Revolutionary Girl Utena
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Revolutionary Girl Utena | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 少女革命ウテナ (Shōjo Kakumei Utena) |
|
| Genre | Romance, Drama, Shōjo |
| Manga | |
| Authored by | Chiho Saito |
| Publisher |  Shogakukan  Viz Media Star Comics Pikà Edition Norma Cómics |
| Serialized in | Ciao |
| Original run | 1996 – 1997 |
| No. of volumes | 5 |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Kunihiko Ikuhara |
| Studio | J.C.STAFF |
| Network | TV Tokyo
|
| Original run | April 2, 1997 – December 24, 1997 |
| No. of episodes | 39 |
| Movie: The Adolescence of Utena | |
| Directed by | Kunihiko Ikuhara |
| Studio | J.C.STAFF |
| Released | 1999 |
| Runtime | 80 min. |
Revolutionary Girl Utena (少女革命ウテナ Shōjo Kakumei Utena?) is a manga by Chiho Saito and anime directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara. The manga serial began in the June 1996 issue of Ciao and the anime was first broadcast in 1997. A movie, "Adolescence of Utena" (少女革命ウテナ～アドゥレセンス黙示録 Adolescence Mokushiroku?, literally "Adolescence Apocalypse") was released in theatres in 1999. A musical version of the franchise was also produced in the mid 1990's. It was titled "Comedie Musicale Utena la fillette révolutionnaire" and staged by an all-female Takarazuka-style cast.
The main character is a tomboyish teenage female, Utena Tenjou, who was so impressed by a kind prince in her childhood that she decided to become a prince herself (expressed in her manner of dress and personality). She attends Ohtori Academy, where she meets a student named Anthy Himemiya, a girl who is in an abusive relationship with another student. Utena fights to protect Anthy and is pulled into a series of sword duels with the members of the Student Council. Anthy is referred to as the "Rose Bride" and is given to the winner of each duel. As Anthy is thought to be the key to a coming revolution, the current champion is constantly challenged for the right to possess the Rose Bride.
While the show generally has the appearance of a magical girl series, it is also highly metaphysical and allegorical. It contains a mix of borrowed visuals from Takarazuka theater, shadow puppetry, and classic Shōjo.
The anime and manga were created simultaneously, but, despite some similarities, they progress in different directions.
Contents |
[edit] Composition
The 39-episode Revolutionary Girl Utena TV series was created by some of the same production staff that made Sailor Moon, including writer and director Kunihiko Ikuhara. However, the creator of Sailor Moon, Naoko Takeuchi, was not responsible for Utena; nor did the Utena manga author Chiho Saito have much control over the anime. Ikuhara is better known for his role in the production of Sailor Moon, such as his contributions to the third season, the most serious of the series.
The movie, Adolescence of Utena, can be seen as the end of the story initiated by the TV series, although it goes in a very different direction. Its structure is in many ways parallel to that of the series, but the roles of the leads are subtly switched. Utena remains the duelist, and while Anthy's liberation by Utena is key to the conclusion of the series; it is Utena's freedom that is at issue in the movie, and Anthy who must free her. If the television series riffs upon themes from theater and mythology, it could be said that the movie riffs upon themes from the series. Many aspects of the movie are completely incomprehensible without familiarity with the series. It is even more visually bizarre than the series, unusual enough that it earned the good-natured nickname "The End Of Utena", after the similarly abstract but infinitely less cheerful The End of Evangelion.
There was also a short-lived Takarazuka-style musical entitled "Sho-jo Kakumei Utena, Makai Tensei Mokushiroku hen, Reijin Nirvana Raiga". At Animazement '00, Ikuhara was said to be working on it with the theatrical group Gesshoku Kageki Dan. The second disc of Sho-jo Kakumei Utena OST 5, Engage Toi a Mes Contes, contains many of the songs from this musical.
