Since there are yuri and subtle gay themes in this manga, decided to create a thread for it since it doesn’t exist here yet... feel free to discuss

last edited at May 5, 2019 2:04PM

Watching Utena was literally life-changing for me.

Watching Utena was literally life-changing for me.

I agree, it was a very well-thought out show for adolescents. I was actually very surprised at how accurate the depictions of students were to those in real life. High school students do indeed act dramatic or treat people with disrespect out of insecurity. And there’s also the theme of love—Juri’s also somewhat like me when I first found out I could love somebody who was a girl lol. And there’s also Miki, who knows incest is wrong to society so tries to find a replacement for his sister in Anthy.

last edited at May 5, 2019 9:19PM

I still like the manga, but after that movie I couldn't watch the anime anymore. Chiho Saito herself was shocked by it.

Okay, so

I just finished Revolutionary Girl Utena (anime) recently and there were a couple of things that I just had to share somewhere:

1. Why did Anthy people keep getting SLAPPED!? It was so funny that at some point I was watching it just for that XD

2. What IN THE WORLD was Miki doing with that TIMER!?

3. Why were there so many creepy brother-and-sister relationships!?

4. I really liked Utena's (japanese) voice. The way it sounded kind of boy-ish and cool and immature at the same time... Idk, I just couldn't get enough of it.

The show definitely had its share of problems plot-wise (quite a large share, for that matter...), it often got a bit repetitive and there was actually a whole arc where I never really got what was going on... Oh, and the filler episodes were the absolute worst I've ever seen.

But it was GAY enough, and that's what matters :D (jokes aside, I did enjoy it for the most part, I wasn't watching it only for the gay)

I'm actually planning to watch the movie as well, even though I read that it isn't exactly a sequel... Aaaand I've probably already dedicated way too much of my time on this mess of a show..... Oh well

---

PS. Almost forgot to mention something I really wanted to talk about. I just can't not talk about that line in the last episode, where Himemiya said,
"You can never be my prince. Because you're a girl."

I just burst out laughing when she said that XD
The fact that we had, like, 38 episodes of Utena saying she'll be a prince or whatever and then just... Damn, Himemiya can be pretty savage, huh? lol
Her greatest line by far XD

last edited at Sep 1, 2021 4:40PM

Okay, so

I just finished Revolutionary Girl Utena (anime) recently

Good for you. My favorite anime, perhaps ex aequo with Sailor Moon.

and there were a couple of things that I just had to share somewhere:

1. Why did Anthy people keep getting SLAPPED!? It was so funny that at some point I was watching it just for that XD

I guess it reinforced Anthy's image as a defenseless tragic victim who needed a prince to protect her from bullies?
If only those bullies had known who they were really messing with, right? >:)

1. What IN THE WORLD was Mickey doing with that TIMER!? (Also, why was he called Mickey, I just couldn't take him seriously lol)

His Japanese name is Miki. I assume the subtitlers went with Mickey?

1. Why were there so many creepy brother-and-sister relationships!?

Chiho Saito is into incest. Big time. If you have never read her manga Kanon, go here for a plot summary. You'll find how big her incest fetish can really be.

1. I really liked Utena's (japanese) voice. The way it sounded kind of boy-ish and cool and immature at the same time... Idk, I just couldn't get enough of it.

There's a funny story about that: when Tomoko Kawakami tried for the role, she had absolutely no idea what the anime was about... and so she read the part in her best "random cute sporty girl who is kinda naive" voice. To her surprise, everyone loved it and she got the job.

The show definitely had its share of problems plot-wise (quite a large share, for that matter...), it often got a bit repetitive and there was actually a whole arc where I never really got what was going on... Oh, and the filler episodes were the absolute worst I've ever seen.

Imho SKU had some of the best filler episodes ever, lol. Episode 33 for example is infamous because, when the show was first aired, a lot of people missed it: as soon as they found it was a recap ep, they turned off the tv and didn't bother watching it. Because, y'know, recaps are boring, right?
Later they found it was the all-important, crucial, world-changing episode where Akio and Utena finally had sex and Utena lost her virginity and they wanted to kill themselves for missing that, lmao.

But it was GAY enough, and that's what matters :D (jokes aside, I did enjoy it for the most part, it wasn't watching it only for the gay)

I'm actually planning to watch the movie as well, even though I read that it isn't exactly a sequel... Aaaand I've probably already dedicated way too much of my time on this mess of a show..... Oh well

Mess??? What mess!? Best show ever!

