Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Revolutionary Girl Utena
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Chiibi
 Posts: 4829 |
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I'd be behind UtenaxTouga if he was not such a douche.
But I found all the characters unlikable aside from Utena and Miki (who don't have the ingredients to make a romance lol) so I can't really ship Utena with anyone in the series. :/ |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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Now this is a revelation! Three episodes in, Touga has yet to reveal any positive quality beyond his courteousness—something he is wont to misuse. He isn't going to achieve anything admirable, let alone be suitable for any pairing, until his pride is soundly stunted. |
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Shay Guy
 Posts: 2129 |
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He is, as Chiibi says, a douche, but in a weird way, spoiler[he has more in common with Utena than anyone else on the student council]. (Not actually sure if that's a spoiler, just a vague, broad indication of character direction.) Anyway, episode 3! I don't know what's sillier about Utena's rescue, whipping the new dress together from a tablecloth in about a second (corsage included!), or hiding her long-sleeved uniform under a sleeveless dress. I do want to note Utena's insistence that Anthy needs to make more friends -- for all that she's undoubtedly noble and earnest and caring, she's quite convinced she knows what Anthy needs better than Anthy herself. Regarding the swords, it strikes me that the Sword of Dios comes from Anthy's heart, not Utena's, and that it's Saionji who wields it in the first duel -- while Utena fights from her heart, her sword is just whatever was lying around. spoiler[And later, she has to literally borrow someone else's sword, after she regains her conviction.] |
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whiskeyii
 Posts: 2247 |
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I've often thought that if Saionji was the Bastard Boyfriend/Jerk with a Heart of Gold cranked up to eleven, Touga is the Shoujo Cassanova, the playboy holding out for that special someone. In practically any other show, Touga would be the designated love interest. But, given Utena's tendency to smash all shoujo tropes by casting them in a much more realistic light (magical sword duels notwithstanding), I think it's fun to watch Ikuhara's depiction of how those kinds of people would play out in real life--much like what Hideki Anno purportedly intended for Rei. As a totally unrelated aside, I knew nothing about PWAG before this--though it explains so, so much--and I'm an unabashed Nanami fan. She is my absolute favorite character.
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Alan45
 Village Elder Posts: 9853 Location: Virginia |
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whiskeyii Wrote:
Sorry, but I simply cannot forgive her for spoiler[the cat]. |
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Beltane
Posts: 31 |
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Thank you for the reviews. It's been an interesting read so far.
A quick question for Jacob: Will there be any plans to review the movie once you have finished reviewing the TV series? I know it has nothing to do with "Classic Streaming", but I would love to read your take on the movie. |
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Chiibi
Posts: 4829 |
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Ugh, same. I hate her so much. I found everything about her irritating.
I'm kinda curious why people like her? lol |
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whiskeyii
Posts: 2247 |
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That's fair. I chalk it up to Nanami not having thought her actions all the way through (only up to the point of spoiler[removing that particular obstacle]), and she did spoiler[regret her actions pretty quickly], but I can totally see why that's a dealbreaker for some folks. (Edited to address Chiibi rather than double-post.)
Fair warning, but these are endgame spoilers. Well, for one, I do find her genuinely funny. She's like a better version of Sailor Moon's Mimette (whom I deeply loathed). Secondly, she spoiler[has the most growth out of all the cast save Utena and Anthy. She comes to terms about what she concretely wants out of her relationship with Touga and how she can still be special to him (in a familial sense) even in the face of his relentless flirting. That also helps her ditch her co-dependency on her brother as well as her jealous streak, and allows her to start building a healthier relationship with Touga from then on as evidenced by her just serving tea rather than clinging to him like she usually would in her last scene. She may still be bratty and snotty, but she no longer defines herself by her relationship to Touga. Moreover, out of all the people still left, Nanami seems the most likely person to next leave Ohtori Academy, thus graduating from the echo-chamber of adolescence into the world of truly self-reliant adults. Everyone else (Miki, Saionji, Juri, and Touga) seem to be at the starting line of figuring out how to move past their problems, but Nanami seems to have well and truly resolved hers.] |
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DanQ
 Posts: 114 |
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Yeah, poor spoiler[kitty. But... it can survive! Imagine brave sailor in the box at the high seas...] (ok, that's pretty silly... Nanami's silly level ~_^) and yes, Nanami is far from perfect, but I have to admire her growth. spoiler[And, frankly, she was rised alongside Touga. Considering his mindfuck games, she ended fine.] And her episodes are comedy gold, like... totally! 
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DanQ
Posts: 114 |
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If I'm not mistaken, according to Saito, yuri elements was removed due to demand of publisher - manga was serialised in Ciao, with demographics young teen girls. |
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Zin5ki
Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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Little lapses into the absurd can be welcomed when they enhance the emotional contours of a scene, an achievement that was indubitably reached in this case. In a flash of tumbling cloth, Anthy's dignity is redeemed, Utena is put out of her discomfort and Touga is delivered the cautionary message he deserves. Silly, saccharine and quite frankly blissful. So blissful, in fact, that Jacob's warning comes as somewhat of a surprise: after getting caught up in a dramatic movement—and goodness, was I ever rapt—I begin to fear that I've fallen into the old trap of mistaking the medium of which an artwork comprises for the artwork itself. Still, the tidal wave that approaches may have a fearsome beauty that the prettiest of sandcastles cannot, so I'll continue to withhold all complaints pro tem. Looking ahead optimistically, if a little levity can fix a tattered ball gown without any quarrel (as was proven in this week) then it may well be enough to sugar-coat whatever drastic reassessments I'm due. |
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Chiibi
Posts: 4829 |
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Wait, wait, in CIAO!? Are you absolutely sure? Cause....I have a couple Ciao comics and they're extremely cute....but definitely childish. Like, elementary school-level. There is not much sophistication. Not on Utena's level.
@Nanami fans: I see. Thanks for sharing. |
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DanQ
Posts: 114 |
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Yes, Ciao. ANN says it ( manga#1543 ), Wikipedia too - and targeted demographic for CIAO magazine is supposed to be 8-14y. That probably explains little simplification and tamer tones of manga.
You're welcome!
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Chiibi
Posts: 4829 |
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That is shocking to me. Kirarin Revolution and Utena running in the same magazine....unbelievable.
.....then again, the gap between 8 and 14 is rather significant.... |
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DanQ
Posts: 114 |
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C'mon, we got upsidedown castle in the air, swords pulled out of chest of (alive) person… ultra quick change of dresses is the least problem here 
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