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Utena Manga Gets 3rd New Chapter in March

The March issue of Shogakukan's Monthly Flowers magazine is revealing on Saturday that a new chapter of Be-PaPas and Chiho Saitō's Revolutionary Girl Utena (Shōjo Kakumei Utena) manga will debut in the magazine's May issue on March 28.

The issue also debuted the new "Utsukushiki Toge" (Beautiful Thorn) chapter, which is set in Ohtori Academy after the finale of the main manga, and depicts the noble fencer Juri Arisugawa. The anime character Shiori also appears in the chapter.

"Shōjo Kakumei Utena After the Revolution," the first new chapter in two decades, ran in the September issue of Flowers last July. The story takes place at Ohtori Academy after the end of the original manga's final chapter, when a certain person visits the school.

Be-PaPas — a group of industry professionals including Saito, Yoji Enokido (Bungo Stray Dogs, Star Driver), Shinya Hasegawa (Golden Time, Taboo Tattoo), Kunihiko Ikuhara (Sailor Moon, Yuri Kuma Arashi), and Yūichirō Oguro (Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie) — developed the Revolutionary Girl Utena manga and anime at the same time. Saito's manga debuted in Shogakukan's Ciao magazine beginning in 1996, and Shogakukan published the series in five compiled volumes. Viz Media licensed and sold the manga in North America, and released a collector's edition box set last April.

Viz Media describes the story:

At the lowest point in her young life, Utena Tenjou was saved from death by a mysterious prince. Since that day, Utena vowed to grow up to be not a princess but a strong and noble prince herself!

In search of her long-lost prince, Utena enters prestigious Ohtori Academy, only to be challenged to a sword duels by a member of the mysterious Student Council. But by winning the duel, she finds that she has won the hand of another girl: Anthy Himemiya, the "Rose Bride."

The 39-episode television anime adaptation from director Ikuhara originally aired in 1997. Central Park Media and later Nozomi Entertainment released the television series on DVD in North America, and Nozomi Entertainment is releasing it also on Blu-ray Disc. Central Park Media also once released the 1999 film retelling, and it is now streaming on Tubi TV with the English dub.

Saito also drew the Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Adolescence of Utena, which is based on the 1999 film.

The anime is inspiring a stage musical adaptation that will run from March 8 to 18 in Tokyo.