(Here’s a side-by-side comparison with the CCS opening.)
Is the Brony universe the American counterpart of Touhou doujin culture? Perhaps. However, the main attraction of Touhou for me is the music, and I have yet to hear the MLP equivalent of “Lunatic Princess” or “U.N. Owen Was Her.”
I found time to watch the first two episodes of Mawaru Penguindrum, and, well, I’m not at all surprised that its mastermind was earlier responsible for Utena. It starts off as a shameless tearjerker. By the end of the second episode it’s deep in WTF territory. It’s currently getting high praise around the otakusphere, but I’m skeptical that it’s better than Madoka, as some claim. I suppose I’ll have to watch the rest of it and see.
For no good reason, I downloaded a curiosity called “Ravex in Tezuka World.” I should have bailed out when I saw this
but I foolishly watched the whole thing. The planet of Reearth, whose denizens are escapees from Osamu Tezuka’s various works, is threatened by Dark Silence. However, the cheesy dance music of the Ravex trio saves the day, with some assistance from an altered Astroboy.
Not even Prince Princess Queen Sapphire can save this mess.
I tried Penguindrum, and enjoyed it greatly after a few episodes… but after 14, I got tired of it. VERY like Utena, and not just in the good ways. Are they doing fun things with symbolism? Yes. Are they going to answer basic plot questions, like “what the hell is a penguindrum and why would you want one?” I wouldn’t bet on it.
I got about eighteen episodes into Penguindrum, and then kind of fell into “well, I’ll watch more when I have time…” and that time hasn’t shaken loose yet. It’s OK, but it isn’t another Utena, hell, if anything, it kind of reminds me of Shigofumi, at least plot-wise. And it *definitely* isn’t comparable with Madoka Magica.