7:44 Also to add a bit more as to why use penguins specifically. Well, penguins in nature are associated strongly with self sacrifice, as penguins in their environment have developed a survival strategy (ya geddit?) In which, to maintain body heat during night time and keep their young alive, they all huddle close to one another in a tight circle, with the youngest chicks in the center and the oldest, stronger ones in the outside. Now, it doesn't end there, since the strong winds and cold could perfectly just kill an animal so small in a couple of minutes if they stood still for too long, here's where the strategy takes place; Once they're all close together, the penguins start rotating. The whole circle of penguins never stands still in the same place as each penguin rotates with the one in in front of them constantly. Even those in the center might eventually end providing protection and warmth in the outer ring, as the shifting occurs in waves from the center towards the outside. They all, for a few minutes, instinctively take their turn to put their lifes on the line by taking in the unforgiving cold directly just to ensure the survival of the others. Sounds familiar? They keep on moving (spinning) to ensure the happiness of those they love. They all sacrifice as an act of love. As that is their destiny. Amazing video, my man. There's not enough people talking about Mawaru Penguindrum around here.

@MakoKanoGato

2 жыл бұрын

Omg I love this! Thanks for sharing :)

@SatiZakito

5 ай бұрын

Sounds like you have actually spoken to penguins my man, great post.

Where were you 7 years ago when I had just finished watching this anime and needed an analysis? Lol great job!

@mowari_da

5 жыл бұрын

This anime just came to my head out of nowhere. I had watched it years back as a young child curious of anime. I didn't know what shit meant.

@casualkillingspreewelcome

3 жыл бұрын

Facts

This video is so well put and organized. Good job!! I believe you put so much effort into it. :) I'm a Japanese, but I have never seen anyone from abroad referring to the “invisible children” in the children broiler, and have been wondering why no one writes/talks about it. (This comment might include some disturbing information, so please read on your own regard....) A child murder committed by a 14 year old boy also happened in the late 90's, (widely known by the name the culprit used in his letters, “Sakakibara Seito” incident) and in a letter the murderer sent to the mass media and the police contained the phrase “invisible being”, stating that since society is ignoring him entirely, he can do whatever he wants and is able to kill more children. He saw many people die during the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake, and gradually started to feel his life was superior than people surrounding him. Ever since, there have been some injuries and murders committed by people who strongly idealize him, and “Sakakibara” published a book after his release which shook Japanese society hugely. It made the laws of juvenile crime change in Japan, and is still a well remembered crime that changed many aspects in the Japanese culture. I hope this explanation is understandable and short enough for kind people out there to read....

@SilverFever

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for explaining

@son1237

3 жыл бұрын

Yep , can't argue with that

@if2484

3 жыл бұрын

This is my first time replying to anybody, so I just wanted to say thank you for that. There are a lot of references I don't understand in anime as it pertains to Japanese culture, and it's always refreshing as an American to get a look behind the scenes.

@TheApsodist

2 жыл бұрын

Dang, that is eerily similar to Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment down to the motivation for the murder.

@alveolate

2 жыл бұрын

it's always great to get a japanese citizen's view on these anime interpretations... pretty hard to really tell what the zeitgeist is like in japan from an outsider's pov. i'm watching Tokyo Vice and you get the same sense of cultural dissonant struggle from Jake Adelstein, the mc who's the first gaijin reporter to work in a major jp newspaper (that show is based on his real biography about his tangles with yakuza). some of the intricacies of jp culture, especially shared communal memories like common fears, hip trends, slang meanings, are basically impenetrable to outsiders. even on the internet, it is hard to tell if a self-proclaimed japanese is trolling us or being serious (no offense intended). similar gaps in cross-cultural hermeneutics and inter-cultural barriers exist for pretty much any population with a widely locally adopted language + heterogeneous ethnicity/nationality. japan's history has also led to somewhat xenophobic sentiments, so it is not common for foreigners to thrive there (although this is improving slowly). in a weird way, even as anime explodes in worldwide popularity, these gaps in understanding are merely being revealed. let's hope this improves cross-cultural exchange, because japan too can benefit by considering a different pov sometimes.

