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| 5. Cross
Scars  
Revolutionary Girl Utena is one of the most acclaimed
shoujo series ever created, renowned for setting up and destroying many shoujo
stereotypes. At its simplest level the story follows Tenjou Utena who is dragged
into a series of duels for the right to acquire the power to revolutionize the
world (whatever that may be), but there is far more to the series as its frequent
surreal scenes hint. Utena feels somewhat
like how the X TV series should have turned out. There's a wide-ranging
cast in Utena but given its length of 39 episodes there's actually sufficient
time to flesh out all the characters and that's one of the strengths of this series.
Its varied cast is particularly interesting to observe and even the characters
outside of the duellists still feel like they've been given plenty of detail making
everyone fascinating to watch and develop. The plot
to Revolutionary Girl Utena is similarly interesting to watch, even if
not entirely perfect. The series can seem rather repetitive in the cycles of duels
that occur but the four story arcs that make up the series all help to further
the characters and move on the events behind the scenes. Thankfully the duels
actually form a rather small part of the series and the hidden agenda behind everything
teases you with hints about itself and that is enough to keep you watching. The
ending of the series is slightly unsatisfying in that certain aspects are not
given any explanation and for that reason it and a few other surreal scenes, come
across as pretentious. That doesn't apply to all the surreal facets of Utena
though and a lot of parts are great to watch, the allegorical scenes by the shadow
play girls were my favourite thing to come out from the series. That
animation in Utena is nothing great and being a fairly long series there's
a lot of reused animation, especially in the duels and that's one reason why it's
good that the fights don't last long. But countering this is the wonderful soundtrack
that supports all the goings on and together with the vocal songs it's particularly
nice to listen to. As a whole Revolutionary Girl
Utena is a very well rounded series with a great set of characters and an
intriguing plot which leads to a bold conclusion. The series may not be initially
appealing given the thought required to decipher certain aspects of the series
but ultimately that kind of depth is one of the things that helps suck you into
the self contained world of the academy. |
| 4. Iodine
Strange, surreal, and completely uninhibited, Utena
takes its central ideas and characters, and develops them, step by step, to conclusions
no other series has ever dared to approach. Our story centers on a girl named
Utena, who dresses and acts like a boy at her school, Ohtori Academy, and has
the odd ambition to grow up to be a prince one day. Her quest to free and protect
the mysterious Rose Bride, Anthy, brings her into conflict with the Student Council,
a set of characters with their own hidden depths. Round after round, the masks
of all the duelists are peeled away, and the seemingly simple archetypes they
represent dissected and reflected on. The structure practically is the story,
integrating the use of repeated scenes to create variations on each theme and
character. One particularly fun bit is the use of the shadow girls, gossipy commentators
who surreptitiously comment on each show in their own whimsical little interstital
plays. The animation is nothing fancy, but the designs
are responsible for giving the show a look and feel all its own. Ohtori Academy
is built fundamentally on all the old contrivances and cliches of girls' anime,
and reflects that in every way. The plot is tight, but has room for the occasional
humorous detour. Plenty of subtle hinting and possible subtext have led to many
different ways of interpreting the events that take place. Certainly the show
itself is uncommitted as to what really happens at the end of the series. A warning
must be made that the initial round of duels is only the surface level, and subsequent
episodes become much darker and tackle more mature subject matter. And because
of this, it's probably the best show of its genre. |
| 3. Hybrid
The story of Revolutionary Girl Utena is a story that
follows the tale of a Tomboy orphan girl named Utena Tenjou, who is attending
high school at Ohtori Academy. However, Ohtori Academy isn't your typical high
school, as the academy is run by a mysterious person, who is referred to as "
End of the World". However, one day after witnessing the mistreatment of
a girl named Anthy by Kyouichi Saionji, Utena's life forever changes as she challenges
Saionji to a duel for the Rose Bride (Anthy). It is at this point in time that
Utena, is forever drawn into the world of the Student Council at Ohtori Academy.
And thus begins an epic tale about self-discovery. When first viewing Revolutionary
Girl Utena, you will firstly notice that the show is very heavy on symbolism,
as everything from clothing, to the detailed settings, seems to be symbolic of
something. Visually the show is very detailed, with fanciful and painted settings.
The character designs of the show is your typical classic shoujo show, as the
characters have angular faces and thin tall legs. The music of the show is simply
fantastic, as it was scored by Mitsumue Shinkichi. Mitsumue Shinkichi
later on went to score FLCL, His and Her Circumstances and Tiny
Snow Sugar Fairy. In conclusion, Revolutionary Girl Utena is a unique
epic story that every anime fan should have a look out, weather they like or hate
shoujo anime. Highly Recommended. |
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