Let's initiate the Survival Strategy. Mawaru Penguindrum thread!

[Alfred F. Jones]

輪るピングドラム: Mawaru-Penguindrum
artist source

Current status: Episode 23 and isn't it electrifying~?

This is a thread for discussion of the craziest show of the 2011 summer lineup, Mawaru Penguindrum, which airs every Thursday. I foresee that there's quite a bit of room for discussion of this series, given that several people here are watching this, so I feel this merits its own thread. Let's talk about the series and theorize like crazy.

Do note, spoiler warning is in full effect here, in both directions; friends who haven't watched up to the latest episode might encounter unmarked spoilers, even as much as this thread should try to keep everything important in spoiler tags. There is such thing as the "recent posts" function, after all. Theories should also be marked in spoiler tags just in case.

Useful links:
Official website
Penguindrum wiki
Ongoing novel translation project

Right, I think that's it. Let's initiate the survival strategy, folks!

[Aya Squawkermaru]

Episode 11 wasn't nearly as mindscrew as episode 10, thankfully. I don't think my mind could have handled much more of that.

By the way, Kero Tabuki = the greatest moment in anime history.

[MatsuriSakuragi]

I have been in love with this show ever since it started, and it keeps getting more and more crazy as it goes. <3

Sooner or later, I should post the list of recurring themes and theories I've collected so far in here.

[Drake]

WELCOME TO ROCK N ROLL NIGHT
WELCOME TO ROCK N ROLL FIGHT
I'M JUST A ROCK N ROLL MAN
WE'RE JUST A ROCK N ROLL BAND
ORETACHI HA MICHINARI NI
HASHIRITSUZUKETE KITA
HYOUSHIKI DARAKE NO MICHI WO
TOBASHITSUZUKETE YUKU
IKUTSUMO NO MACHI WO NUKE
UTAITSUZUKETE KITA
FUNUKE YAROUTOMO WO AORITSUZUKETE YUKU
NAGAI NAGAI FUYU GA TOKETE MO KAZE GA FUKU
IMA MO IMA MO HAGESHIKU KAZE GA FUKU

[Alfred F. Jones]

By the way, Kero Tabuki = the greatest moment in anime history.

Wait what? Kero Tabuki scared the crap out of me. ;-;

Spoiler:

That nightmarish face he was giving Ringo was terrifying, especially after she decided she didn't want to sleep with him and he still came after her. Brr. :<

Sooner or later, I should post the list of recurring themes and theories I've collected so far in here.

We haven't stayed up talking and theorizing for hours for no reason, dude. Go for it. /o/

[MatsuriSakuragi]

We haven't stayed up talking and theorizing for hours for no reason, dude. Go for it. /o/

Sure, just gotta organize it a bit. I shall edit them in later.

[Aya Squawkermaru]

Wait what? Kero Tabuki scared the crap out of me. ;-;

Spoiler:

That nightmarish face he was giving Ringo was terrifying, especially after she decided she didn't want to sleep with him and he still came after her. Brr. :<

I thought it was hilarious. Then again, this is coming from the same kid who laughed his ass off at all the bugs in the King Kong remake.

Edit: To be more specific, I meant just

Spoiler:

that "kero" sound he made when she turned him down.

[n i c o l e]

Wait what? Kero Tabuki scared the crap out of me. ;-;

Spoiler:

That nightmarish face he was giving Ringo was terrifying, especially after she decided she didn't want to sleep with him and he still came after her. Brr. :<

mte, he was being creepy as hell

I enjoyed the gratuitous violence though.

[MatsuriSakuragi]

Sure, just gotta organize it a bit. I shall edit them in later.

All right, here's what I have written down:

Recurring themes, and potential symbolism, if any so far:

Spoiler:

Stars seem to show up a lot, especially in the earlier episodes.
Fate, of course, is a recurring theme.
Apples - the universe. See episode 1, around 5:32.
Penguins - a link to the subconscious? (see below)
95 - reference to the 1995 sarin gas attack
Subways - reference to the 1995 sarin gas attack
Fairy Tales; Plays - I've been seeing these as symbols of delusion-- Ringo's, especially.
Drowning - Early on, there seemed to be a lot of arrows pointing toward this. Honestly, I included it because of

Spoiler:

the Utena Movie

.
Cockroaches: Corruption beneath the surface of things. Apples also rot from the inside out.
Food; Oral fixations: There is a lot of food in this series, and I don't think one episode goes by where someone isn't eating something.
Animals - penguins aside, there seem to be quite a few animals showing up in this series, especially

Spoiler:

the hunting trophies at Masako's house.