And the movie is great, too. It's a retelling, not a sequel -- an original version of the story with many different twists. Also it has a most satisfactory ending where Utena and Anthy don't get separated: they face the trials together, escape the academy together and, in the last scene, celebrate their victory with a passionate kiss of love.

PS. Almost forgot to mention something I really wanted to talk about. I just can't not talk about that line in the last episode, where Himemiya said,
"You can never be my prince. Because you're a girl."

I just burst out laughing when she said that XD
The fact that we had, like, 38 episodes of Utena saying she'll be a prince or whatever and then just... Damn, Himemiya can be pretty savage, huh? lol
Her greatest line by far XD

Well, it's not like Anthy didn't have reasons to think that. Utena had repeatedly failed all the qualifying tests in the last arc of the show. She did keep trying, but, at that point of things, Anthy didn't believe in her anymore.

Good thing that, against all odds, she got through in the end, huh? That's the POWER OF LOVE for you! XD

last edited at Sep 1, 2021 5:24PM

I guess it reinforced Anthy's image as a defenseless tragic victim who needed a prince to protect her from bullies?
If only those bullies had known who they were really messing with, right? >:)

That's true, though it definitely reached a point where it made me think that the writer just enjoyed the SLAPS (just like I did lol). Especially in the first half of the series the slaps fell like rain XD. I remember at some point I had thought, hey there hasn't been a slap in these last few episodes... And right at that episode we had back-to-back slapping between Utena and her friend hahaha (I rewinded that a couple of times, it was great!)

His Japanese name is Miki. I assume the subtitlers went with Mickey?

Yeah, I realised that would probably have been the case when I posted the comment. I apologise to Miki on behalf of whoever did those subtitles....

If you have never read her manga Kanon, go here for a plot summary.

Whoa, that answers my question, alright

There's a funny story about that: when Tomoko Kawakami tried for the role, she had absolutely no idea what the anime was about... and so she read the part in her best "random cute sporty girl who is kinda naive" voice. To her surprise, everyone loved it and she got the job.

Wow, that's pretty cool! I would have hired her too XD

Imho SKU had some of the best filler episodes ever, lol. Episode 33 for example is infamous because, when the show was first aired, a lot of people missed it: as soon as they found it was a recap ep, they turned off the tv and didn't bother watching it. Because, y'know, recaps are boring, right?

Later they found it was the all-important, crucial, world-changing episode where Akio and Utena finally had sex and Utena lost her virginity and they wanted to kill themselves for missing that, lmao.

Well, I was referring more to the Nanami fillers, which I really couldn't stand. I didn't skip them entirely though, because I had the possibility of actual plot progression in the back of my mind. So thankfully I didn't miss that part in ep. 33.

Mess??? What mess!? Best show ever!

Well, it had some pretty weird stuff in there right? Like all these scenes with the End of the World (in the car)...? Or that scientist dude and his secret crypt...? Idk, I didn't really get them. But it definitely had a charm that kept me going, even through the torture —for me– of the fillers XD

Note, here, that I am not at all used to older shows like this, so even just the artstyle and animation can feel pretty jarring to me (though, I have to say, I liked the artstyle here)

And the movie is great, too. It's a retelling, not a sequel -- an original version of the story with many different twists.

Aaaahhhh almost read the movie spoilers when I quoted thissss!

Well, it's not like Anthy didn't have reasons to think that. Utena had repeatedly failed all the qualifying tests in the last arc of the show. She did keep trying, but, at that point of things, Anthy didn't believe in her anymore.

Yeah, that's true; Utena was kind of a mess near the end. But it's still funny.

Thanks for replying, btw. I was sure that no one would care about a random comment on this show at all XD

last edited at Sep 1, 2021 6:39PM

Thanks for replying, btw. I was sure that no one would care about a random comment on this show at all XD

Hehe, I am the one person in the forum who had to reply no matter what.
I mean, look at my avatar. :P

Oh... that sure brings memories... one anime I loved and adored so much... that at some point I got so tired of it, that I'm now only listening to the OST (yeah-yeah, I'm sure another couple of years pass by and I'll do yet another rewatch)

Imho SKU had some of the best filler episodes ever

THIS! Cows and elephants for the win!

