Let’s quickly skip over the fact that I’m watching fansubs again—right now, that’s the only way to watch Bakuman 2. We can talk about it later.

I want to talk about Aoki Ko, the most problematic character in Bakuman 2.

Ko has undergone a huge personality shift since the original Bakuman. Originally portrayed as an ice queen, she’s now blushing, flustered and boy crazy. For some inexplicable reason, she’s writing a new manga that consists of copious amounts of panty shots.

I don’t get it because from everything we’re told about Aoki Ko’s life tells me that she’s intelligent and independent. She’s a graduate student and a teacher (two things I can totally relate to), and on top of that a (sometimes) syndicated manga author. When her new editor suggested she turn her romantic storyline into a raunchy comic, I thought it was a joke. The moment Ko quietly assigned herself to doing it was the moment I stopped believing in her character. Why would a woman as accomplished as Ko debase herself like that?

I probably shouldn’t be surprised. There’s always been weird gender politics going on in that show, but they’ve never been this distracting. Before, I could ignore Mashiro and Azuki’s creepy marriage pact and write it off as an old-fashioned concept of romance. But now, more than ever, it’s unavoidable to see the women in this show as nothing but sex objects, solely there to motivate—and be motivated by—the men.

A few weeks ago, before everything started going all soap opera, I used to describe Bakuman 2 as “an anime by two authors based on a manga about two authors creating a manga in hopes that it will become an anime.” I would also tell people that watching Mashiro and Shujin’s enviable productivity always made me feel lazy. But now, the manga has taken a backseat to the characters’ drama, during which I cannot relate to the motives of a single woman on this show.

I’m not ready to say this show is sexist, however. It’s more confusing than that. It portrays women in a way that makes me uncomfortable, but I can’t put my finger on it yet. It’s totally lacking in a woman’s perspective.

I’m getting that feeling that I’m only watching this show now because of momentum. I’m suddenly recalling that I have no idea what the word “bakuman” even means. On screen, we see Mashiro and Shujin cranking out manga chapters at remarkable speed. Maybe when artists are working this quickly, the thing that gets lost in the shuffle is remembering to have at least one believable female character.

Are you watching Bakuman 2?

What else did I expect from the director of Revolutionary Girl Utena? I’m on episode 15 of Mawaru PenguinDrum and I can safely say that this is really, really weird. However, it’s also very engaging. As a result, I sound like I’m psychotic when I try to recommend the show to my friends:

“Guys, there’s this great show you have to check out. It’s like if Eden of the East had turned out better. Also, trippier. And there’s this dying girl, Himari, who’s possessed by a stuffed penguin hat. There’s also a crazy stalker, but she’s a protagonist, not a psycho. And incest, but don’t worry about it. Guys? Guys!”

Anyway, I watch this show to relax but I keep getting hung up by the particulars. It’s almost like watching The Matrix in that every little detail seems to be there for a reason. I’m convinced that the whole show has some underlying message about the Beatles: there’s a character named Ringo (I know that means “apple” in Japanese, but I’m not convinced there isn’t a double meaning), and for some reason, whenever Himari is possessed by the penguin hat (see above), she yells, “IMAGINE!” When I googled this, the Mawaru PenguinDrum wiki found about ten other ties to the Beatles.

But in spite of all these WTF moments, I’ve never doubted the course of the plot. Mawaru PenguinDrum takes place in one mixed up universe, but it’s a universe that’s seamlessly assembled. Invisible penguins that do chores and can only be seen by Himari and her family? Sounds legit. A hospital corridor filled with gifts from character’s ex girlfriend? It could happen. As my friend Andrew would say, (this guy speaks purely in aphorisms), this is just one of those shows for which you have to turn off your bullshit sensor first. And after that, just enjoy the ride.

Watch with me: Unfortunately, Mawaru PenguinDrum has not been licensed… yet. You’ll need to watch it streaming or get a torrent.