Penguin's Memory: Shiawase Monogatari

Mowse98★ 7

[SPOILER FREE/SHORT REVIEW] This is a hidden gem. The fact that only 340 people have got this on their list is quite disappointing. I am currently taking part in the recommendation clubs August/September challenge. I have to watch a show from each year from 1985-2004 in the next two months. I found this browsing the archived seasonal charts and thought, "Hmm, this might just be stupid enough to be enjoyable!". Let me say, I was wrong. This is not stupid at all! This was such an eyeopener for me! This film looks silly. Bearing in mind my thoughts going into it, the first shot was abunch of penguins lined up in bush firing M16's at other penguins and I laughed so hard I had to pause to take a breather. However, once this action tones down a bit, we are introduces to our main characters. Three best friend penguins, one of which was just wounded. They have a good talk and at this point it all sinks in. This film is serious. This film focuses less on the combat and much more on character development and what war does to an individual. An individual who has lost things very close to them. An individual who wants to live a quiet life as a librarian, where he can be surrounded by the poetry that motivates him to keep pushing forward through tough times. This was released in 1985, and I would say that the artwork is average even for its time, though with the exception of the first and third scene, there isn't a lot of heavy animation anyway. It is a very dialogue and character driven story. The music and sound was also pretty average, though I couldn't point to anything I disliked. A 7/10 is a good score, something I give to anime that I don't want to forget about. It isn't given to a "meh" piece of throwaway entertainment. Its something that I enjoyed immensely.

spikebomb5★ 8

It is almost sickly sweet but in a good way. It is a very good presentation in tone and mood. Perfectly conveys the emotional states of the characters. Music is high quality and memorable and very melancholy. I cried like a baby through most of the movie. The external conflicts weren't that great or were resolved easily. The internal conflicts were the main draw dealing with war,death, ptsd, survivors guilt, finding peace, and whether to choose love over your dreams. A very good movie to watch when you're in a sad place mentally as it can provide catharsis and optimism. Especially with the people beingcute penguins, there is a juxtaposition between an almost idealized small town America and the heavy themes. While the movie doesn't delve too much into the hard topics, it leaves the viewer to interpret the main character's struggles with them. Not bad considering it's apparently an ad for Suntori Beer.