Akadot - Review: Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Rose Collection 1 page 1


Akadot Retail - Pop Japan Mercantile

by Paul Sudlow

Episode 1: "The Rose Bride"

Once upon a time, a dashing prince rescued a young maiden and presented her with a rose signet ring. Impressed, the girl resolved to grow up to be a prince herself! Years later, tomboyish Utena, a freshman at exclusive Ohtori Academy, is drawn into a duel with Saonji, the dashing captain of the kendo club, when he humiliates her best friend Wakaba by publicly posting her love letter to him.

Episode 2: "For Whom the Rose Smiles"

To everyone's surprise, Utena wins her match with Saonji in the secret Duel Arena hidden within the school's forest--and finds herself the "owner" of Anthy, a mysterious girl known as the Rose Bride. Anthy moves in with her, and Saonji, to win Anthy back, challenges Utena to another fight. Put off by the whole affair, Utena decides to throw the match.

Episode 3: "On the Night of the Ball"

Utena inadvertently triggers the power of Dios in her duel, and defeats Saonji in spite of herself. This draws the attention of Touga, president of the Student Council. He sends Utena a dress for an upcoming ball. Under the impression her brother cares for Anthy, Touga's jealous sister Nanami sends Anthy a dress that dissolves when wet!

Episode 4: "The Sunlit Garden Prelude"

Mild student council member Miki is an accomplished pianist as well as fencer, but has floundered artistically ever since his sister stopped playing piano with him when they were young. Miki's interest in Anthy grows as he realizes she can provide the same inspiration his sister did. As Nanami continues to tease Anthy, Miki tutors both Anthy and Utena.

Episode 5: "The Sunlit Garden Finale"

Miki succeeds in awakening in Anthy an interest in playing the piano with him. He grows angry when Anthy admits that as the Rose Bride she would give it up if her "owner" (currently Utena) ordered her to. Desiring to give her independence, he challenges Utena to a duel. He has the upper hand until Anthy cheers Utena on. Stunned, he is defeated.

Episode 6: "Take Care, Miss Nanami!"

Plagued by a series of "accidents," Nanami becomes convinced someone is trying to kill her. Because of an overheard conversation she becomes convinced Touga and Anthy are plotting her demise, and takes on a young admirer as a boyfriend bodyguard. Needless to say, she's a bit surprised to learn it was the boy causing the accidents all along, eager to save her from danger.

Episode 7: "Unfulfilled Jury"

Student council member Jury is a skilled fencer and a dangerous girl despite her beauty. It transpires that she is that way because a previous love rejected her for another classmate. Defying the miracle of Utena's continued victories because if such things existed she would have won the heart of her love, she challenges Utena to a duel. Sure enough, a miracle saves Utena from this superior fencer, leaving Jury to wonder if the person she loves might ever return her affections.

High on style and elegance and bringing new meaning to the word "surreal" in its inexplicable depictions of swords drawn from girl bodies, upside-down floating castles, and weird conspiracy cliques speaking cryptically of breaking the eggshell of the world, Revolutionary Girl Utena delivers solid shoujo action. You might not understand all of it, but you sure won't find it dull.

In the '90s, shoujo anime, long neglected in favor of battlesuit babes and cute mage chicks, established a firm beachhead in the West with the arrival of D.I.C.'s Sailor Moon on North American television. With females jumping aboard the anime bus in droves, demand for shoujo anime skyrocketed, and two series in particular went over big on the fan circuit: Fushigi Yuugi and Shoujo Kakumei Utena--otherwise known as Revolutionary Girl Utena.

Utena is made up of drama, comedy and romantic scheming, in about equal parts. The overall story arc of the show is still buried in mystery seven episodes in, but fortunately, the plots of individual episodes are straightforward. Most orbit around a duelist's need to be the Rose Bride's champion, culminating in a duel with Utena. Challengers are given a variety of distinct motivations (though some of them are a bit soppy) for seeking a duel, so episodes don't get overly repetitive. All episodes feature a rather high level of soap opera. Will Miki ever find a new piano partner to inspire him? Will Wakaba ever find Mr. Right? How will Anthy deal with being humiliated in front of the student body? High melodrama goes with the territory, of course, but it does get a bit rich at times.

Utena offers plenty of questions to keep viewers intrigued, but begins to frustrate when it refuses to offer answers or even hints about any of them. Why are the members of the student council dueling to control Anthy? Who is behind the mysterious notes that guide them? Why does Anthy put up with being passed around like a trophy, and why does a sword erupt from her body when her champion fights? What's with the inverted castle floating above the geometrically impossible duel site? Characters occasionally ask these same questions, but are conveniently distracted before they can get them answered. Coy is cute, but refusing to explain at least some of the oddities surrounding this show gets annoying. Someday we may learn how Utena can defeat fencers who compete at a national level.

Each episode features a fanciful short shadowplay presented by a pair of girls at the midpoint--a clever touch. This technique allows the writers to impart oblique exposition and commentary on the ongoing plot without breaking the fourth wall of the show.

Shoujo is well-known for its androgyny and homosexual overtones, and Utena certainly delivers in that department--there are strong lesbian vibes between Utena and Anthy in the opening credits alone. Utena herself insists she wants an ordinary boyfriend like any other girl--but she speaks in a male dialect (otoko no kotoba), dresses in a boy's school uniform and wishes she were a prince. The writers play it coy in most cases, and in the first seven episodes at least, there are plenty of hints but no direct admissions that this or that characters leans toward members of his or her own sex. This uncertainty does add a few potential angles to the traditional love triangles, that's for sure.

If nothing else, Central Park Media's DVD of Utena delivers a huge bang for your buck. Seven episodes is far above and beyond the industry standard of three or perhaps four, offering nearly three hours of continuous action. Utena is a glam and stylish show with intriguing characters and equally intriguing setting. If you'd like to follow the original manga, it's being serialized in "Animerica Extra."

Love it? Hate it? Buy it.