Forum - View topicREVIEW: Revolutionary Girl Utena - The Student Council Saga
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EireformContinent
 Posts: 977 Location: Łódź/Poland (The Promised Land) |
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I'm aware of the fact that those repeating sequences were caused by lack of budget, but it's the rare case where that solution perfectly fit the series and helps with interpretation.
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pachy_boy
Posts: 1327 |
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Zac clearly is no fan of the dub, and yet interestingly enough he still gives it an A, just one grade lower than the Japanese acting. While I fully admit the dub is dated in some ways, I still have a nostalgic fondness for it. It was what I watched when I felt the subtitles were distracting me from the gorgeous animation, and I still appreciated it because I thought it still fitted the story's weird, surreal tone. And to me it represents the time it came out, like Tenchi Muyo and Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 . I'd so far as hope that at least in the final set, Right Stuf may include the brief interviews with the voice actors that were on the CPM sets, but that's probably not going to happen. In either case, since Right Stuff was the one who re-licensed this series, there was no chance in hell this was ever going to be redubbed, considering they've stopped doing their own dubs since The Third.
Anyway, Zac truly touched on everything that makes Utena such a beautifully exceptional show. In fact, this is probably the Utena review to end all Utena reviews. Like Evangelion and Haibane (and I guess Sailor Moon, which I've yet to watch myself until someone re-licenses this one), this is one of those series that every Anime fan absolutely must collect for their shelves and watch, even if it's only once--although I can hardly imagine that being the case! If anyone's like me, they'll be hooked from the first ten minutes of the first episode, and will always remember it after finishing it! |
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phoenixphire24
 Posts: 260 Location: SoCal |
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One of my favorite shows ever. I preordered this set the minute it was announced. I'm glad to see that TRSI hasn't let me down (not that I was worried as I think I own a majority of their shows). Unfortunately my box set is on its way to my friend's house since I'm in the middle of moving. I won't get to watch it until July. Meanwhile she can bask in the glow of 2 shiny Utena sets.
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invalidname
 Contributor Posts: 2455 Location: Grand Rapids, MI |
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I was wondering if the DVD would stoke new demand for the Utena soundtrack CDs, which have been languishing as a $5 bargain bin item (with hundreds of copies on hand) at Right Stuf for years.
So I checked. The first soundtrack is no longer available, but the second (Virtual Star Embryology), the movie, and the remix disc (Angel Creation) are still there, and still $5. Might be a good cart topper to get someone over the free shipping threshold when ordering box 2. Assuming anyone under 30 still pays for CDs, of course. |
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Surrender Artist
 Posts: 3264 Location: Pennsylvania, USA |
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This review at least makes me feel surer about having ordered this on Monday. I equivocated over it for some reason, but I figured that I'd be annoyed in retrospect if I didn't buy so intriguing and stately a product when it was available at a discount. Besides, if something is strange, I can go only so long without needing to find out what the Hell is so strange about it.
The most promisin thing that I read in this review was about the absurdist comedy of the series. I suppose that I should have inferred it from what I've heard about a cowbell and, uh, the boxing kangaroo, but sometimes its nice to see something made explicit. Playing with drama and humor can foster a very cool experience if done well. Often it just creates unpleasant clashes in tone and makes it hard to appreciate either aspect. I'm hoping and guessing that Revolutionary Girl Utena blends the two succesfully. I'm curious to hear the English language version. I always like hearing how strangely awry old ones like this could go. I might even find myself enjoying the series in English despite itself, although this is a very likely candidate for being watched in Japanese with subtitles. A new English version would've been grand, but very likely impractical. Last edited by Surrender Artist on Thu May 26, 2011 9:41 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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sepherest
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I got my copy in the mail a couple days ago, and really any anime fan with an extra $30 lying around should've picked it up. It's pretty amazing how much they put into remastering the series, especially reading the interviews with the crew in the booklet that's included. Although I only have one complaint about that - it includes a gallery of sketch pictures from the show but a lot of them are from the Black Rose Saga, not the Student Council Saga. It kind of spoils what's coming up in the next set, they should have saved them for it.
I put on the dub for some nostalgia, but I had to switch it after a couple episodes. It's hard to watch something where the actors can't even pronounce the main character's name correctly. It's pretty awful. Although when the movie's released I'll definitely watch it in english. The one-liners in it are too silly to pass up. |
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Sanosuke_Inara
 Posts: 1662 |
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I figured they'd get Zac to review this, considering how madly in love with this show he is.