I didn't expect to find any recent content on Mawaru Penguindrum (and I know it's a reupload) and I also didn't expect to cry. God I love this anime

Penguindrum is my absolute favorite anime, but honestly a lot of its themes went over my head. I definitely should've watched it again. This video is so well-crafted, and definitely explains everything so well. Love your style!

@lolaurabc

2 жыл бұрын

there is a new movie coming out this year, that is a resume of the whole show plus new extra scenes. I also dont remember much so ill definetly see it

Thank you so much for this analysis. Penguindrum's themes, in particular the Child Broiler as a visual metaphor for the depersonalization of people (especially children) under capitalism. This series cuts deeper and deeper the older I get. I also greatly appreciate you delving into Murakami's own analysis of the sarine gas attack. It's nuanced, and can't just be framed in the black and white way the media framed it, as the insane against the sane.

I just finished penguindrum. As someone who one of her favorite animes is utena, I was really please to see how Ikuhara keep growing and doing amazing things. Thank you so much for this amazing analysis. I will defenitly see your utena videos too!

Finally found another Ikuhara fan! I'm so glad you're making videos on Penguindrum and Utena, as I feel they're both such amazing series with so much details that are impossible to catch on the first watch. I'm definitely gonna keep up with this channel, keep up the great work!

I have a soft spot for Penguindrum & seeing videos like these puts such a smile on my face. Great work man xx

This video has been sitting in my Watch Later playlist for so long... Now that I've finally seen it, I regret not watching it sooner. Great analysis, you bring up many interesting points and the story of the Tokyo attack was fascinating to learn about. Mawaru Penguindrum really is a show that deserves way more critical attention in the community.

God, I never comment on videos, but this was so well-written & put together I'm shocked looking at your follower count. It was absolutely fascinating and deserves way more views! Plus, looking at the rest of your videos, it seems we share the same favourite niche of anime :) Can't wait for the next one!

@blingbling2841

3 жыл бұрын

This might be late, but... Complex works as Penguindrum are not as popular as one might expect, nor were made with that objective in mind. The humor quotient serves multiple purposes , thereby reinforcing the idea of multiplicity even further. Not only it has certain meanings in the scenes but it also takes off some of the edge. Also, it provides some lighter surface level associativity for the casual viewers which is necessary for the production to get profits from sales. So it is not unexpected that few people actually bother to watch it and then watch a half hour plus dissertation on it on KZread.

Thank you so much for this video analysis! Mawaru Penguindrum is one of the best anime I've ever seen, thanks to it I felt drawn to watch more of Kunihiko's works and always waiting for his comeback. His storytelling is brilliant when it's about social and individual psychology along with maintaining the characteristic anime style but of course with his personal touch. I think this anime series is unfairly underrated... Also I love Murakami's books and recently I watched night on the galactic railroad and I love it!! To know that this works are related forming one single circle is just awesome. Thank you for sharing the book, I'll be reading it soon. About the thing about Kunihiko's tone, I think is perfect because for me, life is tragicomic. The human being has a natural instic of laughter in bad situations as a coping mechanism so I love how he portraits that in his storytelling so balanced that the audience never stop caring about the drama that the characters are going through. Also, Alice in wonderland is part of the circle too, even the book is directly present in Himari's room... It's more and more of a rabbit hole haha, greetings!

@marcbasil

Жыл бұрын

Galactic Railroad is directed by arguably the greatest anime director ever lol, might wanna mention his name instead of the authors

I come back from time to time whenever I miss Mawaru Penguindrum. I like listening to podcast or something like that while working, and an audio analysis about Mawaru Penguindrum as wonderful as yours is pretty rare. Thank you for creating this :D

Thank you, amazing video!

