Mawaru Penguindrum/YMMV


 * Alternate Character Interpretation: Plenty, specially in regards to the following characters:
 * Shouma: Normal Bishonen nice guy who is trying to save his possibly doomed sister and help another girl at the same time, ? If it's the latter, why? Has he been that way since the beginning and just needs an excuse, or is it out of sheer force of trauma and guilt  ?
 * Kanba: Just how far will he go for Himari's sake? And is he in love either with Himari or with the Princess, ?
 * Himari: Is she truly that oblivious to what happens around her, or does she know more than she lets on (and may be in denial due to her grief)? Also, when she gets possessed by the Princess, how much of her conscience is left: does the "real Himari" fully retreat, or can she influence the Princess's thoughts and behavior (and/or viceversa)?
 * Tabuki: Is he really that much of a Cloudcuckoolander? And it he's not, then just how much is he aware of, and what secrets he keeps in his own mind?
 * Yuri: A simple Bitch in Sheep's Clothing? Someone trying to deal with the craziness around her and not really finding a way to do it? Does she have influence in what Tabuki says, thinks, etc.?
 * Masako: Like Kanba, how far will she go for ? And what did   exactly do to her, anyway?
 * Sanetoshi: What are his true plans, and what risks will he be willing to take to  again?
 * Base Breaker: Depending on where you go, you either think that Ringo is an adorable and funny Plucky Girl who knows what she wants and will do her best to get her "Destiny" fulfilled and deserves a lot of sympathy for her genuinely sad backstory, or that she's a stupid, delusional, psychotic, stalker who's also  who totally deserved to have   insulting her all over as well as being locked up in a ward.
 * Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: Specially after episode 14. The scene in which  was met in several circles with utter anger for poor Ringo's sake.
 * Of course not all fans are broken up about it.  Some feel more sorry for Shouma as a result.
 * And others have taken a third option via feeling bad for both of them, since it's not exactly an easy situation for either kid. Then again, it's noticeable that ever since episode 6 explained her backstory, the sympathy for Ringo has steadily increased, reaching its peak in episode 14; people who professed their hate for her at first have been spotted rooting for her now.
 * While Shouma still has many fans, he has also had detractors referring to him as "weak" and "useless" and "inferior to Kanba". Then episode 19 rolls around and shows that  Cue the RAGE of many Kanba fans on /a/.
 * Cerebus Retcon: There's strong evidence in the final episode that
 * Complete Monster:, as revealed in Episode 15. He carves her body with a chisel to make her "look beautiful" and be worthy of his love, while repeatedly telling her that she's ugly and he can't love ugly things. And this is not counting all of the hints that
 * Ear Worm: Both the opening, "Nornir", and the ending, "Dear Future".
 * WELCOME TO ROCK'N ROLL NIGHT!
 * Every song by Triple H (the seiyuus for Himari, Hikari and Hibari) is this. Some, like "Gray Wednesday" and the aforementioned "ROCK OVER JAPAN", go straight into Crowning Music of Awesome.
 * Ensemble Darkhorse: Ever since his first appearance, Sanetoshi has had an enormous amount of fanart despite his relative lack of screentime.
 * Esoteric Happy Ending:
 * Fan Disservice: Ringo is a very cute girl, indeed, but seeing her in a black negligee when  in episode 8 is all but ACK. It's not much better in episode 11, when a Ringo in a very cute dress  ...
 * Episode 14 takes the cake. Two cute young women bonding and spending a whole day together in an onsen? Oh yes, please.  ? While we have LOTS of Male Gaze directed at  's nude body as  ? Whaaaaaaat?!
 * Episode 15 has a quite bit of it, what with all the nudity of a young girl like  who is about to be
 * The ending card for episode 17 features a very handsome-looking, with his shirt open and  . The bad thing? He's actually   Aaaaawkward.
 * In episode 23,  goes towards   and hugs him rather tightly. Looks like Ho Yay unleaded, huh? Not when this happens after   and when
 * Freud Was Right: During the Seizon Senryaku sequence, something long and pink shoots from the base of the Princess of the Crystal's bear into Shouma and Kanba's.
 * The  owned by   are other examples. The less said, the better
 * Funny Aneurysm Moment: The ED becomes a lot harder to watch after
 * Also, seeing  in the first OP is harsher when
 * When the Princess of the Crystal refers to Shouma and Kanba as "lowlifes that never will accomplish to anything", it's really freaking funny. When, it's really freaking sad.
 * Seeing Kanba blush when he's being  is cute, but when you find out   it's just heartbreaking.
 * Hell Is That Noise:
 * After episode 15, any  may make you want to curl up in a ball and die. Poor, poor.
 * On the musical side of things, the eight-note theme that plays whenever things are about to get creepy is remarkably effective at getting a Pavlovian fear response out of viewers.
 * Hilarious in Hindsight: The whole Brother-Sister Incest between Himari and Kanba becomes totally hilarious by episode 21. Why?  Meaning,
 * Internet Backdraft: Go to /a/. Hop into a MP thread. Mention the "Is Shouma a potential Yangire?" theory. Watch the thread dissolve in a Flame War between those who support it and those who don't.
