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I'm so glad I watched the movie now after reading your post. It left such a warm feeling in my heart :) I didn't understand half of it but the visuals were so gorgeous I didn't really care |
| I'm so touched and sooo confused .___. *goes youtube to watch explains* |
 Check out~ ♥ Some quality AMV:s made with love ♥ My Youtube |
| So I absolutely loved this series. I was completely engrossed the whole way through and was dying to know the end. The visuals were so gorgeous and that soundtrack was one of the best I've heard. I'm not sure exactly how much of it I understand but after reading all the helpful comments explaining things for each episode, it certainly helped. I think the standout for me though of the show was Nanami. She was by far the most interesting character I thought. She was a complete crazy psycho bitch but I kinda loved her for it. Also, that Egg episode is honestly the funniest episode of anime I've ever seen. I laughed so much I cried and then had to use my asthma pump. Honestly, she's going in my favourites. As much as I loved it, I can totally understand why people would hate this show. I think you have to be on board with not understanding everything and that's not easy to do. It can get really frustrating but I just let go and enjoyed it. 9/10 |
  🔥 🔥 🔥 . 阿良々木 暦, 傷 物 語 . 🔥 🔥 🔥 Build a man a fire and you'll warm him for a night but set a man on fire and you'll warm him for the rest of his life... - H E N D Y - |
| Epic finale. Didnt expect it to be so bitter. Sure its all about growing up and facing reality, which is why Utena left the school and Anthy is going to find her. But its bitter that everyone seems to forget her. And there wasnt even a final scene with Utena and Wakaba. Really liked the ending. But it leaves a very bitter taste for me. But the show overall.. Was way too long. Imo it would be way better if it was a single cour and more focused. In the end the side characters didnt matter, all that time wasted on Jury and Micky and Nanami. Utena in the beginning was portrayed as heavily idolized by all the girls and probably boys too, the party episode really showed how epic she is. But that introduction slowly faded away over the next 30+ episodes and it grew weaker and weaker, we saw Utena never as strong as this again which is a shame. I really had to force myself to continue watching this, not that it wasnt good, but I needed an entire month. Really I was expecting to go through this in a week or so and thats what would be better imo because you cant forget anything so easily. Its definitely a show you need to watch multiple times, the symbolism is just too strong. But for that its too long. I wonder if there is a connection between the old fencing club president and what happened to Utena. Both were "hospitalized" which means they were out of school and as far as Im aware the school is the magical place were you dont age. Also as we saw Akio intended to run this thing again which probably also means he ran it before. Also I wonder what would have happened if anyone else ultimately won the duels, maybe even Touga in the end. What would have been Akios plan then? Im looking forward to the movie now because I expect it to be way more focused. Not like they have much chance to stray off path with 2h compared to 39 episodes. Though I also think 2h might be too short for this. Reallly one cour would be perfect. Its hard for me to rate this show. Its just so unique and unusual. Its brave and I respect that a lot, but it just didnt catch me enough to really give it a high rating and its just way too long which watered down the experience quite a bit. |
Comander-07May 6, 2020 12:26 PM
| "This emotion is mine alone. It is for Madoka alone." - Homura or how I would descripe Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. |
| It was good. The story was overly complicated and the characters were not likeable. 6.5/10 |
| "Life is too bitter, so coffee, at least should be sweet..." - Hikigaya Hachiman (Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatte Iru) |
| It was a very interesting ending, and pretty unexpected. Just remembered I haven't watched the last two episodes after almost three months doing something else. As a story about 'maturing' and adolescence, it is indeed one of, if not the most interesting take and direction on the subjects. And something that I probably won't get again in any medium. I will gladly watch this again years later hoping I'll be able to see it and experience it in a new lens. |
addictedtolivingSep 11, 2020 9:42 PM
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Hackser_ said: It was a very interesting ending, and pretty unexpected. Just remembered I haven't watched the last two episodes after almost three months doing something else. As a story about 'maturing' and adolescence, it is indeed one of, if not the most interesting take and direction on the subjects. And something that I probably won't get again in any medium. I will gladly watch this again years later hoping I'll be able to see it and experience it in a new lens. If you haven't already, it's a good idea to check out the movie. It's a more condensed version of the story with the same themes but made more explicit. It's also a very good movie. |