The English manga was serialized by VIZ Media in the Animerica Extra magazine and later published into five trade paperbacks. Enoki Films holds the American license and called the series Ursula's Kiss. However the American distributor, Central Park Media, chose to use the original title and character names. The same dub was aired in Australia, although it was listed under Enoki Films' title name. [1]
[edit] Plot summary
The series is divided into four story arcs, in each of which Utena comes to face a different challenge at Ohtori Academy (Enoki Films calls it "Otori Junior High School"). In all of them, Utena must defend her title as the owner of the Rose Bride, with the intention of protecting Anthy. The duels always occur when someone with the rose crest ring challenges the rose champion -- no refusal is accepted. The matches occur in the dueling arena, a large, high platform in the academy's outskirts, which is only open to duelists. The Rose Bride pins roses to their jackets. They then swordfight, until one duelist wins by knocking away the opponent's rose with his blade.
(The story arc names below link to more details than given here.)
- Student Council Saga (Seitokai Hen)
Episodes 1 to 13. This first part of the series introduces Utena, Anthy, and most of the main characters. It shows how Utena ends up winning the Rose Bride, and her initial duels against the Student Council members. They in turn insist (for various reasons) on fighting in order to win Anthy back from her.
- Black Rose Saga (Kurobara Hen)
Episodes 14 to 24. After repelling the Student Council's attempts to take Anthy from her, Utena faces another obstacle, Souji Mikage. Disguised as a counselor, he uses his powers of persuasion and knowledge of psychology to put people under his control by coaxing them to confide their deepest hostilities and fears. He then sends them, wearing black rose crest rings on their fingers, to fight Utena. This part also introduces Akio Ohtori.
- Akio Ohtori Saga (Ōtori Akio Hen)
Episodes 25 to 33. After solving the Mikage situation, Utena must fight each Student Council member one last time. At the same time, she finds herself the target of Akio's seduction. This creates a rift between her and Anthy. This arc is sometimes referred to by fans as the "Akio Car Arc" because the duelists are convinced to challenge Utena during a car ride with Akio.
- End of World Saga (Mokushiroku Hen)
Episodes 34 to 39. As the conflict escalates, the dark secrets of the duels, and Akio and Anthy's true intentions behind them, are unveiled.
[edit] Characters
- Utena Tenjou (天上ウテナ Tenjō Utena)
-
Utena Tenjou
- Utena is a tomboyish, courageous and naïve character who lives to emulate the idealized prince figure from her childhood. She is forthright, honest, and friendly, and nearly all the girls in school adore her.
- Anthy Himemiya (姫宮アンシー Himemiya Anshī)
-
Anthy Himemiya - A mysterious and shy dark-skinned girl whose sometimes vapid expression and superficial politeness seem to mask something deeper. Many people project their wants or desires onto her, and she's often the target of their eventual rage or hate. Her "doormat" behavior belies a far more complex personality.
- Akio Ohtori (鳳暁生 Ōtori Akio)
- Anthy's older brother, the acting chairman of the academy. Although barely present in the first season of the show, he later plays a pivotal role in the second and third seasons. His given name derives from the Japanese name for Venus, the Morning Star, which is identified with Lucifer.
[edit] Student Council
- Juri Arisugawa (有栖川樹璃 Arisugawa Juri)
- The captain of the academy's fencing team, Juri is one of Ohtori's most highly respected students, and even the teachers appear to be in awe of her. However, behind her aloof, intimidating manner, she is actually very vulnerable.
- Miki Kaoru (薫幹 Kaoru Miki)
- Miki is a highly skilled and polite seventh grader who befriends Utena, despite their role as possible opponents in the duels. A piano player par excellence. He has a crush on Anthy.
- Touga Kiryuu (桐生冬芽 Kiryū Tōga)
- President of the Student Council, Touga is an arrogant and handsome young man whose desire to be powerful drives him to cruel and unscrupulous deeds.
- Nanami Kiryuu (桐生七実 Kiryū Nanami)
- Touga's over-the-top, snob-queen of a little sister, the prototypical "queen bee" of the school. She is very fond of him; the phrase "big brother complex" is frequently applied to her. Nanami often makes various malicious attacks on other students.
- Kyouichi Saionji (西園寺莢一 Saionji Kyōichi)
- Vice-president of the Student Council and captain of the kendo team. He is temperamental, egotistic, prone to angry rages, and often cruel, but not as conniving as other characters. Saionji is also extremely possessive of Anthy and believes that they are destined to be together.