1. What IN THE WORLD was Miki doing with that TIMER!?

Catching your attention. I mean it. xDD

The show definitely had its share of problems plot-wise (quite a large share, for that matter...), it often got a bit repetitive and there was actually a whole arc where I never really got what was going on... Oh, and the filler episodes were the absolute worst I've ever seen.

It'll come with time. After the first run I was the same. But then there was another one. And another one. And the movie. And another one. And more Ikuhara shit. And reading Demian by Hermann Hesse. And... yeah.. somewhere there it's still repetitive, but who the f**k cares, because FUKAKU, MOTTO FUKAKU!

I'm actually planning to watch the movie as well, even though I read that it isn't exactly a sequel...

Go for it... I hated the movie after the first watch though... I love it dearly these days... You've been warned...

Thanks for replying, btw. I was sure that no one would care about a random comment on this show at all XD

Hehe, I am the one person in the forum who had to reply no matter what.
I mean, look at my avatar. :P

Haha, surprised by the sudden thread on the forum, I was sure, while opening it, I'll find Nene's comments inside. I mean, yeah, look at her avatar))))

last edited at Sep 1, 2021 7:37PM

Thanks for replying, btw. I was sure that no one would care about a random comment on this show at all XD

Hehe, I am the one person in the forum who had to reply no matter what.
I mean, look at my avatar. :P

Oh, you're right. I use my mobile most of the time, so I often miss the avatars unfortunately...

Nice, picture by the way! I love how you chose, like, the most random scene lol

Okay so

It's been about a month since my first post and now I've come back for Adolescence of Utena. And I can honestly say, I understand this statement completely:

I hated the movie after the first watch though...

But before I get to why, let's talk about the important stuff:

1. Where did all my SLAPPING go?! Jokes aside, I was genuinely surprised lol

2. The new HAIRCUTS. I just. I couldn't get over it for half the movie lol. I mean, okay, Utena's short cut was cool and all (especially in profile –gosh, her profile was greattt...!), but I feel like long hair was better for her. And don't even let me get started on Himemiya! I admit that having loose hair matched this Anthy better... But. Where did my gorgeous lush curls go??? Disappointing.

3. Utena's voice was as awesome as ever hehe. But I kinda felt like she didn't really have that many lines...? Then again, she was a freaking car (?!) for almost 15 minutes of the movie.... At least I got to hear her scream "Himemiya...!" again, so I'm contented.

   ---

Now, on to what actually put me off about this movie (besides the hairstyles):

Well, it had some pretty weird stuff in there right? Like all these scenes with the End of the World (in the car)...? Or that scientist dude and his secret crypt...? Idk, I didn't really get them.

It's a bit funny that I said this before about the series, I guess I just didn't know what was awaiting me in the movie. This movie reached Madoka Magica Rebellion levels of weirdness –just without any explanation at the end lol

I don't know if it was supposed to be symbolism or whatever, but I honestly feel like the only thing I actually understood from all that was those few lines at the end about how they would "venture into a world without roads...", or something. I don't know if I'm just stupid, and it definitely seemed as though the director had fun with this movie... but it just seemed like nonsense to me.

Also, something that really bothered me was the fact that it seemed to take many things for granted (as though it expected the viewer to have watched the original series), but at the same time it was far removed from that original plotline, so it ended up feeling as if nothing was actually explained.

Things were happening out of nowhere and the relationships between most of the main cast were never really shown. Touga's role, for example. Or the student council being friends with the main leads, without having been through any of what happened in the series. Anthy's change was also surprising, though I wouldn't say it wasn't fitting; it kinda felt like we were seeing the Anthy from the later episodes of the series (only without as gorgeous hair). However, her relationship with Utena felt a bit rushed, simply because there wasn't enough time for any kind of built-up to it. The whole film was so focused on all the surrealistic stuff, that it never got around to building any kind of plot.

Even though I was supposed to already be familiar with the story and characters, I felt estranged while watching it. I guess I'll stick to the series if I ever decide to rewatch it.

TL;DR: I was pissed off about the new hair, basically. Aaaand I didn't get what was going on. And the writer didn't seem to care to explain? lol

P.S. The one thing that this movie certainly did right was removing Nanami. That was a good call. Oh, and it was incredibly GAY.

last edited at Oct 4, 2021 5:13AM