Zefiberyl Translations
joined Apr 11, 2011
Whether Utena "dies" in the series is a matter for interpretation, although even if you were to say that she did, that doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing in the context of her departing from the strange reality of Ohtori. If you watch the series' ending, you will understand that it is a very hopeful and optimistic one. In the movie, she most definitely does not die, far from it.
As for the other, Ikuhara and the franchise's manga artist, Saito Chiho (who was in fact one of the main opponents to a lesbian romance in the series) recorded voiceover commentary for the last three episodes (37-39) in which they speak very candidly on this matter. These commentaries were included in the show's original Western release by Central Park Media, and also in the recent rerelease by Nozomi.
The movie likewise has a FULL commentary track with Ikuhara speaking over the entire movie, and this has also been included in both of the aforementioned domestic releases.
Numerous interviews by Ikuhara touch this topic, transcripts of many of which can be found here: http://ohtori.nu/creators/according.html
There is also the rerelease liner notes, which include episode-by-episode written commentary by Ikuhara, as well as essays by him and other staff members. I'm not sure if these would be available online without actually buying the release (which I of course encourage).
The movie certainly is an alternate retelling, and if there is one tip I would give to any series veteran before watching the movie, it is: "Do not attempt to plug what you perceive as holes in the plot with backstory from the series." The movie is entirely its own animal, and I council everyone to examine it and ponder it closely, because it is a very different, but quite complete, version of the tale.
last edited at Dec 20, 2015 8:50PM