[Sell Me On...] Revolutionary Girl Utena

[J-0080]

Was that really necessary, J dear?

That question is rhetorical.


I've always been sorta interested in seeing Utena, who knows, maybe after I cash my pay-check.

[SarahtheBoring]

I'm curious about seeing Utena now...from what I'd heard, I'd assumed it was just some lesbian orgy type thing, but I guess I was wrong. I like animes with intricate plots. I'll definitely have to give this one a try.

*facepalm* People, people, what are you telling everyone? I bet they never even saw the series. The artbooks and promo art are much more racy than the series, as is the movie. There are some adult moments in the last two arcs, but that's because the main villain is a gigantic lech. It's definitely not a lesbian orgy. It's 13-up rated at worst (I checked). Ye-es, probably 75% of the cast is bisexual, but most of the "action" is way offscreen. (They have shorthand. Guy has his shirt open? Just got lucky. )

Character-driven, mostly drama, bunches of plotlines - everybody on the show gets an episode or two dedicated to them - essentially the series' structure is a set of three cycles of these dedicated episodes, while Utena's story goes on throughout.

Sorry, fanboys. 8)

[azulmagia]

Look at the way Utena and Anthy gaze longingly into each other's eyes in the opening sequence as they lie on the grass and tell me that those two are not totally into each other.

[J-0080]

Ye-es, probably 75% of the cast is bisexual

What kind of school are they at....

[SarahtheBoring]

Look at the way Utena and Anthy gaze longingly into each other's eyes in the opening sequence as they lie on the grass and tell me that those two are not totally into each other.

They probably are, but the series doesn't show anything beyond some hand-holding, and really it's irrelevant anyway. If you want to see their relationship as The Best Friendship On Earth Ever rather than a romantic relationship, you could probably get away with arguing that. The rest of us would probably pat you on the head and chuckle, but you could get away with it. The center of the story is their bond of [whatever], not teh h0tt akshun!!, 'cause honestly, almost all of the action involves Akio. Who is most definitely not a lesbian.

J-0080: An enviable one. 8) (it's a boarding school. in a parallel universe where everyone is pretty, rarely has to go to class and is romantically entangled with three different people at once.)

[ebichuman]

As someone who's seen the whole series save the movie, I gotta say that it's a weird, artsy anime. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad and I think everyone should watch it. It grew on me thanks to the songs at the beginning, middle, and end of each ep. If you want to watch a serious anime, watch Utena. Sorry for sounding a little vague here.

By the way, for some reason I think there was more guy on guy action.

[mexicanjunior]

So, let's hear it. What makes the show so great, anyway?

-DOKool

The thing I loved most about the series (only seen up to ep13) was the great music during the duel scenes.

[SarahtheBoring]

By the way, for some reason I think there was more guy on guy action.

You're right; there is. Nothing is shown (once again), but there is more hetero, m/m hinting and male shirtlessness than female nudity, despite the later-arc transformation sequences.

It IS shoujo, after all.

[TekkaRepliroid Zero]

As AD and some others have said, the movie is in all likelyhood the most gorgeous piece of animation planet earth has to offer... period. Breathtaking, phenonimal, graceful, magic. It's pretty messed up, but make no mistake it is a fun ride and its overall a very touching epic, albeit surreal. It is an absolute must see for anybody that has any interest in any form of animation whatsoever.

As for the TV series, I'm not that fond of its visual style. While very deliberate for artistic flavour, it's extremely 2-dimensional and leaves much to be desired IMO. They can do scenery very well, but the characters are 2-dimensional cutouts throughout. As for the quality of the TV series itself, the first 2 seasons more or less suck, and then it suddenly becomes pretty damn cool, dark, and trippy in the third season (just like that, overnight), and is well worth the watch. Avoid Black Rose (2nd season) like the plague. Waste of time, paper, cel paint, voice talent, money, etc..