Greetings, and welcome to Anime Rants’ continued exploration of Mawaru Penguindrum. This blog post series has been written with the knowledge of the ending of the anime, so it’s naturally full of spoilers. You should only read it if you have already seen Penguindrum or don’t care about getting spoiled.
Please keep in mind that these posts are not detailed recaps of events, but discussions of certain selected elements from each episode. Today we have the tenth installment, which wasn’t my favorite episode by far. Still, it was important. I hope you learn something from this rough analysis of Penguindrum episode 10.
Episode 10: Because I Love Him
This episode started with Shoma waking up in the hospital. It’s interesting that he wasn’t badly hurt despite looking like he should have sustained serious internal injuries. It’s implied that he had a concussion because he had to stay in the hospital for a day or two. Otherwise he only suffered some “bumps and bruises.”
At first, I thought this was nothing but plot armor, but it may also be hinting that Shoma’s life is blessed by the Fruit of Fate. At the end of the series, he gives up his life and his half of the Fruit of Fate, ceasing to exist. Until that point, it’s almost like Shoma is immortal. That’s just an idea I had and I’m not certain about it.
The knitting scene was mildly funny, as Kanba accidentally made it sound like he didn’t want a present from Himari, who was making a muffler for him. But despite the humor of this little scene, it’s also serious. It shows again how much Kanba is in love with Himari. When Himari leaned in and touched her head to his, it was a magical moment for Kanba.
Even if they are not related, it’s gross how Kanba romanticizes and sexualizes his relationship with his “sister.” She is a child, but Kanba sees her as his queen. Kanba is also not an adult and his culpability can be called into question. I do feel sympathy for him for having feelings he can’t control, but it’s unforgiveable to act upon those feelings. Kanba already did so, kissing Himari in her sleep in the very first episode. It was disturbing.
Moving on, Shoma was captured by Masako, leading Kanba to attempt a rescue mission. Along the way, things got weird as he began to recall his past. The music box that he encountered and the music that played loudly from the speakers was an excerpt of “From the New World Symphony” by Antonin Dvorak. I love this piece of music, but I didn’t understand why it was in Penguindrum at first. A little online research revealed that the music’s presence is another reference to Night on the Galactic Railroad.
Since this isn’t a full recap, I won’t go over every event. But it was interesting watching Kanba progress through the building with Masako showing him things to trigger his memories. Speaking of Masako Natsume, we should review some facts about her. From later in the series, we know she is Kanba’s biological sister. This episode revealed that Masako has two goals: 1) Project M, which is acquiring the Penguindrum and saving Mario; and 2) pursuing Kanba in a romantic way.
This almost goes without saying, but incestuous relationships are significant in Penguindrum. Apparently, the tendency to romanticize and sexualize one’s siblings is not unique to Kanba. Masako is obsessed with “hunting” her brother and wants his romantic affection. When Kanba came to save Shoma, Masako kissed him on the mouth. Yikes.
Masako made a passing reference to the red thread of Ariadne, and indeed, the whole episode was full of red thread symbolism. In Greek myth, Ariadne was the one who gave the hero Theseus a ball of red thread so he could find his way around the labyrinth. Kanba also followed the red thread of the sweater to guide him through the maze of his memories.
Red thread is a key metaphor in Penguindrum. It’s not just this one reference to Ariadne. The red thread of fate from Eastern Asian myth is also prominent. This thread connects those who are linked together by fate. You can see the red thread in the visuals for the ending song. The combination of these two myths is interesting, as it can be understood that connecting to a loved one is the same as dealing with a dangerous maze.
There are two more notes I wanted to mention about character development. First, there’s Kanba. I’m confused as to whether he really cares about Shoma or not. Early in the episode especially, the hints are strong that Kanba was worried about his adopted little brother. He also tried to rescue Shoma, putting himself in danger. However, by late in the series, Kanba seems to hate Shoma’s guts, even attempting to kill him at one point. My guess is that Kanba cares about Shoma right now because he genuinely thinks they are a family.
The last note for today is about Ringo. She is undergoing hardcore character development at this point in the story. She was almost psychopathic in her pursuit of Tabuki, but now, she’s starting to change for the better. Ringo was severely concerned about Shoma when he was captured. She gave the other half of the diary to Masako in order to save Shoma. I’d say Ringo’s character is improving since she wanted to rescue Shoma at a cost to herself.
That’s all for this installment of Penguindrum episode analyses! See you next time!
~Thanks for reading~
Written by 7Mononoke at Anime Rants
See More Posts about Penguindrum
Anime Rants 