It started when I was watching a video on Sailor Moon one night and heard someone mention the show Revolutionary Girl Utena, done by one of the directors who had worked on Sailor Moon. Figuring that something mentioned in the same breath as Sailor Moon and by the same director would be of the similar lighthearted and humorous magical girl tone, I gave it a go.

But what I got was different. A good different. It was thoughtful in ways Sailor Moon never cared to be, and payed attention to every detail. It was dark and made commentary on the world around us. Certain characters made me feel a pit in my stomach, and the ending had me questioning whether I was supposed to be happy or sad.

It was beautiful.

After doing more research I found the man responsible was the one and only Kunihiko Ikuhara and researching him lead me to his next work, Penguindrum. This show will forever hold a place in my heart and mind for the profound effect it had and continues to have on me everytime I watch it. It is a wonderful show.

So, I decided I must watch all of his works. Or, at least I tried. I never finished Yurikuma Arashi, but I did make it 10/13 episodes so maybe I will finish it someday.

Nevertheless I trucked forth and continued on to his final show, Sarazanmai. It was weird (very, very weird), but had so much to say about connections, how easily we lose them and the effort it takes to maintain them. I thought it was nice (if you can look past the kappa butt stuff).

I'm so grateful for all of these shows and the meaning that they have imparted into my life. I wouldn't be who I am today without shows like Revolutionary Girl Utena and Penguindrum, so I wanted to make this page to show a little bit of my appreciation.