Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Adolescence of Utena
May. 30,2000In 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 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.
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Reviews
Just what I expected
Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.
One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
I'm a big fan of the series and watched the movie when I had seen most of the episodes. Basically, they tried to put in most of the meaning and ideas of the series into the movie. But they changed some major points - so much that a person who has never seen the series will see a very different move than a die hard fan. Unfortunately, there are many "shout outs" to episodes which are randomly scattered in the movie and make no sense.The movie's style is similar to the series, but it does many things just for their aesthetic value. That and the randomness of certain things makes it a very strange movie to watch. It feels more akin to a work of art than a movie (think Titanic of the Matrix). Every time I have watched it I have enjoyed it more and come away more emotionally moved.If this is your first exposure to Utena, just accept that some things won't make sense. If you are familiar with the television series, pretend that the movie takes place in a different universe.
Let me just say it outright and explain later: This is a GREAT movie! I would even dare to say that it is one of the best anime movies I have ever seen! The artwork is wonderful; the backgrounds are astoundingly elaborate, the characters' modifications work so well (Anthy's a fox!), and the animation is smooth, fast, and just as elaborate as the backgrounds. That's not all, though! The way they modified the manga and TV series's storyline was appropriate because it was so creative. Before I saw the movie, I read a critique in which part of the end is mentioned and thought to myself, "God, this movie's going to suck if they made the ending be like that!" But once I saw it, I realized that the way they pull it off is so creative AND it works so well! SEE THIS MOVIE! You will not regret it, trust me!
In an alternate universe retelling of the Shoujo Kakumei Utena story, this movie blows the already great TV series out of the water. Tenjou Utena is new to Ohtori Academy, having recently broken up with Kiryuu Touga. Upon arriving, she sees him again, and meets Himemiya Anthy, also known as the Rose Bride. Utena is forced into a duel with Saionji Kyouichi for the possession of the Rose Bride. She is bewildered by the events taking place in the academy, but starts to figure out what life is all about and where it doesn't happen. The plot is fresh while still holding on to certain elements of the original storyline from the TV series. The characters, while many have done 180s with their personalities, are still as captivating as ever. The music, supplied once again by the wonderful J.A Seaser, is just as good as anything in the TV series, if not better. Finally, the animation is more beautiful than words can describe. If nothing else, watch this movie for the animation. Many people, Utena fans and not, don't give this movie a fair shake, claiming a number of things they don't like about it which were exactly what they liked about the TV series. Though it is much easier to understand the movie if you've seen the series in full, the movie is still a masterpiece to behold in any right.
The first time I saw this movie, my eyes nearly popped out of my head. I'm a great fan of the TV series, but the movie was really another thing entirely. The new character designs were just a bit startling, especially in the case of Anthy. Everyone's hair is longer, with the exception of Akio. (I wonder why they cut his cool little ponytail off.)The visuals in this movie were stunning, just as much or more so than in the show, especially the dance scene. Like the art, the music was really entrancing. 'Toki Ni Ai Wa' is now one of my favorite songs, both to sing and to listen to.Although it looks fantastic, Adolescence Mokushiroku really isn't for someone who hasn't seen the series. It's very emotional in some parts, and in many places incredibly bizarre. Even to those who've seen the movie, some of it just makes no sense. Still, it's one of my favorite movies.