Tear Jerker / Penguindrum

Warning: Spoilers Off applies to these pages. Please proceed at your own risk.

Who'd have thought that a series drenched in Mind Screw to such a degree could be so emotional?

---

• Episode 6. Chapter 6 of the first novel. Ringo's unexpectedly sad backstory. Oh, Ringo.
• Episode 9 is from Himari's POV. Oh, dear.
• Episode 10 is full of Moment of Awesome, but has two huge tearjerkers concerning Ringo. First there's the replay of Shoma's Diving Save that gets him seriously injured to save her, which adds Ringo having an Heroic BSoD and running to him in despair while screaming his name. And close to the end, she chooses the kidnapped Shouma's life over her "Project M" and gives up on the Destiny Diary half she still has to save him, not before whispering "I'm really sorry, Momoka" before throwing it away so Masako's supposed accomplice (whoever they are) can have it and her friend is saved. Seeeing her crouch on the floor and collapse in tears after that is, well... sob.
• Episode 11 has Ringo crying as she realizes that she doesn't really want Tabuki and the "Project M" anymore, right when she and love-potioned!Tabuki are about to have sex, and later her Heroic BSoD in front of the worried Shoma and Himari. For worse, the last one starts as comedy as we have her going tsundere on him almost like in the beginning, but then it becomes serious...
  Ringo: Why? Why did you have to break into my life? Why did you have to tell me that I'm myself? Why? Why? Who are you to me...?
  • And once Himari's possessor gives them "room", it gets even worse: possessed!Himari and Shoma hear Ringo's whole backstory, and he drops a HUGE Wham Bomb as he blames himself and Kanba for Momoka's death. The reasons only were explained in episode 12, but it doesn't make the scene less heartbreaking.
  Shouma: You're right. I'm the one who broke into your destiny and ruined it. 16 years ago, my brother Kanba and I were born. And it's our fault that your older sister died!
• When episode 12 didn't confuse the Hell out of you, it was made of this. We have the revelation of the circumstances in which Momoka died (the bomb attacks that had Takakura-papa among the terrorist performing them), which are actually from a young Tabuki's perspective, as well as the Princess collapsing in Shoma's arms and later sharing a very heartfelt (and sexually charged) goodbye with Kanba... before she, Himari, and #3 die. (Temporarily, but still). Talk about a really, really dramatic Wham Episode...
  • Oh, it's much worse than that. Especially when the Princess of the Crystal actually changes her mind halfway through and begins to take her hand out of Kanba's chest.
    Kanba: Please, use the survival strategy on me one more time!
    Kanba: WHY AM I NOT GOOD ENOUGH?
    • What sent me into full sobbing was #3 collapsing and dying, while #1 and #2 can only helplessly watch her.
• Episode 13 is a Breather Episode compared with the others (specially since Sanetoshi manages to bring Himari and #3 back), but the flashback in which the Takakura siblings find out the truth about their parents wasn't easy to watch.
• Episode 14. Shouma deciding to cut off all contact with Ringo, and rejecting her when she confronts him on it. Oh man...
  • Himari throwing away the scarves she made for Hikari and Hibari
  • Even with all that happens later, it's pretty sad to see Yuri having an Heroic BSoD in her car, crying and mourning for the one she loved.
• Episode 15 is a huge lesson on how to make shady/odd/etc. characters sympathetic from one moment to another. Said character? Yuri. Her incredibly screwed up past included: a Missing Mom, an abusive father who apparently left her scarred all over, Momoka's friendship, and losing Momoka in the end.Oh, damn.
• Episode 18. All of it. Special highlights go to Tabuki's childhood (from his Parental Neglect to Momoka saving him at the last moment), a wise beyond her 13 years Himari being willing to pull an Heroic Sacrifice to save Kanba's life and end the hate towards to Takakuras, and Shouma hugging the passed-out but living Kanba and Himari while Ringo leans on his back to reassure him.
  • Kanba's unshakable refusal to let go of the cable, even though his hand was badly cut and bleeding, as well as his line: "I want to live for you" were quite touching.
• Episodes 19 AND 20. Himari in the Child Broiler. And how exactly Shouma managed to get her out of there and bring her into the Takakura family.
