is a 2011 Japanese anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 series produced by Brain's Base

Brain's Base

is a Japanese animation studio.-TV series:2002*Daigunder2003*Pluster World2005*Kamichu!*Gunparade Orchestra2006*Innocent Venus2007*Kishin Taisen Gigantic Formula*Baccano!2008*Kure-nai*Natsume's Book of Friends...

. The series is directed and co-written by Kunihiko Ikuhara

Kunihiko Ikuhara

is a Japanese creative artist who has collaborated on several famous anime and manga series. He is best known for creating and directing Revolutionary Girl Utena. Recently he has created a popular series called Mawaru Penguindrum.-Life:...

 and began broadcast in Japan on July 8, 2011.

Plot

A terminally ill girl named Himari Takakura is miraculously saved from death by a strange spirit who resides in a penguin-shaped hat. However, in exchange for extending her life, the spirit tasks Himari's brothers, Kanba and Shouma, to seek out an item known as the Penguin Drum with assistance from a trio of strange penguins.

Characters

The more serious and experienced of the twins. Unlike his brother Shouma, he has a history as a playboy, dating girls only to dump them soon after. He has several angry girls that pursue him, with Masako Natsume being the most aggressive. However, he is deeply in love with Himari and will go to great lengths for her happiness. As the eldest brother, it is shown that he is responsible for maintaining his family's finances and livelihood. He takes his duty to obtain the Penguindrum and Himari's medicine very seriously, willing to resort to any method to obtain them. Kanba does not consider legality or self-preservation when it comes to saving his family. Despite claiming otherwise, Kanba remains in contact with his fugitive parents.

More innocent than his brother, he is uneasy at the thought of performing any morally ambiguous deeds. He is assigned to obtain Oginome Ringo's diary, assuming that it is the Penguindrum, and hesitates after being told to obtain it by any means necessary. As he accompanies Ringo in her stalking activities, the two of them develop a strange closeness. He tries to play the role of Ringo's conscience many times, but like his siblings, he harbors a deep guilt for the massacre caused by their parents. He feels that Ringo should despise him and pushes her away after the diary is lost. Shouma is the one that saves the abandoned Himari from the Child Broiler, choosing her as a soulmate and bringing her into the Takakura family. In the novel adaptation, Shouma is the narrator.

The brothers’ younger, ever-cheerful sister. Himari loves her brothers very much, and is constantly smiling so that they will worry less about her illness. After being discharged from the hospital, she loses consciousness and dies at a trip to the aquarium. She is revived by a penguin hat bought at the aquarium's souvenir shop. When she wears the penguin hat, her appearance and personality changes to that of the , a dominatrix, donning a skintight costume and ordering the brothers to obtain the Penguindrum in order to extend her life. When she was a child, she was part of the aspiring idol group "Triple H" with her friends Hibari and Hikari, but stopped speaking to them when she left school. She states that she is glad for their success. Himari is not related to Shouma and Kanba by blood, but became part of the Takakura family after being abandoned by her mother.

The target the brothers are ordered to watch. She was born on the same day that her sister, Momoka, died and believes that she is Momoka reincarnated. The death of her sister caused her family to fall apart, she now lives only with her often busy mother. She possesses Momoka's diary, the entries of which she follows religiously for the purpose of "destiny". It is because of these entries that she stalks Tabuki Keiju, who was very close to Momoka. She believes that by replacing her sister, she will be able to bring her family back together. Despite claiming that she and Tabuki are destined for each other, she has begun to harbor feelings for Takakura Shouma instead. She eventually says that she will be Shouma's stalker rather than Tabuki's.

The teacher that Ringo stalks. He is the science teacher of Shouma and Kanba and the advisor of a birdwatching club. He was Oginome Momoka's close friend and narrowly missed being with her at the incident that took her life. As a child, he was abandoned by his mother after she remarried and gave birth to a child that surpassed Tabuki's skill at playing the piano. He was in the Child Broiler with his pet bird, but was rescued by Momoka, who loved his music. Despite claiming otherwise, Tabuki harbors a strong grudge against the Takakura family for the incident that resulted in her death many years ago. He vanishes after attempting to take Himari's life and returning his wedding ring to Yuri.

A famous actress belonging to the Sunshiny Theatre Takarazuka troupe. She is introduced as Tabuki's girlfriend and becomes engaged to him. Although she is elegant and successful, she considers herself and her body to be ugly. As a child, she was abused mentally and physically by her father, who was a well-liked sculptor and told young Yuri that he found her to be disgusting. However, she was saved by Momoka, who loved her and used her diary to change her fate. Yuri is the only other person to know the diary's secrets and seeks to retrieve it in order to bring Momoka back into the world. She wanted to make a false family with Tabuki.

A wealthy young woman with an obsession for Kanba. Masako is the current heir to the Natsume corporation. She possesses a laser slingshot that is capable of selectively erasing memory with red projectiles shot at the forehead, blue projectiles allow memory to be restored. Like each of the Takakura siblings, she has a penguin accomplice, though she has named hers Esmeralda. Her primary goals are to possess Kanba and gain the Penguindrum in order to ensure her brother Mario's survival. She appears to be working with Sanetoshi to keep Mario alive, paralleling the Takakura family's efforts to save Himari's life. Her catchprase is "I must crush it quickly".

