Mawaru Penguindrum



"I hate the word "fate". Birth, encounters, partings, success and failure, fortune and misfortune in life. If everything is already set in stone by fate, then why are we even born? There are those born wealthy, those born of beautiful mothers, and those born into war or poverty. If everything is caused by fate, then God must be incredibly unfair and cruel."

"Because, ever since that day, none of us had a future. The only thing we knew was that we would never amount to anything. "

- The opening narration of the first episode

Mawaru-Penguindrum (Spinning-Penguindrum) is a Summer 2011 Anime First directed and co-written by Kunihiko Ikuhara, famous for his work on Revolutionary Girl Utena, and animated by Studio Brains Base. It has character designs by the manga author Lily Hoshino (Otome Youkai Zakuro), and the original series has also spawned a series of novels (written by Ikuhara and Kei Takahashi) that are being released alongside the anime.

The story follows the three siblings of the Takakura family: fraternal twin brothers Kanba and Shouma, and Ill Girl Himari. Their parents are gone, and they live in a small bungalow alone. Poor Himari dies during a trip to the aquarium in Ikebukuro; while Kanba and Shouma grieve over her death, she is suddenly brought back to life by a mysterious entity (one who apparently resides in a souvenir hat purchased at the aquarium) who offers them a chance to extend Himari's life for a price: to bring her the "Penguindrum."

At the same time, they receive three mysterious penguins who are Invisible to Normals and understand the orders of the Takakura siblings. The only clue given to them by the penguin hat is to follow one Ringo Oginome, a girl the same age as the boys who has a huge obsession with their teacher and tries daily to win his love by acting out the next entry of her oddly accurate diary...

Yeah. This show is weird.

"Ikuhara (via Twitter): All of you have enjoyed making your predictions. Now, I'll tell you the truth. Yes. Just as all of you have predicted all along: the Penguindrum is a pink washing machine."
 * Abusive Parents/Parental Neglect: A major theme in the show; the majority of the older characters have a screwed up childhood because of them.
 * A-Cup Angst: Ringo, though it only comes up as a minor note in her introduction. (And considering her design, it's a sort-of informed flaw.)
 * All Love Is Unrequited: Masako loves Kanba, who loves Himari who cares for Kanba but doesn't show any sign of reciprocating (although the Princess of the Crystal does). Ringo starts out loving Tabuki, who is an engaged adult and her Big Brother Mentor and naturally doesn't reciprocate. She eventually moves on to Shoma, but Shoma is too guilty about  to let himself love her back. Tabuki's fiancee, Yuri,  a hope that Tabuki abandons, and  . Shoma's friend Yamashita is revealed in a audio drama to be  . Later, it turns out that
 * All There in the Manual: The Mawaru-Penguindrum Prototype Manual Official Starting Guide reveals that possessed!Himari is called the Princess of the Crystal and that the bear mecha are called Teddydrums.
 * Alternate Timeline: The.
 * Momoka's diary.
 * Animal Motifs: The "dark bunnies", who in Shoma's fairy tale are an actual pair of black rabbits. In the real world, they appear to simply be black-haired Creepy Twins. In episode 23, they are revealed to be.
 * Similarly, penguins. The three penguins are representative of the owner's personality, and the penguin hat is revealed in episode 23 to be.
 * Animation Bump: Episode 9. Episode 10 is horrendously Off-Model, presumably to compensate.
 * Also episode 21.
 * Arc Number: 95, as seen in both the logo and OP sequence. It refers to the.
 * Arc Symbol: The penguin head logo, which in-universe is the logo for a corporation called Pingroup, which judging by his jacket, Mr. Takakura worked for. It also seems to be associated with the penguins' faction and appears on and on the
 * Three distinct variations of the penguin symbol have been revealed so far, standing for Penguin Force, Pingroup and Kiga Group.
 * Arc Words: "Survival Strategy" and the "Destination of Fate".
 * The words "never amount to anything" are also used abundantly. Comically when the Princess of the Crystal mocks those she summons, dramatically everywhere else.
 * The final few episodes seem to make "Let's share the fruit of fate" into these.
 * Art Shift: During Ringo's Imagine Spots with Tabuki, the characters are drawn like paper cut outs and in a much more 70s Shoujo style.
 * Attempted Rape:
 * And in episode 11,
 * In episode 14.
