The best part about currently-airing anime is the “water cooler” factor, the ability to talk with people about what happened this week and speculate on the coming episodes. While older titles may have more appeal in general, the shared experience factor of new series is something you just have to miss out on.
But a re-release, such as the recently remastered Revolutionary Girl Utena, provides a great opportunity for a new group of people to share the experience they might have missed the first time around. One such person I’m fortunate enough to share this particular series with is animekritik, who’s braving a less than optimal computer to get his fix of swordfighting fantasy… shoujo?
kritik: I actually think when well done, shoujo is the most powerful of anime genres. What’s more powerful than the emotions of a teenage girl? rage, love, envy…
otou-san: you mean what’s more histrionic and melodramatic?
kritik: melodramatic, yes, overboard, yes. I like that in anime.
otou-san: I can’t argue that anime is a medium that does melodrama well.
kritik: What you do is you take all that emotion, which usually an outsider would think is plain silly, and make it the key to saving the universe or something of that sort.
He makes a good point. You want drama, teenage girls have it in spades. Though for some reason it surprised us both, Utena‘s unmistakably shoujo— from the flowery borders, to the spindly, curly character designs, to the (cool and spicy) heroine in a boy’s uniform, this is aimed at the fairer demographic. Maybe that’s why it never made its way into my VCR the first time around — the shoujo overtones didn’t mesh with my more Kawajiri-focused taste. But if a pink-haired girl swordfighting amidst a metal soundtrack doesn’t sway you, I question your male status as well.
The story revolves around Utena Tenjou, who was given a rose ring as a child by a prince. Like any normal girl, she decides that she herself will become a prince. What? Utena has lived her life in a princely way thus far: she acts noble but never snobby, and she’s devoted to protecting the weak and bullied. One day she’s challenged to a duel — kendo, or so she thinks — for the honor of her friend Wakaba, but it turns out to be a bit more than a kendo match.
Neither kritik or I have a very clear idea of where this is going, but it shows up with all guns blazing and makes no apologies. The show doesn’t feel the need to over-explain just yet, it’s too busy exciting and confusing you. I thought that at the very least you could say that few first episodes were executed with incredible confidence:
kritik: Yes! Notice the show is done with the same confidence Utena shows in her dealings with the world… it’s like they’re in sync.
Then there’s the ballsy move to toss the viewers into a weird world without much explanation; it isn’t a move that a lot of anime tends to make. Recounting what happens to Utena from when she sets foot in the woods:
- Bizarre door that appears to open via her rose ring.
- Floating stairs that lead up to a surreal floating castle-like structure.
- Anthy Himemiya in a dress, apparently engaged to a student council member, spouting a sword erotically from her chest.
- A duel, between her with a kendo stick and her opponent with a real sword.
And not only does Utena appear ready for it, she manages to brush it off by the time she gets home.
kritik: [It's] fantasy after all. she wants to be a man (i.e., do as she wills, be strong) while she’s quite strongly against men (they travel in groups and beat the weak). She wants to be a prince, basically…
otou-san: but most fantasy has that grace period where the hero/ine, despite her dreams and imaginings, has to adjust to whatever fantastical situation she’s thrown into. I mean, I’d poop my pants, but the girl totally rolls with it.
kritik: it’s like a dream, where you immediately accept what’s happened and move on.
The dreamlike events and equally dreamlike logic of acceptance makes Utena’s opening episode one of the most unique out there. Where do we go from here? Well, our combination will start to take a more definite shape as the series itself does, and I hope that some of our volleys will unearth some thoughts and conclusions that we might not have come to alone. I’m sure that those of you who’ve seen Utena will enjoy reading our missed conclusions and wild speculation, but that’s part of the fun. Look forward to it — next week it’ll be kritik’s turn.
Wait… what? Utena’s been re-released and remastered???!
R2 only my friend. Available through the usual more dubious means. It’s a lapsed title over here — unfortunately, no one picked it up when Central Park folded.
Maybe RightStuf/Nozomi will pick it up at some point. It’s either them or FUNi at this point.
FUNi seem to have made their picks of the CPM stuff already, I was frankly surprised this one didn’t get picked up. But as omo points out below, you can watch in dub on the Anime Network.
The non-remastered version of it can be seen on the AnimeNetwork if that is available to you.
http://www.theanimenetwork.com/Watch-Online/Revolutionary-Girl-Utena
But yea, there’s a ‘fansub’ release of it based on the remastered DVD release that came out earlier this year.
I always enjoy reading people’s thoughts on Utena, even after all these years… it’s the most interpretative anime ever, while still being coherent (mostly).
I keep hearing things like that, and that fascinates me, so I can’t wait to get a little further into it.
