Penguin Drum - Spoilers & Speculation - Anime Penguins

[Zaresh]

We were discussing this anime in another forum and an user made me think if this Penguin Drum thing is an analogy of the blue bird of happiness. If it is, I foretell a bittersweet ending.

[Triple_R]

I'm going to make a bit of an "out there" prediction pertaining to the final episode of Penguin Drum. I think that a major scene in it, that will play a big role in resolving all the conflicts of MPD, will play out more or less like this:

Spoiler for Wild Speculations:

Ringo will be standing over Shouma while he's breathing heavily and seemingly at his wits end. Ringo's hair will now be pink, she'll be wearing a Penguin Hat, and she'll be holding both halves of the diary in one hand.

She leans over and gathers Shouma up into her hands/arms.

"I love you, Shouma" she says to him.

She then passionately kisses him goodbye.

She lifts the diary straight up with one arm, and starts to become engulfed in flames.

"Noooooo!!!" Shouma will cry out, as we likely see the last of Ringo.

I really have a strong hunch that this scene, or something very similar to it, is going to happen. And when/if it does, it will be the final exclamation mark on MPD.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

I really have a strong hunch that this scene, or something very similar to it, is going to happen. And when/if it does, it will be the final exclamation mark on MPD.

With Ikuhara as he is now (troller than ever) anything is possible. Regardless, I'm not sure he would give these characters the luxury of a magical solution to their problems.

I'm probably wrong but I think the diary won't be used after all.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

With Ikuhara is he is now (troller than ever) anything is possible. Regardless, I'm not sure he would give these characters the luxury of a magical solution to their problems.

I'm probably wrong but I think the diary won't be used after all.

The reason why I'm inclined to disagree with you here is that I think that Momoka's diary has simply been given too much focus, and had too much importance attributed to it (Sanetoshi wanting it out of the picture is key here, I think), and shown too much being used in flashbacks, for it to be a complete red herring or an ultimately inconsequential MacGuffin.

When you consider how Ringo is shown burning up in both OPs, while holding Momoka's diary in each case, it's awfully suggestive to me about what role that diary is likely to play later on (and what role Ringo is likely to play later on).

If it's not used at all, that will be quite a red herring/plot twist, although I have to wonder if it'll make a lot of the OP symbolism surrounding Ringo seem kind of cheap and nonsensical.


A few other thoughts informing my prediction here:

1. A totally happy ending would seem really out of place to me now. Yet, the more I think about it, the more I think Himari dying would force the ending to be an almost entirely sad one (for one thing, it's hard to see Kanba and Shouma truly making up after that, given where they are now). So this raises in my mind the idea of somebody paying a great price to save the Takakura family.

2. You remember that story about the three sheep (meant to symbolize the Takakura siblings), and how the innocent Himari one had to be chosen for punishment/sacrifice precisely because it was "unfair" or "unjust"? The anime has also strongly suggested that this is why Kanba can't win back Himari's life by sacrificing his own, and now we're given added reason why: Given the blood on Kanba's hands, it wouldn't be equally "unfair" or "unjust" for him to be the one to endure the punishment. So, my thinking is that for Himari to be saved, somebody equally innocent has to take her place. Well, the Ringo of the last 8 episodes or so has been rather "innocent" and sweet and caring. It would also, in a sense, be "unfair" and "unjust" for her to have to sacrifice herself for the sake of the Takakura family. Yet...

3. Ringo couldn't restore her own family of birth, but with a sacrificial act, she saves and restores her new "family", following in the footsteps of her beloved sister. I'd find this pretty poignant, and a nice (albeit bittersweet) way to tie everything together. At this juncture, Ringo really does treat the Takakuras as though they're her family (interesting that it's been ages since we saw Ringo's mom or dad). I don't necessarily think they see her that way, but rather that she does seem to see them as her new family. And in fairness to Ringo, none of the three Takakuras are blood related. With that being a non-factor, there's really no significance to Ringo being an Oginome by birth insofar as she wants to become, in a sense, the 4th member of the Takakura family.

4. Ringo is the biggest pro-Takakura X Factor remaining in the anime. Tabuki/Yuri are a pair again, they have their own agendas, and they're certainly not fond of the Takakuras. Natsume also has her own agenda, which certainly doesn't involve keeping Himari alive. Ringo is the one "free agent" left that, I think, would really like to see Himari live on and also save the Takakuras. Basically, I don't see anybody else who could conceivably be willing to take a fall to save Himari, Kanba, and Sho. Well, except a reborn Momoka perhaps... and if Momoka is reborn, I have this hunch it will be through Ringo in one way or another (that much is almost pure speculation, I'll admit).

5. I may well be being too hopeful here, but if Ikuhara has Ringo sacrifice herself, I hope he'll at least throw Ringo/Shouma shippers a bone by having a touching romantic scene between the two before we see the last of Ringo.


Anyway, sorry for really going at length there, but I wanted to thoroughly explain the reasoning behind my prediction, lol.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Anyway, sorry for really going at length there, but I wanted to thoroughly explain the reasoning behind my prediction, lol.

You really did write a lot, geez.

Anyway, some of the things you pointed out make sense, others not so much. All in all though, it's not like your theory is baseless.

Still, I don't think it's going to happen. IMO there's more to "learn" by having the siblings save each other and pay the price for it on their own than having someone else bail them out. If they want to stick together, they gotta fight for it.

On a more practical level, if Momoka using all her life as payment couldn't completely stop Sanetoshi and KIGA the first time, then even if Ringo does the same thing this time around, she won't be able to set everything right either.

IMO, the key here is the penguindrum, which the PotC hinted it has something to do with Kanba. The PotC also said the Kanba CAN save Himari so there's still that angle. Ikuhara also said in the BD interview that the penguindrum is not just a concept but does exist in the story, so....

[YayPepsi]

Could the penguindrum be Mario? Just throwing that out there. "The penguindrum is your..." brother. So far, Mario hasn't played any role at all in the story except as a motive for Masako to have to diary. It would make sense if Ikuhara was saving him as something important for the very end. There must be a reason he has a hat of his own. Not sure how Mario being the Penguindrum would help Kanba save Himari though, that's a problem with the theory.