 * Babies Ever After: The point of, since
 * Back from the Dead
 * Badass Grandpa: Masako's grandfather was a Boisterous Bruiser Large Ham corporate CEO obsessed with manliness and power. His misguided attempts at getting frail Mario follow in his footsteps made him a decidedly abusive individual.
 * Bed Trick:
 * Big Eater: #2 is quite the glutton.
 * Black Comedy: You know how the series likes to turn comedic situations into dramatic ones? Well...
 * Bittersweet Ending:
 * Bland-Name Product: Kanba's computer has pTunes and puick Time. Practically everything seems to be made by companies with penguin-based names.
 * Book Ends: At the start of the first episode, two random kids walk by the Takakura house while discussing Miyazawa's Night on the Galactic Railroad. The series ends with
 * Borrowed Catchphrase: When he appears to the Takakura brothers in the hospital, Sanetoshi uses the Princess of the Crystal's "Shall we initiate the Survival Strategy?" However, the.
 * Another is "Let's share the fruit of fate." Despite it being only stated in the finale,
 * Butt Monkey: #2 gets into some of the most painful and humiliating situations of all the penguins, either through no fault of his own or sheer derp.
 * Shouma, very much so.
 * Brother-Sister Incest: This is heavily implied and ship teased, especially with Kanba kissing a sleeping Himari at the end of the first episode. As of episode 12,, then in episode 19 it is.
 * In episodes 20 to 22, it is revealed that.
 * Camp: Turns into this a few times, Ala Utena and Star Driver.
 * : After episode 21,  There's a sort of subversion, too, as when this trope sets in,
 * Cassandra Truth: Shouma tries to tell Himari's doctor and later Ringo about the powers of the penguin hat, with no success.
 * Casting Couch: What Ringo suspects about Yuri in her jealousy-fueled Imagine Spot in ep. 7.
 * Chekhov's Gunman: If the end credits are anything to go by, the pink- and blue-haired cartoon girls who have been appearing in commercials and on merchandise will make an entrance as actual characters and members of the same faction as Himari's possessor.
 * The Chikan: Yukina (Ringo's ganguro best friend) mistakes Shoma for one in episode 2.
 * 1 is prone to squeeze into skirts and has mastered the Floor-Level Mirror Technique.
 * Cerebus Syndrome
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Ringo has things going on in her head that don't quite match the flow of normal people's perceptions. And she's the most sane character.
 * Color Failure: Kanba briefly suffers this in episode 10 after realizing that he unintentionally insulted Himari by saying that he doesn't like homemade sweaters... while she's knitting him a scarf.
 * Conspicuous CG
 * CPR: Clean, Pretty, Reliable
 * Credits Jukebox: 10 ending themes for 26 episodes.
 * Curtains Match the Window: The Oginome sisters.
 * Ringo (Hazel)
 * Momoka (Magenta).
 * Defictionalization: At least one version of Momoka's curry now exists in real life.
 * Deliberately Monochrome: Episode 21 is occasionally desaturated to reflect the characters' moods. Also, in episode 24 is similarly desaturated.
 * Deranged Animation: Initiated when Himari shouts "Survival strategy!"
 * Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Episode 5.
 * Dissonant Serenity: The activation of the Child Broiler,, and the in the same scene are announced with generic cheerfulness by a factory floor foreman.
 * Distress Ball: Caught by  in episode 10, then by   in episodes 14/15, and last by   in episodes 18 and 19. (With   also included in the first one).
 * Disney Death: Himari, halfway through the first episode.
 * Do-It-Yourself Theme Tune: Episode 10 features a cover of the ending theme by Yui Horie (Masako).
 * The ending themes from the second half of the series are songs from the band ARB done by Triple H.
 * Double Standard Abuse (Female on Male): Ringo beats up Shoma a few times, though as Character Development kicks in she stops doing it.
 * Dress Hits Floor: at the beginning of episode 8.
 * Dying Declaration of Love: In the final episode,
 * Dysfunction Junction: Everybody has issues.
 * Everything's Better with Penguins:
 * Note that the Princess of the Crystal has two bear-shaped mecha; One white and one black.
 * Apparently Ikuhara couldn't think of any way to quantify his vision of the series to the staff at first besides saying, "Well, it has penguins in it!"
 * Expy: The red and blue-haired girls look like Tsubomi Hanasaki and Erika Kurumi untransformed.