- Ruka Tsuchiya (土谷瑠果 Tsuchiya Ruka)
- A master swordsman, Ruka is former captain of the fencing team and occasional member of the Student Council. He considers Juri to be the most talented member of the club and considers himself her mentor.
[edit] Black Rose Duellists
- Souji Mikage (御影草時 Mikage Sōji)
- Mikage is the pink-haired head of the popular Mikage Seminar at Ohtori Academy. He wishes to kill Anthy and install a gravely ill boy, Mamiya, as the Rose Bride. Mikage believes that he can save Mamiya if he wins the duels.
- Kanae Ohtori (鳳香苗 Ōtori Kanae)
- Akio's fiancee, daughter of the school's Trustee Chairman. She has a strained relationship with Anthy, who she finds 'creepy and intolerable'.
- Kozue Kaoru (薫梢 Kaoru Kozue)
- Miki's twin sister, who feels overshadowed by his talent. Kozue resents Miki's affection for Anthy Himemiya and is prone to "acting out" to grab her brother's attention.
- Shiori Takatsuki (高槻枝織 Takatsuki Shiori)
- Juri's childhood friend. Shiori left the school after stealing the man she believed to be Juri's boyfriend, leaving Juri devastated (contrary to Shiori's initial beliefs, however, Juri is hurt because of her love for Shiori).
- Mitsuru Tsuwabuki (石路美蔓 Tsuwabuki Mitsuru)
- Nanami's most devoted lackey, a boy in fourth grade. He is obsessed with serving Nanami and wishes to be her adored "big brother", even going so far as to put her in danger in order to rescue her.
- Wakaba Shinohara (篠原若葉 Shinohara Wakaba)
- Utena's best friend. Wakaba's cheerful personality hides an enormous inferiority complex, and she attaches herself to Utena and other people to feel important.
- Keiko Sonoda (苑田茎子 Sonoda Keiko)
- Keiko is one of Nanami's sidekicks, she also has a crush on Touga.
[edit] Themes
By its plays on such archetypal figures as the Prince, the Princess, or the Witch, and by the literary symbolic role carried out by such plot elements as coffins, thorns, or castles, Utena can be seen as the quintessence of the Postmodernist fairy tale.
It should be noted that the series addresses sexual themes quite often, including yuri (lesbian) and yaoi (gay male) elements - as well as other sexual matters such as incestuous desire, actual incest, and sexual abuse. While the themes are imporant to the plot, they are usually not explicit in the series. There is somewhat more explicit sexual imagery in the motion picture, although it is still far from pornographic. Sexuality is quite fluid in Utena; most characters are at least hinted at having both same-sex and opposite-sex attractions.
Another very important theme is about gender roles (freely chosen or socially imposed), which play a large part in the series, from its very premise in which Utena wishes to be a prince and not a princess. The omnipresence of phallic symbols, such as swords, towers, cars, and poles, and the sexual connotations of flowers contributes to these sexual themes.
Chief among the romantic relationships in Utena is that between Utena and Anthy. It is more ambiguous in the TV series than the movie - the director has a dislike of the strong shipper tendency in fandom and even complained about Sailor Moon's leads' idealized relationship. While Utena (especially in the movie) is boyish, strong, and physically aggressive ("masculine" traits), she is more emotional and innocent than the wearily experienced Anthy.
Much of the series -- arguably, in a way the entire series -- revolves around the transition between childhood to adulthood and all of that implies, notably development of sexual feelings and identity and the loss of "innocence." Most of the characters are estranged from a loved one in their childhood, something which affects them deeply and arguably stunts them, and this relationship is often complicated or corrupted by a sexual element.
Another theme of Utena is the reinterpretation of classic shōjo themes and motifs. Examples may be seen in the failure of "heroic" male characters, Utena's refusal to become a princess, Anthy's subversion of the demure female role, and various plays on conventions in the genre, such as the transformation of outfits and idealized notions of friendship and love.
[edit] Visual motifs
The dominant motif of the entire series is the rose, which fills the decor and landscape of the Academy as well as the ritual accoutrements of the Duelists. Highly stylized, they are reminiscent of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's.