But anyway, yeah--it's a great series that I've unfortunately only seen once through, but it still ranks somewhere in my top 15 series ever. My copy of this release should be headed toward me sometime in the coming week. Nice review. |
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vashfanatic
 Posts: 3490 Location: Back stateside |
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Well, it's a fairy tale (or rather, it eventually becomes a deconstruction of fairy tales), and fairy tales use a lot of repetition. I will admit that I tend to fast forward through Utena's ascent of those endless stairs beginning with duel 3. When we get to the final arc and spoiler[the elevator ride], I watch it every time. I was absolutely thrilled to get this three weeks before the official release date. Is this typical for Rightstuf if you pre-order? Because if so, that is awesome. I am pre-ordering all three; I want that mysterious "special prize." Revolutionary Girl Utena is one of my favorite series of all time; I would even commit the blasphemy of saying it edges out Evangelion in terms of its development of characters, deconstruction of tropes, and not turning into a self-help video at the end. I've loved what I've read of the notes thus far, and really look forward to, once my shift schedule slows down, marathoning the whole 12 episodes. The movie, though... the movie I dislike. All that marvelous character development evaporates into the dream-state imagery. Sure, we finally get the long-awaited spoiler[Utena-Anthy kiss], but at what cost? |
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invalidname
Contributor Posts: 2455 Location: Grand Rapids, MI |
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Speaking of which, did Right Stuf also get rights to redo the movie, or just the series? Their online catalog shows an older DVD of the movie available, but I'll wait for a Nozomi edition if there's going to be one. |
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Sanosuke_Inara
Posts: 1662 |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18223 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Sad to disappoint you, but I saw this series once, 3-4 years ago when it was on one of the cable-based VOD services, and have no desire to either own it or see it again, even given its status within the fan community. (AnimeNation's "Ask John" Opplinger is another prominent individual who's consistently proclaimed the best anime series ever.) Certain aspects of the series did impress me, and I'd certainly agree that Utena is one of the top five anime heroines all-time, but I never fell in love with the story or art like a lot of people did (in fact, I find it too representative of what I dislike about shojo style points) and was regularly irritated by the repetition. But I can also see why other people would moon over the title. It makes a legitimate effort to be ground-breaking, and that always merits extra consideration. |
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EireformContinent
Posts: 977 Location: Łódź/Poland (The Promised Land) |
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I haven't seen whole EVA... I just can't. But if Utena is must-watch, why not Tezuka, Ikeda, Matsumoto?
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littlegreenwolf
 Posts: 4796 Location: Seattle, WA |
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Because they created the mold. Utena took that mold and cracked it open. She smashed the world of anime's shell and started a revolution for the world, or at least in terms of creative and sometimes abstract story lines. Seriously though, nothing against the guys mentioned, they're classics, and everyone does need to give them a chance, but as a female anime fan they never brought anything to the table for me. Utena was like... the feminist revolution of anime. No scratch that - animation in general. The ideas and the sexuality - nothing in animation did it before, and nothing has since. I smile at the recollection of being a 12 year old girl who picked up a random anime tape from the bargain bin of Blockbuster because it said "From the director of Sailor Moon". I didn't know what I was about to get into - it really did cause a revolution in my mindset. |
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EireformContinent
Posts: 977 Location: Łódź/Poland (The Promised Land) |
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For calling Tezuka's works a "mould" I challenge you to a duel in the name of Queen Millenia!
And Ikeda isn't a guy. She id Utena's godmother. You know, to break the rules you must know it. If I hadn't seen Lady Oscar before I would have not seen anything special with Utena. I completely adore that series and know it's role, but I understand that's not series that everyone will like. If something is good for everyone, it's good for nothing at all. Praising one series doesn't mean neglecting others. As a female I must say that Utena , and it's one of a few titles which can keeps up with the works of mentioned authors- but every of them focused on different things and had different observations about human nature. |
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doctordoom85
 Posts: 2093 |
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Got the 1st set in the mail, and the 2nd is on pre-order. I'm holding off watching any until I have all 3 in my possession, so I can enjoy the series all in one go. Definitely looking forward to my first watch.
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