 * When you bring up a certain scene in episode 14, be careful. If someone leans in favor of either  or   in there, a Flame War will likely erupt there.
 * Episode 18 (more specifically, how  and  ) shall not be mentioned on /a/ unless you DO want a flamewar.
 * Episode 19 may become a new point of contention, what with the somewhat always present animosity between Shouma fans and Kanba fans being take Up to Eleven.
 * Magnificent Bastard: As of episode 11,  is heading towards this.
 * Another candidate is  Specially after episode 13.
 * For some,  may have had some inklings of this as well.
 * Memetic Badass: Kanba is already Badass enough in-story, but his 4chan fans take his badassery even further. Because this guy will punch gods and goddesses and kick whatever/whoever is on his way FOR HIMARI'S SAKE!
 * Memetic Molester - Memetic Sex God: Sanetoshi flips flops between these two tropes. On one hand it's rather creepy to see him looming close to a 13-year-old girl like Himari in rather suspicious attitudes (and getting Kanba NTR'd); on the other the guy is simply gorgeous, very smooth and smart, and has a rather nice voice.
 * Memetic Mutation:
 * "SURVIVAL STRATEGY!"
 * "VIVA MUFFLER!"
 * "FABULOUS MAX!"
 * Lol wut? u mad?
 * is getting NTR'd!
 * Which has been upgraded into "EVERYONE is getting NTR'd", due to the huge Love Dodecahedron.
 * "Himari no tame ni!"
 * HEY MR. PRESIDENT, WATCH OUT!
 * Pulleys!
 * Shibireru darou? :D
 * Dayo ne~?
 * Being a Takakura is suffering
 * will never be relevant. :(
 * IIIIIKUUUUUHAAAAAARAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
 * Mind Game Ship: Sanetoshi with anyone. Examples are Himari,  and specially
 * Moral Event Horizon:  had done plenty of shit before episode 23, but he seriously crossed the MEH not just by , but by  , the
 * Some people believe that  also crossed the line by   and by
 * Narm: Now with its own page!
 * Narm Charm: The fight between  in Episode 15 is so ridiculously over-the-top (it involves   swinging ping-pong paddles to swat  's slingshot balls, for crying out loud!) that it warps back to ridiculously awesome.
 * Also the buttloads of Engrish in episode 16.
 * The whole scene where Ringo remembers her parents is reenacted via stuffed animals. It's ridiculous, but considering she was a young child at the time it actually works and conveys how traumatic it was for her.
 * By the same token, most of Ringo's Imagine Spots are so over the top ridiculous that you can't help but laugh, but they also managed to convey just how screwed up the girl is.
 * When  in episode 22, we see   It would've made the whole scene hilarious in normal circumstances... but come on,   How can that not be really touching?
 * Nightmare Fuel: Now with its own page!
 * Pacing Problems: While it did flesh out her character, as well as introduce other characters crucial to the story, one may wonder if it was really necessary to spend seven consecutive episodes on Ringo and her arc.
 * Ship-to-Ship Combat: As of EP 19, there has been serious ship wars between Kanba/Himari, Shouma/Ringo and.
 * Die for Our Ship:  is starting to take the worst part, mixed with
 * Strangled by the Red String: Some complains have been raised in regards to the relative lack of development between 's bond, specially when compared with how   got almost whole episode to explain their friendship while  's own took less than 1/3 of another.
 * However, this seems for the moment justified -- says he doesn't understand 's actions either, and he is an Unreliable Narrator as well.
 * What Measure Is a Non-Badass?: Shouma gets potshots (ranging from mere affectionate jokes to straight-up bashing) for not being as action-geared as Kanba. Even more so after episode 19.
 * The Woobie: Ringo, once her Freudian Excuse is revealed.
 * And after episode 9,  Then episodes 19 and 20 kick in and turns this Up to Eleven.
 * Jerkass Woobie: For some, episode 15 makes  this.   is crazy and all, but one cannot deny that
 * Also,  after episode 18.
 * Woolseyism: Discussed by the (fan) translator himself here. In particular, the "Lol wut? U mad?" line is a translation of some outdated slang that Sanetoshi uses. Since Sanetoshi is also quite a troll, it also makes sense for him to use it. Most prominent in the opening and closing songs:
 * The GG subs use "Everybody went nutso!" instead of the more literal "Everyone's gone crazy."
 * "Now remember the spectacular past" vs "Now remember the time when we shone."
 * "From the other side of the binary world line," vs "From the end boundary of a world made of 0's and 1's."
 * Yoko Oh No: Three girls who were dumped by Kanba (Asami, Yui and Chizuru) form a club named "Heart-Broken Victims of Takakura Kanba Assocation". As such, Yui and Chizuru corner Kanba at some point, asking him if he has a new girlfriend or a girl has taken their places in his heart.
 * Averted in the case of the in-story famous Takarazuka actress Yuri Tokikago, who is dating Kanba and Shoma's teacher Keiju Tabuki and hasn't had problems coming from fans as far as the story shows.