Ranked #1209

Shoujo Kakumei Utena: Adolescence Mokushiroku

Adolescence of Utena is a feature-length movie that was produced and directed by the same persons who were responsible for the TV series. It premiered in 1999, and has been licensed Stateside by Central Park Media, which is now defunct. Let's just say it's been out for a long time Stateside.

Adolescence of Utena is best described as the TV series retold in two hours or less with different plot elements bought up or discarded, with some characters absent, and lots and lots of symbolism and, some would argue, a heavy dose of crack.

I would highly suggest watching the series going into this. I watched this first, then watched the series, and then watched this, and I found that the series helped me understand it more, which is what the creators intended with this. And then the movie, in turn, helped me understand elements of the series that I didn't before, which in turn helped me understand the movie more, which helped me understand the series... it's a cycle of positive feedback. And it's amazing.

The art for this is a lot smoother than it was in the series, though it is still heavily stylized. A definite improvement.

The music has a lot of the same themes, subtly reworked for the movie, which gives it a whole new feel. There are also some new vocal pieces that don't have to do with the duelling songs, and they're quite addictive.

Most of the vocal cast was able to return for this, except for Akio's seiyuu, which just adds a nice touch to this.

An amazing movie, and one of my favorite anime movies to date. read more

There's one thing you should keep in mind when watching Adolescence Apocalypse: absolutely EVERYTHING is a metaphor, usually for some part of adolescence. This is a movie that was made to be analyzed. Usually I don't analyze the symbolism of anything I watch, but Adolescence Apocalypse makes analyzing symbolism fun, crazy as that may sound. As for as anime symbolism goes, Adolescence Apocalypse can't be beat, even by the series.

That's not to say the symbolism's the only thing worth watching the movie for. Every moment of screentime is purely entertaining, whether symbolism is the focus or not. The only real complaint I had with the TV series was that some episodes felt repetitive and didn't seem to contribute much to the main characters' development or the overall plot. Here, however, every fight scene, every conversation, everything really matters. The movie is not content to simply have a fight: at the same time the fight is going on, there is development for Utena, Anthy, whoever she's fighting with, and even background characters.

The backgrounds themselves also deserve a mention. The school puts Hogwarts to shame, as it's constantly in motion, and there's always something interesting to look at. Everything is constantly in motion, and while this is partially for symbolism, it helps to make the series very pretty. Though some of the reviews complain about the music, I had no problems here. Absolute Destiny Apocalypse is as awesome as ever, and the rest of the music is also great. Perhaps not as wonderful as in the series, but still very fitting.

Other than the symbolism, the main draw of the movie is the characters. Utena herself is even more magnificent than in the series, simultaneously vulnerable and strong. And not vulnerable in the way typical strong anime females are often vulnerable, but in the way you'd expect any middle school girl to be. That vulnerability causes problems for her at times, but she deals with it in an appropriate and realistic way, as it contributes nicely to her development. Utena's relationships, especially with Touga and Anthy, are all interesting as well, as they help her grow in interesting ways throughout the movie, and their interactions are always clever and witty.

As a final note, I should add that this movie works best when you've seen the series first. Almost nothing is the same as it was in the series, but a lot of the minor characters are better understood with the series' development behind them. If you've watched the series, the movie is a splendid treat. read more