PENGUINS: DEFENDERS OF ANTARCTICA!

Penguins: Defenders of Antarctica (Subtitled 南極特殊部隊 or Antarctic Special Forces) is a Sci-Fi/Post-Apocalyptic/Family Friendly webtoon created by Alpha Yu of Shonen Bag Studio. It follows the continued adventures of a group of Penguins as they attempt to destroy an ancient artifact that will allow the decadence of the extinct human race to continue destroying the planet. This brings them into conflict with the neighbouring tribe of Eagles. Along the way, the characters learn important lessons about friendship, teamwork, and family. It carries the fatalistic tone of many other series by Alpha Yu but features a more lighthearted and childish atmosphere. The creator has stated the series to be homage to certain television shows from the early 2010s and is in fact a hard reboot to 2019's Ice & Scales (AKA I hate my work and why you should too), which in turn was inspired by a real-life pretend play game that Yu and his childhood friends participated in for several years during their youth.

First uploaded June 15th, 2020

Synopsis
"In the 2300s, the land of Antarctica has become a battleground for several animal tribes - each one seeks to find a magic Beacon. When the Beacon is lit, it will allow the tribe that lit it to inherit all the treasures of the human species, but the world will suffer as a result! Knowing this, the Penguin Agents decide to destroy the Beacon instead and save the world in this action-packed super-fun adventure!"

Premise
Long ago, Earth was populated by the Human Race. Due to their own negligence, climate change, war, pollution and corruption spelt the imminent extinction of the Human Race. With no other alternative, the last remaining Humans retreated to the continent of Antarctica. Once there, through unknown means, they raised a ring of Black Mountains around the continent. Then, they created and hid a magic Beacon. Finally, through continued use of said unknown means, they bestowed the various animal tribes of Antarctica with human-like levels of intelligence. It is at this point that they delivered to each them The Legend, which challenged all the tribes to locate the Beacon. Once lit, the Beacon, through means unknown, would allow the tribe that found it (and only that tribe) to leave Antarctica. Due to the difficult nature of the search, it was decided that the victor would be fit to survive in the Human World and worthy to inherit the riches of the Human Race. To ensure that no tribe cheated in the search, not only were mountains erected to hem them inside the continent, but monsters of Eldritch proportions, called Guardians, were stationed to destroy any deserters who strayed too far from Antarctica's waters. Afterwards, the Human Race went extinct. The Animal Tribes dispersed and industrialized separately into mono-ethnic societies and began the Beacon War, a continent-wide conflict in search of the Beacon, with the Penguin Tribe acting in deliberate subversion of the purpose of the War.

The Eagle Tribe, in response to being granted with intelligence, decided to industrialize into the Socialist Democracy of the Eagle Principality and begin the Beacon Hunt, employing the use of the Grand Army of the Eagle Tribe using military strength. This put them into direct conflict with the Penguins Tribe.

The Penguin Tribe, in response to being granted with intelligence, decided to industrialize into the Commonwealth of Pengin and begin the Beacon Hunt, employing the use of the Penguin Agents, a police/paramilitary organization. However, the Penguins realized that if one animal tribe left Antarctica, the food chain would be thrown out of balance. They further reasoned that should anyone return to the Human World, the cycle of decadence would likely continue and the planet would be doomed further. Thus, they dedicated themselves to finding the Beacon and instead of lighting it, decided to destroy it upon location, ending the War in such a way that there would be no victor. There are speculated to be other tribes also involved in the hunt, such as the tribe that spawned the Mysterious Stranger that attacked Gou Yukimura, but they are as yet unknown.

Main Characters
(Official descriptions)

Yukimura Yo
Yukimura Yo is the wise leader of his squad and the creator of the Penguin Agents Family Program, which takes entire families and allows them to live together in the Penguin Agency Headquarters while expecting them to go on missions together. He always knows what to say and can be relied upon with his wisdom and experience. However, he never seems to get blamed for anything or make any mistakes. Could it be extraordinary luck, or is it something more sinister, like a lack of responsibility? Indeed, Yo has a tendency to shift blame to others and not own up to his actions. Worse yet, his marriage with Yukimura Chou doesn't seem to be the happiest either - it is important to note also that management has been looking for excuses to fire him for his lack of responsibility too!

