Glad I got this on a whim, even though I had no idea at all what this show was about.

Summary Key Points:

[spoiler]

1. We start off with some existential philosophy
2. We have a homey, hoka-hoka breakfast scene between three siblings [oldest to youngest, Kanba (m), Shouma (m) & Himari (f)] and it looks like they don’t have any parents
3. We are told (via flashback) that Himari has some medical condition which is not treatable and the brothers are told to be ready to say good bye at any time
4. On Himari’s request, the trio heads to the aquarium to check out the penguins
5. Kanba gets a phone call and walks off while Shouma and Himari head to the souvenir shop to get the girl a present
6. They are completely unaware that they are being watched….by three penguins….in trash cans….
7. Himari selects this penguin hat…which REALLY suits her (hey look, its Rocco from the Pebble and the Penguin!)
8. Kanba comes in searching for Shouma and Himari but…Himari is not in the shop. A shocked yell from outside has the brothers running outside where a small group has gathered around their fallen sister
9. Himari is rushed to the hospital. But all efforts are in vain
10. Shouma cries as he sits beside Himari’s covered body while Kanba is being irritatingly cold
11. Shouma feels frustrated at Kanba’s attitude and is ready to hit him when suddenly….
12. Himari sits up yelling “Survival Strategy!” and declares herself as someone who has come from the destination of their fate and will extend Himari’s life if….
13. The penguin hat slips off Himari’s head and shes back to normal. The brothers rejoice and the doctor declares her recovery as a miracle and the trio return home
14. Another warm, hoka-hoka breakfast scene where Himari declares her intentions to help out more around the house
15. The doorbell rings and Shouma accepts a strange package (thermally insulated) which has something veeeeeeery strange in it
16. Shouma runs off to school as Kanba stays behind with Himari
17. Shouma has the worst going home ever. Before getting on the train, he realizes that hes left his subway pass in his locker. Something pokes at his leg. Hey looks…its a penguin holding up his subway pass. Another look, penguin gone! Shouma heads to the supermarket to get some cabbage on sale but..too late. A poke at his leg…oh hey look, its the same penguin holding some cabbage up. Outside, its raining and Shouma without an umbrella. A poke to the leg…HEY LOOK, ITS THE SAME PENGUIN WITH AN UMBRELLA
18. AND LOOKIE THAT, NO ONE ELSE CAN SEE THE PENGUIN
19. Shouma runs back home (with the penguin speed-waddling after him)  only to find out…THERE’S TWO MORE PENGUINS AT HOME
20. The penguin has bug spray /wants an imaginary penguin
21. Himari puts on her penguin hat and back to Survival Strategy Mode!
22. After a SHMANCY transformation (type) scene, the being who has taken over Himari (Nadine? or is that the giant teddy bear’s name) explains to the brothers that she’s extended Himari’s life and in exchange, the boys have to get the Penguin Drum for her
23. Shouma is confused (but is given the lever approach [without a lever but there was a button] y’ know…’pull the lever!’ and the hatch opens and whoosh, away goes the poor person XD)
24. Another STRANGE transformation scene where Himari…takes something outta Kanba…his heart? something from his chest in any case. Did i mention she was naked while doing so? I didn’t? Well, she was naked when doing so
25. We end with some more philosophy…and Kanba kissing Himari while she’s sleeping in her bed
26. 

[/spoiler]

Score: A/A+

I’d say that wasn’t what I was expecting except….I didn’t go into this with any form of expectation at all. I went in with a complete blank slate and after watching episode 01, that slate practically bursting with colors. The character designs are really cute (Shouma is a little TOO cute for a guy T_T (he’s a total uke, mark my words), the siblings home immediately reminded me of Howl’s room, the penguins are adorable, the interaction between the siblings is so heartwarming, the music is pretty good as well, a possibility of some kind of time travel of sorts involved and FAB-U-LOUS transformation scenes involved….we could have a season winner in our hands of the Director plays this right. And this is the same guy who directed Utena….i think we can hope for a good thing.

So, like. First I was like “Augh, existential philosophy first thing into my anime? O WELL. . . . wow this guy really doesn’t like the whole fate concept does he? . . . though I kinda get where he’s coming from, I don’t really agree with him. But maaaaan, those stars are pretttttttty.” And then there was the OP which I found a throw back to Eden of the East’s minimalistic style OP. Pretty catchy and definitely interesting.  Oh yeah, that blonde character in the OP. WOW at that hair style! What a throw back to the old 80s style of shoujo manga *thumbs up* The song itself…also good. I wouldn’t really call it my kind of catchy but if you like the breathy style of female singers, you could like it a lot.

The siblings home…the breakfast scene. Y’ALL, THIS WAS MY FACE AT ALL THOSE LOVELY COLORS.

‘S-s-s-s-so PRETTY. I WANT THAT KITCHEN.’ And those three just…I wish I had that kinda relationship with my brothers ;__; It was so cute and warm and just…cozy. You can feel the love between these three. Clearly the brothers dote on their little sister…A LOT. Its adorable. And shes as sweet as ice cream too.

Oh the flashbacks. I LOVE that method of showing em a bit like a news report or something on a platform or train or something. REALLY sweet idea. And man that flashback ;_; I was like “Aw these three have an awesome relationship~ their little sister came home from the hospital and they’re so happy to have her back” but then flashback and I’m like “D8 NO!” What a downer. But then we have more awesome sibling time where they’re going to the aquarium. Pure adorable time. I just want to hug the trio. But….how on earth do you impersonate a sea horse? /giggles

Also wish to express my admiration and love for the train station thingie they do. That’s also very sweet and different!