A cloying man that harbors an interest in Himari for reasons yet unknown. He first appears as an all-knowing librarian working at the Central Library's "Hole in the Sky" branch, assisting Himari with books filled with memories of her past. He is the one to place the penguin hat on her. When Himari dies for a second time, he appears as a doctor that demands large sums of money for the dark pink medication keeping her alive. Himari often goes to him for advice, though she is usually troubled by what she hears and is cold towards him. He claims to be from "the destination of Fate," and is accompanied by two black rabbit underlings, and . His catchphrase is "Isn't it electrifying?".

Ringo's older sister who died in a subway explosion on the day of Ringo's birth. She is the original owner of the diary. She was close friends with both Tabuki and Yuri, whose lives were both saved by her. As explained by Momoka to Yuri, the diary is allegedly one that can transfer the fate of individuals at a cost; it can even prevent someone from dying. These transfers inflict injuries on the user as payment, Momoka was sent to the hospital with burns from altering Yuri's fate.

Himari's best friends in elementary school. The three of them wished to be idols, so they formed their own idol group called Triple-H. However, for unknown reasons, she had to leave school, and Hibari and Hikari went on to become famous idols under the name Double-H. They are shown to be glad when receiving the scarves that Himari knit for them. In the show's production, there is a real group called Triple-H made up of the voice actresses of Hibari, Hikari and Himari. This group sings many of the insert songs and ending themes. Their names are thinly-veiled references to Hibari Misora

Hibari Misora

was an award-winning Japanese enka singer and actress. and was the first woman in Japan to receive the People's Honour Award, which was awarded posthumously for her notable contributions to the music industry. Misora recorded 1,200 songs, and sold 68 million records. After she died, consumer demand...

 and Hikaru Utada, respectively.

A mysterious trio of blue Penguins that arrived at the Takakura's doorstep after Himari's resurrection. Only the Takakura family can see them. For the sake of convenience, Kanba named his penguin #1, Shouma's #2 and Himari's #3 respectively. These numbers are written on the back of the penguin. Each has their own traits based on their masters. #1 has pronounced eyebrows and likes looking up ladies' skirts, #2 is often seen spraying bugs or eating voraciously, and #3, who sports a ribbon on her head, usually keeps Himari company.

Masako's penguin, unlike the Takakura siblings', is black with a heart-shaped face. It has a more menacing appearance than the others. Esmeralda holds an infatuation with Penguin #1 that mirrors Masako's interest in Kanba.

Theme songs

Opening themes by Etsuko Yakushimaru

Etsuko Yakushimaru

is the stage name of a Japanese female J-pop singer. She is known for her solo works including theme songs in several anime series, as well as being the lead vocal of the rock band Sōtaisei Riron. Previously, she had not disclosed her face to the public, until the artist and her band was featured...

 Metro Orchestra (episodes 1-14) by Etsuko Yakushimaru

Etsuko Yakushimaru

is the stage name of a Japanese female J-pop singer. She is known for her solo works including theme songs in several anime series, as well as being the lead vocal of the rock band Sōtaisei Riron. Previously, she had not disclosed her face to the public, until the artist and her band was featured...

 Metro Orchestra (episodes 15-)
Ending themes

• "DEAR FUTURE" by Coaltar of the Deepers
  Coaltar of the Deepers
  Coaltar of the Deepers are an Alternative rock band from Japan. They formed in May 1991. Although primarily influenced by shoegaze and post-rock sound, their sound incorporates musical elements as diverse as thrash metal, electronica, neo-acoustic, and bossa nova...
  
   (episodes 1-9, 11, 12)
• "DEAR FUTURE feat. Yui Horie
  Yui Horie
  is a popular Japanese singer and voice actress. She is sometimes affectionately nicknamed by her Japanese fans.She hosts a radio show called and is the founding member of the singing group, Aice5. She is also a member of the band Kurobara Hozonkai, with the name YUIEL...
  
  " by Coaltar of the Deepers
  Coaltar of the Deepers
  Coaltar of the Deepers are an Alternative rock band from Japan. They formed in May 1991. Although primarily influenced by shoegaze and post-rock sound, their sound incorporates musical elements as diverse as thrash metal, electronica, neo-acoustic, and bossa nova...
  
   (episode 10) by Triple H (episodes 13, 15, 18) by Triple H (episodes 14, 17) by Triple H (episode 16)
• "HIDE and SEEK" by Triple H (episode 19)
• "Private Girl" by Triple H (episode 20)

Insert songs

• "ROCK OVER JAPAN" by Triple H (episodes 1-3, 5-7, 16, 17) by Triple H (episode 5) by Yuri Tokikabo (Mamiko Noto
  Mamiko Noto
  is a Japanese voice actress working under Office Osawa. She was born in the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa, and graduated from Hokuriku Gakuen Senior High School.-Voice:...
  
  )

Triple H's songs are covers of songs originally by ARB

Arb (band)

ARB is a Japanese rock band formed in 1978. Its members are Ryo Ishibashi, Koya Naito, Ebi, and Keith.-Singles:* 'Norainu' * 'Wild lowteen girl' * 'Tamashii Kogashite'...

 and are composed by Yukari Hashimoto

Yukari Hashimoto

is a Japanese female composer and arranger.Collaboration with Yukari Tamura include arranging some tracks on the album Gin no Senritsu, Kioku no Mizuoto.. She composed and arranged the music for the song "Cutie ♥ Cutie" on Yukari Tamura's single Spiritual Garden and the track Princess Rose...

. Triple H is Marie Miyake as Hikari, Yui Watanabe as Hibari, and Miho Arakawa as Himari.