Yukimura Gou
Also known as the "Flippers of Fury", Yukimura Gou is always hotheaded and ready for a fight. Perhaps it is due to him being the middle child. When he was younger, he even got into an accident that cost him his eye! Gou can be relied upon to always be thinking the right thing, but that doesn't always lead to him doing the right thing. He's constantly failing at his education because of his brashness and lack of foresight. Due to this, he tends to end up the first to rush into battle and the last to leave and cannot be relied upon to do stealth missions. However, this reckless attitude cannot hide his fun-loving side. Gou is always willing to tell a joke or pull a prank if it means brightening up somebody's day. HIs fun-loving and easygoing attitude has made him a favourite amongst his peers at the Penguin Agent Academy, although that won't save his plummeting grades...

Yukimura Jo
When you wish to be told the truth, you go to Yukimura Jo. This sarcastic but earnest Penguin Agent will always give you her opinion point blank. This has led to her forming a rivalry with several other agents - most notably Shiroyama Shiro, whom she seems to intensely dislike. In her spare time, Jo can be found training her body or studying up on useful information, for she believes that to tell the truth you must be informed for every situation. While she may look like she has a gruff exterior, Jo is actually very willing to help others. If an agent is in need of assistance, while Jo will not hesitate to point out their problems, she will always lend a helping hand!

Yukimura Mou
The youngest of the Yukimura children, Mou is stoic and extremely intelligent. You can always call upon him to know the most obscure facts. His planning and analytics are also above average for his age, but it is important to remember that he is still a child - hence why he was approved to use the experimental Egg Armour, a giant circular ball of four interlocking armour plates providing Mou with optimal protection. It may seem that Mou is the model agent - he studies hard and trains harder - but sadly, he has come to rely on the training manuals too much. When faced with an odd or unexpected situation, he tends to break down, unable to form plans on the fly.

Shiroyama Shiro
Although two years older than Yukimura Jo, Shiroyama Shiro is registered in the regular Penguin Agent training program. Because her family isn't in the Penguin Agency, she doesn't quality for the Agent Family Program. Shiro has an interesting hobby: Net Running, which is the art of hacking. However, she lacks training in the fundamentals of Net Running and isn't very good at it. Even worse, her physical strength is at an incredible low, and she often struggles with an inferiority complex. She doesn't feel good enough to be a Penguin Agent, and that often puts her into competition with people like Jo, who see her as weak. In truth, Shiro is very close to expulsion from the program and even though she has a heart of gold and would do anything to improve herself, often training and studying for upwards of 20 hours a day, management has judged that she is still not of a suitable level in both physicality and mentality. As a result, Shiro is not expected to pass the Penguin Agent final exam which will allow her to become a Penguin Agent.

Count Ernestio Von Bleakbeak III
Count Bleakbeak is a dangerous and cruel enemy of the Penguin Agents. The son of Comrade Bleakbeak II and father of the now-missing Comrade Bleakbeak IV, his full name is Ernestio Von Bleakbeak III. His grandfather, Ernestio Bleakbeak I accomplished many feats of strength in the Eagle territories and brought stability and strength to their people. Now, Count Bleakbeak has dubbed himself a "count" and is trying to carry on his grandfather's legacy by leading the Grand Army of the Eagle Tribe. Once, long ago, his battles led him into having a direct conflict with Yukimura Yo. The resulting battle left him without a left wing and resulted in having his heart surgically re-attached to the side of his head. This new assembly gives his brain a startlingly large capacity to outthink his enemies. Ever since his defeat, he has harboured an intense grudge against the Yukimura family, vowing to personally destroy each member. Count Bleakbeak is extremely dangerous due not only to his enhanced mind, but also his bizarre fighting styles. Reports reveal that the count is able to fight with a mere walking sick, moving so fast with movements so precise that enemies can only make out a brief flash of light before they found that the count has hit them with his cane thirty or forty times in a single second. Worse, he is guarded by loyal Eagles at all times, so you will never be able to see Count Bleakbeak... unless he wants to see you, and if that happens, it's already too late.

