Penguins Invade Rural Japan in the Surreal Penguin Highway

What if, one day, you discovered a colony of penguins walking through a field in your sleepy rural town?

New anime film Penguin Highway springs from the mind of author Tomihiko Morimi. Over the past decade, four of his novels have received the anime treatment: The Eccentric Family, The Eccentric Family 2, Tatami Galaxy, and Night is Short, Walk On Girl. If you have seen any of these, you likely know his MO by now: mixing the normal with the surreal to create a story of personal discovery. But while Penguin Highway still fits that pattern–packaged with all the eccentric characters and witty banter you’d expect–it does away with the common Kyoto setting and focuses not on 20-something adults but on elementary school children.

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Penguin Highway is the story of young Aoyama, a super logical 4th grader who wishes to be recognized as a grown up as soon as possible. He is fascinated by the world around him–especially the natural world. He fills notebooks with sketches and his thoughts as he works to understand things he can’t fully explain–like why he is so captivated by the local young dental assistant’s ample chest.

One day, on his way to school, he sees a colony of adélie penguins wandering through a field–something a bit odd as they’re a bit far from their Antarctic habitat. Soon enough animal control has rounded up the birds, but as no zoo has reported a mass escape, the mystery remains: where did the penguins come from? Aoyama sets out to solve the case.

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From the start, it’s easy to understand what kind of person Aoyama is. Both smart and mature for his age, he is ridiculously hard working–taking notes that would make a professional scientist blush. But with his intelligence comes ego.

He believes he is above the rest of his classmates (with one notable exception)–though that doesn’t mean he dislikes them. He is more than willing to be friends with anyone that wants to accompany him on his research. However, his attitude is like a lightning rod to bullies who hate feeling inferior intellectually–especially as he is more than willing to escalate the situation using his intelligence as a weapon.

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Due to his attitude, it’s no real surprise that he feels more in common with adults than children his own age and longs to be treated as one. This is most obvious in his friendship with the aforementioned dental assistant, a woman known only  as “Onesan.” They meet regularly to play chess in a local cafe–and it is clearly the highlight of his daily life.

Part of it is that he is on the edge of puberty, of course, but the other part is that she recognizes his intelligence. While she doesn’t treat him as an adult exactly, she doesn’t patronize him either. She sees through his posturing and ego–and is more than willing to call him on his BS–but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t respect him and what he can do. So when she somehow turns a can of soda into a living, breathing, penguin, she decides to leave it up to him to solve the mystery.

The story is really one of science versus the supernatural. Thus, much of the film is spent following Aoyama as he tries to logically determine what is causing the penguin-related events in the town. He gathers witness testimony, tracks penguin sightings, and makes maps. He step-by-step tests Onesan’s penguin-creating powers–changing variables one at a time to discover what exactly is happening. It’s a great way to not only showcase just how smart Aoyama is but also give us a myriad of clues so that we can attempt to solve the mystery alongside him.

But even as he figures out the rules behind her powers, even more mysteries appear.

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When not exploring the mystery of the penguins, the film is, in many ways, your average coming-of-age story. Aoyama begins as somewhat of a social non-entity in class with the most timid boy (i.e., the most bullied boy) in the class as his only friend. But he soon attracts the attention of the most popular girl in the class, Hamamoto, as she finds in him a kindred spirit when it comes to investigating the unknown. This, in turn, angers the main bully, who can’t compete with Aoyama intellectually, and causes the trio of friends no end of problems.

It’s all rather predictable coming-of-age fair–or rather it would be if it weren’t for Onesan eventually invading this plotline with an army of penguins. Her presence throws a wrench into the works and complicates the dynamic between the children characters–making them more complex and nuanced than they would be otherwise.

Visually, Penguin Highway is a treat. The surreal elements of the film–like the penguins transforming from random objects–are so creative that it’s worth watching the film for them alone. From the scribbles in Aoyama’s notebook to the various locals, the non-surreal elements are likewise wonderfully detailed. But really, all you need to do is watch the trailer and there’s no doubt you’ll be suitably impressed.

All in all, Penguin Highway is a wonderful film. It takes a surreal story about mysterious penguins and turns it into an exploration of the scientific process. At the same time, it excellently captures the feelings and frustrations of being a kid and longing to grow up while also highlighting the joys of childhood. Add in the complex, eccentric characters and stunning visuals, and you have a strong contender for best anime film of the year.

Penguin Highway was released in Japanese theaters on August 17, 2018. It has been licensed a North American release by Eleven Arts Studios.

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