Jin_uzukiSep 15, 2020 5:33 AM
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| This was overall a great anime, I loved the artistic depth it has. I was not a fan of the second arc, it felt way too repetitive. Couldnt relate to the characters as well (however they have interesting depth put into them), the Shadow Plays was very cool to watch. Anime is a bit too long which can make a for a repetitive and boring watch, otherwise its very good. Music and artistic value is high. Filler episodes were hilariously funny. |
Dr-EyesSep 18, 2020 2:13 PM
| Finally finished this series after nearly a year since watching the first episode. I can't help but feel this show would've been a lot stronger if it was more condensed. It tackled a lot of themes that you don't often see addressed in anime, but there was just way too much repetition throughout, especially where the duels are concerned, that it became kind of a slog to watch. I watched the last six episodes in a single sitting today, but before that, I stopped watching for about seven months at one point and then for two more at another. 6/10 |
| Ugh , my head. I usually dislike anime for being too cliche and uncreative , but this time it was the other way around. I had to search for explanations in comments. Characters : 10/10 - even all retared to main cast minor characters were fleshed out Uniqueness : 10/10 , but animation could be much better ( just in theory , I know it aired in 1997 , but imagine if backgrounds were half as smooth as in Monogatari series) Storyline : really abstract , hard to follow at times(ALMOST HALF OF SERIES , EVANGELION IS NOT EVEN CLOSE) , but it is great. Nanami laid an egg / 10 |
| I hate everyone equally |
| I didn't get a lot of what happened but it's nice that Utena managed to free Anthy from her "coffin". Hopefully they'll keep their promise to smile together in the future. Time to watch a ton of videos explaining wtf happened for me |
| Very good watch. The ending reminded me of The Metamorphosis in it's own way. |
| Well... based on this final episode, I guess it's safe to assume that Anthy backstabbing and distancing herself from Utena was indeed just a front to protect her. After all, Anthy already felt quite bad for "dragging" her only friend into this mess so her maintaining the status-quo and deciding to keep accepting the Swords of Hatred instead of "Prince" Utena would be the only logical option to keep her safe. Overall, this conclusion ended up being way less tragic from what I was anticipating. In the end, both Utena and Anthy opened their eyes after coming out of their "coffins" and though everybody in the academy forgetting about Utena was meant to be seen as something sad, I honestly couldn't care less about this matter. I mean, it's not like she was particularly close with any of those students. Yes, Wakaba and Student Council members included. Anyways, in the end Utena managed to "revolutionize the world" in her own way and was able to free Anthy from her prison but at the cost of her "disappearing". Fortunately, now it's Anthy's turn to search for her so that they can reunite and be finally together as they promised. All in all, a quite optimistic conclusion if you ask me. Honestly, all Revolutionary Girl Utena could have been easily executed in 26 episodes, if not less. Leaving Akio's character introduction and the story behind how the duels system was created aside, the whole Black Rose Saga could have been easily skipped. The same goes for those unbearable "filler" episodes with Nanami as the focus. As for other aspects, this show's narrative structure was way too repetitive for nearly two thirds of its duration, symbolism got so oversaturated it felt comical for moments and sorry but Utena and Anthy's relationship never appealed to me. I was never able to see them as something more than mere acquaintances... if only those episodes focused on inconsequential side characters would have been used to flesh out their relationship instead. 3/10 - Came for the potentially tragic yuri, got tons of in-your-face sexual innuendoes, a cast with most of its characters being jerks I never found interesting enough and an unexpected gross amount of incest instead. |
SouthRzVaMay 12, 2021 12:57 AM
never ever EVER in my anime watching career i didnt read so much HERESY like this time wasted on BEST GIRL?! *lost consciousness from anger* |
| Epic Finale. Very beautiful friendship. Love this show. |
| Definitely not the masterpiece that I heard it was lol... You can have all the underlying themes and in your face symbolism you want, unfortunately, it made the cardinal sin of being plain boring for at least 2/3s of the show. And not just boring either, painfully slow burning, repetitive, dull, sort of boring... Terrible pacing, 39 episodes was not necessary to tell this story. The pros were the excellent cast of characters that were well developed and explored plus one of the best soundtracks I've heard in anime. Wasn't a fan of the animation itself. 6/10 overall for the show. |