This is real good work you guys did here. I can sense the difference in your ‘authorial voices’ (having been long-time readers of you both) and how it plays out in the opinion on the show. So you better keep this up.
The point regarding confidence is gold; positing a 1:1 analogy between the confidence in the narrative (re presentation and exposition) and Utena Tenjou’s way of facing the world is damn good.
I’m sure you’ll sense more difference when kritik writes up the second post, which will probably cover more than one ep.
I liked that observation, too, and I think it makes her confidence that much more convincing to viewers.
Utena is one of my all time favourite animes. Scratch that. All time favourite fiction. I am something of a symbolism whore, you see, and Utena has enough symbolism to drown a horse.
Which makes it one of those shows it’s always interesting to read other peoples’ interpretations of it.
…
Given how much this season has, for me, been dominated by SHINBO!gatari, I saw this post and immediately wondered what SHINBO! would do with this Utena. Then I remembered Revelations six;
6:3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
6:4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take literal narrative from the earth, and that they should confuse one another greatly: and there was given unto him an Utena remake.
An Utena remake by SHAFT would be legendary.
I love all this talk about interpretation and symbols. It sounds like there’s going to be a lot to chew on, and that’s exciting.
I always thought Shinbo was just aping the Utena style, just not as good at it.
Too early for me to tell on that — I definitely see touches of things that he has been known to use, but I think “aping” goes a little far.
When I was going through Utena I remember struggling to find discussions that wouldn’t be spoiler laden. Thing is once I’d finished the show I found some forum archives/fansites, and the sheer weight and depth of discussion was terrifying – so I barely looked into it. I imagine this kind of step-by-step thingie could have been pretty pleasing. I like the phrase “dreamlike logic of acceptance” too.
I think I have to lift my spoiler ban for the purpose of these posts, or there won’t be much to talk about. It seems there are plenty of people who have seen it or are watching, that we can still have a lively discussion.
As for dreamlike logic, I find it interesting that it’s still true a few episodes in. Things are becoming less hazy, but only gradually so, and as they become more real they only become more weird…
After watching the entirety of Utena the first time 2-3 months ago, I thought how terrifying it’d be if episodic blogging was around when Utena first aired. Well lo a behold, the stars have aligned to bring us a most terrifying blog combo, promising to double team Utena every week. (In inimitable Utena style, all innuendo is on purpose ;D)
To speak seriously for a bit, I think the duels were my least favorite parts of Utena. You’ve seen just one week, but they’re really samey and repetitive. Some people say they’re “ritualistic”, but I think they were just hacked in every week to eat time. To me the real meat were the things before and after the duels.
“Ritualistic” makes sense, especially given the chanting metallic themes. But somewhere into the third duel I already had thoughts of repetition. Hopefully it won’t impact my enjoyment too much, but it smacks ever so slightly of “magical girl transformation” syndrome.
The duels are, if not ritualistic, metaphorical–it’s clearer later when the ten-ton weight of metaphor hits you. Ban’yuu Inryouku (J.A. Seazer’s unit who sings the duel choruses) serves a similar function to the Greek chorus (offering highly allegorical commentary in song form–seriously, when you get a chance, try to pay attention to the lyrics, especially on a repeat watching); of course, the shadow girls serve a similar function, offering allegory in even more obtuse terms.
And (in contrast with Kadian) I think the duels had some of the best moments of the series–the duels are fairly meaningless without the events that surround them, but the duels are always where the events of the current mini-arc come to a head. That’s not to say that some of the duels aren’t utterly pointless (and you’ll see some of them soom). In terms of them being “hacked in”, well, Utena was hilariously low-budget.
Also I still don’t know why “shoujo overtones” or “magical girl transformation” is some kind of damning criticism or pejorative term but I’m not blessed with excess testosterone.
Yeah, I catch that vibe after seeing a couple more. I find it to be pretty cool.
I don’t think I used shoujo overtones as a damning criticism or a pejorative, and if you’re planning on accusing me of being blessed with excess testosterone then I’m planning on LOLing soon.
Magical Girl Transformation Syndrome, on the other hand, yes, I mean that negatively — what I’m referring to is blatant, transparently cheap recycling of footage once per episode or two. Like I said, the resemblance is slight here, and it just “feels” different, since everything in Utena seems to be executed very purposefully, even if in this case it may have been born from budgetary concerns.
Just wait till you get to ‘shame on you, nanami’ …
Now I have this urge to watch it again! I shall look for those R2 releases…
Not confident merely are in agreement with everything present but for the greater degree you are usually dead-on. It is something my partner is curious and that i wish to let him to read and investigate to boot.