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A couple of days ago I finished my first anime of 2016 and that anime was "Mawaru Penguindrum", which is definitely among the top contenders for weirdest show title. Now before I say anything about the anime itself, I want to mention the fact, that this anime was directed by none other than Ikuhara Kunihiko (Nicknamed "Ikuni" by fans) who is also responsible for directing another anime which I thoroughly enjoyed - Revolutionary Girl Utena. If you're familiar with his work, you'll know what I mean when I say that Mawaru Penguindrum absolutely bleeds "Ikuni". If you are a fan of Utena, then you should without a doubt find some time to watch Penguindrum. Alternatively if you've tried to watch Revolutionary Girl Utena but found yourself unable to keep an interest, I'd also recommend Mawaru Penguindrum. It is a lot more modern and while it shares a lot of the same direction (Symbolism and plot twists out the ass and a big focus on destiny and fate), it is a very different show. I'd like to think that Mawaru Penguindrum is more digestible for the average watcher. With that out of the way, let's actually talk about Mawaru Penguindrum. A fractured family, two brothers and a sister trying to make a life for themselves following the disappearence of their parents. The sister is deathly ill and while her brothers are doing everything in their power to improve her life, her illness is incurable. It is only a matter of time. The day arrives and the sister collapses while on an outing with her brothers. She is pronounced dead at the hospital and her brothers grieve. Until a sudden twist of fate brings her back to them. Her doctors call it a medicinal impossibility and a miracle but something extraordinary seems to have been behind the sister's resurrection. With that the small family is thrust into a conflict of past, present and future. A conflict where they come to discover the truth about themselves, their family, the past and their destinies. A pretty vague description of the story, I know, but the truth is that there are so many layers and twists to Mawaru Penguindrum that going into even a little detail about the plot will essentially end up being a spoiler. Frankly I don't really have much to say about this anime, because I believe it is best watched as fresh as possible and with as little information as possible. That isn't going to stop me from singing its praises of course. Mawaru Penguindrum represents something which I personally find very lacking in modern anime. It is well-thought out, has a nice red thread that is followed from beginning to end, connecting all the characters and events. It is smart and completely avoids the average anime stereotypes. It constantly hints at the truth behind the conflict to the viewer, but it is not heavy-handed and allows you to speculate and draw your own conclusions as you continue watching. Combine that with a fresh and crispy-animation style and good looking character designs, along with an EXTREMELY memorable soundtrack and you have a recipe for what is, in my personal opinion, one of the best anime ever. In a day and age where so much anime seems to be unfiltered garbage with little real creative direction, made solely to sell figures and merchandise and appealing to the Otaku-crowd with excessive amounts of fanservice and moe characters, it's honestly just fucking refreshing to watch a show that isn't about all that, but actually has a story to tell. That isn't to say that Mawaru Penguindrum is completely devoid of any and all things that I broadly refer to as "fanservice". Comedic relief can be found in the form of fanservice in this anime. I of course won't award it any points for this because I dislike fanservice in general, but I will defend Mawaru Penguindrum by stating that when the storyline, world and characters are as strong as they are in this anime, the occasional fanservice scene doesn't really hurt the viewing experience all that much. Not to mention that director Ikuni is famous within the community for his exploration of sexuality in anime, as silly as that might sound to some. This is especially true for Revolutionary Girl Utena and also Mawaru Penguindrum to a lesser extent. So with a vague description but tons of praise, all there is left for me to do is urge you one final time to please sit down and watch Mawaru Penguindrum. It's really worth watching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB2sow7tbJ8

I remember a long time ago, when I was a kid, my dad and I playing around with some features on our Windows XP computer. I remember us finding a few graphics demo programs. They included one that showcased a realistic 3D bubble. They also included one about a freaking terrifying giant fish with laser eyes deep in the ocean (It included some creepy commentary, as well). I have tried and failed to find some trace of that on the Internet. Can someone else do better? EDIT: I found it: http://www.nvidia.com/coolstuff/demos#!/creature

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