Penguindrum: Collection 1 Blu-ray Review
Some questions may not have easy answers.
Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, December 22, 2012
The legendary Stephen Sondheim gave the equally legendary Elaine Stritch one of her finest musical theater moments
in
the original 1970 Broadway mounting of
Company, when Stritch's character Joanne, a hard drinking cynic with
nary a kind
word for anyone, lets loose late in the second act with one of Sondheim's best loved songs, "The Ladies Who Lunch".
As Joanne tears into the
elite women who surround her (a class to which she obviously belongs), she pauses for a moment to ask, "Does
anyone
still wear a hat?" in a reference to a bygone age of elegant apparel styles for polite society. That's a question that may
have some appropriateness for the oddly endearing anime
Penguindrum, but it's a quandary that should be far
down the list on most viewers' minds, as this is one of the more resolutely philosophical anime in recent memory, one
which gets into all sorts of thorny debates about existence, fate, free will and other issues that have provided grist for
the
mill for countless sermons and indeed for whole theological movements. In an idiom that often seems to be comprised
of
cut and paste "artists" who cobble together shows out of previously offered ideas, characters and even out and out
plotlines,
Penguindrum is, if nothing else, absolutely unique and wonderfully distinctive. That may not translate
into easy accessibility or, frankly, even absolute entertainment value, but for those who are looking for something more
than a bit unusual and who are willing to confront some of the deepest questions that have challenged the greatest
minds (and hearts) of Mankind from time immemorial,
Penguindrum is one of the most bracing anime
experiences of
the past several years, and maybe since the dawn of animation itself.
We'll get to the hat wearing situation in a moment (as well as answering Joanne's immortal question), but there are
more
pressing issues that
Penguindrum virtually dives into from the first moment, none of which is
more
pressing
than the question of why death can come to those too young to even be considering their own mortality. This is
something that perhaps is hitting home more than it even typically would due to the recent tragic school shooting in
Newtown, Connecticut, and while of course one can't even begin to compare an anime, no matter how well done, with
the
real life horror that unfolded in that school, in a way the basic idea is the same:
how could a Divine Being
"allow"
something as tragic as the unfair death of a young child happen? The airwaves have been full of pontificators much
wiser
than I am talking about God's gift of free will that "permits" irrational people to do unthinkable things, but in the case of
Penguindrum when little girl Himari Takakura's life comes to an untimely end, it's due to
disease, not the
hideous behavior of some unbalanced soul. So who is to blame in a situation like that? Wouldn't it in fact be whatever
immutable entity is "in charge" of creation?
This would already seem to be an incredibly "weighty" anime that might not have a lot of pure entertainment value, but
Penguindrum is actually delightfully daffy in its own way, especially after Himari surprises her twin brothers
Kanba and Shoma by suddenly spontaneously resurrecting from her hospital gurney where she's supposedly just died,
albeit in a "possessed" form since she is—wait for it—wearing a peculiar little penguin hat her brothers had just gotten
her at the zoo before her demise. The spirit which inhabits little Himari tells the brothers that she will extend Himari's
life if the brothers are able to retrieve a mysterious "penguindrum". The next day, the brothers receive an equally
mysterious package which turns out to contain three bizarre little blue penguins which can evidently only be seen by
them. Obviously,
Penguindrum verges on the surreal once these elements come into play, and while there are
some
very serious issues roaming around in the background of this series, there's also an almost playfully
childlike ambience about it as well, creating a rather peculiar, but very enjoyable, dialectic.
Back on the "serious" side of things, the brothers soon get involved with a girl named Ringo, who is haunted by the
long ago death of
her sister, and whose diary serves as a template of sorts which Ringo at least believes spells
out her future. This is yet another fascinating if somewhat discursive attempt to illuminate various ideas about fate and
destiny, something which
Penguindrum returns to again and again in various guises. Also running parallel to
these ideas is another potent examination of the manner that memory helps to define an individual's state of being,
something that is toyed with when a kind of science fiction element enters the fray and various characters start getting
their memories erased. Through it all, the series manages to avoid being overly portentous if for no other fact than a
gaggle of ridiculous little blue penguins are running around helping get things done.
Penguindrum's creator Kunihiko Ikukara may not exactly be a household name outside of the anime fan
community, but he did participate in one of the most fondly remembered anime that even non-anime fans have at least
heard of,
Sailor Moon. Later he forged his own path with a series that, much like
Penguindrum, is so
unique as to almost defy description, the often brilliant but at times somewhat confusing
Revolutionary Girl
Utena.
Utena at least could be seen within the context of the somewhat standard magical girl trope, but
Penguindrum is another matter entirely. While it continues
Utena's flirtation with the surreal, as well as
mixing together allegory and folklore in a rather heady brew, tonally this series is a far different creature than
Utena and may also be in its own way even more intellectually provocative. Like
Utena, it is a series
which virtually defies easy description, but in my estimation at least, that's a good thing. There are far too many anime
that can be summed up by simply reciting a laundry list of
other anime that share the same characteristics.
You'd be hard pressed to find anything even remotely like
Penguindrum, and that is perhaps its crowning
achievement.
