2011-09-15, 22:13 | Link #1 | ||||
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Penguin Drum - Character Discussion - Takakura Kanba
The purpose of this thread is to provide a place to discuss all things Takakura Kanba related.
To keep the discussion enjoyable for all Mawaru Penguin Drum fans, please follow the guidelines below and stay on-topic! Note: Please don't use this for the specifics (i.e. episode, chapter, game, etc. discussion) there are other threads for that stuff.Thread Guidelines
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2011-09-17, 09:19 | Link #2 |
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I like Kanba a lot, although I didn't until episode 5. I think episode 5 gave Kanba the human aspect I needed to feel for his character.
Kanba is arrogant, a play boy, and has probably hurt many girls but I think he DOES care about protecting his family (not just Himari). As for the whole incest angle well obviously I feel it is wrong to list after your sister but I think it's more of an innocent infatuation and maybe Kanba letting go of Himari is something he will need to do to develop, but who knows. I do think part of the reason he hurts those girls is because they don't live up to his sister. However going back to protecting his family: There is the obvious going after the hat scene but then there is also that shady business he is involved in to let them keep their house. Why I say he cares about Shouma too is he doesn't let Shouma know about what he is involved in. There is also one line in episode 2 or 3 where he tells Shouma to keep his innocence (or something to that effect). And in episode 10 Spoiler for just in case:
So yeah Kanba is certainly flawed but human all the same. It's actually the same reason I like Ringo.
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2011-09-17, 09:26 | Link #3 |
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Here's an analogy for Kanba's character that might raise some eyebrows.
Kanba is a slightly darker Bruce Wayne. He's a man totally dedicated to his family, and who engages in the playboy role, even though he takes little satisfaction from it. He knows how to charm the ladies, and while there may be some moral lines he won't cross, he's not above invading somebody's privacy to get the job done. He's willing to talk harshly to even his closest friends and allies in order to save the people who matter the most to him, and fight his enemies. He's frequently surrounded by mentally disturbed psychopaths... Spoiler for Psychopaths 1:
Spoiler for Psychopaths 2:
Finally, Kanba deals a lot with penguins... Spoiler for Penguins:
So, while Kanba has his downsides, I have to admire a man that's this much like Bruce Wayne. Yes, most of this is tongue-in-cheek, but I'd like to know what my fellow MPD fans think of my analogy here, lol.
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2011-09-17, 09:31 | Link #4 |
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The difference is that Ringo's flaws are questioned/challenged by the narrative (specially when Shouma confronts her, but also through the use of symbolism). Kanba's flaws, specially his lack of morals and his inability to care for anyone besides his family, are not. He's mostly depicted in heroic fashion when he's doing things for his family and his flaws are never put on the forefront. In fact, the narrative seems to make an effort to make him appear as a better persona then he really is, which in turn makes me like him less.
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2011-09-17, 09:35 | Link #5 | |
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And I also expect that Kanba's feelings for his sister will not be rewarded in the end. I mean this whole thing with Natsume is probably something Kanba put on himself. As for the shady stuff Kanba is involved with I am also sure that will come back to bite him too. I think the next few episode will be Kanba's arc and I believe his careless actions will come back to hurt him. And yes it will be his fault. But deep down I DO think Kanba is a good guy just like I think Ringo is not a bad person. A character being flawed and being bad are two different things.
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2011-09-17, 09:44 | Link #6 | ||||
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I never said he was "bad". I just said the story doesn't challenge his flaws and values the way it does other characters, which is true.
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2011-09-17, 09:59 | Link #7 | ||
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He is being taunted by Natsume who is using his past negative relationships with girls. So it doesn't seem brushed off to me at all. Quote:
But it is already starting..just in this last episode when Kanba makes fun of all the gifts he was given by girls he is confronted by these gifts. We still don't know what Natsume's relationship to Kanba is. Was she a scorned suitor or something else? Were those her gifts or the gifts of other girls Kanba has scorned and she stole their memories? Either way I think the story has shown that Kanba will have problems ahead and this is just the start.
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2011-09-17, 10:01 | Link #8 | |
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Having a bunch of people pissed off with you like that isn't the end of the world, but it's certainly not ideal either. I don't think the anime presents his playboy quality in a particularly positive or a negative light. It just is. In fact, having watched a lot of modern anime, my suspicion is that MPD will argue the following about Kana... Spoiler for Kana romance speculations:
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2011-09-17, 10:03 | Link #9 | |
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EDIT But that's the problem. For example, even Shouma's morals are challenged: Kanba accused him of not caring enough about Himari, more than once; Ringo accused him of using his morals as a front to avoid facing Himari, etc. Nobody has called Kanba on his sh*t like that. Things may change in future episodes but that's how they are right now.