I love LOVE this video so much!!! I finished Penguindrum the other day and IMMEDIATELY came to watch this video, which in turn sent me to watch Night in the Galactic Railroad and then come back to finish the video. The way in which you laid down the different themes and connected them really helped me make sense and put into words all the emotions and thoughts that flooded my head after finishing both pieces of media so THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT!!!

Revisiting this series through your essay -- thank you so much for this. I've been watching anime for decades, and I have never cried harder at the end of a series than I have for this one. It really has a special place in my heart and your video skillfully articulated a lot of the reasons why that is. ❤️

alright, that was awesome! i watched penguindrum many years ago, loved it ever since then and rewatched it a few times. and even though it's one of my favorites and i do understand some of what happens in it, this analysis really helped me to understand the main aspects even better. i'm glad i finally watched this (i tend to postpone things until the very end haha). thank you, really. edit: now that i think about it, the full openings also consist of various parts, like the curry/multiplicity-aspect you brought up. …ikuhara you mf genius.

Watching this really solidify Mawaeu Penguindrum as one of my favourite anime of all time. So many complex and intricate ideas coming together to form a bittersweet and complete circle.

Wow this really opened my eyes and gave me so much more information that I wasn’t aware of . Now a lot of what didn’t make sense MAKES SO MUCH MORE SENSE LMAO this also made the show more meaningful to me and I appreciate it so much more I wish I could analyze as well as this video wow

Sure this wont get read, but I think the apple symbolism in Night on the Galactic Railroad and in Penguindrum, like much of the "Christian" symbolism found anime and manga, is really more Gnostic and esoteric in character rather than being derived from mainstream religion. Esoteric strains of Christian thought have sometimes valorized the taking of the forbidden fruit as the necessary passage from innocence into experience and/or as a Promethean act. I also think that to some extent Ikuhara either drew upon similar influences or his creative process converged upon similar connotations regarding the Rose symbolism in Utena. I don't think it's supposed to be a direct nod to the "Rosy Cross" of Rosicrucianism (which I think has dubious historicity), but as an esoterically inspired motif used throughout western art and literature I think it's served as sort of secret handshake for, "I too like unorthodox Humanistic Christianity." Me and a friend have often jokingly summarized Utena as "to break the glass ceiling you have to break free from the matrix/demiurge". The way that reality itself seems to conspire against Utena and Himemiya at the end of the series, and their triumph over said forces in the movie resonates with a lot of Gnostic sensibilities.

I recently watched this anime and this video really helped me understand it better so thank you.

This anime was always so confusing to me! I watched it when I was younger and it made me lost. Definitely a “distended mess” to me. I thinking of watching it again now that I am a little older and can understand it better. Thanks for this video!

What a great analysis of one of the best anime out there. This anime has so much suffering in it and to see its characters overcome it through familial bonds made re think something about my own life. Thank you for this video, it solidifies and clarifies many of my answers and questions about the Ikuhara's masterpiece.

I personally read the penguins as a twofold metaphor again- sort of curse in one sense, or a physical ever-presence in another. The consequences of the Childrens parents actions, ultimately not the childrens responsibility, but inescapable. I think this doubles with the remainder of the Kiga cults influence on the childrens life, either through Kambas choices, or the potential and likely vulnerability of the children to fall back in with the organisation. This is why Masako also has a penguin, but why Esmeralda looks different to 1, 2 & 3. Masakos determination to prevent Kamba from falling back in with the cult speaks to her resolve; a refined quality. She outgrew her curse/pain and turned it into a reminder of her own growth, and her conviction in saving Kamba and Mario, the people she cares for most. Save for the time Kamba uses his penguin for morally ambiguous means, (which is still thematically relevant to his story arc) Himari, Shoma and Kamba actively ignore their penguins. However Masako and Esmeralda often work together to achieve the same goal, which appears selfish at first, but is ultimately revealed to be the salvation of her brothers.

