Judging from trailers previous to viewing this anime, I thought it was going to be a comedic slice-of-life genre with penguins randomly thrown in for the cute effect. I was wrong about that.
MPD opens with the Takakura family, twins Shouma and Kanba, and younger sister, Himari, who is afflicted with a terminal illness. After collapsing at the aquarium, she is brought back to life by a strange penguin hat that embodies an unearthly being. This entity is the only hope for Himari's survival and it demands that the Takakura brothers find a mysterious object called, "The Penguin Drum".
For the first 5 or so episodes, MPD could be classified as a comedy genre, with the antics of Penguins 1, 2, 3, and stalker, Ringo Oginome, bringing in the laughs. However, the series takes a turn for the darker side, questioning the destination of fate, introducing several other characters connected by tragedy, and leaving you questioning what the Penguin Drum truly is until the very end.
Defying traditional story telling styles, MPD doesn't follow a linear plot line. Much of MPD is told through flashbacks with a subway-esque motif. Initial perceptions of characters are shattered with each passing episode and you're left wondering what the Penguindrum is until the end.
