Revolutionary Girl Utena

Watch the movie now.

>>138854137
I just did, it didn't really help.

I'm assuming the movie was supposed to be a stand-alone adaptation instead of a sequel, since half the characters changed personalities.

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>>138854196
The movie is more like a retelling of the same story.

>>138854114
>someone owes me an explanation

About?

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>>138854381
What exactly was "the power to revolutionize the world"?
Why did Akio want to trick everyone into fighting? What was his ultimate plan?
What did the Black Rose guy have to do with anything?

There are more questions, but those are the first ones to come into my mind.

>saw the series years ago
>never watched the movie
I probably should get to it at some point.

You have to have sex with Ikuhara if you want to understand

>>138854647
I watched it right after, thinking it was a sequel. It's nice that it's not though, in your case, since it's a retelling you don't need the series that fresh in your mind. Fucking cool movie, it looks absolutely stunning.

>>138854595
Thousands upon thousands of words have been written about Utena, you're better off googling it than bumming for explanations here. Frankly I like just enjoying the ride, you can take everything 100% literally and it's still all great.

Artshit is the cancer that killed anime

one of the best animes I've ever watched

nanami is a great character

>>138855054
>animes

>>138855054
>that time nanami laid an egg
>that time nanami became a cow
I fucking love Nanami.

>>138854595
Just to warn you, Utena is a series that's heavy on the metaphors. Even my interpretations may be wrong or there may be alternate views.

>What exactly was "the power to revolutionize the world"?
It differs for each person. In Utena's case, it was to lead Anthy to a new world that would free her from her abuse.

>Why did Akio want to trick everyone into fighting? What was his ultimate plan?
The duels were meant to increase Utena's power, which he would then take to force his own revolution. He wanted to reclaim the power of Dios, his former self. However that's simply impossible. He's too corrupted to return to the good prince he was, but he's caught in the cycle, represented by how he remains in the school, still plotting, while Anthy moves on.

>What did the Black Rose guy have to do with anything?
Further manipulations by Akio to test Utena using someone else he's used and manipulated, Mikage. Basically an arc to further highlight the motifs and themes of the series and examine some of the secondary characters of the cast as well as further the character arcs of the student council.

>>138855706
That actually helps a lot, thanks.

>>138854114
It's all in her head. She's a pubescent girl going through shit and everything is a metaphor or something.

When she walks away from the school at the end (I think that happens)... it means she's coming out of her head/ found some kind of answer... idk.

>>138856086
Hope that helped

>>138854946
> you can take everything 100% literally

I''m re-watching it now and it surprised me that this is the case. I assumed that certain aspects of it would be necessarily metaphorical, but by the end almost everything has a potentially 'grounded' explanation, given you're willing to take all the weirdness at face value, in addition to being about the Weltgeist progressing through history and attaining enlightenment through individual experience.

>>138854595
It can mean anything you want it to. That's the power of ambiguity, which is often mistaken for depth.

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>>138857932
Utena's ambiguity is absolutely necessary though, as it's dealing with a subject matter than is not immediately apparent to any of the senses, and so must be dealt with poetically. The power of ambiguity is that it allows all viable meanings to be contrasted with each other in specific ways, which it does so quite intricately and purposefully at its best.

This is not the vague, "hur, it doesn't matter because it's art 'n experimental 'n shit" that you get with crap like Genius Party.

You're in luck because this series seems to attract the most distinguished commentary. I wonder how many long-winded pretentious blogposts are there, how many tongue-in-cheek "lol anime but wait this one is deep" videos made by faux nerds with degrees in humanities and nowhere to stick them. You should be able to catch up with all the revolutionary symbolism in this pivotal work pretty quickly. Dare not to miss the master's other magnificent works - Penguindrum (you can already see the clever portmanteu of penguin and conundrum in the title - this polarizing masterpiece will leave you wondering for weeks, if not the rest of your life), and Lesbian Bear Storm, a fresh spin on the horror classic The Bear Storm (you can expect lots of refined lesbotic symbolism in this one - the semantic synthesis of "lesbian" and "bear" through their common gay connotation alone is worthy of ten pages).

Good luck and best wishes from /a/!

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>>138858637
That you would mention Ikuhara's other works and not even bring up Sailor Moon is a crime.

>>138858637
Every community attracts retards. Doesn't change the fact that Utena is legitimately great. I didn't like YKA or MPD nearly as much, if it makes you feel better.

>>138859147
>Every community attracts retards.

I don't think he's claiming that at all. Utena is one of the very few 'deep' anime that is legitimately 2deep4u and actually is enriched through analysis.

>>138859248
I hate to say this, but dude, if you couldn't tell that he was being derogatory, then you're probably not qualified to analyze anything. Which just further proves his point for him, really.

>>138859248
>legitimately 2deep4u and actually is enriched through analysis
Nah. It was just in direct competition with NGE, which resulted in it becoming way crazier in the middle of production.

>>138854114
>I just finished it, and I feel like someone owes me an explanation.
You have to read Ikuhara's commentary, in that he explains everything about the anime series and how Anty and Utena were gay for each other but he wasn't allowed to show that due to manga author influence and he had to create a movie later just to show them kiss.

>>138861243
Gonna need a link.

>>138861243
>>138861285
Nevermind, turns out google.

It's really apparent reading this how much they were just making shit up as they went along.

Enokido said Shiori will never return Juri's feelings and Ikuhara said Shiori does have feelings for Juri.

Who do we believe?

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>>138861243
>This is just between you and me, but when I was fourteen, I saw a UFO.
>That UFO telepathically told me this prophecy: "When you grow up, you will direct an anime about girls revolutionizing various things."
>Surely you jest.
>"You must not tell anyone about me. If you ever do..."
>Wh-What will happen to me?
>"People will call you a sketchy guy."

>>138861472

That's every Ikuhara show, just trying out scenarios and visuals he thinks might be cool and wrapping them up in a package later. Most of the 2deep stuff comes from Enokido's writing.

I loved it, but in the end didn't understand shit. I'm going to rewatch, though.

As for now I'm watching Rose of Versailles and it seems much more...understandable? That's seems like a positive thing, but I still prefer Utena's craziness more.

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>>138854114
One of the most exciting shows ever. Read mangas after movie. They are some sort of prototype of the story and can explain some things you couldn't get. Then watch Penguindrum and Yurikuma.

>>138863852
Well, Rose of Versailles is just a shoujo / historical drama. But that's a good one too.

So far I found this rather realtive to Utena: Melody of Oblivion, Star Driver, Oniisama e and maybe Princess Tutu. Also other Ikuhara works.

>>138865679
What about Diebuster?

>>138865702
Sorry, didn't watch.

>>138863852
Go read vrai kaiser's analysis on Utena. It clears most of your doubts up

/a/ will you hold me in your arms so true?

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>>138865788
Don't you want to see redesigned Anthy and Utena?

>>138861582
Both. She loves Juri but will never say it.

>>138866475
I'd like to believe that Shiori eventually told her. I mean, just look at how enthusiastic Shiori was at the end.

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>>138866441
Sure.

>>138861582
I'd say it's some sort of jealousy for loosing control under her. Something like Kozou feels to Miki.

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>>138866611
I hope you enjoy both, anon.

>>138865514
Manga is better treated as an entirely different thing, Chiwa Saito wasn't on board with all of the things Iku wanted.

I thought the ending was a let down in a way.
Though I liked the deal with Utena disappearing off the face of the planet.