Mawaru-Penguindrum

Mawaru-Penguindrum
Series logo and main characters (from left) Himari, Kanba and Shoma.
輪るピングドラム
Genre	Comedy, Drama, Psychological, Supernatural
TV anime
Directed by	Kunihiko Ikuhara
Produced by	Hiro Haruyama Shinichi Ikeda
Written by	Kunihiko Ikuhara Takayo Ikami
Music by	Yukari Hashimoto
Studio	Brain's Base
Network	MBS, TBS, AT-X
Original run	July 8, 2011 – ongoing
Episodes	24[1]
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Mawaru-Penguindrum (輪るピングドラム, Mawaru Pingudoramu^?, Spinning Penguindrum) is a 2011 Japanese anime series produced by Brain's Base. The series is directed and co-written by Kunihiko Ikuhara and began broadcast in Japan on July 8, 2011.^[2]

Plot

Main article: List of Mawaru-Penguindrum episodes

A terminally ill girl named Himari Takakura is miraculously saved from death by a strange spirit who resides in a penguin-shaped hat. However, in exchange for extending her life, the spirit tasks Himari's brothers, Kanba and Shouma, to seek out an item known as the Penguin Drum with assistance from a trio of strange penguins.

Characters

Kanba Takakura (高倉 冠葉, Takakura Kanba^?)

Voiced by: Subaru Kimura

The more serious and colder of the twins. He takes his duty to obtain the Penguin Drum seriously, willing to resort to any method to obtain it, whether legal or not. He has red hair and unlike his brother, is popular with girls. He has a past history as a playboy, dating girls only to dump them later on. However, he appears to be in love with Himari and will go to great lengths for her. Kanba, Shouma and Ringo were born on the day of the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. Throughout the story, the drastic measures he will take to keep Himari alive becomes more visible. As the eldest brother, it is shown that he is responsible for maintaining his family's finances and livelihood. Despite claiming otherwise, Kanba is still shown to be in contact with his exiled parents.

Shouma Takakura (高倉 晶馬, Takakura Shōma^?)

Voiced by: Ryohei Kimura

More innocent than his brother, he wishes to obtain the Penguin Drum for Himari's sake. However, he is uneasy at the thought of performing morally ambiguous deeds, and hesitates when given orders. He was assigned to obtain Oginome Ringo's diary, which was implied to be the Penguindrum. As the story progresses, he develops a strange relationship with her. Like his siblings, he harbors guilt for his parents' actions. He is the narrator in the novel adaptation.

Himari Takakura (高倉 陽毬, Takakura Himari^?)

Voiced by: Miho Arakawa

The brothers’ younger sister. On an excursion, she died after a long period of illness, but was revived by a mysterious penguin hat bought at a souvenir shop. Her personality alters drastically when possessed by the hat, along with her mannerisms and appearance. Under the control of the hat, the brothers are instructed to obtain the Penguindrum as payment for extending her life. According to Masako, she is not Kanba's real sister, implying the same for Shouma. Later on, it is shown that her fated person is Shouma.

Ringo Oginome (荻野目 苹果, Oginome Ringo^?)

Voiced by: Marie Miyake

The target the brothers are ordered to watch. She was born on the same day of her older sister Momoka's death, which caused her family to fall apart; now, she lives only with her mother. She possesses a diary that belonged to Momoka, which is implied to be an object called the "Penguindrum." She started to believe that by replacing her sister, she would be able to bring her family back together. As a result, she went to extreme lengths to fulfill what was written in Momoka's diary. Despite claiming that she and Tabuki are destined for each other, she has begun to harbor feelings for Takakura Shouma instead. Yuri clearly states in the series that Ringo is in fact in love with Shouma though it is unclear if he returns these feelings.

Keiju Tabuki (多蕗 桂樹, Tabuki Keiju^?)

Voiced by: Akira Ishida

A teacher who Ringo has an obsessive crush on. He is the science teacher of Shouma and Kanba, and the advisor of a birdwatching club. He was Oginome Momoka's childhood friend before she died. As a child, he was abandoned by his mother after she remarried, giving birth to a stepbrother who surpassed Tabuki's skill at playing the piano. Despite claiming otherwise, Tabuki holds a grudge against the Takakuras for the mysterious event that resulted in Momoka's death many years ago.

Yuri Tokikago (時籠 ゆり, Tokikago Yuri^?)

Voiced by: Mamiko Noto

A famous actress belonging to the Sunshiny Theatre troupe. She is introduced as Tabuki's girlfriend, and eventually becomes engaged to him. Although she is elegant and refined, she harbors bitterness and self-hatred beneath her calm facade. During her childhood, she was often abused by her father, a famous artist. However, she was saved by Momoka, who loved her and used her diary to change her fate. Yuri is the only other person to know the diary's secrets, and seeks to retrieve it in order to bring Momoka back.