| Loved this anime overall, but I'd be lying if I said I understood it. 7/10 If they made the anime much shorter, left out all the recaps and useless filler it'd be much more enjoyable. But ultimately, it wasn't a bad anime. I'll definitely have to check out the movie. |
| Great show that although is hard to understand, it will keep living in my heart for its themes and its unique storytelling. Now, it could be more clear with its symbolism (and not a pain in the arse to understand) and it could omit or use differently its repetitions. Yeah yeah, the repetitions are a part of the story and the symbolism, but that doesn't make them any less tiring to watch... I have so many things I want to talk about, but can't find the right words to express them... Regarding this episode, it's a positive ending. It doesn't seem positive at a first glance (Utena dissapearing and the school forgetting about her), but the way I see it, the whole Ohtori academy does not exist, it's a symbol for its students' immaturity. Utena did not die. Her and Anthy leaving the school, symbolises their first step into ''adulthood" (more in the sense of dealing with their problems/trauma and being better versions of themselves). From the very first episode, the minute I saw the dueling arena in the school I though ''wtf this is weird, this can't be real''. This show manages to mix nicely scenes of human reality with surreal imagery. I believe many of the occurences in Utena are not real but a representation for another idea. 9/10 would try again to break the world's shell in order to be born |
"For the revolution of the world!". Wow what a show. Honestly, I shouldn't have to look up secondary sources to understand the plot. But I'm better for it. I get this show wasn't supposed to be taken literally. Sometimes you rarely find that show that takes "suspension of belief" quite literally like Saionji and his Mirage Castle. But hey it gets a 9/10 for me. I'm just glad Anthy isn't evil. |
| "Warriors need a weapon, Our bonds forge that blade That sword is your soul!" |
| Finally finished with this series! I have gotta say, this whole journey felt like different sagas were in front of me lol because they were many discoveries on new characters in these episodic series with a moral sense to it, and sure it may be repetitive but I still appreciate for what they're trying to achieve tbh. It's "REVOLUTIONARY" that's the one word to describe this series as a whole. I love the awareness when it comes to its anti-oppression, the execution of the themes of the discomfort inherent faced by teenagers, and the symbolism they're showing, it is truly engrossing, deep, and very rewarding, Nanami is one of my favorite characters surprisingly, though I can easily tell people are annoyed by her character trope but she has one of the most interesting depictions of a person with a brother complex I've seen in a while; what I like about this series is to how they characterize Nanami when eventually Nanami's hostility is given at least a more of an explanation about the way she behaves from the past and present like she has a depth and gradually becomes a well-realized character, to say the least in comparison to other characters with a similar trait as her. That aside, I thought as a character-driven drama series, the character writing, in general, is fantastic from its psychological aspect and most of them are very unique in their own ways! I really want to read/watch more series with a heroine like Utena who is brave and determined after this lol. 9.5/10 |
| -It could have been a lot better. It almost feels like wasted potential. -39 episodes were too many considering the second cour was repeating the same process over and over with the villain-of-the-week formula. The only ones that mattered where Shiori and the professor himself. -Anthy is the most pathetic female character I´ve ever seen in anime/manga. -The dudes all had the same personality and were split into 2 categories: Shameless simp and woman beater playboy. -Almost every single character outside Utena (and Juri) were unlikeable. And my main issue with the story is how it is presented. It´s not confusing, it is simply too criptic. Most of the fantasy elements were detached in the end or put as an illusion, the "end of the world" that Akio showed to the student council was never explained, the "power to change the world" never existed or was meant to be taken literally, and that ending with Utena being gone doesn´t sit right with me, since everyone else ended up being ok. The message of being yourself and the plot being more of a "growing up" story was good, and I liked the idea as a whole, but it definitively felt like it could have been more by having less episodes. 8/10. The anime was really unique. |
| I enjoyed the Anime Soon gonna watch the movie. They could have skipped the 'filler/flashback' episodes. Since I do think 39 ep was too long. But worth to watch it. |