  "Goodbye to myself, who never accomplished anything".
  • In episode 20 Himari's whole monologue while being taken to the child broiler and as Shouma rescued her had me in tears.
    Himari: "To Sho. Good bye. I'm going to the Child Broiler. Thank you for everything. I was actually really happy when you first talked to me. Ever since, I've been waiting for you there. My mom never returned, but... I got to wait for you, so... I wasn't lonely at all. That was the first time I'd ever thought that waiting wasn't painful."
• Episode 21 tops a LOT of this, and then some more. Highlights?
  • Learning that Kenzan and Chiemi were Dead All Along and that Kanba was hallucinating during their "meetings".
  • Shouma having a breakdown and confronting Kanba, only to get beaten up since Kanba is far too broken and gone.
  • Himari leaving the Takakura household, and her goodbye to Shouma. Even more so when we see that she told him that she and #3 were going to live with Uncle Ikebe... but she actually went with Kanba to save/stop him even if she loses her life in the process.
    • Shouma being all alone at home, possibly very near to the Despair Event Horizon.
  • The Stinger of a flashback when we learn how Kanba arrived to the Takakura household and Himari welcomed him into it.
  • #2 on the verge of eating something only to pull it out of his mouth and share half of it with #3. Who sadly rejects the food leaving a sad #2 there.
• Where do we start with episode 22?
  • Hikari and Hibari trying to get in contact with Himari but arriving to her home only when it's too late.
  • Himari doing her move and trying to stop Kanba, but being rejected. And then she collapses again and is all alone on the floor save for #3, almost dead...
  • Masako doing her move at it too, and being rejected too. Followed this time by Kanba being seriously injured to protect her and having to be taken away, and by Masako pulling a "Facing the Bullets" One-Liner as well as what could be her last words: "Gosh, I need to crush them soon!"
  • The flashback with Masako and Mario being separated from Kanba because he wanted to protect them was seriously tear inducing.
  • The Stinger, with Shouma locked away in a cage.
• Episode 23 has Himari in the hospital, with Shouma being told that she'll most likely die that night or tomorrow morning. And then there's the vision Shouma has with Himari telling him to go find Kanba and save him, it's quite sad because that will probably be the last time Himari says anything to him...
  • Not to mention, we also have Ringo and Shouma leaning quietly against each other in the snow to try comforting each other after learning about Himari's upcoming death, and later Ringo being brutally broken by Sanetoshi and Kanba as they destroy the Diary and almost kill her.
  • And even when Kanba is really gone, it's not an easy view to have him witness his twin sister Masako's almost death. And Renjaku breaking down in tears by her bedside when she kicks it is heartbreaking too.
  • There's something crushing about #2 offering lollipops to #1 and having them thrown away in his face.
• Near the end of episode 24, Himari finds her bear from the other path and finds a little note in its belly. What does it say? "We love you!! From your brothers!" Which um, comes after they both have been Ret Goned.
  • Earlier in the episode, Shoma says his final words to Ringo: "Thank you. I love you."
  • And before this, there's Ringo confronting Sanetoshi and reciting the reality-warping spell, fully knowing it'll be her last stand. And then Shouma takes her "payment" before being Ret Goned and tells her that he loves her.
  • When Kanba was walking while carrying Himari over to the train for the fate transfer. Especially the look he gave her and the way he touched her face right before he shattered.
  • Before Kanba shattered, Sanetoshi said something to the effect of "You will leave nothing behind in this world". If you look at Himari lying unconscious, a piece of glass is on her forehead.
    • Both Himari and Ringo have scars from the two brothers. Himari has scars from the glass shards of Kanba on her forehead, and Ringo has burn scars as a reminder that Shouma took her place on her arms.
  • There's something sad about the penguins packing themselves up in the same box they first appeared in and then leaving although they come back later.