 * When Himari has her hair up in Odangos, it makes her look like Doremi Harukaze.
 * Himari, Hibari and Hikari resembled Hazuki, Aiko and Doremi when they were younger.
 * There are several Utena ones ...
 * Sanetoshi Watase is a dead-ringer for Mikage Souji. Alternatively, he can be seen as a mix of Mikage and Akio Ohtori.
 * Masako Natsume's hair and face make her look a lot like Juri Arisugawa.
 * Motivation-wise, Masako turns out to be one of Nanami Kiryuu
 * In the creepiest way possible,  seems to be an expy of
 * The subway cartoon versions of Double-H look unquestionably like Utena Tenjou and Anthy Himemiya.
 * Renjaku has several things in common with Anthy, including Scary Shiny Glasses, her way of standing, purple hair that's actually a lot longer than it initially looks, and being.
 * Extreme Omnivore: The penguins eat plenty of things that penguins usually do not. Case in point, 3 eats a wig in episode 2.
 * 2 attempts to eat 3 in episode 4.
 * The Faceless: Shoma's friend Yamashita (only the back of his head is shown), Masako's grandfather (at least half of his face is usually blocked by a paper tag), Momoka (until episode 15), Yuri's father, Tabuki's mother (she's only shown as a painting with too little detail to make out her face), and the "tabloid journalist" (his head is never in frame).
 * Faceless Masses: They're big, unmoving, bathroom sign-style figures.
 * Fairy Tale Motifs
 * Pretty much any fairy tale involving apples has popped up in some form or another.
 * The Destiny Diary has an Urashima Taro design motif.
 * The tribulations of the Takakura siblings apparently fit the storyline of an in-universe fairy tale.
 * Five Stages of Grief: Upon learning of Himari's condition in the first episode, Kanba goes through the first four stages in about a minute.
 * Final Speech: In episode 22.
 * Food Porn: A deliberate decision by the staff was to make all the food look delicious.
 * Forehead of Doom: Himari. In the final episode,
 * Foreshadowing: At this point, it seems that the PSA's on the trains serve this role for the story.
 * In episode two, PSAs warning riders not to grope others play on the train right before Ringo's ganguro friend thinks that Shoma was doing just that.
 * In episode four, the PSA warns riders that falling asleep may lead to possessions getting stolen. Later in the episode,.
 * And onto episode five, where the PSA mentions to "borrow responsibly."
 * As the series becomes more and more of a Mind Screw, the PSA warn riders become more and more aggressive. In episode 15, i.e, the girls are seen ganging up on an innocent white figure, tying him up from the "ceiling", using him as a swing, making a bonfire underneath him., and whipping him.
 * In episode 9 it's revealed that the labels on the bins the penguins were hiding in in episode 1 are marked 'Recyclable' (1) 'Flammable' (2) and 'Non-Flammable' (3).
 * In episode 12's flashback, Kenzan calls Chiemi at the hospital and hears that, even though Shouma said.
 * In episode 9's flashback, Chiemi shields Himari from a falling mirror and her face is permanently scarred in the process.
 * Freeze-Frame Bonus/Bilingual Bonus: The newspaper Masako's grandpa is reading in episode 16 contains an English language article about making paper from pachyderm excrement. The opening paragraph mentions a brand of colorful notebooks with animals on the cover as being manufactured with this process, which could mean that Ringo's diary is really elephant dung.
 * Full-Frontal Assault: In episode 15,
 * Funny Background Event: This show is absolutely made of this trope. The three penguins are responsible for it.
 * Shoo Out the Clowns: The penguins don't disappear out of the story as it becomes darker, but they're notoriously less seen and interact less with their humans.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: A little-known gesture of implied rape in Japanese culture involves the Shogun grabbing the waistband of his consort and ripping it off so hard that she spins several circles and falls on the bed with her clothes splayed open. #1 does this to #3 in episode 12, while they're both dressed as a shogun and his lover—and then #3 retaliates by tying #1 up in shibari (Japanese bondage). Made even funnier by Himari making some very... ahem, special comments as she cooks cabbages in the background.
 * Girls Love Stuffed Animals: Himari certainly does.
 * Gory Discretion Shot: In episode 21, when
 * Gratuitous English: Ringo's "Destiny" stamp. As she uses it, she also says "Destiny" aloud.