@CrabeVideos

Ай бұрын

Thanks for excellent comment.

Really enjoyed this! Surprised you never brought up Sanetoshi in your commentary - his position as "the curse" and "the ghost" feels like it relates to the larger "fate" themes.

@CrabeVideos

Жыл бұрын

Hm that is an interesting point. Sanetoshi is one of those characters that I'm not sure how to interpret. It's been a long time but for me his presence seemed to evoke a sense of nihilism relating to one's fate. Next time I rewatch I will definitely give his role some thought. Thanks for the comment.

This was great. I recently had the idea to do an analysis of MPD touching on all the works it references and it's themes so I could explain a loved one why MPD is so great, but I'm just going to send him your video. Thank you for making this.

i can't believe i just foudn this now. this is incredibly well put and organized and super informative. thanks again for making this!!

i love the context and thought you've put into this video, and I can't believe how easy it was to watch a 40 min explanation (constructive criticism: its a little easier to listen to if some of the words/phrases are connected more smoothly/conversationally)

Also, fantastic video man. You got all the sociological/political symbolism and were able to pick out nuances that I think would go over most people's heads. One thing I think that I would add to your observations on the possible symbolism behind the choice of penguins is ecological commentary in conjunction with the capitalism critiques. Given that Kenji Miyazawa was also not only critical of capitalism, but had ecological concerns, I feel that to some extent the plastering of Penguins all over everything as a corporate logo, and the penguin icon use by the eco-terror group that appears to do nothing to actually help the environment, might be subtle jabs at the ways in which society cheaply appropriates the likeness of animals that we ourselves are driving to extinction. That said, I've seen other auteurs with far more prominent ecological themes in their works than Ikuhara, so I'm probably stretching. At the very least there's the repetition of lines referring to the world as "icy", and so I think there's at least symbolism regarding the relationship Penguins have to the environment around them.

I literally just ranted to my man about how much I loved Mawaru Penguindrum and found this. I hope he'll stick with it and watch it because oh my god, it's not often I feel so strongly about an anime. Though I quite liked Yakusoku no neverland for completely different reasons, it's the latest thing I actually cared enough about to finish. Not too keen on recent stuff, but maybe I'm just getting too hold for some shows. I think I might go on an ikuhara spree and rewatch Utena first though...

Imagine the effort and love needed for this anime to make this video... Thank you so much!! ^_^

I had no idea that one of my favorite anime was so complicated and complex. I have to admit I am itching to rewatch it because all of the stuff mentioned I did not understand the first time around. I really didn’t even understand the ending when I think back but awesome vid. I am going to send this video to the next person who tries to trash talk anime

This video was great, I love Penguindrum as it is one of my favorite anime and everything in this video makes so much sense and it's so well explained and represented. I would've liked it more if you had explored the story of "Super Frog Saves Tokyo" but all in all it was an amazing experience watching this video. Keep up the good work!

I loved this video so much! And I'm so sad this has been your last uploaded video.

I miss you so much, I loved your video essays

One of the best videos i've watched in a long time. Penguindrum is honestly one of my favorite series of all times and this video explains the series so well! ♡

one of my fav anime . happy to see all reference and influences . it's one those anime that is so symbolic you need to watch it again

Omg...I just finished the show and you know that feeling you get when you finish an anime...this was the cherry on top or should I say the apple ;) Great job! Best analysis video out there! Love your voice ( no homo)

Great analysis holy moly😍 have watched this series 3 times or so, but I really needed this to piece everything together, ahaha❤ you know what is funny, the japanese artist, Takashi Murakami, also critiques the collectivist and commercialistic society that japan has become. It's funny cuz they're both called Murakami :P

This video helped me to understand this anime better, thank you! :)

Upload more! This analysis is great and I like not only the information part but your passion behind it too

Mawaru Penguindrum was a really great show. My only gripe with it would be the "Survival Strategy" animation or rather that they felt the need to show the entire 1min animation each and every time for about the first half of the series.