| Well, this show sure was an experience, so much of one that I'll take absolutely zero interest in any of Ikuhara's works in the future. It had some definite highs in places, but I really think it peaked in the first arc and then lost all its momentum with the repetitive and utterly pointless experience that was the Black Rose arc. And even after that, it took until the final 6 episodes for things to start becoming even slightly interesting again, only to end in a way that ultimately isn't really all that satisfying. For such a character-driven show, Utena's cast is seriously uninteresting. Himemiya remains an absolutely nothing character until the very end and I can't even begin to get invested in Utena's obsession over her for that reason. Nanami is utterly pointless from start to finish, the rest of the student council are uninteresting outside of the first arc. Well, maybe that doesn't apply to Touga, but Akio kind of overlaps with him and ends up overshadowing him for it as a symbol for the patriarchy trying to control and oppress Utena and Anthy. Juri was the most interesting council member in terms of her conflict as a closeted lesbian, but they could have done a lot more with that than they did. Ultimately, though, my feeling is that an entire cour could have been cut from this show without making any difference whatsoever. Say, cut out most of the Black Rose arc (you need it for Akio, and maybe keep the Wakaba episode too) and all of Nanami's filler episodes to compact it into a much less tedious overall experience. 7/10 feels a little generous with all my complaints, but there is undoubtedly value here if you can get past the torturous repetition. |
| This was a good ending. So, the whole time Utena thought that she wanted to be a prince because she was so impressed by a prince from her childhood. It turns out, she wanted to save Anthy all along. After all of the duels and all she has been through, Anthy tells her, that Utena can't be a prince and save her only because she is a woman. No matter how capable Utena is, she is not enough for Anthy. Behind the gate, Utena sees another version of Anthy. Maybe, it is the real one, the one, who doesn't have to play the role of a martyr. "The Revolution" would be a break from the trauma Anthy has been suffering from, somebody would become her prince and free her. Anthy wasn't ready to let go of her identity as a martyr and her trauma. She held on to the dream of "the prince" who would save her, who HAD to be a man. (By the way, this is a popular fantasy that has been documented in psychology, check out "The Eden Project: In Search of the Magical Other" by James Hollis). In the end, Anthy realizes, that betraying Utena and not recognizing her power just because she was a woman was wrong. Anthy sabotaged her own freedom. She goes on a search for Utena, which symbolizes her path to healing and freedom. Anthy chooses to finish what Utena has intended to do but failed: liberating and healing Anthy. Thus, even though Utena is dead, she still lives in Anthy's mind. |
Alice_HuxleyDec 25, 2022 11:44 AM
| Coffin is a metaphor for a fixed role in life. Utena opening Anthy coffin kind of saved her from this role in life. Anthy abandoned her role as Rose Bride and left Akio This one is more of simple metaphors of this show. If you do not get this one, you probably do not get the rest of the show as well. Some other stuff like story about prince and a which by Kashira Girls would require much longer explanation. |
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| Well not to fun to watch for me especially the last 9 episode when seeing utena act like that really piss me off, overly overated in my opinion damn it just 6/10 for me (hoping to get a decent story with that high score made me expecting to much for this anime) |
Destroyer31Oct 9, 2023 8:46 PM
Reply to Comander-07
Epic finale. Didnt expect it to be so bitter. Sure its all about growing up and facing reality, which is why Utena left the school and Anthy is going to find her. But its bitter that everyone seems to forget her. And there wasnt even a final scene with Utena and Wakaba.
Really liked the ending. But it leaves a very bitter taste for me.
But the show overall.. Was way too long. Imo it would be way better if it was a single cour and more focused. In the end the side characters didnt matter, all that time wasted on Jury and Micky and Nanami.
Utena in the beginning was portrayed as heavily idolized by all the girls and probably boys too, the party episode really showed how epic she is. But that introduction slowly faded away over the next 30+ episodes and it grew weaker and weaker, we saw Utena never as strong as this again which is a shame.
I really had to force myself to continue watching this, not that it wasnt good, but I needed an entire month. Really I was expecting to go through this in a week or so and thats what would be better imo because you cant forget anything so easily.
Its definitely a show you need to watch multiple times, the symbolism is just too strong. But for that its too long.
I wonder if there is a connection between the old fencing club president and what happened to Utena. Both were "hospitalized" which means they were out of school and as far as Im aware the school is the magical place were you dont age. Also as we saw Akio intended to run this thing again which probably also means he ran it before.