Another motif is the use of elevators, which are used as places of transition or transformation. These include the Council's elevator, the one found in Nemuro hall (scene of the confessions in the Black Rose arc), and the one found in the final version of the dueling arena.
Cars may be considered one of the most oblique motifs seen in the series. In the anime, they appear in the third version of the dueling arena. In the final act of the movie, Utena is transformed into a car.
Repeated use of animated sequences can be seen in almost every episode, most noticeably Utena's entrance to the dueling arena. While this is usually seen in anime as a practical consideration to reduce production costs, it may also be used to reinforce certain themes.
Utena also takes the typically shōjo poses and dramatic effects intended to heighten the mood or tension of important scenes and exaggerates them, often to the point of being deliberately comedic. Examples include characters framed with spinning roses, or a dramatic scene accentuated with a baseball match in the background.
[edit] Inspirations
Riyoko Ikeda's The Rose of Versailles has often been quoted as an established source of inspiration for the visual style of Utena, although director Ikuhara has denied this on several occasions, including the director's commentary on the final DVD Finale of the American release. Oniisama e has been noted as an inspirational source for certain thematic elements. Osamu Tezuka's Belladonna of Sadness and Ribon no Kishi (the story of a young princess cross-dressing as a knight) may be other inspirations. During the duel preparation sequences, Utena's outfit changes slightly in what is perhaps a friendly parody of the magical girl genre.
The music for the Student Council is strongly reminiscent of the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach, and the Student Council's oath appears to be paraphrased from Hermann Hesse's Demian.[citation needed]
Ikuhara cites prolific playwright, poet, and director Shuji Terayama as a major influence.[citation needed] Terayama was a long time collaborator with J.A. Seazer, who wrote the music for his plays. Ikuhara worked with Seazer for the most well known music of Utena.
[edit] Music
The series' musical score -- with lyrics largely written by Ikuhara himself, and scored by J.A. Seazer -- is considered among its most memorable features. Utena's signature song may be considered "Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku" (Absolute Destiny Apocalypse), which plays each time Utena makes her way to the dueling arena. This song, along with those played during the duels themselves, are composed in a style, which may best be described as choral rock. The music itself features polyphonic melodies with lyrics that often appear to be little more than themed words strung together. While there are no official explanations of the lyrics, some fan websites offer interpretations.
The non-vocal background music was composed by Shinkichi Mitsumune, and is largely orchestral in character, though with significant jazz influences. One notable song is "The Sunlit Garden," a recurring duet piano piece whose ubiquity within the series makes it a symbol in its own right. Mitsumune also handled the arrangement of the first 8 duel choruses.
The soundtrack of Adolescence Utena is of a similar nature, with a mixture of orchestral pieces and choral rock. Masami Okui's contribution, the J-pop ballad "Toki ni Ai wa" (At Times Love is...), is an unusual contribution, although it enjoys considerable popularity among fans.
[edit] Movie
In a loose retelling of the Revolutionary Girl Utena TV series, Utena Tenjou arrives at Ohtori Academy, only to be immediately swept up in a series of duels for the hand of her classmate Anthy Himemiya and the power she supposedly holds. At the same time, Utena reunites with Touga Kiryuu, a friend and love from her childhood who seems to know the secrets behind the duels. Utena must discover those secrets for herself, before the power that rules Ohtori claims her and her friends, new and old.
Much more graphic and not for children, a version of the series that can be confusing and often can be disturbing.
[edit] Alternative titles
- 少女革命ウテナ～アドゥレセンス黙示録 (Japanese)
- Shōjo Kakumei Utena: Adolescence Mokushiroku (Japanese)
- L'apocalisse dell'adolescenza (Italian)
- Utena: La Chica Revolucionaria (Spanish)
- Utena - Apocalypse d'adolescence (French)
- Utena: A Garota Revolucionária (Portuguese)
- Revolutionary Girl Utena: Adolescence Apocalypse
- The Adolescence of Utena
- Utena: The Movie
[edit] See also
[edit] Reference
Clements, J. and H. McCarthy. The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917. New York: Stone Bridge Press (2001)
