Blood+, Shoujo Kakumei Utena Recommendations
Well, the resemblence is absolutely obvious: schoolgirls as main characters, both Saya and Utena are top-notch fencers, lots of sword-fighting, repulsive "noble" men characters.
Nonetheless, there are some dufferences.
Firstly, B+ has very little humour, actually, no humour at all. Whereas RGU is not that mournful and is full of jokes (there is even a small annoying mascot). Sometimes jokes in RGU are used in the most serious and crucial moments to show, how odd duelists' pomposity is.
Secondly, B+'s animation is of a better quality than RGU's (in RGU there are >1minute animation sequences steadily repeated in every episode). Although there is a sword fight
in almost every episode, RGU is not an action anime as B+ (by the way fights in RGU are rather poor and can't be compared to B+'s ones), it's more likely a drama.
No doubt there is drama in B+: two sisters, trying to kill each other is rather serious a drama. But drama in B+ is just a background for action, and in RGU it's quite the opposite thing.
So, if you are not keen of excessive symbolism and adolescence mental problems, you'd better not watch RGU, because it consisits of symbolism and teenager psychology. If you want more monsters bisected with a katana, go watch something else, RGU won't satisfy you.
As for the characters, they're completely similar as far as their personality is concerned. Both Utena and Saya want to protect their friends and wish they could live happily without fighting. Chevaliers and duelists are alike: although they appear to be noble and physically strong, they turn out to be wicked people, obsessed by their desires.
Ultimately, these series have a lot in common, but that doesn't mean, that you like B+ and you'll definetely like RGU. If you are not bored to death by soul-searching animes, go watch RGU. Or go watch B+ (if you have already watched RGU). I guarantee you won't regret it.
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