Also I wonder what would have happened if anyone else ultimately won the duels, maybe even Touga in the end. What would have been Akios plan then?
Im looking forward to the movie now because I expect it to be way more focused. Not like they have much chance to stray off path with 2h compared to 39 episodes. Though I also think 2h might be too short for this. Reallly one cour would be perfect.
Its hard for me to rate this show. Its just so unique and unusual. Its brave and I respect that a lot, but it just didnt catch me enough to really give it a high rating and its just way too long which watered down the experience quite a bit.
Really liked the ending. But it leaves a very bitter taste for me.
But the show overall.. Was way too long. Imo it would be way better if it was a single cour and more focused. In the end the side characters didnt matter, all that time wasted on Jury and Micky and Nanami.
Utena in the beginning was portrayed as heavily idolized by all the girls and probably boys too, the party episode really showed how epic she is. But that introduction slowly faded away over the next 30+ episodes and it grew weaker and weaker, we saw Utena never as strong as this again which is a shame.
I really had to force myself to continue watching this, not that it wasnt good, but I needed an entire month. Really I was expecting to go through this in a week or so and thats what would be better imo because you cant forget anything so easily.
Its definitely a show you need to watch multiple times, the symbolism is just too strong. But for that its too long.
I wonder if there is a connection between the old fencing club president and what happened to Utena. Both were "hospitalized" which means they were out of school and as far as Im aware the school is the magical place were you dont age. Also as we saw Akio intended to run this thing again which probably also means he ran it before.
Also I wonder what would have happened if anyone else ultimately won the duels, maybe even Touga in the end. What would have been Akios plan then?
Im looking forward to the movie now because I expect it to be way more focused. Not like they have much chance to stray off path with 2h compared to 39 episodes. Though I also think 2h might be too short for this. Reallly one cour would be perfect.
Its hard for me to rate this show. Its just so unique and unusual. Its brave and I respect that a lot, but it just didnt catch me enough to really give it a high rating and its just way too long which watered down the experience quite a bit.
| @Comander-07 To understand it better, watch Princess Tutu. Basically, the school is a fairy tale. When characters come into that world, everyone treats it like it's normal, no matter what. When they leave, it's a normal thing that's forgotten. That's the nature of fairy tales. Once the character has moved on, that's it for their story. |
Reply to ADreamofBlue
It's finally over. Is Utena dead or alive? Who knows? I'll choose to think she's dead. I appreciate what this show tried to do and the ideas it brought forth, but this story absolutely did not need 39 episodes. I'd constantly heard/read this was a masterpiece when I got in to anime 8.5 years ago at this point and I'm disappointed. The amount of filler, dropped plot points, and reused footage just really started to wear away at my motivation to keep watching. A lot of the characters, as well, just weren't likable to me. Giving it a 6. I'm hoping the movie is better than the show (and from what I understand it's a similar situation to the Escaflowne TV series and movie, in that they're not really related to one another).
| @ADreamofBlue She's alive. She's just an adult. |
If you don't understand the ending, then watch episode 22.   Look at Anthy and Tokiko. Both of them have hats on, and their hair is down and curly. They are both outside of the school, living a normal life. Akio and Tokiko confirm that Tokiko is outside of the fairytale world with the following dialogue:   From that same episode, Mikage walks past her, as if he doesn't know her:  They walk past each other. She turns around to look back at him. He keeps going. This is strange, since he's doing all of this for her. He fell in love with her. Yet he doesn't spare a passing glance to her. This confirms that once they leave they fairytale world, people don't remember them. In a way, the school is a coffin. Once again, the dialogue confirms:     They liken the school to a coffin, but the coffin is a metaphor of prison or being trapped. Tokiko comes back to school, to visit her brother's grave (coffin). Himemiya tells her brother than he can stay inside this cozy coffin. Saionji tells Touga that even if the Chairman did rescue Utena, she's still in a coffin. Basically, Utena is still running from reality. Though she traded one coffin for another. With all this symbolism, it comes to a head when Anthy confronts Akio.  This is the confusing part. Utena isn't dead. She's just vanished from their world. That school is full of people who haven't moved on. They continue to live in a fantasy world, cut off from reality. That's why Utena isn't remembered. She just left the fantasy world, and decided to grow up. Utena isn't staying in her coffin and playing prince, she's growing up. Just like Anthy isn't playing the prince anymore, she's growing up. |
