Mawaru Penguindrum - Episode 17

Oblivious to the cost of the drugs (and whatever expense they incur to Kanba) that have saved her life and then some, episode seventeen kicks off with a bright, healthy Himari looking towards finally being discharged from hospital.  Is this perhaps the end of any concerns about the Penguindrum, spouted via that silly hat?

Of course not, as the possessor of Himari crops up to remind the two brothers of, even if the main object of her interest these days seems to be Kanba for reasons that we still don't know of entirely, such is the man's mystery.

Speaking of mystery, this week's instalment wastes little time in introducing yet more of it to proceedings, inserting Tabuki into the list of people within the "inner circle" that know about Momoka's diary, and seemingly hinting at an uneasy co-operation between Tabuki and Yuri with regard to it - the latter clearly has revenge in mind when it comes to dealing with the Takakura family, while Tabuki preacher the opposite.  Whether he practices what he preaches, however, is another question as the end this episode sees him leading Ringo and Himari towards the latter's "punishment".

With yet more revelations, twists and turns this week, I can't quite shake the feeling I have at the moment that Mawaru Penguindrum is simply making things up as it goes along - every time it feels as though we're getting somewhere, something crops up to push the finishing line further outside of our grasp.  Luckily, the series continues to do this with enough of a sense of fun and intrigue to make it bearable, but in the process it has lost some of the fascination and energy which made the early episodes of Mawaru Penguindrum seems to jaw-droppingly incredible.