POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT
As of late, I have been picking up new series based on how popular the are on Tumblr (especially with people I follow). I got into Doctor Who and Homestuck that way (both of which are two of my favorite series now). The most recent series I picked up is an anime called "Mawaru Penguin Drum", which, in summary, has been a fun ride so far.
When I stared watching, I knew two things about the series. One, in involved penguins. Two, many of the relationships between characters were... problematic? It sounded enough like plenty of other series I like (Bakemonogatari, DRRR!!, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and the more relevant Revolutionary Girl Utena).
Turns out, it shares a director with Utena. Aesthetically, they are very similar, although Utena's visuals are a bit dated by this point. I'm not sure I'd go so far as to call Penguin Drum a spiritual successor, but if you enjoy one you'll probably enjoy the other. There's a good balance of character development, slowly revealed plot, background wackiness, and various relationship drama that keeps things fresh and interesting.
I've gone so far without summarizing Mawaru Penguin Drum because that's actually rather difficult to do. It starts out with three siblings, fraternal twin brothers Kanba and Shoma (16) and their younger sister Himari (? 14... maybe?), living on their own in a small house in Tokyo. Himari is terminally ill, probably at home because there's nothing left being in a hospital can do for her. Sounds like a real downer... until the penguins show up. Then things just get weird.
I should probably wait until the ending to write up a full review. I've gotten a bit ahead of myself.
Basically, if you're into interesting visuals, heavy symbolism, and psychological drama, give Mawaru Penguin Drum (and Utena) a spin.
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