Two of the more solid theories we had while watching:

Spoiler:

Just as Ringo sees herself as the reincarnation of Momoka, Shouma and Kanba are reincarnations of the terrorists who caused the sarin gas attacks. Note how

Spoiler:

Shouma blames himself for Momoka's death, even though he, Kanba, and Ringo herself were born on the same day, the day of the attack.

. Also, note what Shouma's penguin is doing the whole time near the end of episode 11 (this also makes sense with the following theory)...

Aside from episode 1 and when Shouma and Kanba attach cameras to them in episode 2, the Takakuras don't seem to notice their penguins, even though they are ever-present around them-- not only that, but at times, they sort of reflect the personalities of their owners. In this sense, the penguins could sort of symbolize the subconscious minds of their owners. For example. Kanba is shown to be a playboy of sorts, #1 is a pervert. Shouma is certainly superego-oriented, #2 is constantly seen spraying the cockroaches early on. If cockroaches symbolize corruption, it can be sort of seen as Shouma being the one trying to hold everything together. #2 is also the one that is always, always eating something-- could it show a deeper selfish/gluttonous side of Shouma? #3 tends to do Himari things. Esmerelda (Masako's penguin) mimics Masako's not-so-romantic approach to Kanba with #1. In tandem with the previous theory, note what #2 is doing on the subway while Shouma and Ringo are talking. Keeping all of this in mind, I think it's important to keep an eye on the penguins at all times, as they could give cues to what their owners might be thinking, but not actually saying.

Thoughts?

[Aya Squawkermaru]

Spoiler:

Well, I definitely think you're on to something with the penguins thing, and at this point the Sarin Gas Attacks theory is as good as confirmed. I'll be sure to keep a close eye on the penguins in the future episodes.

[Azinth]

I pretty much watched all 11 episodes this past week, and now I'm kinda obsessed with this show.  I can't even remember the last time I've been so excited about an anime. :V

Spoiler:

Just as Ringo sees herself as the reincarnation of Momoka, Shouma and Kanba are reincarnations of the terrorists who caused the sarin gas attacks. Note how

Spoiler:

Shouma blames himself for Momoka's death, even though he, Kanba, and Ringo herself were born on the same day, the day of the attack.

. Also, note what Shouma's penguin is doing the whole time near the end of episode 11 (this also makes sense with the following theory)...

Another theory I heard that actually seems kinda plausible is that

Spoiler:

The siblings' parents were members of Aum Shinrikyo.  Which could also explain their mysterious disappearance.

Aside from the love potion thing (I'm surprised it actually worked), what wierded me out the most in this episode was the whole scene with Yuri.  She definitely knows way more that she is letting on.

[Dead Princess Sakana]

Another theory I heard that actually seems kinda plausible is that

Spoiler:

The siblings' parents were members of Aum Shinrikyo.  Which could also explain their mysterious disappearance.

I'm currently leaning more towards this as well.

Spoiler:

Ringo seeing herself as Momoka's reincarnation works because she was born the day Momoka died, so she could think the soul passed right on to her. With Shouma and Kanba, they were born the day of the attack, but as far as I am aware none of the terrorists died that day, so they wouldn't be able to consider themselves reincarnations.

[Drake]

Aside from the love potion thing (I'm surprised it actually worked), what wierded me out the most in this episode was the whole scene with Yuri.  She definitely knows way more that she is letting on.

or she's just awesome

[Alfred F. Jones]

Another theory I heard that actually seems kinda plausible is that

Spoiler:

The siblings' parents were members of Aum Shinrikyo.  Which could also explain their mysterious disappearance.

Mm, maybe. An alternate version I came up with is that

Spoiler:

It's not Kanba and Shouma, it's their parents. Maybe they weren't terrorists, but perhaps they were... I dunno, rushing into the hospital for Chiemi to give birth and displaced Momoka at the hospital?

Wait. No. Never mind, even better:

Spoiler:

One ambulance, two emergencies, and guess who gets in?

Of course, there's also the million-dollar question: How does Himari fit into all of this? Especially with what we learned in episode 9.

Spoiler:

Sanetoshi, particularly. There's a library out there with all of Himari's thoughts and life experiences? Wut.