*blinks in confusion that a 8-10 year is busting out philosophy* An apple is the universe itself? it connects our world with the other world? Campenella’s world? The apple is a reward for those who pick love over others? Death isn’t the end, rather its the beginning? Its all about love? Kid…I don’t get it either T______T Does that make me dumb? I prefer to be called a person with a 486 brain processor. I don’t have one of them new fangled i3 core’s XD But em I kinda got it? I think….the person who takes over Himari is from the other world? Her dying represents a new beginning and…Kanba (and Shouma maybe?) will be…aiming to get the apple? XD

Kanba as a play boy? Hmmmmm. As I re-watch the first episode, that attitude actually kinda makes sense if he’s in love with Himari. It’s been done tons of times before hasn’t it? Boy is in love with a girl who he (feels) he can’t have, so he resorts to going out with lots of girls as a strange way to compensate for that. Not unheard of.Now I dont particularly mind incest in my anime and manga but in this case…..I’m not really feeling it. I think mostly cause I fell head of heels in love with the three of em as siblings. But if there’s angst involved and if its done right…and if no silly plot twists are involved where Kanba isn’t really related to Shouma and Himari, I MIGHT be down with it. At present, I’m just neutral. . . . but not really supportive actually. Wait, that doesn’t make me supportive of the idea does it?

oh Himari~ you looked adorable in that penguin hat! And that hat was so silly, its amazing that you looked so cute in it! But man. It came COMPLETELY OUTTA LEFT FIELD when Himari gets taken to the hospital and she says her final farewell. I was NOT expecting that AT ALL. That was just….course THAT wasn’t even HALF as shocking as her suddenly sitting up on her death bed screaming “SURVIVAL STRATEGY”! I bolted up in my seat with a bit of a yelp at that bit. What a “WHAT THE FU-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” moment. Especially since it was preceded by that terse moment between Kanba and Shouma. You feel so bad for the brothers. Well I did. I could understand where Shouma was coming from but then Kanba had to act like the other brother and try to keep together…Great moment.

Back to Kanba though, he’s an interesting guy. He caught on quickly that there was something about the hat. But his line about Himari’s death being a punishment to both of them….that has me very curious. If he had said punishment to himself then I’d assume that perhaps hes referring to his feelings towards Himari. But he said “ore-tachi” so….WHAT exactly was he referring to…hmmmmmmmmm. And why did transformed! Himari choose Kanba to yoink….whatever it was that she yoinked outta him. Why not Shouma? This interests me greatly. And maaaaan I REALLY wanted to see the scene where Himari and Kanba met the penguins for the first time!

Poor poor Shouma. I was laughing my ASS off when the penguin pokes him and hands him the subway pass, the cabbage and then the umbrella. My reactions went from “WTF! PENGUIN! . . subway pass? AH WHERE’D IT GO?!” to “Pft the penguin again! oh don’t tell me AHAHAHAHA IT DID GET SOME CABBAGE XD” to “AHAHAHA PENGUIN STRIKES AWAY O LOL NO ONE CAN SEE IT RUN SHOUMA RUN!” It was awesome. ESPECIALLY that speed waddling by the penguin as Shouma runs. Hilariously cute. Oh oh and then he gets home to find…..a penguin on the floor speed chopping some cucumbers while another penguin is knitting with his little sister. And his siblings are as cool as ice about having IMAGINARY PENGUINS IN THEIR HOME. Shouma’s facial expressions are awesome to me. Screw knitting, THEY CAN HANDLE BUG SPRAY. I WANT THAT PENGUIN.

Aw HELLS BELLS what WAS that transformation scene. And can I already start screaming for someone to cosplay Himari in her transformed form? I mean DAYUM at that costume. Its….kinda fabulous. But em…whats with that giant teddy bears? Oo;;; Who exactly is Nadine? What the hell is a Penguin Drum? Where exactly were they all talking? Where’d Shouma go to when the penguin pressed that button? (did he fall into a pit of alligators?) “I have from the destination of your fate” is supposed to mean….that she came from the future? Shes an alien? How far from the future are we talking? How did her clothes start going poof every few steps? Whats with those dramatic poses that she was making? Why was she standing on the penguins head? Was it completely necessary to be naked when she pulled…whatever it was from Kanba’s chest? How’d they get back home? Was it necessary for Kanba to end the episode with some more philosophy? XD WHERE DID THAT ENDING KISS COME FROM?! . . . well I guess I shoulda seen that one coming given who the director is….

I think when Shouma wakes up, he’ll totally be “MAAAAN I had the WEIRDEST dream” and come out laughing….only to see the penguins and just faint XD It’ll be fab-u-lous.

AHA! /slams hands on table. I think I get why I find the character designs a tad familiar! The character designs are kinda similar to the way Kazuaki-sensei draws guys right?! RIGHT?!  . . . someone back me up on this please.

I. fucking. LOVE the way they show extras in the show. ITS EPIC. Who thought that up? A pay raise to you my friend and here! Have an Internet farm! And ara ara~ who are those girls? Especially that short haired girl in the middle? hmmmmmm~ Weird thought. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some kind of forced cross dressing in Shouma’s feature. He’s got those long eyelashes, girly eyes that just BEG for him to be in a dress.

The ED….is FABULOUS. I want it in full size immediately. The opening guitar strum has me sold. And I’m very curious who the other girls are as well! Oooh red string of fate eh? This show is gonna be good be INTERESTING. I’m already thinking (based on the OP) that the brothers are gonna be maybe ducking it out over their sister? She’s like the princess and they are the dark and light knights? /bad explanation is bad Just hope that the philosophy doesn’t go completely over my head OTL