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Last edited by Kazu-kun; 2011-09-17 at 10:17. |
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2011-09-17, 10:17 | Link #10 | |
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As Natsume taunted him through the entire episode: Do You Remember
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2011-09-17, 10:26 | Link #12 | |
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So that leaves Himari. My sense is that if Himari challenges Kanba on his playboy activities, it will be a watershed moment... and, yes, a watershed moment that will likely lead into Kanba/Himari. So I think the anime is saving this for later, since it'll be a big, and possibly climatic moment. I don't think Kanba's playboy lifestyle will be "just there" forever. I think it will play into wherever the anime decides to go when it comes to Kanba and Himari.
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2011-09-17, 10:30 | Link #13 | |
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But I will add one more thing: Natsume makes reference to the story of Theseus "The Treacherous hero who followed Ariadne's red thread" In the myth Ariadne who loves Theseus helps him escape through the Labyrinth. But after he escapes he deserts her.
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2011-09-17, 10:44 | Link #14 | ||
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Did he cheat on them? Did he just go from girl to girl with no pause or attraction? Was he the one who approached them or did they approach him? How many of them has he actually dated? Why did he date them? How long did he date them? Did he enjoy going out with them? Was the romance entirely one sided? How long between girls? For all we know he could just always be pursued by girls and has decided to indulge in a few becasue he honestly felt something for them, only to end up disappointed and dumped them. Having dated many girls does not in itself = bad. Its how he treated those girls while he went out with them that matters. And as for breaking up with them? People get hurt in relationships. Its normal and can't really be helped. Better to break it off before things get too serious and someone gets seriously hurt. The way he talked about those girls' gifts comes off to me more like they were trying to seduce him/ early days of the relationship and he found it creepy and too much too soon. I mean wedding cake? Urgh, wrongsick. Basically he spoke like they were unwanted advances. So far, the only girls I remember him interacting with are the girl on the train he flirted with to get his bro out of trouble, Ringo who he disliked cause she is a crazy stalker, Himari who he loves, and the brief interaction he had with the girls whose memories were erased, which was more him going WTF than anything else. Quote:
So far, the series has foced on Shoma and Ringo, so of course their flaults have been explored and called out on. Now that the focus has shifted to Kamba, his faults have a chance of being explored.
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2011-09-17, 10:44 | Link #15 | |
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But it's not only the playboy thing. What about the fact he doesn't care about anyone besides his family? For example, when he went to see Kuho at the hospital it was pretty obvious he didn't care about her state, and was there only because he thought her accident was related to the penguindrum somehow. That, for me, is even worst than being a playboy, and I really want the story to call him on that shit in some way. But as things stand now I know I shouldn't expect that because I can tell Ikuhara has a freaking fetish with Kanba. I still hope so, though.
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2011-09-17, 11:12 | Link #16 | |
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Maybe Ikuhara is sincerely arguing through the MPD narrative that family should come first, and that it's right for people to deeply care about their parents and siblings, and to go to somewhat extreme lengths for them. Kanba and Ringo are the proactive protagonists of this anime so far, and each has had many scenes where s/he's made to look 'cool'. Both have also gone to extreme lengths for the sake of family. Shouma is the all-around nice guy who hesitates to take extreme measures to help his sister, and he's been victimized by the plot more than anybody else. If this anime has a "buttmonkey", it's Shouma. At this juncture, maybe we should seriously consider that this does in fact reflect Ikuhara's personal worldview. We don't need to agree with Ikuhara's worldview, of course, but maybe this is what he's saying.
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2011-09-17, 11:24 | Link #17 | |
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I expect him to take some middle ground on both guys are extremes are called extreme for a reason. You can almost always accomplish something without going to them.
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2011-09-17, 11:24 | Link #18 | ||
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I do think you're onto something here, and yeah, if what I've seen so far truly reflects Ikuhara's overall message then I definitely don't agree with it.
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Last edited by Kazu-kun; 2011-09-17 at 15:53. |
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2011-09-17, 11:33 | Link #19 |
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The problem is it is hard to judge characters at this point of the series when we have lack of information especially since this series is meant to be mysterious. I suppose everyone approaches that differently.
Like I said I didn't like Kanba until episode 5 until I saw some positive traits mixed in with the bad. Caring about your family is admirable, but yes Kanba has to learn family isn't the only thing that is important. I expect Kanba will learn from his mistakes before the end. Maybe I am acting on faith and not everyone can do that. Edit: Nanami was also my favorite Utena character and I see similarities with her and Kanba. Not that I am saying Kanba is my favorite from this series. It's way too early for me to say that.
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2011-09-17, 19:00 | Link #20 |
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i also like kanba, though not as much as shoma at this point. i do think that his playboy thing is a tad exaggerated. we basically got that assessment from shoma
and yeah while kanba does seem to have a lot of ex girlfriends (especially after the gift spiel), i can't help but be reminded by how kanba's been pretty shady so far, acquiring money from the kiga (or half-shaded) penguin group. which is curiously the same logo their dad had on his shirt. idk, maybe kanba is using the playboy thing as a convenient cover-up to his actual activities? not to mention, he's a total siscon and fighting hard for his family in general.
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