Eguchi Shu
Strangely enough, management has dug up nothing on Eguchi Shu's background. Nobody knows where he comes from - only that he's in the Agency now and he's really, really good at his job. As part of the intelligence devision, he is tasked with gathering information about the Eagles and their tactics. His purity and passion for his work shines through above all else and gives him an informed perspective about life. Shu can always be relied upon to do and say the right thing and is strictly opposed to working with shady sources of information. His honesty rings true in most situations as he is always willing to comfort others and say the right thing. However, when he closes his beak and says nothing, you know that things have gone thoroughly wrong.

Yukimura Chou
Wanting the best for her children, Yukimura Chou is firmly opposed to the Agent Family Program because it puts her kids in danger. The type to say she doesn’t like you only to blush and bake you cupcakes, she and Yo used to be quite in love. However, time seems to have done them in as she grows more and more concerned about her kids!

Eagle Soldiers
The Eagle soldiers are intensely loyal to their cause. They do not care about individual merits, only their numbers. They do not care about creativity, only route memorization. That being said, the natural talent of flight they possess gives them an extreme advantage. Their gear is also tougher than the Penguins and they are part of a conscripted army, meaning many of them have no choice but to participate in the Beacon War. This has caused many Agents to have reservations about destroying them, so capturing an Eagle is a preferable option.

I Hate My Work and Why You Should Too! (A.K.A. Ice & Scales)
Penguins: Defenders of Antarctica is a hard reboot of Ice & Scales. As specified in An Open Letter to All Readers of Ice & Scales, the idea for both series came from a childhood pretend play game that allegedly was participated in every day for at least two years. Whereas Ice & Scales is a gritty, edgy and very loose adaptation of these events, Penguins: Defenders of Antarctica claims to be more faithful to the game.

Many characters from Ice & Scales have been redesigned and renamed but nonetheless appear in Penguins: Defenders of Antarctica with a much rounder, simpler child friendly aesthetic. Certain aspects of their personality also appear to have been eliminated, such as the Ice & Scales character Sofi-Su being a smoker completely disappearing in her Defenders of Antarctica counterpart, Yukimura Jo.


 * Yukimura Yo = Arufa
 * Yukimura Gou = Jefuri
 * Yukimura Mou = Mashuu
 * Yukimura Jo = Sofi-Su
 * Pengin-Shi = Penguin City

It is unknown if characters such as Curse or Nikouru will also be referenced in Defenders of Antarctica. Currently, canonicity to the wider Shonen Bag cannon is contested as it appears both series cannot co-exist.

Other Works

 * The Furu Dropship from One Neo Eon, another series from the same author can also be seen as a cause of the destruction of the world. This implies that the takeover of Vancouver shown between chapter 27-33 of One Neo Eon was an event of apocalyptic proportions.
 * Alpha Yu, the author and artist, has stated he wanted to warn children about the extinction of the human race due to negligence of the environment and a perceived increasingly destructive socio-economic situation. This is probably why all the humans are extinct in the series. Similar fatalistic themes exist in his other works, such as Laws of Nature, which also involves the destruction of the Human Race in an event known as Zero Day, and One Neo Eon, where the city of Vancouver, Canada, and subsequently the entire universe, are destroyed by robots.
 * Penguins Defenders of Antarctica map for publicity.pngse of the Furu Dropship's inclusion in the Prophecy, it can be inferred that One Neo Eon is part of the world of Penguins. In One Neo Eon, the logo of the Galactic Administration in Mastermind is shown on various pieces of technology. The Galactic Administration is also cited in Laws of Nature. Because of these connections, it can be inferred that all of these series are connected, although it is unknown if the apocalypses shown in either series are the cause of the destruction of the human race in Penguins.

Website
A website for the series exists and is updated semi- regularly. It includes character biographies and other fun children's activities.

Videos
Two videos promoting Penguins: Defenders of Antarctica currently on Youtube.

Penguins: Defenders of Antarctica Trailer
The release trailer for the series, featuring narration similar to Avatar: The Last Airbender and motion graphic visuals animating scenes from the comic's first couple chapters. It references shots from the Ice and Scales trailer, such as when the Penguin Agents stand in a dark room, the lights on their gear flickering.