In regards to episode 11: I honestly don't see why Yuri's lack of a freaked-out response is so suspicious. People have different reactions to shock, and not expressing any emotion and trying to take things in stride is one of them. Especially since Yuri must have known that something was Definitely Not Right, freaking out might have been counterproductive to discovering what was the matter. Also, she's an actress-- controlling her emotional reactions is part of her skill set.

[nintendonut888]

Mmm, I'm not sure about the theory about

Spoiler:

Kanba and Shouma's parents being one of the terrorists.

On the surface this seems plausible, but when you think about it,

Spoiler:

this would mean they'd be on the run, and not only would that displace Himari (if not outright nix her birth), but everyone was shown to at least for about 10 years live together as a happy family.

As for me, I'm not one who likes to overthink shows like this in the middle. I find it more fun to be taken along for the ride, so I shall loyally wait for the next episode. :3

[Dead Princess Sakana]

Oh yeah, I forgot that Himari is the youngest of the three. That makes this theory implausible then, yeah.

Spoiler:

In that case it's really most likely that Momoka died due to some event that made it in turn possible for Kanba and Shouma to be born without problems.

As for Yuri, she's an actress. I'd imagine she's capable of controlling her emotions very well, so the way she reacted is quite possible for her.

[n i c o l e]

Spoiler:

95 - reference to the 1995 sarin gas attack
Subways - reference to the 1995 sarin gas attack

I thought of this while I was watching it. even if so far nobody has been able to quite work out the details or how it fits into the story, I think the theory is worth holding onto, at least until next week where we'll hopefully learn more. besides, nobody has come up with any other explanation for the numbers and location afaik.

[Azinth]

Mmm, I'm not sure about the theory about

Spoiler:

Kanba and Shouma's parents being one of the terrorists.

On the surface this seems plausible, but when you think about it,

Spoiler:

this would mean they'd be on the run, and not only would that displace Himari (if not outright nix her birth), but everyone was shown to at least for about 10 years live together as a happy family.

True, though it's possible that

Spoiler:

they managed to keep their involvement a secret for a while and someone found out.

Regarding Yuri: 

Her lack of showing surprise was interesting, and could have several explanations, but I was also referring to the fact that

Spoiler:

she somehow knew that Ringo was in love with Shouma.  That seemed out of the blue, since iirc the only time she saw the two of them together was on that bird-watching trip when they were both at each other's throats.  It made me wonder if she might have been stalking the two of them this whole time.

I was also thinking of the possibility that

Spoiler:

Yuri is the motorcyclist who stole the other half of the diary in ep. 8, but I remembered that we saw her in the apartment right before that happened

I'm having trouble judging what deserves a spoiler tag and what doesn't. :ohdear:

[Alfred F. Jones]

True, though it's possible that

Spoiler:

they managed to keep their involvement a secret for a while and someone found out.

Did we ever get a reason for why

Spoiler:

little!Himari had to leave school in episode 9? I don't think we did. I am wondering now if they weren't two perfectly normal Aum Shinrikyo members who were caught up in the anti-Aum Shinrikyo feeling after trying to hide their membership for the longest time. Think socialists in the United States and the Red Scare.

Her lack of showing surprise was interesting, and could have several explanations, but I was also referring to the fact that

Spoiler:

she somehow knew that Ringo was in love with Shouma.  That seemed out of the blue, since iirc the only time she saw the two of them together was on that bird-watching trip when they were both at each other's throats.  It made me wonder if she might have been stalking the two of them this whole time.

Some people are just really perceptive and good at picking up on things that the observed themselves don't realize, I suppose. Additionally, episode 4 proved that she's relatively possessive of Tabuki (not to the level of Bitch in Sheep's Clothing that those morons at TVTropes think, though-- being a little possessive isn't particularly remarkable for someone in a relationship), and Ringo's constant hanging around him (remember the curry bit in episode 3?) might have made her think a little bit deeper about it. 'sides, what harm could come in guessing? The worst that could happen is Ringo denies

Spoiler:

her burgeoning crush on Shouma

adamantly. I may not think Yuri is remotely evil, but that's not mutually exclusive to thinking that she is very calculating.

I'm having trouble judging what deserves a spoiler tag and what doesn't. :ohdear:

I like to err on the side of caution, myself, but it's up to you.

