Forum - View topicANNCast - Mawaru Podcastdrum
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roseversailles
 Posts: 236 Location: Washington, U.S. |
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I agree with your statement about the penguindrum and what it represents, especially in context of the themes of the show. I'm also an old softie (when I'm not being cynical)  so the ties of love and sacrifice and just plain old connections between the characters really tugged at my heartstrings~
The more I think about this show and the more time passes and I reflect, I realize just how much I enjoyed it and how clever it all was. It's slowly edging its way up to my top two anime. It's a slow burn, for sure. I really can't wait to see what my third go-through reveals~ |
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yamata no orochi
Posts: 137 |
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Hmm...I'd actually be careful about that? Utena and Penguindrum are unrelated, but Penguindrum references Utena enough times that I'd recommend watching Utena first. Stuff like spoiler[the constant cow references, the reference to "breaking the world's shell" in the last episode w/ Shouma's penguin and the egg, and curtains forming a giant rose behind Kanba] were elements that I'm pretty sure anyone who hadn't seen Utena would miss. That said, both stories stand on their own, so people more interested in Penguindrum should watch that first! It's also shorter than Utena (even though I'd argue it's messier and more self-consciously alienating) so that might make it a better candidate for My First Ikuhara as well. |
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stevek504
 Posts: 216 |
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Show 150! Thanks for this in-depth discussion. If you could find a few more anime to do this for – that would be fine.
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Arkthelad
Posts: 108 |
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I watched all of Penguin Drum a couple of months ago. I found it interesting initially but it ended up becoming too cluttered and surreal for me. I agree with Zac and Bamboo that Natsumi and Yuri were character filler. To be honest I think the point at which I disengaged emotionally from the show was midway through when Yuri spoiler[drugged Ringo and tried to molest her]. What the hell did that have to do with anything? If a series is written well you shouldn't have unnecessary characters doing irrelevant things for entire episodes.
Anyway, I wanted to address the themes of the series as they've been discussed a lot on this thread and in the podcast. Most people are pointing to free will vs fate as being the central thematic conflict of the show. Here's my problem. Aren't all thematic conflicts somehow an expression of free will vs fate? The protagonist in all stories is either going to take action in the face of their circumstances or surrender to them. Infact I'd say that "conflict" is really just another word for "free will vs fate" if we're talking about fiction. From that angle I'd say that describing the series as being primarily about that theme is problematic. It needs to be focused on something more concrete. Another problem I had with the series is I think its use of allegorical imagery was excessive. If the Child Broiler was meant to represent welfare dependence which I think Zac or Bamboo suggested, then why not just address it directly. What purpose does using a visual allegory actually have? To me it actually lessens the serious nature of the situation by detaching it from reality. It feels like a gimmick. Don't get me wrong, there are stories where use of allegorical imagery is appropriate but this didn't feel like one. Personally, when I see excessive (which obvously is a subjective judgement) use of allegorical imagery it makes me feel that the writer doesn't actually believe that their story is very interesting on its own terms. What am I missing here? |
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Gewürtztraminer
 Posts: 1028 Location: Texas - Its like whole other country. |
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Finished it all today, still processing. Liked it a lot on first view, its going to take several move watches to get it down.
A lot there to take care of, not the least a seemingly ok pass on terrorism? It did not seem to be slapped down hard enough in my view. |
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bluethegreat1
 Posts: 3 |
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so i came on here to try to find out what's up with mario. he was the only thing that i didn't have at least a tenuous grip on the meaning of. apparently he has no purpose, at least not any major contribution to the story as commented so far. if anyone can give me more in depth on him please, let me know.
i really loved the use of the penguins as a kind of greek chorus to the whole thing. loved watching them act out, in abject silliness a lot of the time, the inner workings of the characters and their relationships. along with the subway signs, i used them as kind of a guide rail to judge whether i was thinking along the right lines for some of the themes. i've seen on other forums where a posters first sentence is something along "what kind of drugs..." which seems like intellectually laziness to me. "it's weird looking and i can't understand it. it's not a problem with me it's a problem with those who made it". pfft i say, thank goodness there's something out there that doesn't sell its audience short. gives us a modicum of respect and assumes that we can follow along when things are not spelled directly out. i 2nd, 3rd, 4th (whatever it's up to now) for more in depth looks at the shows that deserve it, which is what, 1 a year, maybe every other year. a podcast where it is assumed that anyone listening to it has seen the show and wants to get to the nitty-gritty without having to say "i don't want to spoil anything..." something akin to geeknights final thoughts episodes. spoil away my good sirs. |
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