 * Tons of it in Episode 16 during a flashback sequence, as well. To Memetic Mutation levels.
 * He Knows Too Much: What happens to  in episode 21. Courtesy of
 * In that same episode,  get a similar treatment when   Right after that,   Then, it turns out it was just   Probably.
 * Hidden Depths: Kanba is apparently an expert lockpick, as can be seen in ep. 3. Where and how he acquired this rather peculiar skill isn't mentioned.
 * has some of this going on as well, specially in episodes 6 and 12.
 * Hollywood Science: Specifically Artistic License: Biology: Skunks don't work that way.
 * Honest Axe: Or rather, an Honest Erotic Novel in episode 17's stinger.
 * Hope Spot:
 * How Do You Like Them Apples?:
 * Apples show up in both credits sequences; casual analysis would imply a "Snow White" allusion.
 * The apples in Penguindrum give the show a very strong connection to Kenji Miyazawa's Night on the Galactic Railroad.
 * Ringo's name also translates to "apple".
 * Sanetoshi appears in episode 12 carrying an apple emblazoned with an icon resembling one of his medicine ampules.
 * In episode 9 we see a flashback of  sharing an apple. In episode 19 we see it again:
 * It is revealed in the finale that the apple is a metaphor for.
 * Humongous Mecha: They're bear-shaped and called Teddydrums.
 * Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Episodes are called Stations.
 * I Like My X Like I Like My Y: Something of a Catch Phrase for Masako's grandfather. All of them involve women, and some of them are rather disturbing.
 * Ill Girl: Himari.
 * Imagine Spot: Ringo has one before knocking on Tabuki's door in episode 3. She has another one while on the train in episode 4. And from then on...
 * Invisible to Normals: The mysterious penguins that the siblings receive.
 * It Got Worse
 * It Only Works Once: from Episode 1, as revealed by the Princess of the Crystal in Episode 12.
 * To be more accurate, it . As revealed by episode 20, . This is why.
 * It Was with You All Along: Final episode spoilers:.
 * Jerkass Gods: The goddess in Shoma's fairy tale only revived the Himari!sheep so that the characters' suffering can continue.
 * Jukebox Musical: With the exceptions of the openings and the first ending, all the songs in the show have been songs by Japanese rock band ARB, covered by Triple H.
 * Library of Babel
 * Lovable Sex Maniac: #1 has a... more extreme version of his owner's love of the ladies.
 * Love Dodecahedron: Ringo is trying to  by coming on   Tabuki, who is married to the very shady   Yuri, who  . And then Ringo starts to fall in love with Shouma whose  . The incestuous Love Triangle between Kanba, Himari, and   looks like an episode of Leave It to Beaver by comparison.
 * Love Potion: Ringo attempts one on Tabuki in episode 11;.
 * Luminescent Blush: Kanba's whole face turns bright red in episode 10, after telling Himari (in a rather extravagant manner) that any man would be lucky to get a knitted gift from her.
 * MacGuffin: The Penguindrum that the siblings have been sent out to find.
 * Another one would be Ringo's diary, currently being sought after by the Takakura siblings, Masako Natsume, and . By episode 15, it's revealed that.
 * Meaningful Echo: The opening narration in the first episode is narrated once more by Sanetoshi in Episode 12, and again by Shouma in Episode 13.
 * Meaningful Name: Sanetoshi Watase's first name means (if the kanji are anything to go by, Sane = truth/reality (present in the buddhist word "shingon" for "mantra", "words of truth"), toshi = clever/shrewd/crafty/cunning/guile...) something like Cunning Truth-teller. Kind of appropriate, one would say.
 * Ringo's name means "apple." It derives from the Chinese "ping guo" which just happens to sound a bit like "penguin"—and the series generally uses "pingu" for "penguin" instead of the orthodox "pengin".
 * Mind Screw:
 * Slowly but surely showing up in the second half of the series. At times, Sanetoshi seems to be offering apples—but then they're medicine ampules in other shots. A similar phenomenon occurs with Sanetoshi's Creepy Twins tagalongs and a pair of black rabbits.
 * Similarly, in episode 15, Momoka and Yuri meet on a grassy hill to discuss how . In the next shot, they're sitting in chairs on concrete or asphalt painted with subway maps.
 * Anything related to the
 * The final episode, which is back to endgame-Utena levels of symbolism.
