Revolutionary Girl Utena

Revolutionary Girl Utena - The Apocalypse Saga Collection

The final Utena story arc! Utena is about to solve the mystery behind her best friend's enslavement, the secret duels, and the forces that have manipulated her life from the beginning! Contains episodes 27-39

Revolutionary Girl Utena - The Movie

This movie version of the Japanese television show takes the entire series plot and streamlines it into 80 minutes, pushing the characters into an alternate universe. For those who have seen the series, the action and characters will feel familiar: Utena learns to be a duelist and fight against a righteous faction at her school. But director Kunihiko Ikuhara revises the series in details both small (the duels take place in a rose field, not a stadium) and large (the bizarre finale). The gender-bending relations between Utena and Anthy--a friendship in the series--now take on lesbian overtones. The film will certainly be remembered for its finale as Utena becomes a racecar--literally. The end result should polarize fans yet bring new anime enthusiasts onboard. (Rated 13 and older; mild violence and nudity) --Doug Thomas

Utena duels her classmates to protect her friend Anthy, who is the key to a magical power that could make her dream - to become a prince - come true. But Anthy hides a terrible secret, and Utena must face the truth about herself and those she loves and learn what it means to be a true hero. Anamorphic widescreen format!

Revolutionary Girl Utena - The Rose Collection Vol. 1

A logical step for the young fan of anime is this series from the creator of the popular crossover hit Sailor Moon. The story line skews slightly older, not for its violence but for its complexity. The theme is modern mythology, not intergalactic warfare, so it's more interesting and less violent than in Sailor Moon. And less bubble-headed. Our heroine, Utena, is admired by classmates who share Sailor Moon's giddy hysterics, but Utena herself is solid, noble, and strong. Saved by a prince as a child, Utena dresses in the men's uniform of the expansive Ohtori Academy. Her goal is to be prince, and in this introductory disc (seven episodes, nearly three hours of material), she shows signs of becoming one. The scheming student council allows her into the mysterious forest arena, where she wins a sword duel (not played for blood) and wins the devoted loyalty of Anthy, the mysterious Rose Bride. They become a team, discovering the riddles of the arena forest and fending off challengers (while excelling in classes to boot). While some Westerners may read far too much into the sexual politics of the series, it's very old-fashioned at its core: Utena's affections are girded toward a duelist who just may be the prince who saved her years before. Some mild domestic violence and oddly subtitled songs ("Absolute Destroy Apocalyptic," "Paleozoic Era in the Flies") will ruffle some parents, but for ages 9 and up it's engaging entertainment. Utena delivers for girls what Star Wars did for boys: a never-ending series of adventures that one can imagine themselves in, whether daydreaming or playing in the backyard. The DVD comes in both subtitled and dubbed formats. --Doug Thomas

Revolutionary Girl Utena - The Rose Collection Vol. 2

The mysteries of Ohtori Academy unravel a bit more in this second collection of episodes. Our noble heroine, Utena, is drawn into a series of bloodless fencing duels, the winner receiving the loyalty of Anthy, the mysterious Rose Bride. Being the first winning female Duelist, Utena has some peculiarities to resolve, sometimes quite comically. Nevertheless, she wants to free Anthy of her obligation and allow her to be a regular student, much to the chagrin of the shadowy student council who dub themselves "End of the World." Director Kunihiko Ikuhara (the inferior Sailor Moon) adopts a variety of tones in this series. "Curried High Trip" is played for laughs while the next episode, "Castle Where Eternity Dwells," deals ominously with Utena's past when her parents died (offscreen) and she is brought hope by way of a prince's gift--a ring, the symbol of a Duelist at Ohtori. Several duels take place in these episodes as we see the sides more cleanly defined: Utena will have to face down the student council at some point. The final episode recaps the first 12 episodes and tantalizes us with a key development for future episodes (there's 39 in all). Some mild domestic violence and oddly subtitled songs ("Absolute Destroy Apocalyptic," "Paleozoic Era in the Flies") will ruffle some parents, but girls ages 9 and up accustomed to anime will find this engaging entertainment. --Doug Thomas

From the director of Sailor Moon. Utena never wanted to be a Duelist. She came to the Ohtori Academy in pursuit of the mysterious prince from her past, not to fight for possession of the Rose Bride. But the President of the Student Council is also a Duelist, and he may be Utena's long-lost prince as well. Can Utena fight the man she's loved since childhood? Contains episodes 8-13.

