After two entire episodes dedicated to Ringo’s misguided attempts at proving her love to the man of her dreams (Stalking is love!) through the magic of curry, shown through the avenue of delusions, we finally bring focus away from Ringo and back to Himari. This means, you guessed it, the return of Survival Strategy. But more importantly, what little bit directly involved Ringo in this episode showed that her idea of love is about as far removed from that of a normal person as it gets, as shown during her get together with her father.
Now, this is somewhat justified. Her father, despite taking his visitation time with her, doesn’t seem very interested in interacting with her at all. He seems to be content to attempt placating her with desserts while halfheartedly listening to her ramble about their past aquarium trip. When she sees that he replaced the cell phone strap that he got the day with her, her love for him is shown to completely wither from the stunted husk that it had degenerated into over the years. Her fascination with Tabuki, seemingly the only guy in her life who thinks that she’s worth the time to talk to, is also vindicated by her father’s callous apathy toward her.
After this, Ringo is definitely seen as somebody spurned by those who are (or were) close to her. She doesn’t view her father as somebody worth loving anymore, which makes her wistful memories of him make more sense, even if he’s still in her life. Her single-minded devotion to Tabuki also gets in the way of her realizing that there’s love closer than she thinks: The simple acceptance by Himari, who views her as family and repeats her oft said curry quote back at her to make that point. Ringo ignores this, and is only called out on it when Himari is once again possessed by the Penguin Hat.
In general, the Penguin Hat just doesn’t seem too keen on Ringo. From the get go, it decides to sic Shouma and Kanba on her because of a connection to the Penguindrum that’s been proven tenuous at best so far. To be fair, maybe it’s symbolic for something in connection with Ringo and her Fate Diary that even the Penguin Hat isn’t aware of. That would sure make sense with prior events, and with what little progress the series has made so far in discerning exactly what it is. And its verbal attack against Ringo only solidifies the fact that it views her as nothing but an opposition to it obtaining the Penguindrum. Though to be fair, when she runs up and swipes it from Himari’s head, those fears might be for a reason.
On the opposite end of the cast spectrum, it was nice to see Kanba get some character development. While he’s always been shown to be viciously protective of Himari, most likely in more than a brotherly fashion, the ordeals that he would go through for his sister, the storms that he has to weather both figuratively and physically, really show his devotion to her and the further divide in personality between him and the meek Shouma.
By the end, this demonstrated a nice contrast between somebody seeking love and somebody already having it, yet also did well in showing that the ends desired in both cases were equal, despite the different means. It’s an emotionally charged episode that painted Ringo as more pitiful than scary, even more because she can’t stand hearing so from the one who she’s unknowingly grown closest to so quickly. While Kanba was fully aware of the love that he had from his sister and those around her, Ringo has deluded herself into single-mindedness unintentionally, blinding herself to the love that those around her are willing to give. Kanba was given a larger role, but this was still Ringo’s episode, and one that better explored her problems and just how deranged she truly is. She hasn’t an idea in the slightest what constitutes true love, and she’ll either realize or pay for it in the end.
Also, yay for more penguin misdeeds.
Judging from what I saw, Penguin Hat Himari might not know what the penguindrum really is, or she may just have a vague idea of it. Also, Ringo really is growing on me. I hope we know more about the new character come next episode.
I’m just happy you made sense of that post. xD
But yeah, Ringo’s really becoming my favorite character. I mean she has a lot wrong with her, but it’s hard not to sympathize.
Yea agreed. It was nice to see Kanba actually be super proactive this episode. I think prior, he’s always been around, but has kind of taken a passive role. e.g. Always asking Shoma to be the one doing this and that while he sits around or goes out to meet his exes. In this episode, however, he chases after the hat and really saves the day.
He’s definitely the defender of the family, self appointed or no. And I disagree with him taking a passive role, since he’s the one who leads the search of Ringo’s apartment much to Shouma’s trepidation. Still, it was nice to see him spread his wings a bit and show his more brotherly side.
Kanba seems like he’s pretty much taken on the role of the father in his family by this point. He’s pretty much the breadwinner of the family (albeit through shady means), and he’s the one who’s trying to keep them all together. He seemed very close to his own father, too, and seems to have taken his lessons on protecting his family to heart. That said, I have to wonder why he just leads his siblings to think that he’s out with girls all the time when he’s doing important things like this. There must be something he’s doing that he doesn’t want Himari and Shouma to know about.
He probably doesn’t want them to worry about him, or think that he’s sticking his neck out for them. Or he has some hidden agenda that doesn’t make him so innocent. Still, he’s an interesting character.
Right now, it seemed like Shoma will be the one who’s going to show Ringo what true love is, although at the back of my head, I’m thinking that Shoma is also in love with Himari.
Just to add some perspective, as for Ringo, I think she’s a very effective mystery-bait—she’s evil but we’re constantly in-doubt of her actions. Also, she already entered to the nonsensical world of the Penguinhatter, that’s why there’s a high chance that she’ll also experience survival strategy—just like what the hatter has been doing to Kanba.
Oh, she’ll undoubtedly be pulled into things far more than she desires, and she won’t be doing it all for Himari’s sake either. I wouldn’t call her evil, since her action’s aren’t (yet) antagonistic toward a particular person or group of people, but she’s definitely in no position to have the power that she has.
Anything in particular that makes you think that Shouma’s in love with Himari? I’m just curious, since I don’t see anything yet.
He dreams about Himari on first episode, and I don’t think Kanba cares more than Shoma… But now that you mentioned that you don’t see any implication, perhaps I’m just all hyped with that incest thing. Because apparently when I watched the recent episode, I also sensed some Electra complex with Ringo–okay I know maybe that’s too much… but still.
Maybe Shouma does. He does love Himari as much as Kanba… I just think in a platonic way. It may be the case that everyone in this is incestuous for everyone else, but I doubt it past Kanba and Himari.