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EP. REVIEW: Revolutionary Girl Utena


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Zin5ki



Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 6680
Location: London, UK
PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 3:18 pm Reply with quote
What an eye-opener it was to see the tension between Juri and Shiori being cut, quite fatally, by the Java finch striking the window. Imagery this stark, both in its beauty and its horror, keeps a scene lingering beyond the moment, even if its precise symbolism isn't fully clear.
Then again, anything bird-related tends to grab my eye regardless of its artistic aims...
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Scherzo



Joined: 27 Feb 2013
Posts: 149
PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 4:04 pm Reply with quote
whiskeyii wrote:
Yeah, I realized afterwards that my reply might come off as confrontational, which was not my intent at all, so sorry about that. ^^;

As for Ikuhara, I don't think he's advocating for the total abandonment of all societal norms. Rather, I think he's arguing against the patriarchal, heteronormative status quo (which, let's face it, is pretty much the universal status quo), and I think this is pretty evident given the ending. spoiler[Utena graduating means she no longer "fits" in the world of Ohtori, and no longer plays by that world's rules of what it means to be a Prince, or a Princess, or a boy, or a girl. She no longer allows herself to be hemmed in by the patriarchal, heteronormative status quo.]


I always viewed the ending of Utena viewed through the lens of being a rejection of a system of absurd oppression, which is obviously colored by my love for Catch-22, which had a big impact on my intellectual development. The MC is faced with the choice of continuing meaningless missions until he inevitably dies, or 'sell out' and become a public advocate of the absurd system he so detests, and thus suffer a sort of spiritual death, but suddenly discovers a third option in escaping the system entirely. I sort of feel Utena shares Catch-22's message of saying individuals have a duty to escape and expose absurd systems of oppression, for both themselves and for others. I feel that's one of the big thrust's of Yuri Kuma Arashi as well, though I didn't enjoy it anywhere near as much as Utena.

Quote:
I think it's also worth remembering that while Utena has pretty strong universal appeal, it's still a show made for a Japanese audience, and Japan has some pretty strong social penalties for not adhering to cultural norms.


Yeah, that's probably something I overlooked in my first few posts; Japan is a definitely an environment in need of more open social discourse.[/quote]
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BodaciousSpacePirate
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Joined: 17 Apr 2015
Posts: 3017
PostPosted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 11:31 am Reply with quote
Well, I'll miss reading these, but if you don't have the time, you don't have the time.
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One-Eye



Joined: 08 Mar 2011
Posts: 2261
PostPosted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 9:24 am Reply with quote
I can't remember when I first saw Utena, but its probably more than a decade ago and I'm pretty sure I never saw all of it. I do recall my first exposure was the movie which totally blew my mind. It is funny what stays with you, because I was never a fan of the more comedic episodes and those are the ones that really stuck out in my memory. I seem to be more tolerant of them this second time around though and they have actually evoked a chuckle or two from me.

Anyways, I just want to say that I've been having a great time reading these reviews on Utena. Its given me a great excuse to watch the Nozomi/RS DVDs I picked up a few years ago. Well, maybe I should say essays because they have been long and involved which therefore doesn't surprise me that it will necessitate a break. Its definitely enhanced my viewing of the show and I hope it isn't too long before you can return to these reviews.
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