Thank you so much for your analysis on Ikuharas work. I’m a huge Utena fan, also love Sailor Moon anime because of Ikuhara. I’m watching now Penguindrum thanks to your videos. Very interesting.

This was truly an excellent analysis, I hope you continue exploring it as this series is a gift that keeps on giving, the more time you give it.

Love seeing analyses of Ikuhara work! Can't wait to go through your other videos.

Once again I note on this channel my gratitude for your work--this time in elucidating Mawaru Penguindrum. Previously I had "Liked" your review of ep.1. Sarazanmai, my first introduction to your interpretive prowess, which motivated me to subscribe to the channel. These KZread videos certainly provide a helpful orientation to people like myself, who are both stunned and intrigued by Ikuhara's bewildering and bewitching anime manifestos.

I love your style of organizing this video essay. I finally understand what I watched all those years ago :)

This helped me a lot! I've had a hard time connecting the dots of this complex story, I'm glad of your work.

The writing pulls my heart apart, this is amazing

One of best analysis for this show hands down.

Godddddddddd, Im watching again Mawaru bc is one of my favorites animes and I didn't know ab this video but thank god! Idk and i don't care why are ppl who disrespect this anime but I know that for me this anime teach me a lot of things. whenever I see it again, I take more meaning, thanks!

I just start to watch this anime, premise sound so stupid, but wow, anime is great, so colorfull. I have feeling that this anime is art form.

What a wonderful take on one of the best animes ever made, and a personal favorite.

Great insight, Ikuhara is a genius.

I just subscribed. I'm so glad I found this explanation! I really hope you examine a few of the newer shows because your work is very detailed and captivating!

wow , I had no idea that these references exsited in the show, but i knew there was alot of symbolism, its really interesting to learn how this affected the story.

Stellar analysis! Currently rewatching penguindrum

Really good analysis of the show - thanks for making this!

i wish i could like this video a million times

this video was really good! i hope you can make more in a near future!

Whoa, 37 minutes!! Awesome! :D I'm gonna have to come back and watch this once I've seen Penguindrum.

Your video covers lots of meaningful ideas in the anime, love it~~ Great job!

that was the most understandable video about Penguindrum i have ever seen!!! Finally i can grasp what that ending was all about. would you do a video further explaining more aspects of the show? Like, some scenes and characters purpose within the story, that would be awesome! I think you personally (as an analizer) have a lot to say that hasnt been said yet. It would be in great timing since a movie with new scenes is gonna be released this year. ps, loved your Utena themed screenpaper

@lolaurabc

2 жыл бұрын

hopefully it will be released internatonally this year, but i dont know... with anime movies it usually takes 2 years to become available to the west

You hve really good anime analysis content and I thoroughly enjoy your videos. Keep going with making meaningful content

Yay another video came out!~ :D Thank you so much for making this.

thank you very much for this video

Half the time I didn't even know what I was watching. Just rolled with it.

Thank you for this amazing video. Awesome work

I watched it when I was much younger and couldn't totally relate to all the themes. I just rewatched it and it hit me hard. Try out Oyasumi Punpun next

@Diaryofaninja

3 жыл бұрын

Shii I already watched this video?

thank youu I really loved the yakushimaru etsuko music used for the anime and i wanted to get into the story but I didn't get it so thank youu

Great work!!! Everything best for u!!

Amazing job done there pal thank you.

amazing work

thank you for this. thank you so much.

i would like to see videos of you analyzing kuuchuu buranko and mononoke. i think they're quite overlooked

But now I'd like to know if you loved the series as much as I did And conclusion starts at 33:41 and not at 33:21 😛

Banger video!

Amazing video. Thanks.

