keep watching.

Guess I'll find out!

Imagine Me & Utena

This is a weekly podcast about Revolutionary Girl Utena, hosted by Panda and Alice. If you like the show, you should support us on patreon! Banner art by Shannon Manor

SoundCloud

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Erin Ptah Mar 17, 2024

7 eps into #Penguindrum, I think I remember why I bounced off this show the first time around. (If you've seen more than 7 episodes: no spoilers please!)

The hook in the first episode is, magic/alien/??? entity tells 2 brothers "I will save your sister Himari's life if you bring me the Penguindrum."

(Appreciate that, in lieu of the usual Vague Anime Heart Condition, Himari appears to have an inoperable brain tumor.)

Since then, the brothers have been on a series of side quests, supporting a whole other character (Ringo, the girl in this screencap, picking up the book that isn't the Death Note) in *her* goals. It's not clear how this relates to finding the Penguindrum. Or even what the Penguindrum is supposed to be.

These guys aren't asking the bossy alien penguin hat nearly enough questions!

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Erin Ptah Mar 17, 2024

#Penguindrum/#Utena parallels: all the kids in SKU get told "you will receive [miraculous thing you want] if you win the duels and possess the Rose Bride." Utena doesn't ask questions about how that works, either.

But her goal isn't to pass the magic quest to earn a miracle in the first place -- she just wants to help Anthy! She's very active and focused about figuring out "what does Anthy need, and how do I get it to her?"

(It's a more complicated question than she appreciates. That's why it takes her the whole show to work on.)

Also: Himari herself keeps getting relegated to the background. Her brothers haven't included her in the Penguindrum quest, or even let her know that it's happening. Anthy got more screen time and plot involvement from the start, emphasizing her as a character in her own right, not just Sad Girl The Protagonist Wants To Help. So far, there's not enough Himari in this show about saving Himari.

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Erin Ptah Mar 17, 2024

Bonus prediction: show has given us ominous references to a "project M." Has teased, but not confirmed, what M stands for.

The "Mawaru" in the title means "spinning."

Last Ikuhara show was about characters trying to bring the world "revolution." This one's about characters trying to execute Project Spinning.

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Erin Ptah Mar 20, 2024

#Penguindrum reaction/spoilers, episodes 8-13:

- Episode 9 is a much-needed Himari-centric interlude, and it's great. She's active, thoughtful, wholesome but not in a cloying way, asks questions, holds her ground when the local Ominous Deep-Voiced Pastel-Haired Bishounen tries to push her around. All while being in a flashback/dream/fugue state. If she had gone through that fully conscious, I guarantee the show would be over by now

- Episodes 12-13 reveal that the protagonists' parents did an AU version of the 1995 Japan subway sarin gas attacks. Which explains a lot: why the parents are MIA without being dead, why the kids have a complex about "our family's fated punishment," why a younger Himari got chased out of school

- Juxtaposing the aftermath and casualties of a severe real-world terrorist attack with "now we're following the magic orders of a sexy alien penguin in a teddy-bear mecha" sure is a choice??

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Erin Ptah Mar 20, 2024

#Penguindrum reaction/spoilers (+ SA warning), continued:

- I don't like Ringo

- The show clearly *wants* us to like Ringo, giving her funny antics, and a sad backstory that's genuinely sympathetic, and framing a lot of her worse acts in a way you're not supposed to take seriously, e.g. "this is slapstick/comedy violence, not serious-physical-abuse violence"

- But also, she has drugged and tried to sexually-assault a friend of hers. Twice!

- Attempt #1, someone else stops her. Attempt #2, she realizes last-minute that she doesn't actually want this. Which, good, a positive outcome!...but I feel like all the focus is on "Ringo's emotional development/maturation in realizing she doesn't want to be a rapist." Will she ever come clean about her attempts to her would-be-victim, while he's *not* drugged? Will he get an apology? Any accountability? Does the show care how he feels about this, like, at all? TBD!

- (nobody tell me, I'll find out)