| Another comment to show everyone moving on. Juri actually points to this is her story. Juri talks about a boy who tried to rescue her sister, yet he failed to do so. Her sister forgets his name, and so does Juri. Similar to the people forgetting Utena. I'm assuming that the boy was the Utena of his world. Tried to save the princess, Juri's sister, but failed. So he rescued himself. Considering that Juri's sister isn't around anymore, I'm sure she chose the path of Anthy, where she later on freed herself. Then an interesting thing is the cycles. Keiko and the girls, Nanami's old lackeys, are now the most popular girls. Nanami grew up from that immaturity, and decided to stay with her group and not be toxic. Though all hope isn't lost for Keiko and her girls, because they reject the advances of some men. Wakaba is with her Onion Prince, which means that she isn't chasing playboys anymore. In fact, she's becoming another Utena! A girl jumps on her and does the same thing she did to Utena. It seems that she'll be the next one leaving, along with her Onion Prince. It also seems like she'll be the main character of her own anime! Juri is now the captain, and Shiori is on her team. Their relationship is obviously improving. Touga and Saionji stopped chasing after women. They have their true friendship, and Nanami is with them. Implying a healthy friendship with them. Miki also made up with his sister, and they're friends with Mitsuri, the kid who used to chase after Nanami. Basically, they're stuck in the loop, but not all hope is lost. They're in the same fairytale, but they're playing different roles. |
Reply to LuxuriousHeart
@Comander-07 To understand it better, watch Princess Tutu. Basically, the school is a fairy tale. When characters come into that world, everyone treats it like it's normal, no matter what. When they leave, it's a normal thing that's forgotten. That's the nature of fairy tales. Once the character has moved on, that's it for their story.
| @LuxuriousHeart Thx for the reply even after all that time, certainly takes me back to when I watched this. Reading my comment.. now I sometimes need a year to watch shorter shows lol. I dont remember the names of the characters or the plot much, but if its about growing out of your teenage fantasy, whats the point/plan of the guy .. (I dont even remember what his position was or what he was doing, I mean the brother who fought Utena.) PS: What happened for this show to suddenly become so popular again? Thats a lot of comments in the last 2 years! |
| "This emotion is mine alone. It is for Madoka alone." - Homura or how I would descripe Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. |
Reply to Comander-07
@LuxuriousHeart Thx for the reply even after all that time, certainly takes me back to when I watched this. Reading my comment.. now I sometimes need a year to watch shorter shows lol.
I dont remember the names of the characters or the plot much, but if its about growing out of your teenage fantasy, whats the point/plan of the guy .. (I dont even remember what his position was or what he was doing, I mean the brother who fought Utena.)
PS: What happened for this show to suddenly become so popular again? Thats a lot of comments in the last 2 years!
I dont remember the names of the characters or the plot much, but if its about growing out of your teenage fantasy, whats the point/plan of the guy .. (I dont even remember what his position was or what he was doing, I mean the brother who fought Utena.)
PS: What happened for this show to suddenly become so popular again? Thats a lot of comments in the last 2 years!
| @Comander-07 He wanted to open the door to eternity, and revolutionize the world. The movie kind of touches on this. Akio can only play the prince at their school. Though outside of their school, he's a normal person. I think he wants to bring the logic of the school, into reality. |
Reply to LuxuriousHeart
@Comander-07 He wanted to open the door to eternity, and revolutionize the world. The movie kind of touches on this. Akio can only play the prince at their school. Though outside of their school, he's a normal person. I think he wants to bring the logic of the school, into reality.
| @LuxuriousHeart I have absolutely no idea what that means, maybe its been too long. Or rather why did Utena need to fight him? Whats the issue with his plan? |
| "This emotion is mine alone. It is for Madoka alone." - Homura or how I would descripe Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. |
Reply to Comander-07
@LuxuriousHeart I have absolutely no idea what that means, maybe its been too long. Or rather why did Utena need to fight him? Whats the issue with his plan?