 * Ms. Fanservice: In a series that is otherwise pretty much devoid of sex-based fanservice, it seems Himari's possessor and the two mascot girls are this, particularly in the ED.
 * Mood Dissonance: Where do we start...?
 * Mood Whiplash: This show is very fond of turning comedic situations on their heads.
 * More Hero Than Thou: The final episode is the equivalent of a ten-car pileup. Whoof.
 * Musical Episode: Episode 4, sort of. It involves Ringo's Shojo-tastic daydreams and three songs.
 * Nice Hat: Himari has one. It seems to facilitate possession by whatever entity is offering to extend her life.
 * No Name Given: Sanetoshi's Creepy Twins haven't been named in the show yet. The credits call them Shirase and Souya.
 * Not Blood Siblings: In episode 19 we learn that
 * As a corollary... in episode 21
 * Odango Hair: Himari's hairstyle in episodes 3, 8 and 11.
 * Offscreen Teleportation: The hat usually gets on Himari's head this way.
 * Off-Model:
 * Episode 10 has some very... bizarre-looking faces.
 * Episode 19 gives us Himari and Masako's horribly huge heads, disrupting the drama of their meeting.
 * "On the Next Episode of..." Catchphrase: "Shall we initiate the Survival Strategy?" Different phrases are not uncommon, but "Survival Strategy" always comes up.
 * Overly Long Gag: Anytime the Princess of the Crystal does her "Survival Strategy" intro.
 * Parental Abandonment: Mr. and Mrs. Takakura are missing. The siblings' uncle saying he doesn't think they'll come back would imply that they're alive. By episode 12, it is revealed that, and episode 21 reveals that.
 * Prior to this, though, Kenzan and Chiemi were Good Parents. Episode 5 has a flashback in which Papa Wolf Kenzan takes a very ill tiny!Himari (alongside little Kanba) to the nearest hospital in the middle of a typhoon since there are no ambulances avaliable. And Kenzan does it by foot, carrying little!Himari on his back and with little!Kanba next to him, and he also shields tiny!Kanba from a falling lamp. And in episode 9, Chiemi suffers serious cuts on her face and arms to shield little!Himari from a falling mirror, and must be hospitalized due to her injuries.
 * Parents as People: Ringo's parents are separated. We only see Eriko Oginome keeping Ringo company at home, and episode 5 has Ringo "going out on a date with Daddy" during which Satoshi mentions visitation.
 * Perpetual Poverty: The Takakura house is very run-down, and there's the possibility that the siblings will be separated and taken in by others. Their concerned uncle is trying to get them to sell their old house so they can live a little more comfortably in a smaller place, but Kanba will have nothing of it.
 * Pink Girl, Blue Boy: Ringo buys herself a pink toothbrush and Tabuki a blue one.
 * Prophecy Twist: Happens over and over again with Ringo's diary, but as long as everything technically works out she isn't too bothered.
 * Put on a Bus: Sanetoshi's debut in the real world as a doctor at Himari's hospital conveniently coincides with her normal physician, Dr. Washizuka, suddenly taking off for Germany.
 * : The extreme lengths to which Ringo will go to accomplish Project M.
 * And in episode 11
 * Happens again in episode 14, with
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: Appropriately enough, Kanba is the red and Shoma is the blue.
 * Red String of Fate: Appears in both ending credits sequences.
 * In episode 10, Masako makes Kanba wear an unfinished sweater that's trailing a long piece of red yarn. This might symbolize the state of their relationship, but then again 1 ends up entangled with the loose end, so maybe it's hinting at a potential romantic angle there, eh eh.
 * In episode 18,
 * Rescue Romance: Ringo invokes it when she decides to pretend she's drowning so Tabuki will save her.  Later played rather straighter between, in an incident involving a speeding car, an inconveniently-timed Heroic BSOD, and a Diving Save.
 * Also, if you ship, their scenes in   count as this.
 * Ret-Gone: Appears to be one of the effects of 's powers.
 * Also, what happens in the
 * This is what happens to in the end.
 * The Reveal: In episode 6, we find out that Ringo's diary and that Ringo's motivation behind fulfilling the diary entries is to
 * Ringo's convoluted plan to get Tabuki-sensei for herself, Project M. The "M" stands for
 * And then there's the fact that the woman with the  bullets, Masako Natsume, is also working on some kind of Project M...
 * Every single episode from ep. 9 on has had some kind of revelation.