Penguins: Defenders of Antarctica - The Legend
An extended motion-graphic animation of The Legend, a core part of the series mythos featuring similar narration to the Trailer. It ends with unedited shots from the original trailer.

References to Other Media
Many of these are speculation, however, they have credence, given that the series was written to be a homage to children's media of the early 2010s. However, some references to anime outside of this demographic may exist as well.


 * Alpha Yu himself has cited many properties by the Lego Group as inspirations, such as Ninjago and Bionicle.
 * The battle cry heard in the trailer "Penguins! Go teamwork!" is similar in both wording and intonation to the battle cry "Ninja go!" from Ninjago.
 * The name of the first chapter, "Our Legend of the Human World" is a reference to the opening line of the Bionicle movies, "Listen again to Our Legend of the Bionicle" - similarly, both media begins with a narrated exposition sequence.
 * The chestplates worn by Eagle soldiers are very similar to Lego Part 19087, "Lego Bionicle Armor Cover (Toa Okoto)", which serves as either a shin guard or a shoulder pad for taller action figures and a chestplate for smaller ones.
 * The Overseer submarine used by the Eagle Tribe bears a striking resemblance to Bionicle's Toa Terrain Crawler.
 * The opening of the series resembles the opening to Ninjago's 8th season, where a villain steals an magical artifact and is pursued into a watery area by the heroes across rooftops.
 * Penguin City bears some resemblance to Makuhero City from Hero Factory.
 * The Penguin Agent's base resembles the Great Temple from Bionicle.
 * The Slicer Gang bears a distant resemblance to the Sons of Garmadon from Ninjago's 8th season.
 * Like in Hero Factory, the Penguin Agents are used as marketing tools on billboards.
 * The map of Antarctica was used as a key visual and bears a resemblance in style and usage to the map of Mata Nui from Bionicle.
 * Jo's spear resembles the one used by Nya in the 13th season of Ninjago.
 * Part of the subtitle of the series, 特殊部隊 (Special Forces), or "Tokushubutai" is written in Katakana on the side of the logo of Lego Exo Force and in a stylized Kanji font underneath it. Similarly, the Defenders of Antarctica logo has a similar style, although the Kanji underneath has been blurred and covered to the point of being unreadable.
 * While not cited to be an official inspiration, The Legend bears great similarity to The Great Story from the TV show "Legends of Chima". Given the fact that it has officially been stated that media produced by The Lego Group such as Ninjago and Bionicle were a direct inspiration for the series, it is safe to assume that The Great Story had at least a passing influence on the author.
 * Both stories involve animals gaining intelligence.
 * Both stories involve animals militarizing and going to war over an important object or set of objects.
 * Both stories involve "Animal Tribes".
 * The Eagles' headgear resembles that worn by Sakura Edo in One Neo Eon.
 * The Eagle's Aircraft resembles very distantly the Stormtrooper Transports in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
 * The bridges of all large Eagle vehicles resemble those of the Venator -class Star Destroyers in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
 * The opening narration in the animations resembles that of the opening narration of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
 * The Penguins use JSDF rankings.
 * The interior of the Penguin's base bears a very vague resemblance to some interior decks of the Venator-class Star Destroyer.
 * Although unconfirmed, the armour worn by the Penguin Agents has something of a resemblance to some armour worn by mobile suits from the Gundam franchise.
 * Yo's seems to be based on Mobile Suit Gundam 00's Exia
 * Jo's seems to be based on Mobile Suit Gundam 0079's Zaku
 * Gou's seems to be based on Gundam Build Divers's Cheridum
 * Shu's seems to be based on Mobile Suit Gundam 0079's RX-78-2
 * The sword wielded by Yo seems to have a passing resemblance to the Hero Factory swords introduced in 2013 or the Attack on Titan military blade.
 * Based on currently known information, the Guardians seem to be a reference to HP Lovecraft's pantheon.
 * The "Eagle Attack" screen in the trailer resembles the "Angel Attack" screen from Neon Genesis Evangelion.