Penguin Drum - General Discussion

[tsunade666]

fantastic and crazy episode as always. I'm also happy that it's a 24 episode series though I find it hard to believe because the story for each episode gives it all without nothing to desire for. I just felt isn't that a bit too long? or the current story isn't still the main story because it still focus on Ringo and the enemy is just starting to show up.

Well my mind was blank thanks to the post I just read or view I hope this one get's it's own sub forum. It deserves more audience and more attention.

[gumi]

I have a feeling that Natsume might be Ringo's supposedly dead sister

[Soconfused]

Wow, this bitch is crazy.....crazier than I could of possibly imagined. I sort of feel sorry for Ringo though, she's clearly a very confused child, with some serious family issues.

This show is turning out so much weirder than I thought it would be. I'm enjoying it.

[ars89]

Dislike Ringo a little less after seeing her story, just feel sad for her. So she's just reliving her sister's encounters with Tabuki? So finally the 4th penguin shows up. I wonder why project M cam up again. Lol RIngo's mom walking in on her and Shouma. Wouldn't Tabuki be concerned about the massive amount of junk in his backyard?

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Sides

Didn't noticed that Horie Yui is voicing Natsume.

I'm shocked . Personally i've always thought that Horie had that voice that could easily be spotted. Guess it has been a while since she's voiced such a dark character.

[cry]

Poor Ringo... she's damn annoying but i felt sorry for her, i don't know if she will get rid of her obsession or consumed by it...

this show needs a subthread.

[Hooves]

^ Possible since it has a decent amount of posts for a show that started in Summer.

[ookamigirl]

They sure ride on the subway a lot.
Ringo sure is special in her own weird way.. no wonder after the childhood trauma.
Finally things make sense about Ringo & the guy she's stalking (Tabuki) & the diary itself.

[4Tran]

The best show airing gets another great episode, ho hum ho hum.

Neat tidbits:

Ringo's water motif = death. In this case, it's the death of her sister and how it dominates her every action.

Masako's laser sight shows how it's useful! On a different note, she purposefully set it up so that Kanba would have a clue about what's going on. Also, Ringo's Project M = Momoka, and Masako's Project M = Masako?

There's definitely something sinister going on with Tabuki. No normal person would go on about Schrodinger's Cat like that.

Originally Posted by Malkuth

Not really I think you're over-thinking coincidences regarding a crappy, yet POPular band that should have been forgotten a long time ago

I don't know about that. Ikuhara likes old acts from the '60s and '70s, and he likes putting them in his shows. Like any other theory, this one is just as likely to crash and burn.

However, I'd say that Ikuhara does not need any outside sources (and likely no foreign substances) to be psychedelic. Penguindrum is still laid back compared to the Utena movie.

Originally Posted by Tokkan

Hmmm, yeah. I don't know how I should feel about Ringo now. On one hand she's totally crazy, on the other hand I kinda feel sorry for her.

That's classic Ikuhara misdirection: first show off a character's bad traits to create a negative impression, and then make the character appealing over time by showing more character traits. I believe this holds true for just about half of Utena's cast.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by 4Tran

I believe this holds true for just about half of Utena's cast.

Heh, well over half.

[sapphire-pyro]

There was an episode this week, yay! And I'm starting to appreciate Ringo more~

Spoiler for episode 6:

The fan theory of Ringo having an older sister turned out to be official. That was awesome!!!

[Malkuth]

I'll cut back on speculation regarding the sis-con's 4th stalker that took out all three alliance member, as well as on comments about psycho penguins, ED's female objectification, general symbolism, etc. for later in the show... now on Ringo, that's one totally messed up girl... if I understood correctly she is trying to become her sister in order to make her mother happy by re-enacting alone events she interprets (probably wrong) from her long dead siter's diary, while misinterpreting them as fated, under the delusion/misinterpretation of her parents' break up dialogue about accepting fate WTF, that's one of the most convoluted, yet understable, still unsympathetic delusional characters out in there

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Malkuth

still unsympathetic delusional characters out in there

How is she not sympathetic? I mean, the girl has issues, yes, but her parents are the ones to blame for this. What with her mother pretty much saying her (dead) older daughter is more important than her younger one (who is still alive!!)? If anything, the one who is unsympathetic is her, who refused to face reality and ultimately caused her younger child to develop psychological issues.

