Rather than posting nothing during the weekly gap between Monday and Thursday, we’ll be posting “Retro Reviews” of episodes we’ve watched in the past, cleaned up a bit and updated with our new ratings. We’re starting with three of our favorite series of the past couple years: Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Shiki, and Mawaru Penguindrum.
Originally posted 8 July 2011 – Wow…very nice! we weren’t expecting all that. We like surprises, and with Mayo Chiki looking so disappointing, we picked this up series instead. We almost immediately liked it. It has such a bright, shiny, colorful presentation. Its characters are full of life…even if they die briefly.
Brothers Shoma and Kanba have to take care of their terminally ill little sister, Himari (Amazingly, she doesn’t sport white or silver hair). Funnily enough, their hair (blue, red, and yellow, respectively) is the same triad as Star Driver. Anyway, after a lovely day when she’s allowed out of the hospital, she suddenly collapses and is rushed back, where she dies. Shoma muses about the age old question of why God lets bad things happen to good people.
But then something happens he knew to be impossible: Himari wakes up. While wearing a creepy penguin headdress he bought her at the zoo gift shop, she seems to be possessed by some strange entity – which may be an extradimensional penguin. She’s good as new, so they go home, and a frozen package containing ominous ice eggs awaits them. Like the dragon eggs in Game of Thrones, these are valuable things.
When they hatch, they become adorable little blue penguin helpers that only the siblings can see. But the opening credits write some big checks that suggest the three siblings will have to pay those extradimensional beings back in exchange for the miracle of extending Himari’s life. What exactly that recompense is, we’ll learn more next week. Really fun and zany introduction. Major style points throughout. We particularly like how Tokyo Metro signage is used in all transitions, and the coaltar of the deepers ED rocks.
Rating: 9 (Superior)
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