Mawaru Penguindrum - Episode 7

We now know the background to Ringo's obsession with Tabuki and what she believes is the eventual goal laid out in her "diary of fate" - so, with that information in hand, it's back to watching everyone's favourite stalker going about her business.

As she continues to camp out below Tabuki's house, it seems as though Ringo might finally have made some progress, as she receives an e-mail from him inviting her out for a night at the theatre.  Is this her big chance to go on a date with her beloved?  Well... not quite, given that the pair are (of course) both guests at the behest of Yuri Tokikago, meaning that not only does Ringo have to put up with a couple of hours of decidedly corny acting, but she also finds Yuri accompanying them both to a meal after the performance.  Still, at least putting up with all of this does land her an invite to a forthcoming party being held by Yuri, although even this is tempered by the fact that she's told to bring Shou along with her.

Naturally, this is no normal party, but an event held by Yuri to not only announce her retirement from the theatre, but also to announce her engagement to Tabuki.  Cue shock from Ringo as she realises that the "killer whale" that is Yuri has now well and truly snatched her man.  Not that Ringo is going to give up at this point however - far from it, as she concocts an odd but ultimately fruitless occult scheme to win Tabuki back, before deciding to resort to even more desperate measures come this end of this episode; on that count at least she seems to be in sync with the equally debased train of thought coming from Kanba, who himself seems to be drawing himself ever deeper into this whole "Penguin Drum" business.

While this episode progresses the show's current plot and story arc another step forward, perhaps more importantly it does so in a hugely entertaining fashion, full of visual flourishes and tight, snappy scripting that make it a joy to watch as it goes about its frequently daft business.  It's at times like this where I almost don't care where Mawaru Penguindrum is headed, because its heady mixture of slapstick penguins, crazed yet oddly slightly lovable stalker and put-upon brothers is simply so enjoyable to watch.  If it can keep that up without jumping the shark in terms of its core concept, then I can only see my love affair with the series to date continuing.