Destiny is a complicated subject. For some, it’s comforting to know that their fate is predetermined. For others, having everything planned out for them is suffocating. The manga adaption of PENGUINDRUM explores the ambivalent nature of fate and destiny – with a whole lot of penguin imagery added in.
But first, let’s start back at the beginning. PENGUINDRUM, written and directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara, was originally released as an anime in 2011. Although I’m a big Ikuhara fan, I have never seen all of the Penguindrum anime, only bits and pieces, so I really wanted to check out the manga.
Like most of his work, the manga, which is written by Ikuhara (pen name: ikunichawder) and illustrated by Isuzu Shibata, is…odd to say the least. I was expecting tons of weirdness and surrealism, and that’s exactly what I got.
The story concentrates on Himari, a sickly girl with two brothers named Kanba and Shoma. Kanba is a lady’s man whereas Shoma is more reserved, but both of them have one thing in common: they’re very protective of their sister. And with good reason: Himari is terminally ill. At the beginning of the manga, Himari collapses during a family trip to the aquarium, is rushed to the hospital, and supposedly dies. This is where things start to get strange. Unbeknownst to her, Himari is resurrected by a strange being who takes over her body.
The entity lives inside a penguin hat that Himari bought at the aquarium. It comes and goes as it pleases; Himari could be fine one moment, and then become possessed the next. The penguin hat lady tells Kanba and Shoma – who are aware of the situation – that in order for Himari to continue living, they need to find something called “the penguindrum.” Desperate to keep their precious sister alive, the two of them comply.
As per the hat lady’s instructions, Kanba and Shoma start following a girl named Ringo who they suspect has the penguindrum. The problem is that they have no idea what the penguindrum actually is and the hat lady refuses to give them any details. Furthermore, it turns out that Ringo has some questionable hobbies, but I don’t want to spoil too much. The rest of volume 1 consists of Kanba, Shoma, and Himari (who still has no idea what’s going on) becoming closer friends with Ringo.
I love Ikuhara’s work. The penguin motifs, existential themes, symbols hidden among symbols and more symbols. Almost everything has a double meaning that needs to be dissected and unraveled. His writing also brings up universal questions that make you think about life, humanity, and other in-depth topics.
However, this can also be an issue. Ikuhara plants many threads throughout his stories, but they usually do not all connect until the end. Reading only one part, or in this case one volume, of the series left me with a lot of unanswered questions. It’s normal to be confused during an Ikuhara series…but to make matters worse, the manga’s plot moves quickly and some of the transitions are very abrupt or unclear, making it even harder to understand what’s going on.
I have one other complaint: Ringo. When the story began focusing mainly on her, I became less interested. She is selfish, impulsive, and just infuriating in general. I’d rather learn more about the sibling’s history or the hat lady.
Overall, I still like what’s going on; I love trying to solve the mystery. It’s just that right now it’s hard to form a solid opinion of the manga. I need to see how all of the puzzle pieces fit together. I’m sure I’ll love it in the end. At the moment, though, all I can do is scratch my head, resist reading explanation articles, and wait for the next volume to come out.