Shoujo Kakumei Utena: Adolescence Mokushiroku

This recommendation is more based on a gut feeling than anything else. The Adolescence of Utena and End of Eva are both retellings of their respective series and in both cases the intense imagery coupled with a complex and heavily symbolical atmosphere create an utterly surreal environment that deconstructs itself at every turn. They share the same epic quality even as they delve deep into the human psyche, despite the fact that the plot may seem to vary considerably. In these movies the role of the individual in the world and the very nature of what these two entities may be is what truly is at stake.  read more 

Great art, and plenty of creativity in both movies. The two best movies about race cars ever made. 

Heavy on the symbolism and insane visuals, both are aesthetically pleasing and create a dreamlike world, with fresh character and background designs. 

Both are filled with strongly symbolic and/or disturbing imagery. The difference is the art style. Utena is pure eye-candy, while Angel's Egg is like a mixture between the gothic and the surreal. 

Avant-Garde, late 90s animation vibes, amazing animation and a story of transformation, looking for identity and overcoming abuse. Perfect Blue is way more explicit and realistic though, Utena goes more to the artistic-fantasy side. 

They are both Queer stories. Unlike "Given", this one doesn't have much of a story, is mostly symbolism and character interaction. What makes Utena more interesting to watch is that this one has actual themes going on, the animation and illustration are great, the music is phenomenal and the Aesthetics is really unique. Is mostly spectacle, but for what it is, has charm and doesn't feel like a waste of time. 

Both apart from having the same director, there is a good number of intertextuality and references between these otherwise unrelated stories, like the painting scene getting used in both works. There's also a heavily unconventional storytelling. 

Both are heavy in references to the different stages of adolescence, in the case of Utena more focused on girls while FLCL focuses on a boy. Both have extremely, EXTREMELY abstract storytelling and an incredible high effort in an unique and neat looking animation. 

While both shows vary greatly in genera's and atmosphere, I feel the two have many things in common. They both explore and delve into themes of sexuality, gender and relationships—while mixing all of it with lots of symbolism that may be missed if one is not paying attention. Even the two main characters from each series have a few similarities with one another, all of them evolving through their relationships and exploration of one's self—I'd even argue that certain moments within each series were very similar. However, RGU is more queer oriented compared to Franxx—but Franxx does explore the subject matter a bit, but not by much. I also feel that RGU was made for a more niche audience while Franxx was made for a more wider audience—so in terms of how each were handled, there is a bit of a difference. One feels a bit more mature than the other I suppose—but that depends on your perspective. Despite all of that however, there is a lot of similarities and I'd even argue that Franxx might have taken a bit of inspiration from RGU. If you enjoyed either of these series, I'd recommend keeping an open mind and pay attention to the symbolism, imagery and themes and you'll begin to see the similarities. List of things they have in common (tl;dr) ~Themes of sexuality, gender, relationships ~Lots of beautiful imagery and symbolism ~MC's (and other characters) have a few things in common with one another ~Certain scenes and aspects and scenes that were similar (Won't mention cause of spoilers) ~RGU is more queer focused rather than Franxx but Franxx does touch up on the subject a tiny bit ~Both have MC's go against the status-quo to find their own truth and self ~Both have romantic themes to it that are done beautifully read more 

They’re both alternative versions of the same series They’re both popular Shojo series They’re both dubbed in New York by a New York cast 

Both movies have trippy visuals and are about escaping/returning to the outside world. Also, each movie has a character who is tied to water. 

Cryptic storylines combined with racing and incredible visuals. Every aspect of these shows is designed to be as cool as possible, with unique characters and background art, besides some very weird - but cool - cars. The stories are pretty hard to follow, and you might need to rewatch them a few times before being able to fully understand what's going on. 

Both semi-surreal and with a focus on women's issues - I guess? - (I don't think Belladonna is consistent enough to call it feminist) and sex 

Both are a considerably more surreal and darker take on the story of the series they're based on. Altough Utena's film is an alternate continuity, Shoujo Kageki is a direct sequel. Yeah both are incredibly mind-screwing. 

-Both are compilation movies of series created by Kunihiko Ikuhara. -Both works rely heavily on the use of symbolism and other motifs. -The basic plot of both works is loosely the same as the series they´re based of. -Both feature many insert songs from their original series. 

Just as the Adolescence of Utena, it removes unecessary and idiotic plotlines and capatilaizes on the originals strength. Also develop romantic relationships correctly. 

Both are quite psychedelic postapocaliptical animes. Both had quite a lot yuri but no real yuri plot. Both had two quite similar female protagonists: rapier-wielding, brave and calm fighting heroine and smart or rather "soul-sensitive" but defenseless heroine. 

Girl-girl romances, or yuri. However not porn yuri, actual anime with fantastic stories and tensions.  

Both anime deconstruct their respective genres, with Utena being a deconstruction of magical girl anime, and Evangelion being a deconstruction of mecha anime. Both have a teenage protagonist is placed in a new, unknown situation, and who holds the power to change the fate of the world. Both anime have a lot of metaphors and symbolism, as well as surreal imagery, which might confuse some watchers. Also, both have a similar tone and mood. 

Both anime focus on a young student who enters a new, unique academy, and is soon swept up in a series of duels against other students. Both are anime deconstruct their respective genres and have a similar mood, although Yu-Gi-Oh! GX is not as heavy in symbolism as Utena. 

No.6 and Shoujo Kakumei are anime that contain implied same sex romance between the main characters. Both shows contain symbolism, violence, and the theme of growing up and identity. 

Both titles share surreal imagery, high amount of seemingly nonsensical plot which finally appear to be meaningful symbolism, excellent music and visuals and a great romance. 

Both are magical girl anime that start off with a simple premise but get darker as the story goes on. They contain a lot of metaphors and symbolism, and often use surreal imagery. The overall mood and atmosphere they create is similar too. 

Both movies are alternate versions of larger classic series, and feature some of the finest samples of animation and glamorous style in pre-2000 animated movies. Both can stand on their own even without viewing their parent series, though the Utena movie perhaps even more, as it actually deviates totally from the plot of its series (and embraces a totally allegorical way of telling the story), whereas the Macross movie might require watching the series moreso to better connect with the characters.