 * Rules of Orphan Economics: Kanba actively encourages his siblings to take the type 1 approach and not worry about it,
 * Running Gag: Penguin 2's hate of insects, which it always exterminates on the spot with a handy insecticide bottle. Which it apparently keeps in a Hammerspace.
 * Possessed Himari always has Shouma drop through the floor for talking back to her.
 * Shouma never, ever manages to save Himari or Ringo from trouble, typically either coming in too late, or falling over at a crucial moment.
 * Scenery Censor: In episode 15, when, his head blocks the audience form the sight of   and
 * Scenery Porn: Nearly every daytime scene is filled with detailed and lushly-colored backdrops.
 * Not to mention all the fantasy sequences...
 * Sexy Walk: Possessed Himari has this coupled with She's Got Legs and Sexy Backless Outfit.
 * She Is Not My Girlfriend: Shouma tells this to Ringo's mother, and Ringo returns the favor to Tabuki and Yuri.
 * refers to Ringo as Shoma's girlfriend in episode 10, and he denies it again.
 * And  asks Ringo again if Shoma is her boyfriend in episode 11, which she also denies.
 * Ship Tease: Now has its own page.
 * Shirtless Scene: Shoma provides this in episodes 4 and 7.
 * Shout-Out: So many that they needed their own page.
 * Sick Episode: Episode 6 starts with Ringo catching a fever...
 * Sins of Our Fathers: Most of the Takakura siblings trouble is due to this.
 * Slapstick Knows No Gender: The extended sequence in episode 3 that ends with Ringo covered in curry counts.
 * Slipping a Mickey: Several times.
 * In episode 8, are both subjected to this via.
 * And then in episode 10,.
 * And then in episode 14 has it done to her by, who spiked her drink so.
 * Social Services Does Not Exist: Three teenagers living in a rundown shack after  and the only adult who shows any interest in their situation is an uncle who stops asking questions after Kanba comes up with enough money to cover the mortgage. (Though considering it's Kanba, the uncle likely knew that it simply wouldn't work—Kanba is that stubborn.)
 * Soundtrack Dissonance: Quite a few episodes have this, but episode 23 is by far the worst offender.
 * Spoiler Opening: It's taken over halfway into the series for anything to be revealed as a spoiler, but things alluded to in the openings (the endings are way too spoileriffic to bother listing items) include:
 * Ringo's flame motif: In episodes 23 and 24,.
 * Tabuki's bird and elevator grate:.
 * Sanetoshi and medicine ampules:.
 * The black penguin:.
 * Glass shards:.
 * During an out-of-reality moment in episode 24, both walk through a myriad of these suspended in midair to reach, letting the shards cut them in the process to represent the "punishment" the two are both willing and destined to go through because of 's actions.
 * Penguin-shaped "rose petals":.
 * The factory fan:.
 * The siblings running:
 * Masako's Asskicking Pose in the first OP:
 * Even the lyrics can be considered spoilers at least in hindsight). The second OP gives us
 * What's more, Himari actually does say
 * The Stinger: They're always of the penguins doing something while a Cryptic Conversation regarding the next episode plays over.
 * And in episode 21,
 * In episode 22,
 * Stock Footage: Starts up once possessed!Himari shouts her "Survival strategy!".
 * Stripperific: Possessed!Himari loses items of her clothing as she Sexy Walks down the steps in her illusion world. In the first episode, she actually ends up completely naked at the bottom of it, and later she strips at least twice again.
 * Strong Family Resemblance: The Takakura siblings resemble their parents quite a bit, particularly Himari to their mother Chiemi and Kanba to their father Kenzan.
 * Talking to Herself: Finally happens in Episode 22 when.
 * Technicolor Eyes: When Himari is possessed, she has magenta eyes and pinkish sclerae.  Sanetoshi   has magenta eyes, but white sclerae.
 * Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: #3 has a pink bow and long eyelashes, but is otherwise identical to the other two penguins.
 * Theme Naming: "Triple H" stands for the first names of its three members. Then there's Ringo (apple) and Momoka (peach blossom). Strangely there doesn't seem to be a theme to the twins, Shouma and Kanba.
 * There Are Two Kinds of People in the World:  thought there were only winners and losers in this world. This seems to be a recurring theme in character flashbacks:   Compare with
 * There Are No Therapists: There's a girl who breaks into the crawlspace under a man's house every night while plotting to rape him in his sleep, because her dead sister's diary told her to. She's the most sane character in the series.