I don't support Ringo's delusions (of course), in the same way I don't support the Takakura bothers' attempt to keep their sister "alive". They too are refusing to face reality (much like Ringo's mother) and they too will end up causing pain for others (you can bet on that). But this shows Ringo is ultimately a victim in all this.

[Haak]

I still like Ringo, despite this obvious step back for her. I think it's clear she'll eventually get over all of this and start living a more normal life.

Anyway, this episode was one massive trip to bizaaro world. (I mean more bizaare than it usually is). Really looled at the Death Note reference thrown in there. At first I thought that was just typical faggotry but other subs had it aswell.

[Malkuth]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

How is she not sympathetic? I mean, the girl has issues, yes, but her parents are the ones to blame for this. What with her mother pretty much saying her (dead) older daughter is more important than her younger one (who is still alive!!)? If anything, the one who is unsympathetic is her, who refused to face reality and ultimately caused her younger child to develop psychological issues.

I don't support Ringo's delusions (of course), in the same way I don't support the Takakura bothers' attempt to keep their sister "alive". They too are refusing to face reality (much like Ringo's mother) and they too will end up causing pain for others (you can bet on that). But this shows Ringo is ultimately a victim in all this.

Hey, wait... her mother said some pretty heavy stuff for a child to listen, but that was years ago and presented from Ringo's memories (i.e. not necessarily as it actually happened). Plus her mother even in the dinner flashback behaves normally, and appears to have gotten over her elder daughter's death.

Originally Posted by Haak

I still like Ringo, despite this obvious step back for her. I think it's clear she'll eventually get over all of this and start living a more normal life.

Are you sure? These situations usually don't have a happy ending

And to clarify liking or not Ringo has nothing to do with wether I sympathize with her. She is an extremely interesting, yet weak and troubled character, that generates protective feelings.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Haak

I think it's clear she'll eventually get over all of this and start living a more normal life.

We're talking Ikuhara here so I wouldn't bet on that myself.

Anyway, I got the feeling we'll see more of Himari next episode. Looking forwards to it.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Malkuth

Hey, wait... her mother said some pretty heavy stuff for a child to listen, but that was years ago

It's exactly because she was a child at the time that it had more severe consequences than if she was older. Children develop issues pretty easily.

Originally Posted by Malkuth

Plus her mother even in the dinner flashback behaves normally, and appears to have gotten over her elder daughter's death.

It's a facade IMO. Remember Curry Day episode?? That day was also Ringo's birthday, yet her mother didn't even remember that. She remembered it was Curry Day though, because Curry Day is Momoka's Day. This shows that even at an unconscious level Momoka is still more important to her than Ringo, and Ringo knows it!

[ThereminVox]

A boatload of reveals this episode. Some explicit, some by implication.

It seems Project M stands for "Momoka", though Shoma can be forgiven for assuming it means "marriage". Apparently, the new penguin-master has a Project M of her own. Now that we know she has her own penguin, it likely has to do with the penguin drum, and by extension, Ringo.

Poor Ringo is batshit insane, not that this should surprise anyone by now. She's also a massive woobie. Her antics ought to be disgusting, or frightening, but instead it's just heartbreaking to see how barking mad she's gone. I wonder how much of her true self is even still in there? It looks like she's "been" Momoka for some time now. It's also odd that water is such a recurring theme with her character, especially in this episode, and in her near-drowning. It's portrayed as a destructive force. It certainly makes the decision to have her become a ball of flame in the OP an interesting one.

Speaking of the OP, I'm going to break out in hives or something if the full track doesn't come out soon. Love it so much.

The penguins slide gracefully into the background for most of the episode in order to keep things moving. I kind of miss them, honestly. #2 sucking down a jug of mayo barely even registers on the scenery-chewing scale at this stage.

So "M is between U and I", huh?

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

It's a facade IMO. Remember Curry Day episode?? That day was also Ringo's birthday, yet her mother didn't even remember that. She remembered it was Curry Day though, because Curry Day is Momoka's Day. This shows that even at an unconscious level Momoka is still more important to her than Ringo, and Ringo knows it!

Thanks Kazu, I wasn't sure what the implication of "curry day" was in that flashback. Makes more sense now.

EDIT: I just noticed the teachers pajamas. First Schrodinger's cat, and now a "chicken-and-egg" reference?

[Master_Yoma]

Seeing Ringo story now wonder she getting crazier

[Chaos2Frozen]

You know, I was fully expecting Ringo's [First Night] to be completely screwed over by Yuri having a REAL first night with Tabuki