| @Comander-07 The one who won the duel was the one with the power to open the door, supposedly. Yet that proved wrong because even when he got her sword and won the duel, the door still didn't open. In that way, the door to eternity wasn't real, per se. The door to eternity was basically the door to reality. Stop living in the fantasy world, and go out into reality. And Anthy's true body was behind that door, and she couldn't leave unless SHE decided to leave the fantasy world behind. |
| im kinda speechless i get why this is such an important show got me thinking a lot about agency, femininity, submission, sisterhood, girlhood and womanhood, and love of course im really thinking this is ahead of its time in a way, i think its getting popular again because more people are nowadays better equipped to understand and talk about the shows social commentary (woke is mainstream) |
 |
Reply to Etceteral
tl;dr: Confused after finishing the series? Don't worry, everyone was :) Now, go back and watch the first four episodes again, knowing what you know now.
Kind of like in The Usual Suspects, literally everything in almost every scene changes once you know what's really been going on: Akio and Anthy have been playing a game of chess, with each manipulating the naive Utena, not to mention everyone else, from the very beginning.
On the silly Nanami episodes: Anthy was a witch, and witches have familiars (Chu Chu) and are good with animals. After the harassment that Anthy gets from Nanami in episode 3, it should make a lot more sense why it looks like Anthy is having a blast during the whole scene at Utena and Anthy's dorm in episode 4 (and onward).
It should come as no surprise that almost everything in the series is happening because Anthy, Akio, and/or ChuChu have caused something to happen, or caused someone else to do something to cause something to happen.
Actually, here's a great litmus test for catching what was going on:
Did you fully track the movements of banana that Nanami slipped on in episode 31? Go check it. It's at 08:20 in on the episode. Watch carefully, then think about how carefully Akio and Anthy planned out those events in order to introduce the two of them, then to get her to move in, then let her idea of their "healthy" sibling relationship get traumatized, and then eventually duel Utena in ep 32.
In many ways, Anthy is actually the protagonist the whole time. At some point early on (either at the end of ep 2, by the duel in ep 5, or during ep 12), Anthy decides to start taking matters into her own hands. It's up to you to decide when/how Anthy strikes out on her own, and when/how Utena's own influence changes Anthy's desire.
Finally, think of Mikage in the Black Rose Saga was a sort of foreshadowing of the stakes for Utena's success or failure. By her own standard, Utena seems to have failed... But by having affecting Anthy so much, she elicited Anthy's freedom. Utena wasn't herself a "revolutionary girl" in the sense of *being a Prince* (she failed at the end), but she did in fact cause a Revolution to occur.
Kind of like in The Usual Suspects, literally everything in almost every scene changes once you know what's really been going on: Akio and Anthy have been playing a game of chess, with each manipulating the naive Utena, not to mention everyone else, from the very beginning.
On the silly Nanami episodes: Anthy was a witch, and witches have familiars (Chu Chu) and are good with animals. After the harassment that Anthy gets from Nanami in episode 3, it should make a lot more sense why it looks like Anthy is having a blast during the whole scene at Utena and Anthy's dorm in episode 4 (and onward).
It should come as no surprise that almost everything in the series is happening because Anthy, Akio, and/or ChuChu have caused something to happen, or caused someone else to do something to cause something to happen.
Actually, here's a great litmus test for catching what was going on:
Did you fully track the movements of banana that Nanami slipped on in episode 31? Go check it. It's at 08:20 in on the episode. Watch carefully, then think about how carefully Akio and Anthy planned out those events in order to introduce the two of them, then to get her to move in, then let her idea of their "healthy" sibling relationship get traumatized, and then eventually duel Utena in ep 32.
In many ways, Anthy is actually the protagonist the whole time. At some point early on (either at the end of ep 2, by the duel in ep 5, or during ep 12), Anthy decides to start taking matters into her own hands. It's up to you to decide when/how Anthy strikes out on her own, and when/how Utena's own influence changes Anthy's desire.
Finally, think of Mikage in the Black Rose Saga was a sort of foreshadowing of the stakes for Utena's success or failure. By her own standard, Utena seems to have failed... But by having affecting Anthy so much, she elicited Anthy's freedom. Utena wasn't herself a "revolutionary girl" in the sense of *being a Prince* (she failed at the end), but she did in fact cause a Revolution to occur.
| @Etceteral Cool post, this anime feel like it has so many details you would miss on a first watch |
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