Revolutionary Girl Utena - The Black Rose Saga DVD Collection

Utena is about to enter a life beyond her wildest dreams- a world of danger and mystery where her best friend is a trophy bride to any swordfighter who can win her. Armed with a magical sword and ring, Utena undertakes a mission to save her friend. But in this world, treachery is never far behind, and nothing is ever what it seems.

Revolutionary Girl Utena - Impatience and Longing (Vol. 4)

Romance at Ohtori Academy suggests a weird round or A Midsummer Night's Dream after Puck has misused the magic flower. Tatsuya is in love with Utena's best friend Wakaba, whom he knew as a child. When Utena persuades him to declare his affection, Wakaba spurns him. She adores Kyoichi, a former student council member who's been expelled, and is providing him with food and a place to stay. But Kyoichi remains smitten with Anthy, Utena's roommate and the Rose Bride. Behind the scenes, the members of the Black Rose Circle continue to plot, using other students as pawns. They seduce Wakaba and fourth-grader Mitsuru (who worships Nanami) into challenging Utena to duels, with predictable results. Utena is as stilted and stylized as a Peking opera, and as difficult to decipher. (Not rated; suitable for ages 14 and older: violence, suggestions of homosexuality and incest) --Charles Solomon

Revolutionary Girl Utena - Revelation

Revolutionary Girl Utena - Darkness Beckoning (Vol. 5)

As Kunihiko Ikuhara's 1997 TV series continues, it grows increasingly surreal. Nanami recruits three "assistants," then dismisses Keiko as a "vermin" for developing a crush on Nanami's older brother Touga. The Black Rose Circle continues to recruit students to duel with Utena, including Keiko, but they invariably lose. The story takes a bizarre turn when Utena encounters Souji Mikage, a high school "genius" who tells her that Nemuro Memorial Hall is named for a professor who burned to death there with 100 of his students. But Mikage is Professor Nemuro. He shares a strange bond with Board inspector Tokiko and an even stranger one with her brother Mamiya--who may have set the fire that killed the Professor. Utena magnifies student crushes, friendships, and quarrels to portentous heights that will delight adolescent girls. (Not rated: suitable for ages 14 and older: violence, suggestions of homosexuality and incest) --Charles Solomon

Revolutionary Girl Utena - Finale

The tale of the girl who tried to become the prince of her dreams comes to a baroque finale, after the schemes of the Student Council and the plot involving the Black Rose have fizzled. As Utena's nascent romance with Anthy's brother Akio devolves into a stylized battle, the revelations, betrayals, and romances are kept deliberately vague, allowing the viewer to decide the nature of the relationships between Utena and Anthy, Anthy and Akio, Akio and Utena. The drawn animation becomes increasingly static as the CG effects grow more elaborate: director Kunihiko Ikuhara fills the screen flying swords, crumbling masonry, carousels, sports cars, tears, and Charles Rennie MacIntosh-style roses. Fans of this epicene melodrama will enjoy the overwrought but inconclusive climax; more skeptical viewers will find it long on pretense and short on substance. (Not rated: suitable for ages 14 and older: violence, brief nudity, suggestions of homosexuality and incest) --Charles Solomon

Everything has been leading up to this! Utena fights the most difficult battle of her life as her friend's freedom hangs in the balance. Filled with betrayal and secrets, this final volume is the culmination of the Utena story! Contains episodes 37-39.

Revolutionary Girl Utena - The Rose Collection/The Movie Boxed Set

A surreal coming-of-age fairy tale from the Director of Sailor Moon. Utena is a spirited schoolgirl with an unusual dream: to become a heroic prince who saves damsels in distress! Although it seems impossible, her goal is closer than she can imagine. When Utena befriends a shy girl named Anthy, she unlocks a hidden word of swordfights, enchantment and danger!