"Shôjo kakumei Utena" (1997)TV series

Director:

Kunihiko Ikuhara

Writers:

Yoji Enokido (writer)
Kunihiko Ikuhara (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

2 April 1997 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

A tomboyish schoolgirl finds herself forced into repeated duels for another girl who has a role in a world revolution.

Plot Keywords:

Pink Hair | Manga | Anime | Animal | Incest

Cast

Tomoko Kawakami

...

Utena Tenjô (unknown episodes)

Also Known As:

Girl Revolution Utena (USA)
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Rose Collection (USA) (DVD title)

Runtime:

24 min (39 episodes)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Colour:

Colour

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16

Trivia:

The Student Council's oath, more commonly known as "the chick speech", is a variation of, "The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born first must destroy a world. The bird flies to God. That God's name is Abraxas" from Herman Hesse's Demian. It is a direct tie into the multiple Gnostic themes of the show.

Goofs:

Continuity: In episode 8, the thick white stripe on the bottom of Nanami's skirt disappears when she is hugging Touga. It re-appears in the other scenes.

Quotes:

Shiori Takatsuki: [repeated line] Believe in miracles and they will know your feelings.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Shôjo kakumei Utena: Adolescence mokushiroku (1999)

Bizarre? Yes. Smart? Most definitely.

I think people get too caught up in attempting to understand something foreign to realize that many elements in Revolutionary Girl Utena are not meant to be taken literally and at times, seriously. Yes, it is strange, but, the strangeness is purposefully achieved as a method of storytelling. If one can look past or even appreciate the strangeness, one can find a worthwhile story that's both entertaining and insightful.

The main character, Utena Tenjou, is a student at a boarding school. She meets Anthy Himemiya, a shy girl who is the Rose Bride, the key figure in a mysterious plot by the Student Counsel to "revolutionise the world". The main storyline revolves around Utena and her journey, through different trials and obstacles, to uncover this mystery. To support the main story, there are many subplots and filled with colourful supporting characters, who add drama, humour, and complexity.

The Student Counsel members often recite a poem with portions borrowed from Herman Hesse's Demian. Like the Demian, Utena is about the antagonist's personal journey uncovering truth within their world and within themselves, through the transitional periods of youth. Unlike in Demian, the hero's journey in Utena is highly metaphorical. Despite seeming childish and simple at first, this series is actually incredibly dark with themes that are both adult in nature and adult in meaning. It uses many traditional archetypes – like the charming prince, the wicked witch, the naive hero – but changes these elements' relationship with each other and within the story as the vehicle to drive these progressive elements. Some of the ideas touched upon are the meaning of gender, gender roles, the meaning of self, etc.

Revolutionary Girl Utena is one of my favourite television series. Both the plot and the characters are highly developed. I actually greatly enjoy the surrealism, with over the top drama that both pokes fun of itself and other series within the shoujo (manga and anime for women and girls) genre. The fantastic story components along with highly stylized visuals full of symbolism paint an almost dream-like setting. It's a post-modern fairytale that's indefinitely unforgettable. You'll either love it or hate it, there's no in between.