Disclaimers:
1) This Penguindrum project will be categorized under episode reviews, but it won’t work the same way as my usual episode reviews. Each entry in this blog series will cover 1-3 episodes of Penguindrum rather than a single episode. Additionally, there will be no recaps of the events – only discussion of the episode.
2) This Penguindrum project will contain spoilers and information acquired from seeing the end of the anime. This kind of information can appear at any point in the blog series, so if you haven’t seen the entire anime yet, be aware.
Episode 7: Eggchanting Girl
The parts of this episode that aren’t purely comical are fairly easy to understand and process, but I still want to spend some time with discussion. Ringo’s desperation and insanity grow to unprecedented levels as Tabuki becomes engaged to the actress Yuri. Thinking that she’s meant to bear his child regardless, Ringo is about to force herself on Tabuki in his sleep. Up to this point, while there have been acknowledgements of the immorality of Ringo’s habits, the narrative has framed her toxic behaviors as comical. That is finally going to change when Shouma confronts her in the next episode.
In the meantime, let’s examine Ringo’s behavior just a bit more. If I had to deal with someone remotely like her in reality, I would probably put her in the hospital. (Yes, violence is also a toxic behavior, but I’m not being serious.) In the context of an anime, however, I can sympathize with a girl like Ringo. I believe she needs psychological treatment, and as someone who needs such care frequently, I am not saying that as an insult or to be demeaning. I’m only saying I want this character to be happy and healthy.
While I am not a psychologist and this is only fiction anyway, I think Ringo has early signs of Borderline Personality Disorder. I also struggled with this disorder when I was a young adult. In particular, I see similarities between a Borderline’s infatuation with their favorite person and Ringo’s obsession with Tabuki. The BPD tendency of self-sabotage is also pretty obvious. Ringo’s behavior is hurting herself as much as it hurts others. Imagine how her life would be destroyed if she succeeded in getting pregnant. In summary, it may look funny in an anime, but Ringo’s mental problems are nothing to laugh about.
Again showcasing Ringo’s insanity, this episode also contained the frog egg scene, which was hilarious and disgusting in equal parts. I feel absolutely terrible for Shouma. The species name of the fictional frog was “Tamahomare.” This is a pun in Japanese that roughly translates to “eggchant,” as in the combination of egg and enchant. I know “Tamago” is the Japanese word for egg, but I’m not sure about the word used for enchant. Anyway, that explains the episode title.
There’s one other note to be made about The Tragedy of M. In the previous episode review, I asserted that it was a reference to Momoka even though the M technically stands for something else. For Ringo, the M in Project M stands for Maternity. As for the play that Yuri stars in, the title is “The Tragedy of M” in reference to its main character, Marie. It never actually stood for Momoka, so I was technically incorrect in my assertion last time.
Even though the Tragedy of M was not a direct reference to Momoka’s name, I still think it could have been an indirect nod to the girl Yuri loved so much. The play is a retelling of Marie Antionette’s execution, in which Marie is a noble character whose death helps save Paris. Like Momoka, Marie willingly went to her death. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but maybe not. I mean, if there was no secret meaning behind the play’s title, then why not just call it “The Tragedy of Marie”? It’s worth thinking about.
Episode 8: Even if Your Love is a Lie…
There is a lot to go over this time, so be prepared. I think this was so far the most intense installment. There were absurd and goofy parts, like the Western movie scene in Ringo’s imagination. There were also serious and surprising parts, like when Ringo drugged Tabuki. Although this episode is both entertaining and important, it’s not perfect. My main complaint is the “fan-service” – several shots of Ringo looming over Tabuki at angles I did not appreciate. Besides some annoyances, though, it was a dramatic and exciting episode.
The first point of discussion is the scene with Ringo’s father and his new family at the aquarium gift shop. Ringo was already having a terrible day since discovering that Tabuki was moving into a condo with Yuri. She probably went to the aquarium for comfort. But there, she sees her beloved papa hanging out with a woman and her young child. They are clearly close, with Ringo’s father doting on the little girl like he was her daughter. He proceeds to propose to the woman.
I think we’re supposed to assume that Ringo’s parents are divorced, rather than thinking the father is cheating on his wife. Even if it’s not cheating, however, I can see how this would seem like an emotional betrayal to a child/teen who wanted her parents to get back together. To be clear, this shocking discovery is no excuse for any of Ringo’s actions. However, it does help explain why she felt even more desperate and unhinged than usual. For Ringo, her parents’ divorce was emotional trauma. She wants the family to reunite, and she believes she can make this happen by becoming the perfect daughter that her parents lost.
Now, I’ve had about enough of explaining Ringo’s psychological problems. I need to make sure to express that her actions are extremely evil. This is beyond toxic. Ringo is a scheming, callous and dishonest maniac. Having no regard for the safety or autonomy of others, she literally drugged and attempted to rape Tabuki. Shouma was definitely correct in saying Ringo was a black-hearted woman. If anyone tries to laugh off or justify the actions of Ringo, they clearly do not understand the bigger picture of this anime or its characters.
This episode shows Ringo at her absolute worst. After Shouma’s sacrifice, she starts to change slowly, with a few relapses. Speaking of Shouma, let’s discuss his actions. Despite calling Ringo the most evil woman he had ever met, he proceeded to save her from being hit by a car, getting struck by the vehicle in her place. I still wonder why Shouma did that, and I think the answer might be a bit darker than it seems at face value.
First of all, I believe Shouma was acting primarily on instinct. He is kind-hearted and altruistic, so it sort of makes sense that he would try to save anybody who was in danger. His gut told him to save her, so he did. But I think there was a little more to it than that. Shouma had just been called out for faking a happy family with Himari and Kanba. He was reminded of everything he didn’t want to think about, including his self-loathing and belief in divine punishment. Perhaps he decided it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if he were to die.
I have no way of proving this little theory about Shouma, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Now about him getting called out, that was a key moment in this episode. The first half of Penguindrum focuses on Ringo and has a lot of comedy. The second half, however, is darker and shows the abrupt falling apart of the Takakura family. I sometimes think the series didn’t do a good job preparing audiences for this switch, but in episode 8, Ringo can already see the truth. She says Shouma and his siblings are just pretending to be a happy family. It’s a hint about the future.
The title of this episode (“Even if your love is a Lie“) is interesting because it applies to both Ringo and Shouma. Ringo says she’s doing everything for the sake of family and that bearing Tabuki’s child is her duty, after which Shouma asks if she actually loves Tabuki. Though Ringo immediately replies that she loves him, she follows it up with the words, “Because Momoka loved him.” In other words, her love is not completely genuine. She didn’t fall for Tabuki of her own accord. She’s just trying to emulate Momoka. Even if her love is a lie, however, it’s still the most important thing in the world to Ringo.
As for the title’s application to Shouma, it isn’t quite as direct. I believe he genuinely loves and cares for Himari, though mostly as a sister. He also seems to care about Kanba. In that sense, his love is not a lie. But the “happy family” part is a bit of a lie. Strictly speaking, the Takakuras are not related. Beyond that, the glue that held them together as an adoptive family was their parents, who are now gone. The three teens left behind are neither happy nor a family. They are suffering every day, first with the aftermath of what their parents did, and then with managing Himari’s illness.
I honestly expected to have even more to write about, but I think that covers everything I had planned. I did have a note about “the identity of the biker” but I no longer recall my point. I’ll just say the obvious. Even though this episode makes you think the biker might be Masako, it’s actually Yuri, who followed the teens from her condo. Anyway, that is all for today.
Thanks for reading~
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