on ep 5 of mawaru penguindrum (dreadful idea to watch while ive got approaching exams but im only watching like 2-3 eps every few days) and some thoughts so far:
im kinda fascinated to find out more of ikuhara's indiosyncracies and signature quirks: the presence of a "greek choir" (shadow play girls in rgu and metro announcement girls here), bypassing budget issues by either repeating certain animations or foregoing non-main characters in the background except as shadows or in this case signage people—which tightens the focus on the main cast, quirky transitions into different scenes/places (in rgu through elevators and in penguindrum via the metro), episode recurring musical/transformation sequence. they're deeply charming to me
the penguin little guys as mascots work so much better than chuchu to me. they feel far more integrated into the feeling/tone of a scene and their background actions absolutely elevate/complement the point of the main dialogue or actions
the incestuous tones here arent even undertones they're text. and they're kinda fascinating in their own right—most fascinating to me is how ringo becomes part of the "family" after sho kisses her WHICH COULD MEAN NOTHING.
there's something here about "fate"/"destiny"/"god" that all cling to or think about, but in many ways himari not dying is a defiance of this and i cant help but feel like this is going to ultimately end with her and her loved ones eventually needing to accept that she has to go, and that it's going to be utterly devastating when she does
ringo is one of the greatest characters ever made and she has done nothing wrong ever. wakaba if she tried to be nanami. her ocean motifs are also intriguing to me ngl. when she refused the IMAGINE sequence and climbed back up to punch the hat i lost my entire mind
there's a lot in here that's fascinating about Gender TM from ringo trying to ape traditional feminity and chase after a heterosexual romance and failing miserably, to shoma being constantly feminized and referred to as a housewife and feminine terms and doing much of the feminine labour with his sister, as well as like. his lack of interest in women who arent his sister, frankly (and now a bit ringo but it's more her bulldozing him than any real connection rn), to kanbo being the well meaning Man Of The House who keeps going through unsatisfying relationships while only truly caring about essentially "wifing" his siblings, maintaining the happy home and family that's falling apart
so many little background details; rgu focuses heavily on the background symbolism and abstract that reflect characters' current state of mind or the school they're trapped in, but the homes of every character here have so much personality and small little details that tell so much about their pasts and their selves. from the siblings' house being a dingy hut on playground that's made incredibly charming through decorations and photos and everyday used objects (and carboard boxes and mold relegated to the background), to ringo's ocean bedroom being by far the most lived in part of her very sterile home, to her crush's place being covered in bird memorabilia.
v intrigued by sexy alien hat woman and v intrigued by shooting lady and actress lady.
i love the apple motif: fruit of knowledge, the universe, a sweetness and familiar understanding
rn there's a lot of comedy and building up characters despite the basic premise still being somewhat mysterious (what the fuck are the penguins and the hat, what's the penguindrum at all and is it how ringo knows the future, who is shooting lady and what's her deal, what happened to the kids' parent and what is kanba doing to keep their lifestyle going) and i can see some seeds being planted and guns being loaded without quite seeing what they're about to sprout but it's cleverly done enough so far to not only intrigue me but to make me actively trust the creators to see where im being led.