 * Through His Stomach: Ringo reads a magazine at a bookshop that suggests this in episode two. She goes on to try it in episode three, musing as she prepares it that curry must've been the first cooked meal and served this purpose to boot.
 * In episode 11, Shouma is seen cooking stuffed cabbage and his sister Himari notices it's a dish he only cooks when he intends to ask someone for forgiveness. She then speculates that he's had a fight with Ringo and says "I hope Ringo-chan likes cabbage!".
 * Invoked again in episode 17, since Shouma and Kanba's takoyaki is so good that not even  can resist their taste.
 * Through the Eyes of Madness:
 * The Three Faces of Eve: Ringo Oginome (Child), Himari Takakura (Mother/Child), either Yuri Tokikago or  (Seductress).
 * And in the past,  was a mix of Mother and Child too.   may count as a mix of Seductress and Mother.
 * Tokyo Tower: Very plot-relevant in this series.
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: Ringo (though she's not that tomboyish) and Himari.
 * Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: Himari and either the Princess or.
 * Touched by Vorlons: Himari, possibly also coinciding with Demonic Possession.
 * Transformation Sequence: One that's more than one minute long. Accompanied by a bubbly Jpop version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jUgDe9lSvo of a stadium rock anthem http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsa1ZyrFGj0
 * Trolling Creator: It's Kunihiko Ikuhara, is it not?
 * Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: Himari and either the Princess or.
 * Touched by Vorlons: Himari, possibly also coinciding with Demonic Possession.
 * Transformation Sequence: One that's more than one minute long. Accompanied by a bubbly Jpop version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jUgDe9lSvo of a stadium rock anthem http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsa1ZyrFGj0
 * Trolling Creator: It's Kunihiko Ikuhara, is it not?


 * Tron Lines: The Princess's illusion starts with subway station gates made out of orange and blue lines. The Kiga Group's base is also decorated with a grid of green Tron Lines.
 * Visual Pun: In the third episode, after seeing Yuri at Tabuki's place, Ringo flips out when a cat carrying a fish in its mouth walks in front of her. She then imagines Yuri holding a fish with Tabuki's face on it in her mouth. This is because in Japanese the phrase "dorobou neko" ("thieving cat") refers to a woman who steals someone else's man, roughly analogous to the English term "homewrecker".
 * Wham! Episode: Episode 11.  Holy shit.
 * Episode 12. Hooo leee sheeeeet.
 * Episode 19. Ikuhara's trolling knows no limits.
 * Episode 21. All of it. This is a heavy episode.
 * What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?: The whole sequence where possessed!Himari briefs the brothers on their mission.
 * Widget Series: Oh dear Lord, yes.
 * The Wiki Rule: Mawaru Penguindrum Wiki, although it's still at its infancy.
 * World of Symbolism: Unsurprising considering the director. It's uncertain if some things, particularly the Child Broiler, are actual phenomena or are simply some kind of strange representation of something else. The Child Broiler has evidence for being a real place, but at the same time it's such a bizarre concept that it's difficult to suspend such disbelief.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko: Shoma counts. He's a Supreme Chef and does most of the household chores. In fact, one episode has Kanba and Himari calling him the perfect Housewife.
 * Himari, to a lesser explict degree. She takes after her mom Chiemi.
 * Yandere: Ringo has shades of this after meeting Tabuki's girlfriend. Played for Laughs almost completely,
 * also seems to be this... for Kanba. It's specially shown via  and later   Though she seems to be less... unstable and more calculating than the standard Yandere,
 * Tabuki's girlfriend/fiancée Yuri also veers towards this by episode 14,
 * You Are Number Six: For the sake of convenience, Kanba labels the penguins with a permanent marker. 1. is his, 2. is Shouma's, and 3. is Himari's.
 * You Can't Fight Fate/Screw Destiny: The show is heavily associated with fate, though which theme it will take in the end is still up in the air. The theme is emphasized further with an in-universe fairy tale with characters that all the main characters correspond to. Will it be derailed, or will it stick to the storyline?
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair
 * Zettai Ryouiki: Possessed!Himari's outfit has very, very high black boots.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair
 * Zettai Ryouiki: Possessed!Himari's outfit has very, very high black boots.