Masako Natsume (夏芽 真砂子, Natsume Masako^?)

Voiced by: Yui Horie

A wealthy young woman who stalks Kanba. She possesses a laser slingshot that has the ability to erase memories by landing on a target. Like each of the Takakura siblings, she has a penguin named Esmeralda. An old admirer of Kanba, she seeks to possess him and gain the Penguindrum in order to ensure her brother Mario's survival.

Sanetoshi Watase (渡瀬 眞悧, Watase Sanetoshi^?)

Voiced by: Yutaka Koizumi

An elusive character who seems to harbor an interest in Himari for reasons yet unknown. He first appears as a mysterious librarian working at the Central Library's Hole in the Sky branch. Later, he appears as a doctor who brings Himari back to life, but demands large sums of money from Kanba in exchange for keeping her alive. He claims to be from "the destination of Fate," and is followed by two rabbit underlings, Shirase (シラセ^?) and Souya (ソウヤ^?)

Momoka Oginome (荻野目 桃果, Oginome Momoka^?)

Voiced by: Aki Toyosaki

Ringo's older sister who died in a subway explosion on the day of Ringo's birth, and the original owner of her diary. She was friends with both Tabuki and Yuri. Her diary is allegedly one that can transfer the fate of individuals, and prevent someone from dying. However, these transfers inflict injuries on the user as payment, with drastic fate transfers resulting in larger and even fatal injuries.

Hibari Isora and Hikari Utada (伊空 ヒバリ と　歌田 光莉^?)

Voiced by: Yui Watanabe and Marie Miyake

Himari's best friends in elementary school. The three of them wished to be idols, so they formed their own idol group called Triple-H. However, when Himari contracted an illness, she had to leave school while Hibari and Hikari went on to become famous idols under the name Double-H. In the show's production, there is a real group called Triple-H made up of the voice actresses of Hibari, Hikari and Himari. Their names are thinly-veiled references to Hibari Misora and Hikaru Utada, respectively.

Takakuras' Penguins #1, #2 & #3 (高倉家のペンギン 1、2、3号^?)

Voiced by: Subaru Kimura, Ryohei Kimura and Miho Arakawa

A mysterious trio of blue Penguins that arrived at the Takakura household after Himari's resurrection, which only the Takakura family can see. For the sake of convenience, Kanba named his penguin #1, Shouma's #2 and Himari's #3 respectively. Each has their own traits based on their masters. #1 has pronounced eyebrows and a fondness for ladies, #2 is often seen spraying bugs or eating voraciously, and #3, who sports a ribbon on her head, usually keeps Himari company.

Esmeralda (エスメラルダ, Esumeraruda^?)

Voiced by: Yui Horie

Masako's penguin, unlike the Takakura siblings', is black and has a more menacing appearance. She seems to hold an infatuation with Penguin #1 that mirrors Masako's interest in Kanba.

Theme songs

Etsuko Yakushimaru Metro Orchestra

• Opening theme song (episodes 1 - 14): "Nornir" (ノルニル, Noruniru^?)
• Opening theme song (episodes 15 - present): "Boys, Come Back to Me" (少年よ我に帰れ, Shōnen yo Ware ni Kaere^?)

Coaltar of the Deepers

• Ending theme song (episodes 1 - 12): "Dear Future", with episode 10's being covered by Yui Horie, a voice actress for Masako Natsume

Triple H

Covers of ARB, composed by Yukari Hashimoto. Triple H is Marie Miyake as Hikari, Yui Watanabe as Hibari, and Miho Arakawa as Himari.

• Main insert song: "Rock Over Japan"
• Insert song (episode 9), ending theme song (episodes 13, 15, 18): "Ash-colored Wednesday" (灰色の水曜日, Hai-iro no Suiyōbi^?)
• Ending theme song (episodes 14, 17): "Bad News (Kuroi Yokan)" (Bad News (黒い予感)^?)
• Ending theme song (episodes 16): "Ikarechimattaze!!" (イカレちまったぜ!!^?)
• Ending theme song (episode 19): "HIDE and SEEK"

References

1. ^ "Mawaru Penguindrum Official Website". http://penguindrum.jp/bluray/. Retrieved 13 July 2011. 
2. ^ "Mawaru PenguinDrum by Utena's Ikuhara to Air in July". Anime News Network. May 18, 2011. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-05-18/mawaru-penguindrum-by-utena-ikuhara-to-air-in-july. Retrieved July 8, 2011. 

External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• Mawaru-Penguindrum (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia