Hello World, a new face appears. Let’s start off with a brief introduction.
My name is Henna Salim, and I am Canadian, a female and a lover of anime. I will be posting reviews on various animes. I will try my best, so look forward to it!
Note: I am Canadian, so the spelling of some words may be different. Example: colour, favourite, etc.
Synopsis:
Takakura Himari has an illness, one that gives her just months to live with her older twin brothers, Kanba and Shouma. In order to create lasting memories with Himari, the siblings go on a trip to a penguin aquarium. Shouma decides to buy a penguin hat as a souvenir for Himari, but she disappears, and is found on the ground, dead. In the midst of the twins’ despair, she is miraculously revived by a spirit possessing the penguin hat. In exchange for extending Himari’s life, the spirit demands for an item: a Penguindrum. Unaware its significance, the twins desperately begin their search, while unraveling hidden secrets and broken pasts.
A heart-warming and thought-provoking story:
Mawaru Penguindrum starts off simple: find the Penguindrum or else your sister will die. However, the viewer quickly learns that is not the case. There are several elements that are crucial to developing and advancing the story. Fate is the first and it is constantly referred to. Does everything happen by fate? Is there even such a thing as fate? Some question its purpose while others embrace it wholeheartedly. Symbolism is the second important element in this anime. Every detail, picture, or object has a purpose. Nothing shown in the anime is unnecessary, which is a bonus for viewers, like myself, who hate meaningless scenes.
From there, the story unfolds rather slowly at first, focusing on character relationships, often using consistent and natural comedic relief that really draws you into the anime. This slow pace is essential, because once the true motives are discovered, the plot escalates towards a dark and violent end. Several plot twists occur, leaving you edge with questions and longing for answers. Hurdling towards the end, this anime drills one question into your mind: how far would you go for someone you love?
Unlike Angel Beats, which concluded with its sad scene, Mawaru Penguindrum’s perfect execution continues until the very end, leaving the viewer in tears and their hearts shattered. Though the painful ending is hard to accept, it completes the masterpiece that Mawaru Penguindrum is.