[Dead Princess Sakana]

Did we ever get a reason for why

Spoiler:

little!Himari had to leave school in episode 9? I don't think we did. I am wondering now if they weren't two perfectly normal Aum Shinrikyo members who were caught up in the anti-Aum Shinrikyo feeling after trying to hide their membership for the longest time. Think socialists in the United States and the Red Scare.

Interesting idea.

Spoiler:

Considering how, at least to me, it looked like her two friends were having quite the condescending looks on their faces when she left, that might be an explanation. They didn't seem sad or anything as would be expected if Himari had left due to sickness.
Also of note is that scene we saw in Sanetoshi's books with Himari and some boy sharing an apple. I'm still wondering about the situation there, since it looked like either a shelter, with all the people sitting around, or, in light of Ruro's theory, a detention centre maybe?

[Alfred F. Jones]

Oh, and also one other thing, because I forgot to address it earlier.

I was also thinking of the possibility that

Spoiler:

Yuri is the motorcyclist who stole the other half of the diary in ep. 8, but I remembered that we saw her in the apartment right before that happened

There's more than one

Spoiler:

Penguin faction

, remember?* Warning, the third is a potential spoiler. Anyone notice how Kiga looks so similar to the Pingroup label, just with half its face shaded? (This part isn't a spoiler, it's in the OP.)

*And more than one

Spoiler:

Project M.

[Azinth]

There's more than one

Spoiler:

Penguin faction

, remember?* Warning, the third is a potential spoiler. Anyone notice how Kiga looks so similar to the Pingroup label, just with half its face shaded? (This part isn't a spoiler, it's in the OP.)

Wow.  I cannot believe I had overlooked that detail until you pointed it out. :V  Which explains something else I was wondering about:  why

Spoiler:

Masako's penguin

looks different from the others.

Edit:

Spoiler:

Also of note is that scene we saw in Sanetoshi's books with Himari and some boy sharing an apple. I'm still wondering about the situation there, since it looked like either a shelter, with all the people sitting around, or, in light of Ruro's theory, a detention centre maybe?

Spoiler:

I don't quite remember, but was that the same room with the big 'Child Broiler' sign in it?  The sign made me think it was an incinerator or something similar.  Himari was technically dead during that scene, so maybe it's some kind of portal to the afterlife?

  I should probably watch that episode again sometime.  It had a lot goin on.

[Dead Princess Sakana]

Edit:

Spoiler:

I don't quite remember, but was that the same room with the big 'Child Broiler' sign in it?  The sign made me think it was an incinerator or something similar.  Himari was technically dead during that scene, so maybe it's some kind of portal to the afterlife?

Spoiler:

It was a scene with child-Himari, iirc, so it should be one of the real past events that Sanetoshi read about in the books. I don't remember that sign though, might have totally overlooked it wherever it came up :O

[Alfred F. Jones]

Edit:

Spoiler:

I don't quite remember, but was that the same room with the big 'Child Broiler' sign in it? 

Wait, WHAT? Okay, I definitely need to re-watch that episode, I remember the scene you're talking about but I do NOT recall seeing that sign. Wow.

[MatsuriSakuragi]

I... do not recall this either. What the hell? D:

[Azinth]

Here's the shot I was referring to, for anyone who doesn't want to skim through the episode again.

[Dead Princess Sakana]

Just rechecked within the episode before I saw this post. Goddamnit O__O
That's... I don't know what to make of it O__O

[MatsuriSakuragi]

......what.

Damn it, Ikuhara. D:

[Dead Princess Sakana]

Random idea time:

Spoiler:

I wonder if Himari's soul mate from that Child Broiler sequence might be Mario. They are both kids that share the same fate of being possessed by the penguinhat after all, which also means they both died, which would work with the idea that was mentioned earlier in the thread that the Broiler room represents some kind of hell or purgatory.

[Alfred F. Jones]

Here's the shot I was referring to, for anyone who doesn't want to skim through the episode again.

Oh wow.

You know, I can't help but think that in many ways, this will be like Utena, in that we'll never get a straight answer on a lot of these questions. Most other stories give in and spill the beans in a revealing episode near the end, but I am not entirely sure we'll get that from Ikuhara. ^^' He's perfectly comfortable leaving us uncomfortable in ambiguity, so...

Still, I get the feeling that going back and rewatching every episode is going to gain so many new dimensions of symbolism before we reach the bottom of this particular rabbit hole.