This is AMAZING!!!

this is so good Im crying

Just realized that her name is “RINGo” lol

Amazing video

1Q84 by Murakami also expands the religion ideas planted in "Underground"

could you make a video about yurikuma arashi

Nice video. It's a bit sad, that this anime doesn't get the attention it earns. The same with your videos.

@marcbasil

Жыл бұрын

It gets tons of attention

@lucaschneider9515

Жыл бұрын

@@marcbasil yes? I've never met a Person, irl that knows this anime

I thank you for making this video it is a great video

Really nice video! Keep it up (=

Little late to the party, but an important aspect that Christian religions teach about the eating of the apple in Adam and Eve (at least as I understood it in my theology classes) was that the reason Adam ate the apple, was not because he was tricked, but that he had realized that Eve had eaten the apple, and therefore he would loose Eve the love of his life, so he allowed himself to be tricked into eating the apple so he can stay with her. He gave up the garden and happiness to be with her.

oh.

Let me ask something. "let´s share the fruit of fate" is a spell and it was used by momoka, ringo, kanba and shoma. Kanba and Shoma used the spell unconsciously to share their penguindrum, changing fate and saving/choosing other people to live. so why didn't they burnt too? Did momoka really changed fate or did she just shared her penguindrum with other people such as the rabbit, yuri and tabuki?

Welp, guess its time to finally watch Penguindrum. I wonder, though, if you could make a video on Yurikuma arashi, because it seriously disappointed me and i dont like being disappointed in a show i really looked forward to. i want to believe that i just didnt get it.

@Takumi_Did_Nothing_Wrong

5 жыл бұрын

I think Yuri Kuma Arashi really suffered due to executive meddling and production issues. I'm sure if Ikuhara had his way, then the show could have been two-cours long and much crazier. I agree, it was disappointing and probably Ikuhara's worst work, but it's still above average compared to most other anime out there and is still one of my favorite anime.

@AllWordsAreDust

5 жыл бұрын

What are your problems with YuriKuma? I do think it's his weakest show, but I still like it quite a bit - it's just that it suffered from the two main characters not being very likeable. It's actually probably his most coherent in terms of its themes, but it's also basically a critique on the yuri genre in Japan, so it's easy to not "get" what its satirising/what point its making if you don't know the genre tropes. Look up "class s" yuri for a better idea of what its criticising, there have been a number of good write ups about it.

@ignacioariellopez8491

5 жыл бұрын

YuriKuma is probably the "worst" of Ikuhara works, but not because its bad, its just is not as good as the other works, but is really, really good. The problem with yurikuma is that it had a fucking lot of content, a lot of symbolisms everywhere, topics (Discrimination, sexuality, homosexuality, war, religion, bullying, etc) for a 12 episode show; though it was very well directed and organized, the time just wasnt enough to deepn as such topics required. But that does not make it bad, is really good, it has some really good points, but you need to digger so deep to understand it fully. thechuunicorner.com/yuri-kuma-arashi-and-the-effects-of-symbolism/ Just take a view to that whenever you have time. I was not dissapointed with yurikuma, but angry with myself cause i couldnt understand the topics as i liked, i knew that was talking about discrimination, i knew that the scene where the girld decide with their phones how is "evil" had so much importance, background and a really good (Metaphor? i think it is), i knew what topic was about, but i didnt understand fully what the show tried to express; until i read that analysis from someone with much more knowledge than me. YuriKuma its god damn frustrating for those who wants to digger, to understand a very complex story, that its the main problem i think. And thanks to that, YuriKuma is so underrated and hated (Or dissapointing) by most of viewers.

Man! awesome job, this anime was amazing for me

Great video! Anyone gonna mention how Ringo is Japanese for Apple, tho?

30:42 isn’t that masako? It’s her blazer

brilliant!👏👏👏👏👏

So anyone notice that is like two years after 9/11

New video please

I knew I should've downloaded it. You really should do a BitChute account, Crabe. Really looking forward to your next videos. Cheers.

nice use of the caretaker as background music

Made me cry/10